Pure-hydrogen 3D model atmospheres of cool white dwarfs

A sequence of pure-hydrogen CO5BOLD 3D model atmospheres of DA white dwarfs is presented for a surface gravity of log g = 8 and effective temperatures from 6000 to 13,000 K. We show that convective properties, such as flow velocities, characteristic granulation size and intensity contrast of the granulation patterns, change significantly over this range. We demonstrate that these 3D simulations are not sensitive to numerical parameters unlike the 1D structures that considerably depend on the mixing-length parameters. We conclude that 3D spectra can be used directly in the spectroscopic analyses of DA white dwarfs. We confirm the result of an earlier preliminary study that 3D model spectra provide a much better characterization of the mass distribution of white dwarfs and that shortcomings of the 1D mixing-length theory are responsible for the spurious high-log g determinations of cool white dwarfs. In particular, the 1D theory is unable to account for the cooling effect of the convective overshoot in the upper atmospheres.Comment: 14 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Granulation properties of giants, dwarfs, and white dwarfs from the CIFIST 3D model atmosphere grid

3D model atmospheres for giants, dwarfs, and white dwarfs, computed with the CO5BOLD code and part of the CIFIST grid, have been used for spectroscopic and asteroseismic studies. Unlike existing plane-parallel 1D structures, these simulations predict the spatially and temporally resolved emergent intensity so that granulation can be analysed, which provides insights on how convective energy transfer operates in stars. The wide range of atmospheric parameters of the CIFIST 3D simulations (3600 < Teff (K) < 13,000 and 1 < log g < 9) allows the comparison of convective processes in significantly different environments. We show that the relative intensity contrast is correlated with both the Mach and Peclet numbers in the photosphere. The horizontal size of granules varies between 3 and 10 times the local pressure scale height, with a tight correlation between the factor and the Mach number of the flow. Given that convective giants, dwarfs, and white dwarfs cover the same range of Mach and Peclet numbers, we conclude that photospheric convection operates in a very similar way in those objects.Comment: 16 pages, 17 figures, 37 pages online appendix, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Spectroscopic analysis of DA white dwarfs with 3D model atmospheres

We present the first grid of mean three-dimensional (3D) spectra for pure-hydrogen (DA) white dwarfs based on 3D model atmospheres. We use CO5BOLD radiation-hydrodynamics 3D simulations instead of the mixing-length theory for the treatment of convection. The simulations cover the effective temperature range of 6000 < Teff (K) < 15,000 and the surface gravity range of 7 < log g < 9 where the large majority of DAs with a convective atmosphere are located. We rely on horizontally averaged 3D structures (over constant Rosseland optical depth) to compute spectra. It is demonstrated that our spectra can be smoothly connected to their 1D counterparts at higher and lower Teff where the 3D effects are small. Analytical functions are provided in order to convert spectroscopically determined 1D effective temperatures and surface gravities to 3D atmospheric parameters. We apply our improved models to well studied spectroscopic data sets from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the White Dwarf Catalog. We confirm that the so-called high-log g problem is not present when employing spectra and that the issue was caused by inaccuracies in the 1D mixing-length approach. The white dwarfs with a radiative and a convective atmosphere have derived mean masses that are the same within ~0.01 Msun, in much better agreement with our understanding of stellar evolution. Furthermore, the 3D atmospheric parameters are in better agreement with independent Teff and log g values from photometric and parallax measurements.Comment: 15 pages, 18 figures, 10 pages online appendix, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Non-resonant Raman response of inhomogeneous structures in the electron doped t−t′t-t' Hubbard model

We calculate the non-resonant Raman response, the single particle spectra and the charge-spin configuration for the electron doped $t-t'$ Hubbard model using unrestricted Hartree-Fock calculations. We discuss the similarities and differences in the response of homogeneous versus inhomogeneous structures. Metallic antiferromagnetism dominates in a large region of the $U-n$ phase diagram but at high values of the on-site interaction and for intermediate doping values, inhomogeneous configurations are found with lower energy. This result is in contrast with the case of hole doped cuprates where inhomogeneities are found already at very low doping. The inhomogeneities found are in-phase stripes compatible with inelastic neutron scattering experiments. They give an incoherent background in the Raman response. The $B_{2g}$ signal can show a quasiparticle-like component even when no Fermi surface is found in the nodal direction.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Superintegrability of the Tremblay-Turbiner-Winternitz quantum Hamiltonians on a plane for odd kk

