Theoretical Evolutionary and Seismological Studies of Hot Highly Evolved Stars

20世纪80年代在恒星物理学中最令人兴奋的突破之一是对非径向脉动的研究，以研究白矮星的内部。以前的努力之所以取得成功，很大程度上是因为天文学家能够将观测到的白矮星变星的周期与由首席研究员（PI）确定的理论模型计算出来的周期相匹配。在这个为期三年的计划中，PI将把他以前的工作扩展到恒星的演化模型，并将使恒星的演化对其结构变化的影响能够在比人类寿命短得多的时间尺度上（例如十年）进行预测。这项工作还将允许在这些计算中包括重要但迄今为止只是粗略处理的过程的影响，例如化学分离。这项工作不仅可以应用于白矮星演化的研究，还可以应用于其他恒星的“星震学”研究，可能包括太阳。

One of the most exciting breakthroughs of the 1980's in stellar physics is the study of nonradial pulsations to the study of the interiors of white dwarf stars. Much of the previous success of previous efforts has been because of the ability of astronomers to match observed periods in white dwarf variable stars to periods computed from theoretical models determined by the Principal Investigator (PI). In this three year program the PI will extend his previous work to evolutionary models of stars and will enable the effects of changes in the star's structure from its evolution to be predicted for timescales considerably shorter than a human lifetime (e.g. a decade). This work will also permit the effects of important but hithero only crudely treated processes, such as chemical separation, to be included in these calculations. This work will have application not only to the study of white dwarf evolution but to the studies of "asteroseismology" of other stars as well, possibly including the Sun.