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Issue A&A Volume 377, Number 1, October I 2001 Page(s) 192 - 205 Section Formation, structure and evolution of stars DOI 10.1051/0004-6361:20011072

A&A 377, 192-205 (2001)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20011072

Seismic study of stellar convective cores

A. Mazumdar and H. M. Antia

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Homi Bhabha Road, Mumbai 400005, India
    e-mail: anwesh@tifr.res.in

(Received 30 May 2001 / Accepted 24 July 2001)

Abstract
It has been shown that a discontinuity in the derivatives of the sound speed at the edge of the convective regions inside a star gives rise to a characteristic oscillatory signal in the frequencies of stellar oscillations. This oscillatory signal has been suggested as a means to study the base of the outer convection zone in low mass stars and possibly the outer edge of the convective core in high mass stars. Using stellar models we show that because of a phenomenon similar to aliasing in a Fourier transform, it may not be possible to use this signal to detect the convective core. Nevertheless, it may be possible to determine the size of convective cores using the frequency separation .

Key words: stars: interiors -- stars: oscillations -- stars: evolution

Offprint request: H. M. Antia, antia@tifr.res.in

© ESO 2001

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