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The evolution of the remnant of the merger of two white dwarfs is still an open problem. Furthermore, few studies have addressed the case in which the remnant is a magnetic white dwarf with a mass larger than the Chandrasekhar limiting mass. Angular momentum losses might bring the remnant of the merger to the physical conditions suitable for developing a thermonuclear explosion. Alternatively, the remnant may be prone to gravitational or rotational instabilities, depending on the initial conditions reached after the coalescence. Dipole magnetic braking is one of the mechanisms that can drive such losses of angular momentum. However, the timescale on which these losses occur depend on several parameters, like the strength of the magnetic field. In addition, the coalescence leaves a surrounding Keplerian disk that can be accreted by the newly formed white dwarf. Here we compute the post-merger evolution of a super-Chandrasekhar magnetized white dwarf taking into account all the relevant physical processes. These include magnetic torques acting on the star, accretion from the Keplerian disk, the threading of the magnetic field lines through the disk, as well as the thermal evolution of the white dwarf core. We find that the central remnant can reach the conditions suitable to develop a thermonuclear explosion before other instabilities (such as the inverse beta-decay instability or the secular axisymmetric instability) are reached, which would instead lead to gravitational collapse of the magnetized remnant., Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

Recent Hubble Space Telescope observations have unveiled the white dwarf cooling sequence of the Galactic bulge. Although the degenerate sequence can be well fitted employing the most up-to-date theoretical cooling sequences, observations show a systematic excess of red objects that cannot be explained by the theoretical models of single carbon-oxygen white dwarfs of the appropriate masses. Here we present a population synthesis study of the white dwarf cooling sequence of the Galactic bulge that takes into account the populations of both single white dwarfs and binary systems containing at least one white dwarf. These calculations incorporate state-of-the-art cooling sequences for white dwarfs with hydrogen-rich and hydrogen-deficient atmospheres, for both white dwarfs with carbon-oxygen and helium cores, and also take into account detailed prescriptions of the evolutionary history of binary systems. Our Monte Carlo simulator also incorporates all the known observational biases. This allows us to model with a high degree of realism the white dwarf population of the Galactic bulge. We find that the observed excess of red stars can be partially attributed to white dwarf plus main sequence binaries, and to cataclysmic variables or dwarf novae. Our best fit is obtained with a higher binary fraction and an initial mass function slope steeper than standard values, as well as with the inclusion of differential reddening and blending. Our results also show that the possible contribution of double degenerate systems or young and thick-disk bulge stars is negligible., Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

We present the second paper of a series of publications aiming at obtaining a better understanding regarding the nature of type Ia supernovae (SNIa) progenitors by studying a large sample of detached F, G and K main sequence stars in close orbits with white dwarf companions (i.e. WD+FGK binaries). We employ the LAMOST (Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fibre Spectroscopic Telescope) data release 4 spectroscopic data base together with GALEX (Galaxy Evolution Explorer) ultraviolet fluxes to identify 1,549 WD+FGK binary candidates (1,057 of which are new), thus doubling the number of known sources. We measure the radial velocities of 1,453 of these binaries from the available LAMOST spectra and/or from spectra obtained by us at a wide variety of different telescopes around the globe. The analysis of the radial velocity data allows us to identify 24 systems displaying more than 3sigma radial velocity variation that we classify as close binaries. We also discuss the fraction of close binaries among WD+FGK systems, which we find to be ~10 per cent, and demonstrate that high-resolution spectroscopy is required to efficiently identify double-degenerate SNIa progenitor candidates., Comment: accepted for publication by MNRAS

We present a Monte Carlo population synthesis study of white dwarf-main sequence (WD+MS) binaries in the Galactic disk aimed at reproducing the ensemble properties of the entire population observed by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 12. Our simulations take into account all known observational biases and use the most up-to-date stellar evolutionary models. This allows us to perform a sound comparison between the simulations and the observational data. We find that the properties of the simulated and observed parameter distributions agree best when assuming low values of the common envelope efficiency (0.2-0.3), a result that is in agreement with previous findings obtained by observational and population synthesis studies of close SDSS WD+MS binaries. We also show that all synthetic populations that result from adopting an initial mass ratio distribution with a positive slope are excluded by observations. Finally, we confirm that the properties of the simulated WD+MS binary populations are nearly independent of the age adopted for the thin disk, on the contribution of WD+MS binaries from the thick disk (0-17 per cent of the total population) and on the assumed fraction of the internal energy that is used to eject the envelope during the common envelope phase (0.1-0.5)., Comment: accepted for publication by MNRAS

