Differential Rotation in Sun-like Stars from Surface Variability and Asteroseismology

Download or read book Differential Rotation in Sun-like Stars from Surface Variability and Asteroseismology written by Martin Bo Nielsen and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-01-24 with total page 101 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In his PhD dissertation Martin Bo Nielsen performs observational studies of rotation in stars like the Sun. The interior rotation in stars is thought to be one of the driving mechanisms of stellar magnetic activity, but until now this mechanism was unconstrained by observational data. NASA’s Kepler space mission provides high-precision observations of Sun-like stars which allow rotation to be inferred using two independent methods: asteroseismology measures the rotation of the stellar interior, while the brightness variability caused by features on the stellar surface trace the rotation of its outermost layers. By combining these two techniques Martin Bo Nielsen was able to place upper limits on the variation of rotation with depth in five Sun-like stars. These results suggest that the interior of other Sun-like stars also rotate in much the same way as our own Sun.