Synopses & Reviews
The study of pulsating variable stars has undergone dramatic changes in the past decade. The use of Cepheids and RR Lyrae stars as distance indicators has been extended by the increased sensitivity afforded by CCD detectors and by infrared observations. Meanwhile, other classes of pulsators, such as Mira and SX Phe variables are providing independent checks of the distance scale. Long-standing discrepancies between "pulsational" and "evolutionary" masses are finally being resolved by the new OP and OPAL opacity calculations, as is the mystery of the $\beta$ Cephei excitation mechanism. Seismology of the oscillations of the Sun, white dwarfs, Ap stars and delta Scuti stars has opened windows on internal stellar structure, while Doppler Imaging reveals an entire range of high-degree pulsations hitherto undetectable by conventional photometry or radial velocity measurements. Observations of Long Period Variables have cast a new light on the implications of mass loss for stellar evolution and the history of the interstellar medium. On other fronts, more rigorous treatments of convection and radiative diffusion are starting to bring theory and observation into closer agreement. This book, the proceedings of the International Astronomical Union's Colloquium 139 held in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in July 1992, contains over thirty comprehensive reviews as well as summaries of over 100 contributed papers, reflecting the current scope of stellar pulsation research. It is an overview of the most recent developments in the field, and a preview of some of the advances expected in the decade to come.
Synopsis
Papers from the 139th IAU Colloquium provide an essential review of recent developments and preview advances in variable star research.
Synopsis
How can the interior of the Sun, white dwarfs and other stars be studied by stellar seismology? What can Doppler imaging tell us about high-degree pulsations? And what impact are CCD and infrared observations having on the distance scale? These and many other critical questions are answered in this timely review of pulsating star research. This survey collects together more than thirty comprehensive reviews and over one hundred summaries of research papers from the 139th IAU Colloquium. Together these cover all aspects of recent developments in the field and preview some of the exciting advances anticipated for the next decade - an essential review for graduate students and researchers.
Table of Contents
Group photograph; List of participants; Preface; Part I. Variable Stars as Distance Indicators: Part II. Stellar Seismology: Part III. Beyond the Classical Instability Strip: Part IV. Theoretical Breakthroughs: Part V. Windows on the Instability Strip: Index.