Stellar Pulsation Theory From Arthur Stanley Eddington to Today (Abstract)

Volume 40 number 1 (2012)

Steven D. Kawaler

Iowa State University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ames, IA 50011; sdk@iastate.edu

Carl J. Hansen

Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309

Abstract

(Abstract only) While one could question that Eddington was the pioneer in theoretical work directly addressing the pulsating variable stars, there is no doubt that his work in the first part of the 20th Century set the stage for a transformation of theoretical astrophysics. After Eddington (the 1940s to the present day) stellar pulsation theory evolved from analytic theory into the realm of computational physics. Starting from Eddington’s formulation, the flexibility provided by numerical solutions enabled exploration of systematics of pulsating variable stars in vastly greater detail. In this talk, we will trace this development that led to theoretical explanations of period-luminosity relations, new mechanisms of pulsation driving, connections with mass loss and stellar hydrodyamics, and to modern asteroseismic probes of the Sun and the stars.