Asteroseismology

Asteroseismology is the study of oscillations and pulsations in a star using a collection of observational techniques. These are closely analogous to techniques used in solar structure investigations, and loosely comparable to measuring earth tremors on the Earth. Using these techniques we can indirectly study the interior of stars, and hence develop much better theories for describing stellar atmospheres.

Asteroseismology at the Jeremiah Horrocks Institute exploits the revolutionary datas set from the 4-year Kepler and K2 Missions, and the ongoing TESS mission. Studies are primarily for stars of the upper main sequence, probing interior rotation, pulsational energy conservation, tidally-excited pulsation modes in binary stars, and application of the frequency modulation technique (developed at the Jeremiah Horrocks Institute) in the search for planets and brown dwarf stars. Both photometric and spectroscopic studies of pulsation in magnetic stars is also carried out.

Lead researcher: Dr Daniel Holdsworth

Affiliated members: Dr Don Kurtz