CCD Studies of δ Scuti Stars in Open Clusters

Abstract

AbstractAsteroseismology on δ Scuti stars has until now produced very few convincing results – if we aim at doing strong tests of details of stellar modelling. The main reason for the lack of success is probably that these stars often rotate, which split nonradial oscillation frequencies into many more frequencies. These many frequencies and the fact that the more evolved δ Scuti stars contain a strong chemical composition gradient at the edge of the convective core, produce a very complicated eigenfrequency spectrum. In contrast to this, we expect, in principle, seismological studies of δ Scuti stars to be a very simple task: One has to compare theoretical oscillations in model stars with the observed oscillations. However, in order to produce convincing asteroseismological results, we need to do three things: (1) Detect as many eigenfrequencies as possible at high precision, (2) identify the eigenmodes and (3) improve the theoretical models. By observing δ Scuti stars in open clusters using CCDs, we have a possibility to improve on (1) and (2) as well as providing an opening for an improvement in the theoretical models by doing accurate calibrations of the basic cluster properties. In this paper I shall describe some of the results from CCD studies of δ Scuti stars in open clusters and identify some future prospects for this technique.