Asteroseismology Across the HR Diagram: Proceedings of the Asteroseismology Workshop Porto, Portugal 1–5 July 2002

by Michael J. Thompson (Editor), Margarida S. Cunha (Editor), Mário J.P.F.G. Monteiro (Editor)

We stand at the threshold of an exciting era of Asteroseismology. In a few months' time, the Canadian small-satellite asteroseismology mission MOST will be laun­ ched. Danish and French missions MONS and COROT should follow, with the ESA mission Eddington following in 2007/8. Helioseismology has proved spec­ tacularly successful in imaging the internal structure and dynamics of the Sun and probing the physics of the solar interior. Ground-based observations have detected solar-like oscillations on alpha Centauri A and other Sun-like stars, and diagnostics similar to those used in helioseismology are now being used to test and constrain the physics and evolutionary state of these stars. Multi-mode oscillations are being observed in an abundance of other stars, including slowly pulsating B stars (SPB stars), delta Scuti stars, Ap stars and the pulsating white dwarfs. New classes of pulsators continue to be discovered across the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. For good reason it was decided to entitle our conference 'Asteroseismology Across the HR Diagram' . Yet the challenges still to be faced to make asteroseismology across the HR diagram a reality are formidable. Observation, data analysis and theory all pose hard problems to be overcome. In conceiving this meeting, the aim of the organisers was to facilitate a cross-fertilization of ideas and approaches between researchers working on different pulsators and with different areas of expertise. We venture to suggest that in this the conference was a great success.

312 pages, Paperback

First published May 31, 2003