Pre-main sequence stars

TL;DR

This dissertation studies pre-main sequence stars, focusing on their variability, star formation processes, and circumstellar environments, using observational data to enhance understanding of early stellar evolution.

Contribution

It provides new insights into PMS star variability and star formation, based on extensive observational data and analysis of their circumstellar environments.

Findings

Photometric variability aids in detecting young stellar objects.

Stars form in groups with similar evolutionary stages.

Variability patterns help trace stellar evolution stages.

Abstract

The dissertation presents result from study of Pre-main sequence (PMS) stars that are in the earliest stages of stellar evolution. These young stellar objects are still in the process of formation, and the energy they emit is produced only by gravitational contraction. The main results were obtained with the telescopes at the National Astronomical Observatory Rozhen, as well as with the use of archival photographic observations and spectral observations obtained in collaboration with colleagues from abroad. Our results are obtained by studying the photometric and spectral variability of PMS stars. Our main goal is to study the processes of star formation, the formation of circumstellar disks, the structure of the circumstellar environment and the interaction of the star-disk system. The results of our research have been published in 65 scientific papers that have been cited over 300 times. The photometric and spectral variability of PMS stars is of great importance for modeling star formation processes. On the one hand, photometric variability allows us to easily detect young objects, since they are characterized by rapid variability and in many cases with large amplitudes. On the other hand, stars form in groups and are physically located in the same geometric space, and several variable objects that are at approximately the same stage of evolution can be observed simultaneously. Comparing star systems of different ages can be used to trace the stages of stellar evolution.