Stellar Tomography

A. Collier Cameron1 and J.-F. Donati2

1 School of Physics and Astronomy, Univ. of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland KY16 9SS
2 Laboratoire d'Astrophysique, Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, F-31400 Toulouse, France


We review recent advances in stellar surface imaging techniques brought about by the advent of signal enhancement methods that utilize the profiles of hundreds of photospheric absorption lines observed simultaneously. Highlights from the recent use of these techniques include evidence for strong azimuthal field components in the photospheres of active stars, and the first successful use of starspot tracking to measure stellar surface differential rotation. We discuss future prospects for the use of these techniques in mapping stellar surface flows and magnetic-field configurations in a wide variety of stellar types.


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