Related papers: The Initial-Final Mass Relation: Direct Constraint…

We present the preliminary results of a survey of the open clusters NGC3532 and NGC2287 for new white dwarf members which can help improve understanding of the form of the upper end of the stellar initial mass-final mass relation. We…

Following Paczy\'{n}ski & Zi\'{o}lkowski (1968) and Han et al. (1994), we assume that the envelope of an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) or a first giant branch (FGB) star is lost when the binding energy of the envelope is equal to zero…

We present a theoretical study on the metallicity dependence of the initial$-$to$-$final mass relation and its influence on white dwarf age determinations. We compute a grid of evolutionary sequences from the main sequence to $\sim 3\, 000$…

As the descendants of stars with masses less than 8 M$_{\odot}$ on the main sequence, white dwarfs provide a unique way to constrain planetary occurrence around intermediate-mass stars (spectral types BAF) that are otherwise difficult to…

We present observational constraints for the initial-to-final mass relation (IFMR) derived from 11 white dwarfs (WDs) in wide binaries (WBs) that contain a turnoff/subgiant primary. Because the components of WBs are coeval to a good…

We present a photometric and spectroscopic study of the white dwarf population of the populous, intermediate-age open cluster M35 (NGC 2168); this study expands upon our previous study of the white dwarfs in this cluster. We…

We use data from Gaia DR2 to constrain the initial-final mass relation (IFMR) for field stars with initial masses $0.9 \lesssim m_{\rm in}/M_{\odot} \lesssim 8$. Precise parallaxes have revealed unprecedented substructure in the white dwarf…

In wide double white dwarf (DWD) binaries, in which the co-eval WDs evolve independently, the more massive, faster-evolving WD can be used to obtain a main-sequence lifetime for the less-massive WD. By converting this lifetime into an…

The mass-luminosity relation for late-type stars has long been a critical tool for estimating stellar masses. However, there is growing need for both a higher-precision relation and a better understanding of systematic effects (e.g.,…

A complete accounting of nearby objects -- from the highest-mass white dwarf progenitors down to low-mass brown dwarfs -- is now possible, thanks to an almost complete set of trigonometric parallax determinations from Gaia, ground-based…

Accurate (<10%) distances of Galactic star clusters allow precise estimation of the physical parameters of any physically associated Planetary Nebula (PN) and also that of its central star (CSPN) and its progenitor. The progenitor's mass…

We present the results of a photometric and spectroscopic study of the white dwarf candidate members of the intermediate age open clusters NGC3532 and NGC2287. Of the nine objects investigated, it is determined that six are probable members…

The initial-final mass relation (IFMR) links the birth mass of a star to the mass of the compact remnant left at its death. While the relevance of the IFMR across astrophysics is universally acknowledged, not all of its fine details have…

The white dwarf mass-radius relationship is fundamental to modern astrophysics. It is central to routine estimation of DA white dwarf masses derived from spectroscopic temperatures and gravities. It is also the basis for observational…

We present the substellar mass function of star-forming clusters ($\simeq$0.1 Myr old) in a low-metallicity environment ($\simeq$$-$0.7 dex). We performed deep JWST/NIRCam and MIRI imaging of two star-forming clusters in Digel Cloud 2, a…

Using Eggleton's stellar evolution code, we carry out 150 runs of Pop I binary evolution calculations, with the initial primary mass between 1 and 8 solar masses the initial mass ratio between 1.1 and 4, and the onset of Roche lobe overflow…

When a star exhausts its nuclear fuel, it either explodes as a supernova or more quiescently becomes a white dwarf, an object about half the mass of our Sun with a radius of about that of the Earth. About one fifth of white dwarfs exhibit…

At which masses does the regime of globular clusters end and the one of dwarf galaxies begin? And what separates these two classes of hot stellar systems? We examine to what extend very massive (>10^7 Mo) young star clusters are similar to…

I review efforts to determine the form and any lower limit to the initial mass function in the Galactic disk, using observations of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs in the field, young clusters and star forming regions. I focus on the…

The initial-final mass relation (IFMR) of white dwarfs (WDs) plays an important role in stellar evolution. To derive precise estimates of IFMRs and explore how they may vary among star clusters, we propose a Bayesian hierarchical model that…