The music of the stars Dr Emily Brunsden, Department of Physics

Event details

Asteroseismology is the study of pulsations produced by vibrational physics in stars, analogous to the vibrations in musical instruments. The study of pulsations allows us to probe the deep internal workings of a star and is the best known way to determine interior properties and dynamics. The vibrations emit not just at one frequency or tone, but many modes simultaneously depending on the internal properties of a star. So, in a sense, each star has a unique musical 'voice'. In particular with Gamma Doradus stars, the pulsations penetrate deep into the stellar interior. So this means we have a golden opportunity to investigate a star's internal workings and look at the size of its core and density for example. This talk will share the modern science of pulsations, their analysis with different techniques and how new asteroseismic research is contributing to a revolution of understanding of stellar interiors.