The merger of close double white dwarfs (CDWDs) is one of the favourite evolutionary channels for producing Type Ia supernovae (SN Ia). Unfortunately, current theories of the evolution and formation of CDWDs are still poorly constrained and have several serious uncertainties, which affect the predicted SN Ia rates. Moreover, current observational constraints on this evolutionary pathway for SN Ia mainly rely on only 18 double-lined and/or eclipsing CDWDs with measured orbital and stellar parameters for both white dwarfs. In this paper we present the orbital periods and the individual masses of three new double-lined CDWDs, derived using a new method. This method employs mass ratios, the Halpha core ratios and spectral model-fitting to constrain the masses of the components of the pair. The three CDWDs are WD0028-474 (Porb=9.350 +- 0.007 hours, M1=0.60 +- 0.06 Msun, M2=0.45 +- 0.04 Msun), HE0410-1137 (Porb = 12.208 +- 0.008 hours, M1= 0.51 +- 0.04 Msun, M2= 0.39 +- 0.03 Msun) and SDSSJ031813.25-010711.7 (Porb = 45.908 +- 0.006 hours, among the longest period systems, M1= 0.40 +- 0.05 Msun, M2= 0.49 +- 0.05 Msun). While the three systems studied here will merge in timescales longer than the Hubble time and are expected to become single massive (>~0.9 Msun) white dwarfs rather than exploding as SN Ia, increasing the small sample of CDWDs with determined stellar parameters is crucial for a better overall understanding of their evolution., Comment: Accepted for publication by MNRAS

The age-metallicity relation (AMR) is a fundamental observational constraint for understanding how the Galactic disc formed and evolved chemically in time. However, there is not yet an agreement on the observational properties of the AMR for the solar neighbourhood, primarily due to the difficulty in obtaining accurate stellar ages for individual field stars. We have started an observational campaign for providing the much needed observational input by using wide white dwarf-main sequence (WDMS) binaries. White dwarfs are natural clocks and can be used to derive accurate ages. Metallicities can be obtained from the main sequence companions. Since the progenitors of white dwarfs and the main sequence stars were born at the same time, WDMS binaries provide a unique opportunity to observationally constrain in a robust way the properties of the AMR. In this work we present the AMR derived from analysing a pilot sample of 23 WDMS binaries and provide clear observational evidence for the lack of correlation between age and metallicity at young and intermediate ages (0-7 Gyrs)., Comment: Accepted for publication by MNRAS

A feasible design for a magnetic diagnostics subsystem for eLISA will be based on that of its precursor mission, LISA Pathfinder. Previous experience indicates that magnetic field estimation at the positions of the test masses has certain complications. This is due to two reasons. The first one is that magnetometers usually back-act due to their measurement principles (i.e., they also create their own magnetic fields), while the second is that the sensors selected for LISA Pathfinder have a large size, which conflicts with space resolution and with the possibility of having a sufficient number of them to properly map the magnetic field around the test masses. However, high-sensitivity and small-size sensors that significantly mitigate the two aforementioned limitations exist, and have been proposed to overcome these problems. Thus, these sensors will be likely selected for the magnetic diagnostics subsystem of eLISA. Here we perform a quantitative analysis of the new magnetic subsystem, as it is currently conceived, and assess the feasibility of selecting these sensors in the final configuration of the magnetic diagnostic subsystem., Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures

We present an updated version of the spectroscopic catalogue of white dwarf-main sequence (WDMS) binaries from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We identify 939 WDMS binaries within the data releases (DR) 9-12 of SDSS plus 40 objects from DR 1-8 that we missed in our previous works, 646 of which are new. The total number of spectroscopic SDSS WDMS binaries increases to 3294. This is by far the largest and most homogeneous sample of compact binaries currently available. We use a decomposition/fitting routine to derive the stellar parameters of all systems identified here (white dwarf effective temperatures, surface gravities and masses, and secondary star spectral types). The analysis of the corresponding stellar parameter distributions shows that the SDSS WDMS binary population is seriously affected by selection effects. We also measure the NaI 8183.27, 8194.81 absorption doublet and Halpha emission radial velocities (RV) from all SDSS WDMS binary spectra identified in this work. 98 objects are found to display RV variations, 62 of which are new. The RV data are sufficient enough to estimate the orbital periods of three close binaries., Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication by MNRAS

