Unveiling the Structure and Dynamics of Red Giants With Asteroseismology

Abstract

The Kepler mission observed many thousands of red giants. The long time series, some as long as the mission itself, have allowed us to study red giants with unprecedented detail. Given that red giants are intrinsically luminous, and hence can be observed from very large distances, knowing the properties of red giants, in particular ages, is of immense value for studies of the formation and evolution of the Galaxy, an endeavor known as “Galactic archaeology.” In this article we review what we have learned about red giants using asteroseismic data. We start with the properties of the power spectrum and move on to internal structure and dynamics of these stars; we also touch upon unsolved issues in red-giant asteroseismology and the prospects of making further progress in understanding these stars.