Exploiting the open clusters in the Kepler and CoRoT fields

Abstract

The open clusters in the Kepler and CoRoT fields potentially provide tight constraints for tests of stellar models and observational methods because they allow a combination of complementary methods. We are in the process of identifying and measuring parameters for detached eclipsing binaries (dEBs) in the open clusters in the Kepler and CoRoT fields. We make use of measurements of dEBs in the clusters to test the accuracy of asteroseismic scaling relations for mass. We are able to provide strong indications that the asteroseismic scaling relations overestimate the stellar mass, but we are not yet able to distinguish between different proposed corrections from the literature. We argue how our ongoing measurements of more dEBs in more clusters, complemented by dEBs in the field, should be able to break the degeneracy. We also briefly describe how we can identify cluster stars that have evolved through non-standard evolution by making use of ensemble asteroseismology.