scholarly journals Modified virial theorem for highly magnetized white dwarfs

2020 ◽  
Vol 500 (1) ◽  
pp. 763-771
Author(s):  
Banibrata Mukhopadhyay ◽  
Arnab Sarkar ◽  
Christopher A Tout

ABSTRACT Generally the virial theorem provides a relation between various components of energy integrated over a system. This helps us to understand the underlying equilibrium. Based on the virial theorem we can estimate, for example, the maximum allowed magnetic field in a star. Recent studies have proposed the existence of highly magnetized white dwarfs (B-WDs), with masses significantly higher than the Chandrasekhar limit. Surface magnetic fields of such white dwarfs could be more than $10^{9}$ G with the central magnitude several orders higher. These white dwarfs could be significantly smaller in size than their ordinary counterparts (with surface fields restricted to about $10^9$ G). In this paper, we reformulate the virial theorem for non-rotating B-WDs in which, unlike in previous formulations, the contribution of the magnetic pressure to the magnetohydrostatic balance cannot be neglected. Along with the new equation of magnetohydrostatic equilibrium, we approach the problem by invoking magnetic flux conservation and by varying the internal magnetic field with the matter density as a power law. Either of these choices is supported by previous independent work and neither violates any important physics. They are useful while there is no prior knowledge of field profile within a white dwarf. We then compute the modified gravitational, thermal, and magnetic energies and examine how the magnetic pressure influences the properties of such white dwarfs. Based on our results we predict important properties of these B-WDs, which turn out to be independent of our chosen field profiles.

2020 ◽  
Vol 496 (1) ◽  
pp. 894-902
Author(s):  
Abhay Gupta ◽  
Banibrata Mukhopadhyay ◽  
Christopher A Tout

ABSTRACT We explore the luminosity L of magnetized white dwarfs and its effect on the mass–radius relation. We self-consistently obtain the interface between the electron degenerate-gas dominated inner core and the outer ideal gas surface layer or envelope by incorporating both the components of gas throughout the model white dwarf. This is obtained by solving the set of magnetostatic equilibrium, photon diffusion, and mass conservation equations in the Newtonian framework, for different sets of luminosity and magnetic field. We appropriately use magnetic opacity, instead of Kramer’s opacity, wherever required. We show that the Chandrasekhar limit is retained, even at high luminosity up to about $10^{-2}\, L_\odot$ but without magnetic field, if the temperature is set constant inside the interface. However, there is an increased mass for large-radius white dwarfs, an effect of photon diffusion. Nevertheless, in the presence of strong magnetic fields, with central strength of about 1014 G, super-Chandrasekhar white dwarfs, with masses of about $1.9\, {\rm M}_{\odot }$, are obtained even when the temperature inside the interface is kept constant. Most interestingly, small-radius magnetic white dwarfs remain super-Chandrasekhar even if their luminosity decreases to as low as about $10^{-20}\, L_{\odot }$. However, their large-radius counterparts in the same mass–radius relation merge with Chandrasekhar’s result at low L. Hence, we argue for the possibility of highly magnetized, low luminous super-Chandrasekhar mass white dwarfs that, owing to their faintness, can be practically hidden.


2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (15) ◽  
pp. 1250084 ◽  
Author(s):  
ARITRA KUNDU ◽  
BANIBRATA MUKHOPADHYAY

In recent years a number of white dwarfs have been observed with very high surface magnetic fields. We can expect that the magnetic field in the core of these stars would be much higher (~1014 G ). In this paper, we analytically study the effect of high magnetic field on relativistic cold electron, and hence its effect on the stability and the mass–radius relation of a magnetic white dwarf. In strong magnetic fields, the equation of state of the Fermi gas is modified and Landau quantization comes into play. For relatively very high magnetic fields (with respect to the average energy density of matter) the number of Landau levels is restricted to one or two. We analyze the equation of states for magnetized electron degenerate gas analytically and attempt to understand the conditions in which transitions from the zeroth Landau level to first Landau level occurs. We also find the effect of the strong magnetic field on the star collapsing to a white dwarf, and the mass–radius relation of the resulting star. We obtain an interesting theoretical result that it is possible to have white dwarfs with mass more than the mass set by Chandrasekhar limit.


