CAOSP abstracts, Volume: 43, No.: 3, year: 2014

Abstract: Asteroseismology explores some of the most unique and extreme conditions in the universe, and impacts research in a wide range of fields including thermodynamics, energy transport, nuclear physics, particle physics, and magnetism (among many others). Traditionally, research in stellar physics relies on extrinsic properties such as temperature, radius, and surface composition. Just as the interior of the Earth and Sun are revealed with remarkable clarity using seismology and helioseismology, we are now successfully employing asteroseismology to study stellar interiors. Stellar oscillations are a more sensitive probe of interior structure than virtually any other measurement. Given a sufficient sample of resolved pulsation frequencies (modes), we can use stellar models to build detailed maps of the interior pressure, density, and chemical composition of individual stars. The Whole Earth Telescope (WET) is an international cooperative network structured to provide precision time-series photometric observations on multiple targets during campaigns lasting 2-8 weeks. Continuous observations with these time bases are required to fully capitalize on the tools of asteroseismology. Because of their numbers and availability, small telescopes (apertures less than 2 meters) play vital roles in the WET network. We will present an overview of the WET network, observing and data reduction techniques, current science objectives and future goals.