190 likes | 289 Views
Acoustic Oscillations in Red Giants. Jim Fuller Caltech/KITP. Quiz: In which decade was the first Pulsating Red Giant Discovered?. Answer: 1596 Mira’s variability discovered by David Fabricious. Luminosity variations from Acoustic Oscillations. Chaplin & Miglio 2013.
E N D
Acoustic Oscillations in Red Giants Jim Fuller Caltech/KITP
Quiz: In which decade was the first Pulsating Red Giant Discovered? Answer: 1596 Mira’s variability discovered by David Fabricious
What are Acoustic Oscillations? • Sound waves in star • Waves are excited by convective motions • Sound waves reflect, create global-scale standing waves, i.e., oscillation modes, at characteristic frequencies
Characteristic frequencies • Stellar dynamical frequency • Freefall frequency, orbital frequency at stellar surface
Characteristic frequencies • Acoustic cutoff frequency • Characteristic atmospheric frequency
Oscillation frequencies • Stars tend to oscillate at frequencies • Oscillation spectrum exhibits peaks separated by
Evolution up Giant branch • As stars evolve up RGB or AGB, their radii increase dramatically • Mode frequencies and frequency spacing decrease • Longer observation baselines needed • Continuous data not needed • Mode amplitudes increase • Less sensitivity needed to detect oscillations
Scaling relations Chaplin & Miglio 2013
Lower red giant branch Chaplin & Miglio 2013
Rotational splitting Mosser et al. 2012
upper red giant branch Mosser et al. 2013
Power of PTF • PTF has ability to detect oscillations in lots (millions?) of red giants • With measurement of mode frequencies and spacings, PTF can characterize these stars • Provides synergy with K2, GAIA, TESS, PLATO, LSST, etc.