The white dwarf luminosity function is an important tool to understand the properties of the Solar neighborhood, like its star formation history, and its age. Here we present a population synthesis study of the white dwarf population within 40~pc from the Sun, and compare the results of this study with the properties of the observed sample. We use a state-of-the-art population synthesis code based on Monte Carlo techniques, that incorporates the most recent and reliable white dwarf cooling sequences, an accurate description of the Galactic neighborhood, and a realistic treatment of all the known observational biases and selection procedures. We find a good agreement between our theoretical models and the observed data. In particular, our simulations reproduce a previously unexplained feature of the bright branch of the white dwarf luminosity function, which we argue is due to a recent episode of star formation. We also derive the age of the Solar neighborhood employing the position of the observed cut-off of the white dwarf luminosity function, obtaining ~8.9+-0.2 Gyr. We conclude that a detailed description of the ensemble properties of the population of white dwarfs within 40pc of the Sun allows us to obtain interesting constraints on the history of the Solar neighborhood., Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

NGC 6397 is one of the most interesting, well observed and theoretically studied globular clusters. The existing wealth of observations allows us to study the reliability of the theoretical white dwarf cooling sequences of low metallicity progenitors,to determine its age and the percentage of unresolved binaries, and to assess other important characteristics of the cluster, like the slope of the initial mass function, or the fraction of white dwarfs with hydrogen deficient atmospheres. We present a population synthesis study of the white dwarf population of NGC 6397. In particular, we study the shape of the color-magnitude diagram, and the corresponding magnitude and color distributions. We do this using an up-to-date Monte Carlo code that incorporates the most recent and reliable cooling sequences and an accurate modeling of the observational biases. We find a good agreement between our theoretical models and the observed data. In particular, we find that this agreement is best for those cooling sequences that take into account residual hydrogen burning. This result has important consequences for the evolution of progenitor stars during the thermally-pulsing asymptotic giant branch phase, since it implies that appreciable third dredge-up in low-mass, low-metallicity progenitors is not expected to occur. Using a standard burst duration of 1.0 Gyr, we obtain that the age of the cluster is 12.8+0.50-0.75 Gyr. Larger ages are also compatible with the observed data, but then realistic longer durations of the initial burst of star formation are needed to fit the luminosity function. We conclude that a correct modeling of the white dwarf opulation of globular clusters, used in combination with the number counts of main sequence stars provides an unique tool to model the properties of globular clusters., Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

White dwarfs are the fossils left by the evolution of low-and intermediate-mass stars, and have very long evolutionary timescales. This allows us to use them to explore the properties of old populations, like the Galactic halo. We present a population synthesis study of the luminosity function of halo white dwarfs, aimed at investigating which information can be derived from the currently available observed data. We employ an up-to-date population synthesis code based on Monte Carlo techniques, that incorporates the most recent and reliable cooling sequences for metal poor progenitors as well as an accurate modeling of the observational biases. We find that because the observed sample of halo white dwarfs is restricted to the brightest stars only the hot branch of the white dwarf luminosity function can be used for such purposes, and that its shape function is almost insensitive to the most relevant inputs, like the adopted cooling sequences, the initial mass function, the density profile of the stellar spheroid, or the adopted fraction of unresolved binaries. Moreover, since the cut-off of the observed luminosity has not been yet determined only lower limits to the age of the halo population can be placed. We conclude that the current observed sample of the halo white dwarf population is still too small to obtain definite conclusions about the properties of the stellar halo, and the recently computed white dwarf cooling sequences which incorporate residual hydrogen burning should be assessed using metal-poor globular clusters., Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

The mass function of hydrogen-rich atmosphere white dwarfs has been frequently found to reveal a distinctive high-mass excess near 1Msun. However, a significant excess of massive white dwarfs has not been detected in the mass function of the largest white dwarf catalogue to date from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Hence, whether a high-mass excess exists or not has remained an open question. In this work we build the mass function of the latest catalogue of data release 10 SDSS hydrogen-rich white dwarfs, including the cool and faint population (i.e. effective temperatures 6,000 <~ Teff <~ 12,000 K, equivalent to 12 mag <~ Mbol <~ 13 mag). We show that the high-mass excess is clearly present in our mass function, and that it disappears only if the hottest (brightest) white dwarfs (those with Teff >~ 12,000 K, Mbol <~ 12 mag) are considered. This naturally explains why previous SDSS mass functions failed at detecting a significant excess of high-mass white dwarfs. Thus, our results provide additional and robust observational evidence for the existence of a distinctive high-mass excess near 1Msun. We investigate possible origins of this feature and argue that the most plausible scenario that may lead to an observed excess of massive white dwarfs is the merger of the degenerate core of a giant star with a main sequence or a white dwarf companion during or shortly after a common envelope event., Comment: Accepted for publication by MNRAS

