Testing Asteroseismology with red giants in eclipsing binary and multiple-star systems

Patrick Gaulme

Published 2013-11-14Version 1

Red-giant stars are proving to be an incredible source of information for testing models of stellar evolution, as asteroseismology has opened up a window into their interiors. Such insights are a direct result of the unprecedented data from space missions CoRoT and Kepler as well as recent theoretical advances. Eclipsing binaries are also fundamental astrophysical objects, and when coupled with asteroseismology, they would provide two independent methods to obtain masses and radii and exciting opportunities to develop highly constrained stellar models. Gaulme et al. (2013) reported the discovery of 13 bona fide candidates (12 previously unknown) to be eclipsing binaries, one to be an non-eclipsing binary with tidally induced oscillations, and 10 more to be hierarchical triple systems, all of which include a pulsating red giant. When ground-based support in terms of atmospheric abundance and radial velocities are completed, these red giants in eclipsing binary systems have the potential to become some of the most accurately studied stars.