Quentin Pilate (IRAP): Imaging the photosphere of red supergiants: variability and mass loss in Betelgeuse

Thursday 21 Nov 2024, 14:00 → 15:00 Europe/Stockholm

Title: Imaging the photosphere of red supergiants: variability and mass loss in Betelgeuse
Speaker: Quentin Pilate
Affiliation:Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP), University Paul Sabatier
Time: Thursday 21th November 2024, 14:00 to 15:00
Location:  TBD Å

Abstract: The discovery of linear polarization in the atomic lines of the red supergiant Betelgeuse has unveiled a wealth of information about the dynamics of the photosphere, offering the possibility of producing spectropolarimetric images of the star and tracking its convection.  However, many questions remain under debate, such as the mechanisms that trigger mass loss in those cool evolved stars. More recently, the significant drop in Betelgeuse's magnitude, known as the Great Dimming event, has raised questions about what causes the star's variability. In this presentation, I will show how Betelgeuse's variability could be interpreted as the evolution of convective patterns on its surface. I will also discuss about the observational signature of the mechanisms triggering mass loss.