Topic: stellar oscillations

Conny Aerts explains how stellar oscillations measured by space telescopes reveal otherwise inaccessible interiors. Asteroseismology probes physical conditions and chemical composition, allowing more precise estimates of stellar sizes, masses and ages. The lecture connects these measurements to rapidly rotating stars that may end in supernovae and produce gravitational waves. It also examines how stellar seismology supports reconstruction of the Milky Way’s history and the characterisation of exoplanets.

Space-based measurements of stellar oscillations reveal the interiors and histories of stars. This seminar surveys how asteroseismology constrains stellar masses, radii, ages, evolutionary stages and rotation, and probes transport from core to surface. It also considers why these measurements matter for exoplanet studies and the structure of our galaxy.