1. Constraining the Evolution of ZZ Ceti
- Author
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N. Dolez, Pawel Moskalik, R. L. Riddle, Minia Manteiga, Gerald Handler, O. Suárez, Antonio Kanaan, W. Ogloza, J. E. Solheim, D. Kilkenny, B. N. Ashoka, Jaymie M. Matthews, Jian-Ning Fu, R. E. Nather, J. Krzesinski, M. S. O’Brien, T. J. Ahrens, Luciano Fraga, R. R. Shobbrook, Mukremin Kilic, Paul A. Bradley, Joyce A. Guzik, Eran O. Ofek, S. J. Kleinman, A. F. M. Costa, M. Müller, Nicole M. Silvestri, Elia M. Leibowitz, Margarida S. Cunha, T. K. Watson, R. Kalytis, Souza Oliveira Kepler, M. Chevreton, Fergal Mullally, O. Giovannini, Pierre Bergeron, Santosh Joshi, K. Sekiguchi, D. Ališauskas, Gilles Fontaine, E. G. Meištas, Atsuko Nitta, T. von Hippel, Divas Sanwal, Staszek Zola, D. J. Sullivan, R. Janulis, Anjum S. Mukadam, Donald E Winget, Xiao-Jun Jiang, D. W. Kurtz, Donal O'Donoghue, Roberto Silvotti, P. V. Birch, E. W. Klumpe, F. Johannessen, G. Vauclair, D. W. Xu, T. Sullivan, Matt A. Wood, P. Ibbetson, Ana Ulla, Michael D. Reed, T. S. Metcalfe, J. M. Gonzalez-Perez, S. Bernabei, Steven D. Kawaler, Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique (LESIA), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Pôle Astronomie du LESIA, and Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris
- Subjects
Proper motion ,oscillations [Stars] ,evolution [Stars] ,Astrophysics ,Asteroseismology ,Movimento estelar ,Pulsar ,Modelos estelares ,Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics ,Stellar evolution ,Physics ,White dwarfs ,Astronomy ,White dwarf ,Astronomy and Astrophysics ,Espectros estelares ,Atomic clock ,Estrelas variaveis ,variables: other [Stars] ,individual (ZZ Ceti, R548) [Stars] ,Pulsacoes estelares ,Anãs brancas ,Space and Planetary Science ,Stochastic drift ,Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics ,Variable star ,[PHYS.ASTR]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph] - Abstract
We report our analysis of the stability of pulsation periods in the DAV star (pulsating hydrogen atmosphere white dwarf) ZZ Ceti, also called R548. On the basis of observations that span 31 years, we conclude that the period 213.13 s observed in ZZ Ceti drifts at a rate dP/dt 5 (5.5 plus or minus 1.9) x 10(exp -15) ss(sup -1), after correcting for proper motion. Our results are consistent with previous P values for this mode and an improvement over them because of the larger time base. The characteristic stability timescale implied for the pulsation period is |P||P(raised dot)|greater than or equal to 1.2 Gyr, comparable to the theoretical cooling timescale for the star. Our current stability limit for the period 213.13 s is only slightly less than the present measurement for another DAV, G117-B15A, for the period 215.2 s, establishing this mode in ZZ Ceti as the second most stable optical clock known, comparable to atomic clocks and more stable than most pulsars. Constraining the cooling rate of ZZ Ceti aids theoretical evolutionary models and white dwarf cosmochronology. The drift rate of this clock is small enough that we can set interesting limits on reflex motion due to planetary companions.
- Published
- 2003