Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Figures
- List of Tables
- List of Contributors
- Preface
- Part I Background
- 1 Introduction
- 2 The Initial Mass Function of Stars and the Star-Formation Rates of Galaxies
- 3 Stellar Populations, Stellar Evolution, and Stellar Atmospheres
- 4 Dust Extinction, Attenuation, and Emission
- Part II SFR Measurements
- Index
3 - Stellar Populations, Stellar Evolution, and Stellar Atmospheres
from Part I - Background
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 May 2021
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Figures
- List of Tables
- List of Contributors
- Preface
- Part I Background
- 1 Introduction
- 2 The Initial Mass Function of Stars and the Star-Formation Rates of Galaxies
- 3 Stellar Populations, Stellar Evolution, and Stellar Atmospheres
- 4 Dust Extinction, Attenuation, and Emission
- Part II SFR Measurements
- Index
Summary
Everything we know about galaxies and the stars that form within them comes from the photons we detect across the electromagnetic spectrum. Gaining the greatest possible knowledge from the light we detect is thus key to understanding young stellar populations. To do this requires a detailed model of the physical processes producing the luminous signal we detect and quantify. In this chapter we will concentrate on the details of stars and stellar populations. We will address how we can model stars and predict how they appear, and thus how we derive the star-formation rate of observed galaxies by comparing theoretical predictions to observations. We will discuss the current understanding in this area and highlight significant recent advances that have modified this understanding. First we discuss the evolution of stars, followed by modelling of their atmospheres. Then we consider how we can combine these to create model stellar populations and eventually synthesize a predicted spectrum. Finally we discuss other factors and caveats that must be considered in spectral synthesis, before looking towards the future of this field.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Star-Formation Rates of Galaxies , pp. 67 - 95Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021