Related papers: White Dwarf Asteroseismology and the ^12C(alpha,ga…
Recent determinations of the internal composition and structure of two helium-atmosphere variable white dwarf stars, GD 358 and CBS 114, have led to conflicting implied rates for the ^{12}C(alpha,gamma)^{16}O reaction. If we assume that…
During helium burning in the core of a red giant, the relative rates of the 3&alpha and ^{12}C(&alpha,&gamma)^{16}O reactions largely determine the final ratio of carbon to oxygen in the resulting white dwarf star. The uncertainty in the…
We have identified seven independent pulsation modes in the helium-atmosphere variable (DBV) white dwarf star CBS 114, based on 65 hours of time-resolved CCD photometry from the 0.75-m telescope at SAAO. We interpret these pulsations as…
For many years, astronomers have promised that the study of pulsating white dwarfs would ultimately lead to useful information about the physics of matter under extreme conditions of temperature and pressure. We can now make good on that…
For many years, astronomers have promised that the study of pulsating white dwarfs would ultimately lead to useful information about the physics of matter under extreme conditions of temperature and pressure. In this paper we finally make…
One of the largest uncertainties in stellar evolutionary computations is the accuracy of the considered reaction rates. The 12C(alpha,gamma)16O reaction is particularly important for the study of low- and intermediate-mass stars as it…
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…
White dwarf asteroseismology offers the opportunity to probe the structure and composition of stellar objects governed by relatively simple physical principles. The observational requirements of asteroseismology have been addressed by the…
Pulsating white dwarfs provide constraints to the evolution of progenitor stars. We revise He-burning stellar models, with particular attention to core convection and to its connection with the nuclear reactions powering energy generation…
We seek signatures of the current experimental $^{12}$C$(\alpha,\gamma)^{16}$O reaction rate probability distribution function in the pulsation periods of carbon-oxygen white dwarf models. We find that adiabatic g-modes trapped by the…
A detailed record of the physical processes that operate during post-main-sequence evolution is contained in the internal chemical structure of white dwarfs. Global pulsations allow us to probe the stellar interior through asteroseismology,…
We present a new method that investigates the evolutionary history of the pulsating DB white dwarf GD358 using asteroseismology. This is done considering the internal C/O profile, which describes the relative abundances of carbon and oxygen…
Galactic history is written in the white dwarf stars. Their surface properties hint at interiors composed of matter under extreme conditions. In the forty years since their discovery, pulsating white dwarf stars have moved from side-show…
White dwarf stars constitute the final evolutionary stage for more than 95 per cent of all stars. The Galactic population of white dwarfs conveys a wealth of information about several fundamental issues and are of vital importance to study…
White dwarfs, the final evolutionary stage of the vast majority of stars, serve as critical tools for cosmochronology, studies of planetary system evolution, and laboratories for non-standard physics, including exotic cooling channels and…
Most of low- and intermediate-mass stars that populate the Universe will end their lives as white dwarf stars. These ancient stellar remnants have encrypted inside a precious record of the evolutionary history of the progenitor stars,…
We have acquired 65 h of single-site time-resolved CCD photometry of the pulsating DB white dwarf star CBS 114 and 62 h of two-site high-speed CCD photometry of another DBV, PG 1456+103. The pulsation spectrum of PG 1456+103 is complicated…
White dwarfs are the burnt out cores of Sun-like stars and are the final fate of 97% of all stars in our Galaxy. The internal structure and composition of white dwarfs are hidden by their high gravities, which causes all elements, apart…
We determine the phase diagram for dense carbon/ oxygen mixtures in White Dwarf (WD) star interiors using molecular dynamics simulations involving liquid and solid phases. Our phase diagram agrees well with predictions from Ogata et al. and…
The helium-atmosphere (DB) white dwarfs are commonly thought to be the descendants of the hotter PG1159 stars, which initially have uniform He/C/O atmospheres. In this evolutionary scenario, diffusion builds a pure He surface layer which…