An Observational Study of the Physical Conditions in Red Giant Atmospheres.
Abstract
The temperature structure and ionization balance in the atmospheres of red giant stars was investigated. Particular attention was given to the giant star Aldebaran (K5 III). The observational basis for all studies was moderate to high resolution photoelectric spectrophotometry of various atomic lines. A technique was developed to obtain the run of excitation temperature (Texc) with height in a stellar atmosphere from the central fluxes of atomic lines in a single multiplet. Source function equality for all lines in a multiplet and the dominance of the line over the continuous opacity were assumed. A test of the method for the sun using lines in Fe I multiplet (553) yielded good agreement with independently determined solar model atmospheres.
- Publication:
-
Ph.D. Thesis
- Pub Date:
- December 1976
- Bibcode:
- 1976PhDT.........6R
- Keywords:
-
- Physics: Astronomy and Astrophysics;
- Red Giant Stars;
- Stellar Atmospheres;
- Stellar Spectra;
- Atmospheric Models;
- Atmospheric Temperature;
- Electrophotometers;
- Ionization;
- Spectrophotometry;
- Astronomy