Related papers: A deeper understanding of white dwarf interiors
Two low-mass pre-white dwarfs, which could be precursors of ELM white dwarfs, have been observed to show multiperiodic photometric variations. They could constitute a new class of pulsating low-mass pre-white dwarf stars. We present a…
All single stars that are born with masses up to 8.5 - 10 $M_\odot$ will end their lives as a white dwarf (WD) star. In this evolutionary stage, WDs enter the cooling sequence, where the stars radiate away their thermal energy, and are…
Using the most recent results about white dwarfs in 10 open clusters, we revisit semi-empirical estimates of the initial-final mass relation in star clusters, with emphasis on the use of stellar evolution models. We discuss the influence of…
I discuss and consider the status of observational determinations of the rotation velocities of white dwarf stars via asteroseismology and spectroscopy. While these observations have important implications on our understanding of the…
We examine the potential of asteroseismology for exploring the internal rotation of white dwarf stars. Data from global observing campaigns have revealed a wealth of frequencies, some of which show the signature of rotational splitting.…
We study the evolution and final dispersal of protoplanetary discs that evolve under the action of internal and external photoevaporation, and different degrees of viscous transport. We identify five distinct dispersal pathways, which are…
Helium accretion induced explosions in CO white dwarfs (WDs) are considered promising candidates for a number of observed types of stellar transients, including supernovae (SNe) of Type Ia and Type Iax. However, a clear favorite outcome has…
We present 1D numerical simulations aimed at studying the hot-flasher scenario for the formation of He-rich subdwarf stars. Sequences were calculated for a wide range of metallicities and physical assumptions, such as the stellar mass at…
We describe and discuss the properties of three numerical methods for solving the diffusion equation for the transport of the chemical species and of the angular momentum in stellar interiors. We study through numerical experiments both…
In this book chapter we review plasma crystals in the laboratory, in the interior of white dwarf stars, and in the crust of neutron stars. We describe a molecular dynamics formalism and show results for many neutron star crust properties…
We demonstrate that plasmon neutrinos are the dominant form of energy loss in model white dwarf stars down to T_eff ~ 25,000 K, depending on the stellar mass. The lower end of this range overlaps the observed temperatures for the V777 Her…
Stellar evolution calculations have had great success reproducing the observed atmospheric properties of different classes of stars. Recent detections of g-mode pulsations in evolved He burning stars allow a rare comparison of their…
The detection of pulsations in white dwarfs with low mass offers the possibility of probing their internal structure through asteroseismology and place constraints on the binary evolutionary processes involved in their formation. In this…
We study the violent phase of the merger of massive binary white dwarf systems. Our aim is to characterize the conditions for explosive burning to occur, and identify a possible explosion mechanism of Type Ia supernovae. The primary…
We give an updated version of the analytical equation of state used in the Cambridge stellar evolution code (STARS) as a free to use open-source package that we have used to model cool white dwarfs down to temperatures…
Convection is the most important physical process that determines the structure of the envelopes of cool stars. It influences the surface radiation flux and the shape of observed spectral line profiles and is responsible for both generating…
We review our current understanding of the internal dynamical properties of the dwarf spheroidal galaxies surrounding the Milky Way. These are the most dark matter dominated galaxies, and as such may be considered ideal laboratories to test…
The evolution of central stars of planetary nebulae can proceed in several distinct ways, either leading to H-deficiency or to H-normal surface composition. Several new simulations of the evolution channels that lead to H-deficiency are now…
Brown dwarfs bridge the gap between the stellar and planetary mass regimes. Evolving from conditions very similar to the lowest-mass stars, the atmospheres of older brown dwarfs closely resemble those expected in close-in extrasolar giant…
Dwarf galaxies pose significant challenges for cosmological models. In particular, current models predict a dark matter density that is divergent at the center, in sharp contrast with observations which indicate an approximately constant…