Related papers: Stellar models and Hyades: the Hipparcos test
Very massive stars (VMS) dominate the light of young stellar populations and are sources of intense stellar feedback. Their evolution is mainly driven by strong wind mass loss, yet current evolution models make simplistic assumptions on…
After a decade of gravitational microlensing experiments, a dozen of microlensing candidates in the direction of the stars of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) have been detected by the EROS and MACHO groups. Recently it was shown that the…
The effect of atomic diffusion on the Main Sequence (MS) of metal-poor low mass stars is investigated. Since diffusion alters the stellar surface chemical abundances with respect to their initial values, one must ensure - by calibrating the…
The Hyades cluster is known to harbour ten so-called classical white dwarf members. Numerous studies through the years have predicted that more than twice this amount of degenerate stars should be associated with the cluster. Using the…
We derive knowledge on the global and structural parameters of low-mass stars using asteroseismology and taking advantage of the stellar collective behavior within open clusters. We build stellar models and compute the seismic signal…
We present a maximum likelihood method for fitting two-dimensional model distributions to stellar data in colour-magnitude space. This allows one to include (for example) binary stars in an isochronal population. The method also allows one…
Convective mixing in Helium-core-burning (HeCB) stars is one of the outstanding issues in stellar modelling. The precise asteroseismic measurements of gravity-modes period spacing ($\Delta\Pi_1$) has opened the door to detailed studies of…
We derive the fundamental parameters (temperature and luminosity) of 107 619 Hipparcos stars and place these stars on a true Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. This is achieved by comparing BT-Settl model atmospheres to spectral energy…
We discuss the current Standard Solar Model conflict between helioseismology and photospheric abundances, a speculation that connects this anomaly to formation of the gaseous giant planets, and a possible neutrino measurement to directly…
(ABRIDGED) We assess the systematic uncertainties in (young) cluster age, mass, and - to a lesser extent - extinction and metallicity determinations, based on broad-band imaging observations with the Hubble Space Telescope. Our aim here is…
We investigate the predicted Color-Magnitude distribution of metal-rich Horizontal Branch (HB) stars, discussing selected theoretical models computed under various assumptions about the star metallicity and the efficiency of super-adiabatic…
We present first results from evolutionary simulations aimed at exploring the Hot-Flasher scenario for the formation of H-deficient subdwarf stars. The two types of late hot flashers that lead to He-enriched surfaces, "deep" and "shallow"…
We review the available empirical evidence for the presence of "gaps" and multimodal distributions among horizontal branch (HB) stars, along with some of the theoretical scenarios that have been proposed to explain these features. While…
In this invited review I discuss the calibration and applications of the period-luminosity relation of classical Cepheid and RR Lyrae stars. After a brief introduction, starting with results from Hipparcos and discussing some post-Hipparcos…
Stellar sources are identified in the Hubble Deep Field, and accurate colours and magnitudes are presented. The predictions of a Galactic starcounts model are compared with the faint stellar counts in this field. The model reproduces the…
Eclipsing binary stars allow derivation of accurate and precise masses and radii. When they reside in star clusters, properties of even higher precision, along with additional information, can be extracted. Asteroseismology of solar-like…
The construction of viable and physically-realistic interstellar dust models is only possible if the constraints imposed by laboratory data on interstellar dust analogue materials are respected and used within a meaningful theoretical…
In young star clusters, the density can be high enough and the velocity dispersion low enough for stars to collide and merge with a significant probability. This has been suggested as a possible way to build up the high-mass portion of the…
We present detailed modelling of the exoplanet-host star Mu Arae, using a new method for the asteroseismic analysis, and taking into account the new value recently derived for the Hipparcos parallax. The aim is to obtain precise parameters…
Previously [Y/Mg] has been proven to be an age indicator for solar twins. Here, we investigate if this relation also holds for helium-core-burning stars of solar metallicity. High resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N)…