Related papers: On the White Dwarf Mass Problem of Cataclysmic Var…
Extremely low-mass white dwarfs (ELM WDs) are helium (He) WDs with masses below $\sim 0.3\ M_{\odot}$, mainly formed through binary interaction. ELM WD binaries typically are formed from two channels, namely the stable Roche lobe overflow…
This study investigates the conditions under which gravitational waves (GWs) are emitted during the merger of hot white dwarfs (WDs) in a binary system. Traditionally, these systems consist of two low-mass stars or a more massive WD paired…
Is the Chandrasekhar mass limit for white dwarfs (WDs) set in stone? Not anymore -- recent observations of over-luminous, peculiar type Ia supernovae can be explained if significantly super-Chandrasekhar WDs exist as their progenitors, thus…
Interacting binaries in which a white dwarf accretes material from a companion --- cataclysmic variables (CVs) in which the mass loss is via Roche-lobe overflow, and symbiotic stars in which the white dwarf captures the wind of a late type…
Double helium white dwarfs (He WDs) are one type of gravitational wave source and are greatly important in the studies of binary interaction, particularly in the common envelope (CE) ejection physics. Most double He WDs with mass ratios of…
White dwarf (WD) stars evolve simply and predictably, making them reliable age indicators. However, self-consistent validation of the methods for determining WD total ages has yet to be widely performed. This work uses 1565 wide ( > 100 au)…
Accreting white dwarfs (WDs) with non-degenerate companions are expected to emit in soft X-rays and the UV, if accreted H-rich material burns stably. They are an important component of the unresolved emission of elliptical galaxies, and…
We reconstruct the evolutionary path followed by cataclysmic variables (CVs) from the observed mass-radius relationship of their donor stars. Along the way, we update the semi-empirical CV donor sequence of Knigge (2006) and present a…
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey turned out to be very efficient in identifying white dwarf/main sequence binaries (WDMS). The population of WDMS systems consists of wide systems whose stellar components evolve like single stars and - more…
Recent spectroscopic observations have identified several cataclysmic variables non-solar metal abundances. We present theoretical models which examine the level of core evolution expected for CV secondaries prior to contact. Our results…
Context. The evolution of cataclysmic variables (CVs) - interacting binaries where a low-mass donor transfers matter to a white dwarf via an accretion disk - is critically controlled by magnetic braking (MB). Significant uncertainties…
In this paper, the first of a series, we study the stellar dynamical and evolutionary processes leading to the formation of compact binaries containing white dwarfs in dense globular clusters. We examine the processes leading to the…
Double white dwarf (WD) binaries are increasingly being discovered at short orbital periods where strong tidal effects and significant tidal heating signatures may occur. We assume the tidal potential of the companion excites outgoing…
White dwarfs experience a thermal renaissance when they receive mass from a stellar companion in a binary. For accretion rates < 10^-8 Msun/yr, the freshly accumulated hydrogen/helium envelope ignites in a thermally unstable manner that…
We critically re-examine the available data on the spectral types, masses and radii of the secondary stars in cataclysmic variables (CVs) and low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), using the new catalogue of Ritter & Kolb (1998) as a starting…
We present Chandra and Swift X-ray observations of four extremely low-mass (ELM) white dwarfs with massive companions. We place stringent limits on X-ray emission from all four systems, indicating that neutron star companions are extremely…
The formation channels and predicted populations of double-white dwarfs (DWDs) are important because a subset will evolve to be gravitational-wave sources and/or progenitors of Type Ia supernovae. Given the observed population of…
Recent determinations of the total rate of the 12C+12C nuclear reaction show non-negligible differences with the reference reaction rate commonly used in previous stellar simulations. In addition, the current uncertainties in determining…
Secondary stars in cataclysmic variables (CVs) follow a well defined period-density relation. Thus, canonical donor stars in CVs are generally low-mass stars of spectral type M. However, several CVs have been observed containing secondary…
We present a large parameter study where we investigate the structure of white dwarf (WD) merger remnants after the dynamical phase. A wide range of WD masses and compositions are explored and we also probe the effect of different initial…