Dartmouth Events

Physics & Astronomy - Astronomy Seminar - Gregory Feiden, Univ. of North Georgia

Title: "Young Stellar Ages: A Tale of Misery and Woe"

Thursday, July 26, 2018
3:00pm – 4:00pm
Wilder 202
Intended Audience(s): Public
Categories: Lectures & Seminars

Abstract: Absolute stellar ages are some of the most sought after astrophysical quantities, especially for identifiably young systems that provide constraints on time-dependent features of planet formation and evolution. However, accurate ages for young stars remain elusive due to a necessary reliance on stellar evolution models, which are beset with problems for ages younger than 100 million years. I will highlight the most pressing issues facing young stellar models and efforts to explain these problems by considering non-standard physics, such as accretion and magnetic fields. I will demonstrate that including non-standard physics in young stellar models improves their agreement with observations, but that fundamental uncertainties limit our understanding about which physical processes are required to accurately model young stars. I will conclude with a discussion of these uncertainties and new efforts to relieve them.

For more information, contact:
Tressena Manning
603-646-2854

Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.