Magnetic white dwarfs: Observations, theory and future prospects

Isolated magnetic white dwarfs have field strengths ranging from 10(3)G to 10(9) G, and constitute an interesting class of objects. The origin of the magnetic field is still the subject of a hot debate. Whether these fields are fossil, hence the remnants of original weak magnetic fields amplified during the course of the evolution of the progenitor of white dwarfs, or on the contrary, are the result of binary interactions or, finally, other physical mechanisms that could produce such large magnetic fields during the evolution of the white dwarf itself, remains to be elucidated. In this work, we review the current status and paradigms of magnetic fields in white dwarfs, from both the theoretical and observational points of view.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Revealing the pulsational properties of the V777 Herculis star KUV 05134+2605 by its long-term monitoring

Context. KUV 05134+2605 is one of the 21 pulsating DB white dwarfs (V777 Her or DBV variables) known so far. The detailed investigation of the short-period and low-amplitude pulsations of these relatively faint targets requires considerable observational efforts from the ground, long-term single-site or multi-site observations. The observed amplitudes of excited modes undergo short-term variations in many cases, which makes determining pulsation modes difficult. Aims. We aim to determine the pulsation frequencies of KUV 05134+2605, find regularities between the frequency and period components, and perform an asteroseismic investigation for the first time. Methods. We re-analysed the published data and collected new measurements. We compared the frequency content of the different datasets from the different epochs and performed various tests to check the reliability of the frequency determinations. The mean period spacings were investigated with linear fits to the observed periods, Kolmogorov-Smirnov and inverse variance significance tests, and with a Fourier analysis of different period sets, including a Monte Carlo test that simulated the effect of alias ambiguities. We employed fully evolutionary DB white dwarf models for the asteroseismic investigations. Results. We identified 22 frequencies between 1280 and 2530 μHz. These form 12 groups, which suggests at least 12 possible frequencies for the asteroseismic investigations. Thanks to the extended observations, KUV 05134+2605 joined the group of rich white dwarf pulsators. We identified one triplet and at least one doublet with a ≈ 9 μHz frequency separation, from which we derived a stellar rotation period of 0.6 d. We determined the mean period spacings of ≈ 31 s and 18 s for the modes we propose as dipole and quadrupole. We found an excellent agreement between the stellar mass derived from the ℓ = 1 period spacing and the period-to-period fits, all providing M∗ = 0.84 − 0.85 M⊙ solutions. Our study suggests that KUV 05134+2605 is the most massive amongst the known V777 Her stars.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Revealing the pulsational properties of the V777 Herculis star KUV 05134+2605 by its long-term monitoring

Context. KUV 05134+2605 is one of the 21 pulsating DB white dwarfs (V777 Her or DBV variables) known so far. The detailed investigation of the short-period and low-amplitude pulsations of these relatively faint targets requires considerable observational efforts from the ground, long-term single-site or multi-site observations. The observed amplitudes of excited modes undergo short-term variations in many cases, which makes determining pulsation modes difficult. Aims. We aim to determine the pulsation frequencies of KUV 05134+2605, find regularities between the frequency and period components, and perform an asteroseismic investigation for the first time. Methods. We re-analysed the published data and collected new measurements. We compared the frequency content of the different datasets from the different epochs and performed various tests to check the reliability of the frequency determinations. The mean period spacings were investigated with linear fits to the observed periods, Kolmogorov-Smirnov and inverse variance significance tests, and with a Fourier analysis of different period sets, including a Monte Carlo test that simulated the effect of alias ambiguities. We employed fully evolutionary DB white dwarf models for the asteroseismic investigations. Results. We identified 22 frequencies between 1280 and 2530 μHz. These form 12 groups, which suggests at least 12 possible frequencies for the asteroseismic investigations. Thanks to the extended observations, KUV 05134+2605 joined the group of rich white dwarf pulsators. We identified one triplet and at least one doublet with a ≈ 9 μHz frequency separation, from which we derived a stellar rotation period of 0.6 d. We determined the mean period spacings of ≈ 31 s and 18 s for the modes we propose as dipole and quadrupole. We found an excellent agreement between the stellar mass derived from the ℓ = 1 period spacing and the period-to-period fits, all providing M∗ = 0.84 − 0.85 M⊙ solutions. Our study suggests that KUV 05134+2605 is the most massive amongst the known V777 Her stars.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Asteroseismological study of massive ZZ CETI stars with fully evolutionary models

We present the first asteroseismological study for 42 massive ZZ Ceti stars based on a large set of fully evolutionary carbon-oxygen core DA white dwarf models characterized by a detailed and consistent chemical inner profile for the core and the envelope. Our sample comprises all of the ZZ Ceti stars with spectroscopic stellar masses between 0.72 and 1.05 M⊙ known to date. The asteroseismological analysis of a set of 42 stars enables study of the ensemble properties of the massive, pulsating white dwarf stars with carbon-oxygen cores, in particular the thickness of the hydrogen envelope and the stellar mass. A significant fraction of stars in our sample have stellar mass that is high enough to crystallize at the effective temperatures of the ZZ Ceti instability strip, which enables us to study the effects of crystallization on the pulsation properties of these stars. Our results show that the phase diagram presented in Horowitz et al. seems to be a good representation of the crystallization process inside white dwarf stars, in agreement with the results from white dwarf luminosity function in globular clusters.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y GeofísicasInstituto de Astrofísica de La Plat

