Red Giants as Probes of the Structure and Evolution of the Milky Way

Exciting results are blooming, thanks to a convergence between unprecedented asteroseismic data obtained by the satellites CoRoT and KEPLER, and state-of-the-art models of the internal structure of red giants and of galactic evolution. The pulsation properties now available for thousands of red giants promise to add valuable and independent constraints to current models of structure and evolution of our galaxy. Such a close connection between these domains opens a new very promising gate in our understanding of stars and galaxies. In this book international leaders in the field offer a wide perspective of the recent advancements in:

• Asteroseismology of red giants
• Models of the atmosphere, internal structure, and evolution of red giants
• Stellar population synthesis and models of the Milky Way