New evolutionary sequences for extremely low-mass white dwarfs - Homogeneous mass and age determinations and asteroseismic prospects
TL;DR: In this paper, a fine and homogeneous grid of evolutionary sequences for helium (He) core white dwarfs for the whole range of their expected masses (0.15 − 0.45 ) is provided.
Abstract: Context. The number of detected extremely low-mass (ELM) white dwarf stars has increased drastically in recent years, thanks to the results of many surveys. In addition, some of these stars have been found to exhibit pulsations, making them potential targets for asteroseismology.Aims. We provide a fine and homogeneous grid of evolutionary sequences for helium (He) core white dwarfs for the whole range of their expected masses (0.15 ≲ M ∗ /M ⊙ ≲ 0.45), including the mass range for ELM white dwarfs (M ∗ /M ⊙ ≲ 0.20). The grid is appropriate for mass and age determination of these stars, as well as for studying their adiatabic pulsational properties.Methods. White dwarf sequences have been computed by performing full evolutionary calculations that consider the main energy sources and processes of chemical abundance changes during white dwarf evolution. Realistic initial models for the evolving white dwarfs have been obtained by computing the nonconservative evolution of a binary system consisting of an initially 1 M ⊙ ZAMS star and a 1.4 M ⊙ neutron star for various initial orbital periods. To derive cooling ages and masses for He-core white dwarfs, we perform a least square fitting of the M (T eff ,g ) and Age(T eff ,g ) relations provided by our sequences by using a scheme that takes into account the time spent by models in different regions of the T eff − g plane. This is particularly useful when multiple solutions for cooling age and mass determinations are possible in the case of CNO-flashing sequences. We also explore in a preliminary way the adiabatic pulsational properties of models near the critical mass for the development of CNO flashes (~0.2 M ⊙ ). This is motivated by the discovery of pulsating white dwarfs with stellar masses near this threshold value. Results. We obtain reliable and homogeneous mass and cooling age determinations for 58 very low-mass white dwarfs, including three pulsating stars. Also, we find substantial differences in the period spacing distributions of g -modes for models with stellar masses near ~ 0.2 M ⊙ , which could be used as a seismic tool to distinguish stars that have undergone CNO flashes in their early cooling phase from those that have not. Finally, for an easy application of our results, we provide a reduced grid of values useful to obtain the masses and ages of He-core white dwarfs.
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Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics1, University of California, Santa Cruz2, University of California, Santa Barbara3, Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe4, Kurchatov Institute5, Moscow State University6, University of California, Berkeley7, Arizona State University8, University of Amsterdam9, Northwestern University10, University of Liège11, University of Wisconsin-Madison12
TL;DR: The Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA) software instrument as discussed by the authors has been updated with the capability to handle floating point exceptions and stellar model optimization, as well as four new software tools.
Abstract: We update the capabilities of the software instrument Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA) and enhance its ease of use and availability. Our new approach to locating convective boundaries is consistent with the physics of convection, and yields reliable values of the convective-core mass during both hydrogen- and helium-burning phases. Stars with become white dwarfs and cool to the point where the electrons are degenerate and the ions are strongly coupled, a realm now available to study with MESA due to improved treatments of element diffusion, latent heat release, and blending of equations of state. Studies of the final fates of massive stars are extended in MESA by our addition of an approximate Riemann solver that captures shocks and conserves energy to high accuracy during dynamic epochs. We also introduce a 1D capability for modeling the effects of Rayleigh–Taylor instabilities that, in combination with the coupling to a public version of the radiation transfer instrument, creates new avenues for exploring Type II supernova properties. These capabilities are exhibited with exploratory models of pair-instability supernovae, pulsational pair-instability supernovae, and the formation of stellar-mass black holes. The applicability of MESA is now widened by the capability to import multidimensional hydrodynamic models into MESA. We close by introducing software modules for handling floating point exceptions and stellar model optimization, as well as four new software tools— , -Docker, , and mesastar.org—to enhance MESA's education and research impact.
808 citations
Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics1, University of California, Santa Cruz2, University of California, Santa Barbara3, Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe4, Moscow State University5, Kurchatov Institute6, University of California, Berkeley7, Arizona State University8, University of Amsterdam9, Northwestern University10, University of Liège11, University of Wisconsin-Madison12
TL;DR: In this article, the capabilities of the software instrument Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA) and enhance its ease of use and availability are discussed. But the authors do not provide a comprehensive overview of the available tools.
