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Some aspects of cool main sequence star ages derived from stellar rotation (gyrochronology)
Author(s) -
Barnes S. A.,
Spada F.,
Weingrill J.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
astronomische nachrichten
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.394
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1521-3994
pISSN - 0004-6337
DOI - 10.1002/asna.201612377
Subject(s) - physics , starspot , stars , astrophysics , stellar rotation , metallicity , rotation (mathematics) , astronomy , main sequence , star (game theory) , computer science , artificial intelligence
Rotation periods for cool stars can be measured with good precision by monitoring starspot light modulation. Observations have shown that the rotation periods of dwarf stars of roughly solar metallicity have such systematic dependencies on stellar age and mass that they can be used to derive reliable ages, a procedure called gyrochronology. We review the method and show illustrative cases, including recent ground‐ and space‐based data. The age uncertainties approach 10 % in the best cases, making them a valuable complement to, and constraint on, asteroseismic or other ages.