2002 ◽  
Vol 11 (03) ◽  
pp. 417-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
JERZY DRYZEK ◽  
AKIRA KATO ◽  
GERARDO MUÑOZ ◽  
DOUGLAS SINGLETON

A white dwarf star achieves its equilibrium from the balancing of the gravitational compression against the Fermi degeneracy pressure of the electron gas. In field theory there are examples (e.g. the monopole-charge system) where a strong magnetic field can transform a boson into a fermion or a fermion into a boson. In some condensed matter systems (e.g. fractional quantum Hall systems) a strong magnetic field can transform electrons into effective fermions, or effective anyons. Based on these examples we investigate the possibility that the strong magnetic fields of some white dwarfs may transform some fraction of the electrons into effective bosons. This could have consequences for the structure of highly magnetized white dwarfs. It would alter the mass-radius relationship, and in certain instances one could envision a scenario where a white dwarf below the Chandrasekhar limit could nevertheless collapse into a neutron star due to a weakening of the electron degeneracy pressure. In addition the transformation of electrons into effective bosons could result in the electrons Bose condensing, which could speed up the cooling rate of white dwarfs.


2012 ◽  
Vol 116 (33) ◽  
pp. 17676-17681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z.H.I. Sun ◽  
X. Guo ◽  
M. Guo ◽  
C. Li ◽  
J. Vleugels ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Curtin ◽  
Jack Setford

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.


1996 ◽  
Vol 160 ◽  
pp. 435-436
Author(s):  
H.-J. Wiebicke ◽  
U. Geppert

AbstractWe present a scenario of magnetic field (MF) evolution of newly-born neutron stars (NSs). Numerical calculations show that in the hot phase of young NSs the MF can be amplified by thermoelectric effects, starting from a moderately strong seed-field. Therefore, there is no need to assume a 1012G dipole field immediately after the gravitational collapse of the supernova (SN) event. The widely accepted scenario for such a field to be produced by flux conservation during the collapse is critically discussed. Instead, it can be generated by amplification and selection effects in the first 104yrs, and by the subsequent fast ohmic decay of higher multipole components, when the NS cools down.


1977 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. F. Cramer

The parametric excitation of slow, intermediate (Alfvén) and fast magneto-acoustic waves by a modulated spatially non-uniform magnetic field in a plasma with a finite ratio of gas pressure to magnetic pressure is considered. The waves are excited in pairs, either pairs of the same mode, or a pair of different modes. The growth rates of the instabilities are calculated and compared with the known result for the Alfvén wave in a zero gas pressure plasma. The only waves that are found not to be excited are the slow plus fast wave pair, and the intermediate plus slow or fast wave pair (unless the waves have a component of propagation direction perpendicular to both the background magnetic field and the direction of non-uniformity of the field).


2021 ◽  
Vol 503 (4) ◽  
pp. 5397-5408
Author(s):  
Mukremin Kilic ◽  
P Bergeron ◽  
Simon Blouin ◽  
A Bédard

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.


2018 ◽  
Vol 615 ◽  
pp. A35 ◽  
Author(s):  
De-Fu Bu ◽  
Amin Mosallanezhad

Context. Observations indicate that wind can be generated in hot accretion flow. Wind generated from weakly magnetized accretion flow has been studied. However, the properties of wind generated from strongly magnetized hot accretion flow have not been studied. Aims. In this paper, we study the properties of wind generated from both weakly and strongly magnetized accretion flow. We focus on how the magnetic field strength affects the wind properties. Methods. We solve steady-state two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic equations of black hole accretion in the presence of a largescale magnetic field. We assume self-similarity in radial direction. The magnetic field is assumed to be evenly symmetric with the equatorial plane. Results. We find that wind exists in both weakly and strongly magnetized accretion flows. When the magnetic field is weak (magnetic pressure is more than two orders of magnitude smaller than gas pressure), wind is driven by gas pressure gradient and centrifugal forces. When the magnetic field is strong (magnetic pressure is slightly smaller than gas pressure), wind is driven by gas pressure gradient and magnetic pressure gradient forces. The power of wind in the strongly magnetized case is just slightly larger than that in the weakly magnetized case. The power of wind lies in a range PW ~ 10−4–10−3 Ṁinc2, with Ṁin and c being mass inflow rate and speed of light, respectively. The possible role of wind in active galactic nuclei feedback is briefly discussed.


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