Abstract: We update the capabilities of the software instrument Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA) and enhance its ease of use and availability. Our new approach to locating convective boundaries is consistent with the physics of convection, and yields reliable values of the convective core mass during both hydrogen and helium burning phases. Stars with $M<8\,{\rm M_\odot}$ become white dwarfs and cool to the point where the electrons are degenerate and the ions are strongly coupled, a realm now available to study with MESA due to improved treatments of element diffusion, latent heat release, and blending of equations of state. Studies of the final fates of massive stars are extended in MESA by our addition of an approximate Riemann solver that captures shocks and conserves energy to high accuracy during dynamic epochs. We also introduce a 1D capability for modeling the effects of Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities that, in combination with the coupling to a public version of the STELLA radiation transfer instrument, creates new avenues for exploring Type II supernovae properties. These capabilities are exhibited with exploratory models of pair-instability supernova, pulsational pair-instability supernova, and the formation of stellar mass black holes. The applicability of MESA is now widened by the capability of importing multi-dimensional hydrodynamic models into MESA. We close by introducing software modules for handling floating point exceptions and stellar model optimization, and four new software tools -- MESAWeb, MESA-Docker, pyMESA, and this http URL -- to enhance MESA's education and research impact.
391 citations
TL;DR: Spectroscopic analyses of blue horizontal branch stars, subluminous B- and O-stars are reviewed in this paper, where the resulting atmospheric parameters and abundances are used to obtain constraints on the evolutionary status of different classes of stars.
Abstract: Spectroscopic analyses of blue horizontal branch stars, subluminous B- and O-stars are reviewed. These classes of stars trace stellar evolution from the horizontal branch towards the white dwarf cooling sequence. The resulting atmospheric parameters and abundances are used to obtain constraints on the evolutionary status of the different classes of stars. The sdB stars form a homogeneous group and can be identified with models of the extended horizontal branch. Abundance anomalies (deficiency of helium and some metals, enrichment of 3He) observed in Horizontal Branch stars and sdB stars are caused by atmospheric diffusion. The class of subluminous O stars is much less homogenous and two subclasses can be defined: the “compact” sdO stars probably evolved from the extended horizontal branch and are hence successors of the sdBs, whereas some sdOs of relatively low gravity are in a post-AGB stage of evolution. Hot subdwarfs in binary systems can be formed by case B or case C mass transfer.
268 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the spectral classification of all white or blue stars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 16, down to their identification cut-off of signal-to-noise ratio equal to three, was reported.
Abstract: White dwarfs are the end state of the evolution of more than 97 per cent of all stars, and therefore carry information on the structure and evolution of the Galaxy through their luminosity function and initial-to-final mass relation. Examining the new spectra of all white or blue stars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 16, we report the spectral classification of 2410 stars, down to our identification cut-off of signal-to-noise ratio equal to three. We newly identify 1404 DAs, 189 DZs, 103 DCs, 12 DBs, and nine CVs. The remaining objects are a mix of carbon or L stars (dC/L), narrow-lined hydrogen-dominated stars (sdA), dwarf F stars, and P Cyg objects. As white dwarf stars were not targeted by SDSS DR16, the number of new discoveries is much smaller than in previous releases. We also report atmospheric parameters and masses for a subset consisting of 555 new DAs, 10 new DBs, and 85 DZs for spectra with signal-to-noise ratio larger than 10.
263 citations
TL;DR: The discovery of 9 089 new spectroscopically confirmed white dwarfs and subdwarfs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 10.1 was reported in this article.
Abstract: We report the discovery of 9 089 new spectroscopically confirmed white dwarfs and subdwarfs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 10. We obtain Teff, log g and mass for hydrogen atmosphere white dwarf stars (DAs) and helium atmosphere white dwarf stars (DBs), and estimate the calcium/helium abundances for the white dwarf stars with metallic lines (DZs) and carbon/helium for carbon dominated spectra DQs. We found 1 central star of a planetary nebula, 2 new oxygen spectra on helium atmosphere white dwarfs, 71 DQs, 42 hot DO/PG1159s, 171 white dwarf+main sequence star binaries, 206 magnetic DAHs, 327 continuum dominated DCs, 397 metal polluted white dwarfs, 450 helium dominated white dwarfs, 647 subdwarfs and 6888 new hydrogen dominated white dwarf stars.
238 citations
References
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TL;DR: The updated OPAL Rosseland mean opacities for Population I stars have been presented in this paper, where the main opacity changes are increases of as much as 20% for population I stars due to the explicit inclusion of 19 metals (compared to 12 metals in the earlier calculations).
