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Centro de Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto
Determination of fundamental parameters of stars through optical interferometry

Karine Perraut
IPAG, Grenoble

Abstract
Direct measurement of stellar diameters is fundamental for determining properties of stars, in particuliar the linear radius and the effective temperature. These properties provide the link between theory of stellar structure and evolution to model atmospheres. For nearby, main-sequence stars, whose distances are well known, the angular diameters are difficult to measure due to their small sizes compared to their evolved counterparts. Recently, high angular resolution provided by long-baseline optical interferometry has enabled the photospheric disks of such nearby stars to be resolved. These measurements has provided clues for studying the physical processus at play. I will briefly explain the principle of long-baseline interferometry and present the recent results obtained on several fields of stellar physics as GAIA benchmark stars, planet host stars, or pulsating A stars.

10 February 2016, 13:30

Centro de Astrofísica
Rua das Estrelas
4150-762 Porto

Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences

Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences (IA) is a new but long anticipated research infrastructure with a national dimension. It embodies a bold but feasible vision for the development of Astronomy, Astrophysics and Space Sciences in Portugal, taking full advantage and fully realizing the potential created by the national membership of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO). IA resulted from the merging the two most prominent research units in the field in Portugal: the Centre for Astrophysics of the University of Porto (CAUP) and the Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics of the University of Lisbon (CAAUL). It currently hosts more than two-thirds of all active researchers working in Space Sciences in Portugal, and is responsible for an even greater fraction of the national productivity in international ISI journals in the area of Space Sciences. This is the scientific area with the highest relative impact factor (1.65 times above the international average) and the field with the highest average number of citations per article for Portugal.

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