Mode lifetime and associated scaling relations

Abstract

Thanks to the CoRoT and Kepler spacecrafts, scaling relations (linking seismic indices and global stellar parameters) are becoming the cornerstone of ensemble asteroseismology. Among them, the relation between the cut-off frequency and the frequency of the maximum in the power spectrum of solar-like pulsators as well as the relation between mode lifetime and the effective temperature remain poorly understood. However, a solid theoretical background is essential to assess the accuracy of those relations and subsequently of the derived stellar parameters. We will thus present recent advances on the understanding of the underlying mechanisms governing those relations and show that the physics of mode lifetime (thus of mode damping) plays a major role.