EC14026 Stars: Theoretical Considerations

Abstract

The recent discovery of pulsating subdwarf B (sdB) stars at the South African Astronomical Observatory (Kilkenny et al. 1997; Koen et al. 1997; Stobie et al. 1997; O'Donoghue et al. 1997) has opened a brand new avenue in the field of asteroseismology. The study of these pulsators (dubbed EC14026 stars, after the prototype) offers the exciting possibility of exploiting the full power of asteroseismology to investigate the sdB phase of stellar evolution, one of the last frontiers in our general understanding of the history of stars.