Group on Active Stars & Systems
Catania Astrophysical Observatory
Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia dell'Università di Catania
Ricordo di Marcello Rodonò
La figura di Marcello Rodonò nella ricerca Astrofisica
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Group on Active Stars & Systems Catania Astrophysical Observatory La figura di Marcello Rodonò nella ricerca Astrofisica |
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Overview Our research is focused on the physical properties of photospheres, chromospheres, transition regions (TR) and coronae of late-type stars and active binary systems. The main topics of this research are:
o1) Solar-Stellar
Connection
üIn
active binary systems (e.g. RS
CVn's) and
in dwarf late-type stars (e.g.
dMe's)
magnetic activity is of paramount interest because it shows
extreme characteristics:
Models
of solar magnetic active phenomena can be validated when are
able to reproduce also what is observed on magnetically active
stars. On
the other hand from a better knowledge of stellar activity we can
improve our undestanding of the Sun behaviour.
o
2) How magnetic activity affects stellar evolution
We aim to thoroughly understand the role of
magnetic activity in stellar evolution. For example, magnetic
activity is responsible of stellar spin down because of magnetic
braking. We use stellar magnetic active signatures to infer
stellar rotation rate for slowly rotating stars.
o3) How
magnetic activity affects detection of extrasolar planets
To detect extrasolar planets indirect methods
have been developed: i)spectroscopy to detect small stellar radial
velocity variations due to the stellar-planet mutual orbits and
ii)photometry to detect planet transits. Stellar
magnetic activity is a huge source of noise for both the
methods. Our effort is to characterize this source of noise
providing tools to better detect extrasolar planets around
magnetic active stars.
The GASS logo uses as background a sky chart centered on RS CVn (K2 IV+F5 V), the prototype of the RS CVn-type variable stars, discovered by Marcello Rodonò at the beginning of his career (Rodonò, Tesi di Laurea, 1964 - Catalano & Rodonò, 1967, Mem SAIt 38, 395). DSS2 image from the POSSII survey, F color
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