Abstract
The CoRoT and Kepler missions provide us with thousands of red-giant light curves that allow a very precise asteroseismic study of these objects. Before CoRoT and Kepler, the red-giant oscillation patterns remained obscure. Now, these spectra are much more clear and unveil many crucial interior structure properties. For thousands of red giants, we can derive from the seismic data precise estimates of the stellar mass and radius, the evolutionary status of the giants (with a clear difference between clump and RGB stars), the internal differential rotation, the mass loss, the distance of the stars... Analysing this mass of information is made easy by the identification of the largely homologous red-giant oscillation patterns. For the first time, both pressure and mixed mode oscillation patterns can be precisely depicted. The mixed-mode analysis allows us, for instance, to probe directly the stellar core. Fine details completing the red-giant oscillation pattern then provide further information for a more detailed view on the interior structure, including differential rotation.
Highlights
The CoRoT and Kepler missions provide us with thousands of red-giant light curves that allow a very precise asteroseismic study of these objects
For thousands of red giants, we can derive from seismic data precise estimates of the stellar mass and radius, the evolutionary status of the giants, the internal differential rotation, the mass loss, the distance of the stars
The CNES CoRoT mission [1] and the NASA Kepler mission [2] have opened a new era in red giant asteroseismology [3], with thousands of high-precision photometric light curves
Summary
The CNES CoRoT mission [1] and the NASA Kepler mission [2] have opened a new era in red giant asteroseismology [3], with thousands of high-precision photometric light curves. [8] explicitly state that “a most important and exciting result of [their] study is the confirmation of the possibility, suggested by the results reported on UMa and Arcturus, to observe solar-like oscillations in stars on the red giant branch”. These questions were not answered by observations with the microsatellite MOST [e.g. 9], with time series limited to one month. The pioneering role of these observations was highly valuable, so that red giants were considered as important asteroseimic targets Without them, both CoRoT and Kepler would have missed an impressive harvest. An introduction to red giant seismology, by [10] and [11] for theoretical aspects or by [12] in an observational perspective, can be useful for setting the scene
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