Thesis

Asteroseismology of deeply embedded OB stars in star forming/HII regions

• Call:

  IDPASC Portugal - PHD Programme 2014

• Academic Year:

  2014 /2015

• Domain:

  Astrophysics

• Supervisor:

  Nanda Kumar

• Co-Supervisor:

  Mario J. P. F. G. Monteiro

• Institution:

  Universidade do Porto

• Host Institution:

  Centro de Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto

• Abstract:

  Young OB-type stars are among the most enigmatic objects in Galactic astrophysics; theories have elucidated the classical challenges in the physics of their formation. The scientific objective of this observational project will be to understand the variability properties of such objects to model the a) nature of accretion events, and b) constrain the masses and radii of the embryo's of high mass stars. The proposed thesis work will explore the asteroseismic properties of a) optically bright O stars deeply embedded inside some of the youngest HII regions in the sky, and b) a small sample of bright near-infrared counterparts of high mass protostellar objects. The thesis work will be based on working with data using very stable high resolution spectrographs and also priority data from the VISTA VVV to examine the light curves of infrared counterparts of high mass protostellar objects. A prospective student will have a strong foundation in undergraduate level physics and an exposure to methods in observational astronomy. A knowledge of programming in python, IDL and usage of astronomy data reduction softwares will be considered advantageous.