Discovery of a new PG 1159 (GW Vir) pulsator

We report the discovery of pulsations in the spectroscopic PG 1159 type pre-white dwarf SDSS J075415.12 + 085232.18. Analysis of the spectrum by Werner et al. indicated Teff = 120 000 ± 10 000 K, log g = 7.0 ± 0.3, mass M = 0.52 ± 0.02M⊙, C/He = 0.33 by number. We obtained time series images with the SOAR 4.1 m telescope and 2.1 m Otto Struve telescope at McDonald Observatory and show the star is also a variable PG 1159 type star, with dominant period of 525 s.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Revealing the pulsational properties of the V777 Herculis star KUV 05134+2605 by its long-term monitoring

Context. KUV 05134+2605 is one of the 21 pulsating DB white dwarfs (V777 Her or DBV variables) known so far. The detailed investigation of the short-period and low-amplitude pulsations of these relatively faint targets requires considerable observational efforts from the ground, long-term single-site or multi-site observations. The observed amplitudes of excited modes undergo short-term variations in many cases, which makes determining pulsation modes difficult. Aims. We aim to determine the pulsation frequencies of KUV 05134+2605, find regularities between the frequency and period components, and perform an asteroseismic investigation for the first time. Methods. We re-analysed the published data and collected new measurements. We compared the frequency content of the different datasets from the different epochs and performed various tests to check the reliability of the frequency determinations. The mean period spacings were investigated with linear fits to the observed periods, Kolmogorov-Smirnov and inverse variance significance tests, and with a Fourier analysis of different period sets, including a Monte Carlo test that simulated the effect of alias ambiguities. We employed fully evolutionary DB white dwarf models for the asteroseismic investigations. Results. We identified 22 frequencies between 1280 and 2530 μHz. These form 12 groups, which suggests at least 12 possible frequencies for the asteroseismic investigations. Thanks to the extended observations, KUV 05134+2605 joined the group of rich white dwarf pulsators. We identified one triplet and at least one doublet with a ≈ 9 μHz frequency separation, from which we derived a stellar rotation period of 0.6 d. We determined the mean period spacings of ≈ 31 s and 18 s for the modes we propose as dipole and quadrupole. We found an excellent agreement between the stellar mass derived from the ℓ = 1 period spacing and the period-to-period fits, all providing M∗ = 0.84 − 0.85 M⊙ solutions. Our study suggests that KUV 05134+2605 is the most massive amongst the known V777 Her stars.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Asteroseismological study of massive ZZ CETI stars with fully evolutionary models

We present the first asteroseismological study for 42 massive ZZ Ceti stars based on a large set of fully evolutionary carbon-oxygen core DA white dwarf models characterized by a detailed and consistent chemical inner profile for the core and the envelope. Our sample comprises all of the ZZ Ceti stars with spectroscopic stellar masses between 0.72 and 1.05 M⊙ known to date. The asteroseismological analysis of a set of 42 stars enables study of the ensemble properties of the massive, pulsating white dwarf stars with carbon-oxygen cores, in particular the thickness of the hydrogen envelope and the stellar mass. A significant fraction of stars in our sample have stellar mass that is high enough to crystallize at the effective temperatures of the ZZ Ceti instability strip, which enables us to study the effects of crystallization on the pulsation properties of these stars. Our results show that the phase diagram presented in Horowitz et al. seems to be a good representation of the crystallization process inside white dwarf stars, in agreement with the results from white dwarf luminosity function in globular clusters.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y GeofísicasInstituto de Astrofísica de La Plat

Discovery of a new PG 1159 (GW Vir) pulsator

We report the discovery of pulsations in the spectroscopic PG 1159 type pre-white dwarf SDSS J075415.12 + 085232.18. Analysis of the spectrum by Werner et al. indicated Teff = 120 000 ± 10 000 K, log g = 7.0 ± 0.3, mass M = 0.52 ± 0.02M⊙, C/He = 0.33 by number. We obtained time series images with the SOAR 4.1 m telescope and 2.1 m Otto Struve telescope at McDonald Observatory and show the star is also a variable PG 1159 type star, with dominant period of 525 s.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Multi-Site Observations of the DAV White Dwarf R 548

The pulsating DA white dwarf R 548 was observed for 46 h in October 1993 in an eight-site campaign. New peaks near the known doublets in the Fourier transform are found

Pulsating White Dwarf Stars and Precision Asteroseismology

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.Comment: 70 pages, 11 figures, to be published in Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics 200