Related papers: The accretion-diffusion scenario for metals in coo…
Two peculiar stars showing an apparent extremely broadened and strong NaI D absorption have been discovered in surveys for cool white dwarfs by Oppenheimer et al. (2001) and Harris et al. (SDSS, 2003). We discuss the nature of these objects…
Mass accretion rate determinations are fundamental for an understanding of the evolution of pre-main sequence star circumstellar disks. Magnetospheric accretion models are used to derive values of the mass accretion rates in objects of very…
We compare measured element abundances in hot DA white dwarfs from UV observations to predictions from our self-consistent non-LTE model atmosphere diffusion calculations.
Nine metal-polluted white dwarfs are observed with medium-resolution optical spectroscopy,where photospheric abundances are determined and interpreted through comparison against solar system objects. An improved method of making such…
In regions of star formation, protostars and newborn stars accrete mass from their natal clouds. These clouds are threaded by magnetic fields with a strength characterized by the plasma beta---the ratio of thermal and magnetic pressures.…
We investigate the ionization and the opacity of warm, dense helium under conditions found in the atmospheres of cool white dwarf stars. Our particular interest is in densities up to $\rm 3 g/cm^{3}$ and temperatures from 1000K to 10000K.…
A photometric and spectroscopic analysis of 152 cool white dwarf stars is presented. The discovery of 7 new DA white dwarfs, 2 new DQ white dwarfs, 1 new magnetic white dwarf, and 3 weak magnetic white dwarf candidates, is reported, as well…
We calculate the stellar evolution of both white dwarfs (WDs) in AM CVn binaries with orbital periods of $P_{\mathrm{orb}} \approx 5-70$ minutes. We focus on the cases where the donor starts as a $M_{\mathrm{He}} < 0.2 \, M_{\odot}$ Helium…
It is generally assumed that metals detected in the spectra of a few cool white dwarfs cannot be of primordial origin and must be accreted from the interstellar medium. However, the observed abundances of hydrogen, which should also be…
Cooling ages of white dwarfs are routinely determined by mapping effective temperatures and masses to ages using evolutionary models. Typically, the reported uncertainties on cooling ages only consider the error propagation of the…
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 present new cooling models for carbon-oxygen white dwarfs with both H- and He-atmospheres, covering the whole relevant mass range, to extend our updated BaSTI (a Bag of Stellar Tracks and Isochrones) stellar evolution archive. They have…
Novae are the observational manifestations of thermonuclear runaways on the surface of accreting white dwarfs (WDs). Although novae are an ubiquitous phenomenon, their properties at low metallicity are not well understood. Using the…
We present a series of systematic abundance measurements for 25 hot DA white dwarfs in the temperature range ~20000-110000K, based on far-UV spectroscopy with STIS/GHRS on HST, IUE and FUSE. Using our latest heavy element blanketed non-LTE…
We report the discovery of a new metal-rich DAZ white dwarf, GD 362. High signal-to-noise optical spectroscopy reveals the presence of spectral lines from hydrogen as well as CaI, CaII, MgI, and FeI. A detailed model atmosphere analysis of…
Spitzer Space Telescope IRAC 3-8 micron and AKARI IRC 2-4 micron photometry are reported for ten white dwarfs with photospheric heavy elements; nine relatively cool stars with photospheric calcium, and one hotter star with a peculiar high…
We report the first survey of chemical abundances in M and K dwarf stars using atomic absorption lines in high resolution spectra. We have measured Fe and Ti abundances in 35 M and K dwarf stars using equivalent widths measured from (lambda…
We have obtained Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (905-1187 Angstrom) spectra of the non-magnetic cataclysmic variable Z Cam during a period of quiescence. The spectrum resembles that of a hot (57,000 K) metal-enriched white dwarf. A…
Existing determinations show that n(C)/n(Fe) is more than a factor of 10 below solar in the atmospheres of three white dwarfs that appear to be externally-polluted. These results are not easily explained if the stars have accreted…
White dwarfs (WDs) are the final fate of about 97\% of the stars in our galaxy, making them vital tracers of stellar history. A fraction of WDs exist in cataclysmic variable (CV) systems, accreting matter from a nearby companion star. A…