Nonlinear resonant gravito-inertial mode coupling and asteroseismology of Kepler slowly pulsating B stars.
Oscillations in slowly Pulsating B (SPB) stars measured by the Kepler space telescope have been modelled extensively using linear pulsation models, from which internal properties such as internal mixing levels and internal rotation rates have been inferred. To account for the widely varying rotation rates that have been inferred for SPB stars the traditional approximation for rotation (TAR) is typically employed. However, such linear models cannot explain how the observed gravito-inertial modes attain their observed amplitudes. Modeling the observed amplitudes requires nonlinear pulsation models that take into account mode coupling. Resonant interactions play an important role in this respect, as they provide the strongest mode couplings. Many resonant interactions can be detected among the frequencies extracted from Kepler SPB light curves. In this seminar I will discuss these resonant interaction detections, provide an overview of contemporary models of resonant nonlinear mode coupling among gravito-inertial modes (within the TAR) and show how such models can be utilized in asteroseismic modeling of Kepler SPB stars.