Stellar pulsations and stellar evolution: Conflict, cohabitation, or symbiosis?

Abstract

While the analysis of stellar pulsations allows the determination of current properties of a star, stellar evolution models connect it with its previous history. In many cases results from both methods do not agree. In this review some classical and current cases of disagreement are presented. In some cases these conflicts led to an improvement of the theory of stellar evolution, while in others they still remain unsolved. Some well-known problems of stellar physics are pointed out as well, for which it is hoped that seismology—or in general the analysis of stellar pulsations—will help to resolve them. The limits of this symbiosis will be discussed as well.