An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

The way in which pulsations occur in a star due to the fact that stars act as resonant cavities, as studied in → asteroseismology. A star may pulsate either with approximately spherical symmetry (radial pulsation), or as a series of waves running across the surface (non-radial pulsation). Pulsation may occur in a single mode or in multiple modes, depending on the type of star. Three different modes of pulsations have been detected through the → helioseismology of the → Sun: → p mode, → g mode, and → f mode, generated by acoustic, gravity, and surface gravity waves respectively. Also called → oscillation mode.

See also: → pulsation; → mode.