Asteroseismology for the Nonspecialist

The majority of stars undergo oscillations, and asteroseismology is the study of those oscillations, generally using either high-precision photometry or spectroscopy. As resonant cavities, stars oscillate only at a finite number of well-defined frequencies, and precise measurement of those frequencies allows the determination of stellar parameters such as mass, radius, and density, as well as details of internal structure and rotation. The book outlines the physics behind stellar oscillations and the information they encode about stellar structure, and summarizes the current state of the art in the field. It describes commonly-used data reduction and analysis techniques for asteroseismology. The focus of the book is on the successful application and physical interpretation of asteroseismology by nonspecialists in the field. The text is supplemented by guided tours and cookbook-style introductions to Python data analysis tools for asteroseismology. It is aimed at professional and future professional astronomers at all levels from advanced undergraduate on up.

Key Features:

First book aimed at astronomers who wish to use asteroseismic analyses without being specialists in the area

Emphasises the understanding, use and interpretation of asteroseismic results

Introduces popular software tools

Can be used a basic introduction to asteroseismology for advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate students