scholarly journals White Dwarf Pulsations: A Review

1980 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 601-611
Author(s):  
John T. McGraw
Keyword(s):  
Physical Properties ◽  
White Dwarf ◽  
White Dwarfs ◽  
Variable Stars ◽  
Pulsating Variable Stars ◽  
Derived Data

The DA white dwarfs are those which show only the Stark-broadened lines of hydrogen in their spectra. They comprise about 80% of the total white dwarf population. A subset of the DA dwarfs, the ZZ Ceti stars, form a highly homogeneous class of nonradially pulsating variable stars. In this paper we shall review the observations from which both the physical properties of the stars and the characteristics of the pulsations have been derived. Data obtained since the last review of these variables (Robinson 1979) is stressed, as these data are forcing a somewhat revised understanding of the ZZ Ceti stars and their relationship to investigations of white dwarfs and to pulsating variable stars, in general.

scholarly journals Progress and Problems in the Study of the Pulsating White Dwarf Stars

1986 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 221-228
Author(s):  
D. E. Winget
Keyword(s):  
Effective Temperature ◽  
White Dwarf ◽  
White Dwarfs ◽  
Variable Stars ◽  
Compact Stars ◽  
Dwarf Stars ◽  
White Dwarf Stars ◽  
Pulsating Variable Stars ◽  
Constant Radius ◽  
Cooling Phase

We currently know of at least three distinct classes of degenerate pulsating variable stars; they occur with a practically uniform spacing in the log of the effective temperature and span nearly the full sweep of the white dwarf cooling sequence in the H-R diagram. The hottest of these variable stars are the pulsating PG 1159-035 stars. Extremely hot, compact, stars, they appear to be contracting and cooling on their way to becoming white dwarf stars. These proto-white dwarfs have photometric properties similar to the pulsating white dwarf stars, and are reviewed separately in these proceedings by A. N. Cox. The two remaining classes of compact pulsating variables are found in relatively narrow instability strips occupying distinct portions of the white dwarf cooling sequence after the constant radius, purely cooling, phase has been reached. These two classes of variable stars are the topic of this review. In this work I will use the concise notation introduced by Sion et al. (1983) to indicate the two classes of variables: the ZZ Ceti’s, and the pulsating DB white dwarfs, become simply the DAV, and the DBV stars, respectively.

scholarly journals The Evolutionary Evidence for Most Be Stars Being Paired with Hot White Dwarfs

2000 ◽  
Vol 175 ◽  
pp. 693-696
Author(s):  
Natalya V. Raguzova
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Physical Properties ◽  
White Dwarf ◽  
White Dwarfs ◽  
Binary Systems ◽  
Compact Object ◽  
Be Stars ◽  
Be Star ◽  
Binary Evolution

AbstractUsing the “Scenario Machine” we study the number and physical properties of binary Be stars with white dwarfs taking into account cooling of the compact object and discuss the formation of such systems. According to our calculations the number of binary systems containing a Be star paired with a white dwarf in our galaxy is very large − 46% of all Be stars formed as a result of binary evolution must have a white dwarf as companion. These white dwarfs should be very hot with a surface temperature lying in the range from 30,000 to 60,000 K.

D. The Line Spectrum of Pulsating Variable Stars

1967 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 207-244
Author(s):  
R. P. Kraft
Keyword(s):  
Variable Stars ◽  
The Other ◽  
Line Spectrum ◽  
Afternoon Session ◽  
Empirical Information ◽  
Pulsating Variable Stars ◽  
Almost Continuous ◽  
Informal Approach

(Ed. note:Encouraged by the success of the more informal approach in Christy's presentation, we tried an even more extreme experiment in this session, I-D. In essence, Kraft held the floor continuously all morning, and for the hour and a half afternoon session, serving as a combined Summary-Introductory speaker and a marathon-moderator of a running discussion on the line spectrum of cepheids. There was almost continuous interruption of his presentation; and most points raised from the floor were followed through in detail, no matter how digressive to the main presentation. This approach turned out to be much too extreme. It is wearing on the speaker, and the other members of the symposium feel more like an audience and less like participants in a dissective discussion. Because Kraft presented a compendious collection of empirical information, and, based on it, an exceedingly novel series of suggestions on the cepheid problem, these defects were probably aggravated by the first and alleviated by the second. I am much indebted to Kraft for working with me on a preliminary editing, to try to delete the side-excursions and to retain coherence about the main points. As usual, however, all responsibility for defects in final editing is wholly my own.)

C. The Continuous Spectrum of Pulsating Variable Stars

1967 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 177-206
Author(s):  
J. B. Oke ◽  
C. A. Whitney
Keyword(s):  
Continuous Spectrum ◽  
Variable Stars ◽  
Velocity Fields ◽  
The Other ◽  
Line Spectrum ◽  
Direct Information ◽  
Thermodynamic Structure ◽  
Diagnostic Interpretation ◽  
Pulsating Variable Stars ◽  
The Continuum

Pecker:The topic to be considered today is the continuous spectrum of certain stars, whose variability we attribute to a pulsation of some part of their structure. Obviously, this continuous spectrum provides a test of the pulsation theory to the extent that the continuum is completely and accurately observed and that we can analyse it to infer the structure of the star producing it. The continuum is one of the two possible spectral observations; the other is the line spectrum. It is obvious that from studies of the continuum alone, we obtain no direct information on the velocity fields in the star. We obtain information only on the thermodynamic structure of the photospheric layers of these stars–the photospheric layers being defined as those from which the observed continuum directly arises. So the problems arising in a study of the continuum are of two general kinds: completeness of observation, and adequacy of diagnostic interpretation. I will make a few comments on these, then turn the meeting over to Oke and Whitney.

scholarly journals Bayesian constraints on the origin and geology of exo-planetary material using a population of externally polluted white dwarfs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John H D Harrison ◽  
Amy Bonsor ◽  
Mihkel Kama ◽  
Andrew M Buchan ◽  
Simon Blouin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
White Dwarf ◽  
Bayesian Model ◽  
Total Mass ◽  
White Dwarfs ◽  
Bulk Composition ◽  
Planetary Systems ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Planetary Bodies ◽  
Nearby Stars

Abstract White dwarfs that have accreted planetary bodies are a powerful probe of the bulk composition of exoplanetary material. In this paper, we present a Bayesian model to explain the abundances observed in the atmospheres of 202 DZ white dwarfs by considering the heating, geochemical differentiation, and collisional processes experienced by the planetary bodies accreted, as well as gravitational sinking. The majority (>60%) of systems are consistent with the accretion of primitive material. We attribute the small spread in refractory abundances observed to a similar spread in the initial planet-forming material, as seen in the compositions of nearby stars. A range in Na abundances in the pollutant material is attributed to a range in formation temperatures from below 1,000 K to higher than 1,400 K, suggesting that pollutant material arrives in white dwarf atmospheres from a variety of radial locations. We also find that Solar System-like differentiation is common place in exo-planetary systems. Extreme siderophile (Fe, Ni or Cr) abundances in 8 systems require the accretion of a core-rich fragment of a larger differentiated body to at least a 3σ significance, whilst one system shows evidence that it accreted a crust-rich fragment. In systems where the abundances suggest that accretion has finished (13/202), the total mass accreted can be calculated. The 13 systems are estimated to have accreted masses ranging from the mass of the Moon to half that of Vesta. Our analysis suggests that accretion continues for 11Myrs on average.

scholarly journals Direct detection of atomic dark matter in white dwarfs

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Curtin ◽  
Jack Setford
Keyword(s):  
Dark Matter ◽  
Energy Loss ◽  
Cooling Rate ◽  
White Dwarf ◽  
White Dwarfs ◽  
Luminosity Function ◽  
Direct Detection ◽  
Matter Density ◽  
Mixing Parameter ◽  
First Time

Abstract Dark matter could have a dissipative asymmetric subcomponent in the form of atomic dark matter (aDM). This arises in many scenarios of dark complexity, and is a prediction of neutral naturalness, such as the Mirror Twin Higgs model. We show for the first time how White Dwarf cooling provides strong bounds on aDM. In the presence of a small kinetic mixing between the dark and SM photon, stars are expected to accumulate atomic dark matter in their cores, which then radiates away energy in the form of dark photons. In the case of white dwarfs, this energy loss can have a detectable impact on their cooling rate. We use measurements of the white dwarf luminosity function to tightly constrain the kinetic mixing parameter between the dark and visible photons, for DM masses in the range 10−5–105 GeV, down to values of ϵ ∼ 10−12. Using this method we can constrain scenarios in which aDM constitutes fractions as small as 10−3 of the total dark matter density. Our methods are highly complementary to other methods of probing aDM, especially in scenarios where the aDM is arranged in a dark disk, which can make direct detection extremely difficult but actually slightly enhances our cooling constraints.

scholarly journals The most massive white dwarfs in the solar neighbourhood

2021 ◽  
Vol 503 (4) ◽  
pp. 5397-5408
Author(s):  
Mukremin Kilic ◽  
P Bergeron ◽  
Simon Blouin ◽  
A Bédard
Keyword(s):  
White Dwarf ◽  
White Dwarfs ◽  
Transverse Velocity ◽  
Maximum Mass ◽  
Model Calculations ◽  
Rapid Rotation ◽  
Rotation Rates ◽  
Binary Mergers ◽  
Chandrasekhar Limit

ABSTRACT We present an analysis of the most massive white dwarf candidates in the Montreal White Dwarf Database 100 pc sample. We identify 25 objects that would be more massive than $1.3\, {\rm M}_{\odot }$ if they had pure H atmospheres and CO cores, including two outliers with unusually high photometric mass estimates near the Chandrasekhar limit. We provide follow-up spectroscopy of these two white dwarfs and show that they are indeed significantly below this limit. We expand our model calculations for CO core white dwarfs up to M = 1.334 M⊙, which corresponds to the high-density limit of our equation-of-state tables, ρ = 109 g cm−3. We find many objects close to this maximum mass of our CO core models. A significant fraction of ultramassive white dwarfs are predicted to form through binary mergers. Merger populations can reveal themselves through their kinematics, magnetism, or rapid rotation rates. We identify four outliers in transverse velocity, four likely magnetic white dwarfs (one of which is also an outlier in transverse velocity), and one with rapid rotation, indicating that at least 8 of the 25 ultramassive white dwarfs in our sample are likely merger products.

scholarly journals Comparing the asteroseismic properties of pulsating pre-extremely low mass white dwarf and δ Scuti stars

2018 ◽  
Vol 616 ◽  
pp. A80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julieta P. Sánchez Arias ◽  
Alejandra D. Romero ◽  
Alejandro H. Córsico ◽  
Ingrid Pelisoli ◽  
Victoria Antoci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Dwarf ◽  
Variable Stars ◽  
Period Change ◽  
Period Range ◽  
Ionization Zone ◽  
Dwarf Stars ◽  
White Dwarf Stars ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Scuti Stars

Context. Pulsating extremely low-mass pre-white dwarf stars (pre-ELMV), with masses between ~0.15 M⊙ and ~0.30 M⊙, constitute a new class of variable stars showing g- and possibly p-mode pulsations with periods between 320 and 6000 s (frequencies between 14.4 and 270 c/d), driven by the κ mechanism operating in the second He ionization zone. On the other hand, main sequence δ Scuti stars, with masses between 1.2 and 2.5 M⊙, pulsate in low-order g and p modes with periods in the range [700–28 800] s (frequencies in the range [3–123] c/d), driven by the κ mechanism operating in the He II ionization zone and the turbulent pressure acting in the HI ionization layer. Interestingly enough, the instability strips of pre-ELM white dwarf and δ Scuti stars nearly overlap in the Teff vs. log g diagram, leading to a degeneracy when spectroscopy is the only tool to classify the stars and pulsation periods only are considered. Aims. Pre-ELM white dwarf and δ Scuti stars are in very different stages of evolution and therefore their internal structure is very distinct. This is mirrored in their pulsational behavior, thus employing asteroseismology should allow us to distinguish between these groups of stars despite their similar atmospheric parameters. Methods. We have employed adiabatic and non-adiabatic pulsation spectra for models of pre-ELM white dwarfs and δ Scuti stars, and compare their pulsation periods, period spacings, and rates of period change. Results. Unsurprisingly, we found substantial differences in the period spacing of δ Scuti and pre-ELM white dwarf models. Even when the same period range is observed in both classes of pulsating stars, the modes have distinctive signature in the period spacing and period difference values. For instance, the mean period difference of p-modes of consecutive radial orders for δ Scuti model are at least four times longer than the mean period spacing for the pre-ELM white dwarf model in the period range [2000–4600] s (frequency range [18.78–43.6] c/d). In addition, the rate of period change is two orders of magnitudes larger for the pre-ELM white dwarfs compared to δ Scuti stars. In addition, we also report the discovery of a new variable star, SDSSJ075738.94+144827.50, located in the region of the Teff versus log g diagram where these two kind of stars coexist. Conclusions.The characteristic spacing between modes of consecutive radial orders (p as well as g modes) and the large differences found in the rates of period change for δ Scuti and pre-ELM white dwarf stars suggest that asteroseismology can be employed to discriminate between these two groups of variable stars. Furthermore, we found that SDSSJ075738.94+144827.50 exhibits a period difference between p modes characteristic of a δ Sct star, assuming consecutive radial order for the observed periods.

scholarly journals White Dwarf Seismology at the Université de Montréal

1993 ◽  
Vol 139 ◽  
pp. 120-120
Author(s):  
G. Fontaine ◽  
P. Brassard ◽  
P. Bergeron ◽  
F. Wesemael
Keyword(s):  
Specific Heat ◽  
Cooling Rate ◽  
Internal Structure ◽  
White Dwarf ◽  
White Dwarfs ◽  
Period Change ◽  
Core Material ◽  
The Core ◽  
Core Composition ◽  
Chemical Stratification

Over the last several years, we have developed a comprehensive program aimed at better understanding the properties of pulsating DA white dwarfs (or ZZ Ceti stars). These stars are nonradial pulsators of the g-type, and their study can lead to inferences about their internal structure. For instance, the period spectrum of a white dwarf is most sensitive to its vertical chemical stratification, and one of the major goals of white dwarf seismology is to determine the thickness of the hydrogen layer that sits on top of a star. This can be done, in principle, by comparing in detail theoretical period spectra with the periods of the observed excited modes. Likewise, because the cooling rate of a white dwarf is very sensitive to the specific heat of its core material (and hence to its composition), it is possible to infer the core composition through measurements and interpretations of rates of period change in a pulsator.

scholarly journals 19. Convection Zones and Coronae of White Dwarfs

1971 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 130-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. H. Böhm ◽  
J. Cassinelli
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Temperature Gradient ◽  
White Dwarf ◽  
White Dwarfs ◽  
Convection Zone ◽  
Adiabatic Temperature ◽  
Turbulent Convection ◽  
Cool White Dwarfs ◽  
Adiabatic Temperature Gradient

Outer convection zones of white dwarfs in the range 5800 K ≤ Teff ≤ 30000 K have been studied assuming that they have the same chemical composition as determined by Weidemann (1960) for van Maanen 2. Convection is important in all these stars. In white dwarfs Teff < 8000 K the adiabatic temperature gradient is strongly influenced by the pressure ionization of H, HeI and HeII which occurs within the convection zone. Partial degeneracy is also important.Convective velocities are very small for cool white dwarfs but they reach considerable values for hotter objects. For a white dwarf of Teff = 30000 K a velocity of 6.05 km/sec and an acoustic flux (generated by the turbulent convection) of 1.5 × 1011 erg cm−2 sec−1 is reached. The formation of white dwarf coronae is briefly discussed.

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