scholarly journals Constraining the Evolution of ZZ Ceti

2003 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. S. Mukadam ◽  
S. O. Kepler ◽  
D. E. Winget ◽  
R. E. Nather ◽  
M. Kilic ◽  
...  

AbstractWe report our analysis of the stability of pulsation periods in the DAV star (pulsating hydrogen atmosphere white dwarf) ZZ Ceti, also called R548. Based on observations that span 31 years, we conclude that the period 213.132605 s observed in ZZ Ceti drifts at a rate dP/dt≤(5.5±1.9)×10Constraining the cooling rate of ZZ Ceti aids theoretical evolutionary models and white dwarf cosmochronology. The drift rate of this clock is small enough that reflex motion caused by any orbital planets is detectable within limits; our Ṗ constraint places limits on the mass and/or distance of any orbital companions.

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.


2011 ◽  
Vol 194-196 ◽  
pp. 237-242
Author(s):  
Cheng Jun Liu ◽  
Ya He Huang ◽  
Mao Fa Jiang

Clean heavy rail steel was prepared by the process of vacuum induction furnace smelting, forge work and rolling. Effects of Rare earths (RE) on phase transformation and microstructure of heavy rail steel were investigated by thermal simulation machine, metallographic microscope and scanning electronic microscope. Thermal simulate tests indicate that, RE can move the C curve of pearlite transformation to lower right, prolong the incubation period of pearlite and improve the stability of undercooled austenite. The minimum incubation period of pearlite transformation is increased from 24s to 30s by RE. Furthermore, RE can decrease the critical cooling rate of pearlite transformation from 1°C•s-1to 0.5°C•s-1and the critical cooling rate of quenching from 15°C•s-1to 13°C•s-1. Additionally, RE can fine the annealing and anormalizing pearlite notably. The pearlite laminae distance of heavy rail steel added RE is decreased by 12.9% (annealing) and 13.3% (normalizing), respectively.


1993 ◽  
Vol 139 ◽  
pp. 120-120
Author(s):  
G. Fontaine ◽  
P. Brassard ◽  
P. Bergeron ◽  
F. Wesemael

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.


1991 ◽  
Vol 113 (4) ◽  
pp. 430-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. M. Budman ◽  
J. Dayan ◽  
A. Shitzer

Success of a cryosurgical procedure, i.e., maximal cell destruction, requires that the cooling rate be controlled during the freezing process. Standard cryosurgical devices are not usually designed to perform the required controlled process. In this study, a new cryosurgical device was developed which facilitates the achievement of a specified cooling rate during freezing by accurately controlling the probe temperature variation with time. The new device has been experimentally tested by applying it to an aqueous solution of mashed potatoes. The temperature field in the freezing medium, whose thermal properties are similar to those of biological tissue, was measured. The cryoprobe temperature was controlled according to a desired time varying profile which was assumed to maximize necrosis. The tracking accuracy and the stability of the closed loop control system were investigated. It was found that for most of the time the tracking accuracy was excellent and the error between the measured probe temperature and the desired set point is within ±0.4°C. However, noticeable deviations from the set point occurred due to the supercooling phenomenon or due to the instability of the liquid nitrogen boiling regime in the cryoprobe. The experimental results were compared to those obtained by a finite elements program and very good agreement was obtained. The deviation between the two data sets seems to be mainly due to errors in positioning of the thermocouple junctions in the medium.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (S357) ◽  
pp. 114-118
Author(s):  
Agnès Kim

AbstractThe new version of the White Dwarf Evolution Code (Bischoff-Kim & Montgomery 2018) overcomes limitations of earlier versions by utilizing MESA modules for the equations of state and opacities, now allowing regions of the model with a mix of helium, carbon, and oxygen. This single improvement allows us to almost exactly replicate models output by other stellar evolution codes. Armed with this new capability, we use as a star to fit, a hydrogen atmosphere white dwarf model from the La Plata group (using the LPCODE). We present results of fitting different subsets of periods for that model. This allows us some validation of our fitting methods, knowing exactly what properties we should be recovering in our best fit model.


2012 ◽  
Vol 541 ◽  
pp. A42 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. H. Córsico ◽  
L. G. Althaus ◽  
M. M. Miller Bertolami ◽  
A. Bischoff-Kim

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (H15) ◽  
pp. 370-370
Author(s):  
A. Romero ◽  
A. H. Córsico ◽  
L. G. Althaus ◽  
E. García-Berro

Hot DQ white dwarfs constitute a new class of white dwarf stars, uncovered recently within the framework of SDSS project. There exist nine of them, out of a total of several thousands white dwarfs spectroscopically identified. Recently, three hot DQ white dwarfs have been reported to exhibit photometric variability with periods compatible with pulsation g-modes. In this contribution, we presented the results of a non-adiabatic pulsation analysis of the recently discovered carbon-rich hot DQ white dwarf stars. Our study relies on the full evolutionary models of hot DQ white dwarfs recently developed by Althaus et al. (2009), that consistently cover the whole evolution from the born-again stage to the white dwarf cooling track. Specifically, we performed a stability analysis on white dwarf models from stages before the blue edge of the DBV instability strip (Teff ≈ 30000 K) until the domain of the hot DQ white dwarfs (18000-24000 K), including the transition DB→hot DQ white dwarf. We explore evolutionary models with M*= 0.585M⊙ and M* = 0.87M⊙, and two values of thickness of the He-rich envelope (MHe = 2 × 10−7M* and MHe = 10−8M*).


2001 ◽  
Vol 380 (1) ◽  
pp. L17-L20 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. H. Córsico ◽  
L. G. Althaus ◽  
O. G. Benvenuto ◽  
A. M. Serenelli

2020 ◽  
Vol 496 (2) ◽  
pp. 2292-2308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitri Veras ◽  
Kevin Heng

ABSTRACT The lifetime of a planetary disc that orbits a white dwarf represents a crucial input parameter into evolutionary models of that system. Here we apply a purely analytical formalism to estimate lifetimes of the debris phase of these discs, before they are ground down into dust or are subject to sublimation from the white dwarf. We compute maximum lifetimes for three different types of white dwarf discs, formed from (i) radiative YORP break-up of exo-asteroids along the giant branch phases at 2–100 au, (ii) radiation-less spin-up disruption of these minor planets at ${\sim} 1.5\!-\!4.5\, \mathrm{R}_{\odot }$, and (iii) tidal disruption of minor or major planets within about $1.3\, \mathrm{R}_{\odot }$. We display these maximum lifetimes as a function of disc mass and extent, constituent planetesimal properties, and representative orbital excitations of eccentricity and inclination. We find that YORP discs with masses of up to 1024 kg live long enough to provide a reservoir of surviving cm-sized pebbles and m- to km-sized boulders that can be perturbed intact to white dwarfs with cooling ages of up to 10 Gyr. Debris discs formed from the spin or tidal disruption of these minor planets or major planets can survive in a steady state for up to, respectively, 1 or 0.01 Myr, although most tidal discs would leave a steady state within about 1 yr. Our results illustrate that dust-less planetesimal transit detections are plausible, and would provide particularly robust evolutionary constraints. Our formalism can easily be adapted to individual systems and future discoveries.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document