Abstract: The reexamination of astrophysical opacities has eliminated gross discrepancies between a variety of observations and theoretical calculations; thus allowing for more detailed tests of stellar models. A number of such studies indicate that model results are sensitive to modest changes in the opacity. Consequently, it is desirable to update available opacity databases with recent improvements in physics, refinements of element abundance, and other such factors affecting the results. Updated OPAL Rosseland mean opacities are presented. The new results have incorporated improvements in the physics and numerical procedures as well as corrections. The main opacity changes are increases of as much as 20{percent} for Population I stars due to the explicit inclusion of 19 metals (compared to 12 metals in the earlier calculations) with the other modifications introducing opacity changes smaller than 10{percent}. In addition, the temperature and density range covered by the updated opacity tables has been extended. As before, the tables allow accurate interpolation in density and temperature as well as hydrogen, helium, carbon, oxygen, and metal mass fractions. Although a specific metal composition is emphasized, opacity tables for different metal distributions can be made readily available. The updated opacities are compared to other work. {copyright} {ital 1996 Themore » American Astronomical Society.}« less
2,869 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the corresponding Maxwellian-averaged thermonuclear reaction rates of relevance in astrophysical plasmas at temperatures in the range from 10(6) K to 10(10) K were calculated.
1,874 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors presented a new table for low-temperature Rosseland and Planck mean opacities from Alexander & Ferguson, which includes more grain species and updated optical constants.
Abstract: Previous computations of low-temperature Rosseland and Planck mean opacities from Alexander & Ferguson areupdatedandexpanded.Thenewcomputationsincludeamorecompleteequationofstate(EOS)withmoregrain species and updated optical constants. Grains are now explicitly included in thermal equilibrium in the EOS calculation, which allows for a much wider range of grain compositions to be accurately included than was previously the case. The inclusion of high-temperature condensates such as Al2O3 and CaTiO3 significantly affects the total opacityoveranarrowrangeoftemperaturesbeforetheappearanceofthefirstsilicategrains.Thenewopacitytables are tabulated for temperatures ranging from 30,000 to 500 K with gas densities from 10 � 4 to 10 � 19 gc m � 3 .C omparisons with previous Rosseland mean opacity calculations are discussed. At high temperatures, the agreement with OPAL and Opacity Project is quite good. Comparisons at lower temperatures are more divergent as a result of differences in molecular and grain physics included in different calculations. The computation of Planck mean opacities performed with the opacity sampling method is shown to require a very large number of opacity sampling wavelength points; previously published results obtained with fewer wavelength points are shown to be significantly in error. Methods for requesting or obtaining the new tables are provided. Subject heading gs: atomic data — equation of state — methods: numerical — molecular data
1,273 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the electron-conduction opacity in stellar conditions for an arbitrary chemical composition has been studied and a detailed comparison with the currently used tabulations is performed. And the impact of these new opacities on the evolution of low-mass stars is assessed by computing stellar models along both the H- and He-burning evolutionary phases, as well as main sequence models of very low-magnitude stars and white dwarf cooling tracks.
Abstract: We review the theory of electron-conduction opacity, a fundamental ingredient in the computation of low-mass stellar models; shortcomings and limitations of the existing calculations used in stellar evolution are discussed. We then present new determinations of the electron-conduction opacity in stellar conditions for an arbitrary chemical composition that improve over previous works and, most importantly, cover the whole parameter space relevant to stellar evolution models (i.e., both the regime of partial and high electron degeneracy). A detailed comparison with the currently used tabulations is also performed. The impact of our new opacities on the evolution of low-mass stars is assessed by computing stellar models along both the H- and He-burning evolutionary phases, as well as main sequence models of very low-mass stars and white dwarf cooling tracks.
400 citations
TL;DR: In the 40 years since their discovery, pulsating white dwarf stars have moved from side-show curiosities to center stage as important tools for unraveling the deep mysteries of the Universe as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: 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 curiosities to center stage as important tools for unraveling the deep mysteries of the Universe. Innovative observational techniques and theoretical modeling tools have breathed life into precision asteroseismology. We are just learning to use this powerful tool, confronting theoretical models with observed frequencies and their time rate-of-change. With this tool, we calibrate white dwarf cosmochronology; we explore equations of state; we measure stellar masses, rotation rates, and nuclear reaction rates; we explore the physics of interior crystallization; we study the structure of the progenitors of Type Ia supernovae, and we test models of dark matter. The white dwarf pulsations are at once the heartbeat of galactic history and a window into unexplored and exotic physics.
365 citations