Determining basic characteristics of stars from evolutionary computations

Abstract

A technique for determining a star’s radius from its atmospheric characteristics (effective temperature, surface gravity, and metallicity) is realized based on modernmodel computations of the stellar internal structure and evolution. The atmospheric characteristics can also be used to find the mass and luminosity of the star. The star’s rate of evolution and the initial mass function are taken into account when determining the stellar characteristics, increasing the correctness of the results. Computations of stellar evolution of with and without the stellar rotation taken into account make it possible to remove ambiguity due to missing data on the star’s rotational velocity. The results are checked and uncertainties estimated using stars occupying two heavily populated regions in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram that have been well studied using various methods: the main sequence and red giant branch. Good agreement with the observations is achieved; there are almost no systematic deviations of the derived point estimates of the fundamental characteristics. The metallicities of the individual components of eclipsing variable stars are estimated using observational data on for such stars displaying lines of both components in their spectra. These metallicities were determined as a function of the stellar masses in a way that eliminates systematic deviations in the derived fundamental characteristics.