Related papers: The white dwarf cooling sequence in NGC 6791
We present new white dwarf cooling models which incorporate an accurate outer boundary condition based on new opacity and detailed radiative transfer calculations. We find that helium atmosphere dwarfs cool considerably faster than has…
47 Tucanae is one of the most interesting and well observed and theoretically studied globular clusters. This allows us to study the reliability of our understanding of white dwarf cooling sequences, to confront different methods to…
White dwarfs are the final remnants of low- and intermediate-mass stars. Their evolution is essentially a cooling process that lasts for $\sim 10$ Gyr. Their observed properties provide information about the history of the Galaxy, its dark…
We have computed 8, 10, and 12 Gyr isochrones and physically consistent models of zero-age red horizontal branch stars for stellar masses between 0.55 and 1.3~\msun, all at [Fe/H] $=+0.15$. Comparison to the NGC 6791 BVI photometry of…
Cooling white dwarfs (WDs) can yield accurate ages when theoretical cooling models fully account for the physics of the dense plasma of WD interiors. We use MESA to investigate cooling models for a set of massive and ultra-massive WDs…
We present James Webb Space Telescope observations of the globular cluster NGC 6397 and use them to extend to infrared wavelengths the characterization of the cluster's entire white dwarf (WD) cooling sequence (CS). The data allows us to…
We investigate the relationship between age and chromospheric activity for 139 M dwarf stars in wide binary systems with white dwarf companions. The age of each system is determined from the cooling age of its white dwarf component. The…
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…
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…
We study the globular cluster (GC) system of the dust-lane elliptical galaxy NGC 6702, using B, V and I-band photometric observations carried out at the Keck telescope. This galaxy has a spectroscopic age of ~2Gyrs suggesting recent…
Currently there are two main techniques for independently determining the ages of stellar populations: main sequence evolution theory (via cluster isochrones) and white dwarf cooling theory. Open clusters provide the ideal environment for…
A variation of the gravitational constant over cosmological ages modifies the main sequence lifetimes and white dwarf cooling ages. Using an state-of-the-art stellar evolutionary code we compute the effects of a secularly varying G on the…
We present deep JHK photometry of the old and metal-rich open cluster NGC 6791. The photometry reaches below the main sequence turn-off to K = 16.5 mag. We combine our photometry with that from Stetson, Bruntt, & Grundahl (2003) to provide…
We present follow-up spectroscopy and a detailed model atmosphere analysis of 29 wide double white dwarfs, including eight systems with a crystallized C/O core member. We use state-of-the-art evolutionary models to constrain the physical…
Gyrochronology allows the derivation of ages for cool main sequence stars from their observed rotation periods and masses, or a suitable proxy of the latter. It is increasingly well explored for FGK stars, but requires further measurements…
White dwarfs carry information on the structure and evolution of the Galaxy, especially through their luminosity function and initial-to-final mass relation. Very cool white dwarfs provide insight into the early ages of each population.…
We investigate the luminosity and cooling of highly magnetized white dwarfs where cooling occurs by the diffusion of photons. We solve the magnetostatic equilibrium and photon diffusion equations to obtain the temperature and density…
We have exploited the very precise parallaxes, proper motions and photometry of \textit{Gaia}\, Data Release~2 to study white dwarf members of the Hyades star cluster. Gaia photometry and parallaxes for the eight DA white dwarfs confirmed…
We present analysis of deep CCD photometry for the very rich, old open star cluster NGC 6819. These CFH12K data results represent the first of nineteen open star clusters which were imaged as a part of the CFHT Open Star Cluster Survey. We…
The detached eclipsing binary V20 in the old, metal--rich open cluster NGC 6791 is studied in order to determine highly accurate masses and radii of its components. This allows the cluster age to be established with high precision, using…