In a recent FTC by Tremblay {\sl et al} (2009 {\sl J. Phys. A: Math. Theor.} {\bf 42} 205206), it has been conjectured that for any integer value of $k$, some novel exactly solvable and integrable quantum Hamiltonian $H_k$ on a plane is superintegrable and that the additional integral of motion is a $2k$th-order differential operator $Y_{2k}$. Here we demonstrate the conjecture for the infinite family of Hamiltonians $H_k$ with odd $k \ge 3$, whose first member corresponds to the three-body Calogero-Marchioro-Wolfes model after elimination of the centre-of-mass motion. Our approach is based on the construction of some $D_{2k}$-extended and invariant Hamiltonian \chh_k, which can be interpreted as a modified boson oscillator Hamiltonian. The latter is then shown to possess a $D_{2k}$-invariant integral of motion \cyy_{2k}, from which $Y_{2k}$ can be obtained by projection in the $D_{2k}$ identity representation space.Comment: 14 pages, no figure; change of title + important addition to sect. 4 + 2 more references + minor modifications; accepted by JPA as an FT

White Dwarf Cosmochronology in the Solar Neighborhood

The study of the stellar formation history in the solar neighborhood is a powerful technique to recover information about the early stages and evolution of the Milky Way. We present a new method which consists of directly probing the formation history from the nearby stellar remnants. We rely on the volume complete sample of white dwarfs within 20 pc, where accurate cooling ages and masses have been determined. The well characterized initial-final mass relation is employed in order to recover the initial masses (1 < M/Msun < 8) and total ages for the local degenerate sample. We correct for moderate biases that are necessary to transform our results to a global stellar formation rate, which can be compared to similar studies based on the properties of main-sequence stars in the solar neighborhood. Our method provides precise formation rates for all ages except in very recent times, and the results suggest an enhanced formation rate for the solar neighborhood in the last 5 Gyr compared to the range 5 < Age (Gyr) < 10. Furthermore, the observed total age of ~10 Gyr for the oldest white dwarfs in the local sample is consistent with the early seminal studies that have determined the age of the Galactic disk from stellar remnants. The main shortcoming of our study is the small size of the local white dwarf sample. However, the presented technique can be applied to larger samples in the future.Comment: 25 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

3D Model Atmospheres for Extremely Low-Mass White Dwarfs

We present an extended grid of mean three-dimensional (3D) spectra for low-mass, pure-hydrogen atmosphere DA white dwarfs (WDs). We use CO5BOLD radiation-hydrodynamics 3D simulations covering Teff = 6000-11,500 K and logg = 5-6.5 (cgs units) to derive analytical functions to convert spectroscopically determined 1D temperatures and surface gravities to 3D atmospheric parameters. Along with the previously published 3D models, the 1D to 3D corrections are now available for essentially all known convective DA WDs (i.e., logg = 5-9). For low-mass WDs, the correction in temperature is relatively small (a few per cent at the most), but the surface gravities measured from the 3D models are lower by as much as 0.35 dex. We revisit the spectroscopic analysis of the extremely low-mass (ELM) WDs, and demonstrate that the 3D models largely resolve the discrepancies seen in the radius and mass measurements for relatively cool ELM WDs in eclipsing double WD and WD + milli-second pulsar binary systems. We also use the 3D corrections to revise the boundaries of the ZZ Ceti instability strip, including the recently found ELM pulsators.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Theory of single-particle properties of the Hubbard model

It is shown that it is possible to quantitatively explain quantum Monte Carlo results for the Green's function of the two-dimensional Hubbard model in the weak to intermediate coupling regime. The analytic approach includes vertex corrections in a paramagnon-like self-energy. All parameters are determined self-consistently. This approach clearly shows that in two dimensions Fermi-liquid quasiparticles disappear in the paramagnetic state when the antiferromagnetic correlation length becomes larger than the electronic thermal de Broglie wavelength.Comment: 5 pages, latex, uuencoded figures, REVTEX Also available by direct request to [email protected]