Related papers: Basic stellar observables
Classical Be stars are introduced as object class and their particular potential for space based photometry is highlighted. A brief summary of the various types of variability observed in Be stars makes clear that an interpretation of every…
Neutron stars are one of the most extreme objects in the universe, with densities that can exceed those of atomic nuclei and gravitational fields that are among the strongest known. Theoretical and observational research on neutron stars…
This course reviews the rotational properties of non-degenerate stars as observed from the protostellar stage to the end of the main sequence. It includes an introduction to the various observational techniques used to measure stellar…
We show that for a transiting exoplanet accompanied by a moon which also transits, the absolute masses and radii of the star, planet and moon are determinable. For a planet-star system, it is well known that the density of the star is…
Astronomers measure cosmic distances to objects beyond our own galaxy using standard candles: objects of known intrinsic brightness, whose apparent brightnesses in the sky are then taken as an indication of their distances from the…
The simple physics of microlensing provides a well-understood tool with which to probe the atmospheres of distant stars in the Galaxy and Local Group with high magnification and resolution. Recent results in measuring stellar surface…
In this lecture, we give a first introduction to neutron stars, based on fundamental physical principles. After outlining their outstanding macroscopic properties, as obtained from observations, we infer the extreme conditions of matter in…
All measurements of cosmic star formation must assume an initial distribution of stellar masses -- the stellar initial mass function -- in order to extrapolate from the star-formation rate measured for typically rare, massive stars (> 8…
We summarize some of the compelling new scientific opportunities for understanding stars and stellar systems that can be enabled by sub-milliarcsec (sub-mas) angular resolution, UV-Optical spectral imaging observations, which can reveal the…
Owing to the remarkable photometric precision of space observatories like Kepler, stellar and planetary systems beyond our own are now being characterized en masse for the first time. These characterizations are pivotal for endeavors such…
Optical interferometry provides us with a unique opportunity to improve our understanding of stellar structure and evolution. Through direct observation of rotationally distorted photospheres at sub-milliarcsecond scales, we are now able to…
The measurement of stellar properties such as chemical compositions, masses and ages, through stellar spectra, is a fundamental problem in astrophysics. Progress in the understanding, calculation and measurement of atomic properties and…
The determination of chemical abundances from stellar spectra is considered a mature field of astrophysics. Digital spectra of stars are recorded and processed with standard techniques, much like samples in the biological sciences.…
The age of an individual star cannot be measured, only estimated through mostly model-dependent or empirical methods, and no single method works well for a broad range of stellar types or for a full range in age. This review presents a…
The observable characteristics and subsequent evolution of young stellar populations is dominated by their massive stars. As our understanding of those massive stars and the factors affecting their evolution improves, so our interpretation…
Oscillations occur in stars of most masses and essentially all stages of evolution. Asteroseismology is the study of the frequencies and other properties of stellar oscillations, from which we can extract fundamental parameters such as…
We present analytic formulae that approximate the evolution of stars for a wide range of mass and metallicity. Stellar luminosity, radius and core mass are given as a function of age, M and Z, for all phases from the zero-age main-sequence…
One of the great challenges in understanding stars is measuring their masses. The best methods for measuring stellar masses include binary interaction, asteroseismology and stellar evolution models, but these methods are not ideal for red…
The main aim of this paper is to introduce the most important observables that help us to investigate stellar dynamos and compare those to the modeling results. We give an overview of the available observational methods and data processing…
We combine results from interferometry, asteroseismology and spectroscopic analyses to determine accurate fundamental parameters (mass, radius and effective temperature) of 10 bright solar-type stars covering the H-R diagram from spectral…