Year: 2011
Type: article
Abstract: We estimate the main-sequence age and heavy-element abundance of the Sun by means of an asteroseismic calibration of theoretical solar models using only low-degree acoustic modes from the BiSON.The method can therefore be applied also to other solar-type stars, such as those observed by the NASA satellite Kepler and the planned ground-based Danish-led Stellar Observations Network Group (SONG).The age, 4.60 ± 0.04 Gyr, obtained with this new seismic method, is similar to, although somewhat greater than, today's commonly adopted values, and the surface heavy-element abundance by mass, Z s = 0.0142 ± 0.0005, lies between the values quoted recently by Asplund et al. and by Caffau et al.We stress that our best-fitting model is not a seismic model, but a theoretically evolved model of the Sun constructed with 'standard' physics and calibrated against helioseismic data.
Authors: G. Houdek, D. O. Gough
Institutions: University of Vienna, University of Cambridge
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Funders: Leverhulme Trust, Austrian Science Fund
OpenAlex ID: W2157111499