Related papers: On the White Dwarf distances to Galactic Globular …

Diffusion coefficients are essential microphysics input for modeling white dwarf evolution, as they impact phase separation at crystallization and sedimentary heat sources. Present schemes for computing diffusion coefficients are accurate…

We present intermediate-resolution spectroscopic data for a set of dwarf and giant galaxies in the Coma Cluster, with -20.6 < M_R < -15.7. The photometric and kinematic properties of the brighter galaxies can be cast in terms of parameters…

The most common methods to derive the distance to globular clusters using RR Lyrae variables are reviewed, with a special attention to those that have experienced significant improvement in the past few years. From the weighted average of…

The detection of a dust disc around G29-38 and transits from debris orbiting WD1145+017 confirmed that the photospheric trace metals found in many white dwarfs arise from the accretion of tidally disrupted planetesimals. The composition of…

We use 14 orbits of ACS observations to reach the end of the white-dwarf cooling sequence in the globular cluster M4. Our photometry and completeness tests show that the end is located at magnitude m_F606W = 28.5+/-0.1, which implies an age…

We analyse a sample of twelve galaxy clusters, from the Kapteyn IAC WEAVE INT Cluster Survey (KIWICS) looking for dwarf galaxy candidates. By using photometric data in the $r$ and $g$ bands from the Wide Field Camera (WFC) at the 2.5-m…

In Galactic open clusters, there is an apparent paucity of white dwarfs compared to the number expected assuming a reasonable initial mass function and that main-sequence stars with initial mass <= 8 M_sun become white dwarfs. We suggest…

The accretion of planetesimals onto white dwarf atmospheres allows determination of the composition of this polluting material. This composition is usually inferred from observed pollution levels by assuming it originated from a single…

We derive the relative distances to the Virgo, Fornax, and Coma clusters of galaxies by applying the Dn-sigma and the Fundamental Plane (FP) relations to the data of the homogeneous samples of early--type galaxies studied by Caon etal,…

We present a determination of the average space density and birth rate of hydrogen-line (DA) white dwarfs within a radius of 1 kpc around the Sun, based on an observational sample of 360 candidate white dwarfs with g<19.5 and (g-r)<0.4,…

Accurate distances are key to obtaining intrinsic properties of astronomical objects such as luminosity or size. Globular clusters (GCs) follow a well-defined relation between their absolute magnitudes and internal stellar velocity…

We have used new parallax measurements, obtained by the Hipparcos satellite, of fifteen nearby, metal-poor stars to re-define the subdwarf main-sequence. All of these stars have parallaxes determined to an accuracy of at least 12 %.…

We collected F606W- and F814W-band time-series data of the Sagittarius low-reddening window in the Galactic bulge with the Advanced Camera far Surveys mounted on the Hubble Space Telescope. We sampled the region approximately every two…

White dwarfs (WDs) are powerful tools to study the evolutionary history of stars and binaries in the Galaxy. But do we understand their multiplicity from a theoretical point of view? This can be tested by a comparison with the sample of WDs…

We present follow-up spectroscopy of 711 white dwarfs within 100 pc, and present a detailed model atmosphere analysis of the 100 pc white dwarf sample in the SDSS footprint. Our spectroscopic follow-up is complete for 83% of the white…

I explore the current ability of both white dwarf cooling theory and main sequence stellar evolution theory to accurately determine stellar population ages by comparing ages derived using both techniques for open clusters ranging from 0.1…

Globular clusters are unique tracers of ancient star formation. We determine the formation efficiencies of globular clusters across cosmic time by modeling the formation and dynamical evolution of the globular cluster population of a Milky…

Deriving precise stellar ages is a challenging task. Consequently, age-dependent relations - such as the age-metallicity and age-velocity dispersion relations of the Milky Way, or the age-rotation-activity relation of low-mass stars - are…

We present photometric and spectroscopic studies of the white dwarf (WD) populations in the intermediate-age open clusters NGC 6633 and NGC 7063 as part of the ongoing Lick-Arizona White Dwarf Survey (LAWDS). Using wide-field CCD imaging,…

Spectra have been obtained of 21 white dwarfs (WDs) in the direction of the young, rich open star cluster NGC 2099. This represents an appreciable fraction (>30%) of the cluster's total WD population. The mean derived mass of the sample is…