Modern large-scale surveys have allowed the identification of large numbers of white dwarfs. However, these surveys are subject to complicated target selection algorithms, which make it almost impossible to quantify to what extent the observational biases affect the observed populations. The LAMOST (Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope) Spectroscopic Survey of the Galactic anti-center (LSS-GAC) follows a well-defined set of criteria for selecting targets for observations. This advantage over previous surveys has been fully exploited here to identify a small yet well-characterised magnitude-limited sample of hydrogen-rich (DA) white dwarfs. We derive preliminary LSS-GAC DA white dwarf luminosity and mass functions. The space density and average formation rate of DA white dwarfs we derive are 0.83+/-0.16 x 10^{-3} pc^{-3} and 5.42 +/- 0.08 x 10^{-13} pc^{-3} yr^{-1}, respectively. Additionally, using an existing Monte Carlo population synthesis code we simulate the population of single DA white dwarfs in the Galactic anti-center, under various assumptions. The synthetic populations are passed through the LSS-GAC selection criteria, taking into account all possible observational biases. This allows us to perform a meaningful comparison of the observed and simulated distributions. We find that the LSS-GAC set of criteria is highly efficient in selecting white dwarfs for spectroscopic observations (80-85 per cent) and that, overall, our simulations reproduce well the observed luminosity function. However, they fail at reproducing an excess of massive white dwarfs present in the observed mass function. A plausible explanation for this is that a sizable fraction of massive white dwarfs in the Galaxy are the product of white dwarf-white dwarf mergers., Comment: 23 pages, 14 figures and 5 tables. Accepted for publication by MNRAS

The core-degenerate (CD) scenario for type Ia supernovae (SN Ia) involves the merger of the hot core of an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star and a white dwarf, and might contribute a non-negligible fraction of all thermonuclear supernovae. Despite its potential interest, very few studies, and based on only crude simplifications, have been devoted to investigate this possible scenario, compared with the large efforts invested to study some other scenarios. Here we perform the first three-dimensional simulations of the merger phase, and find that this process can lead to the formation of a massive white dwarf, as required by this scenario. We consider two situations, according to the mass of the circumbinary disk formed around the system during the final stages of the common envelope phase. If the disk is massive enough, the stars merge on a highly eccentric orbit. Otherwise, the merger occurs after the circumbinary disk has been ejected and gravitational wave radiation has brought the stars close to the Roche lobe radius on a nearly circular orbit. Not surprisingly, the overall characteristics of the merger remnants are similar to those found for the double-degenerate (DD) scenario, independently of the very different core temperature and of the orbits of the merging stars. They consist of a central massive white dwarf, surrounded by a hot, rapidly rotating corona and a thick debris region., Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

The Large Observatory For x-ray Timing (LOFT) was studied within ESA M3 Cosmic Vision framework and participated in the final down-selection for a launch slot in 2022-2024. Thanks to the unprecedented combination of effective area and spectral resolution of its main instrument, LOFT will study the behaviour of matter under extreme conditions, such as the strong gravitational field in the innermost regions of accretion flows close to black holes and neutron stars, and the supra-nuclear densities in the interior of neutron stars. The science payload is based on a Large Area Detector (LAD, 10 m 2 effective area, 2-30 keV, 240 eV spectral resolution, 1 deg collimated field of view) and a WideField Monitor (WFM, 2-50 keV, 4 steradian field of view, 1 arcmin source location accuracy, 300 eV spectral resolution). The WFM is equipped with an on-board system for bright events (e.g. GRB) localization. The trigger time and position of these events are broadcast to the ground within 30 s from discovery. In this paper we present the status of the mission at the end of its Phase A study., Comment: Proc. SPIE 9144, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2014: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, 91442T

This is the product of a Gaia GREAT workshop on "Gaia and the end states of stellar evolution" held at the University of Leicester in April 2011.

Detached WD+MS PCEBs are perhaps the most suitable objects for testing predictions of close-compact binary-star evolution theories, in particular, CE evolution. The population of WD+MS PCEBs has been simulated by several authors in the past and compared with observations. However, most of those predictions did not take the possible contributions to the envelope ejection from additional sources of energy (mostly recombination energy) into account. Here we update existing binary population models of WD+MS PCEBs by assuming that a fraction of the recombination energy available within the envelope contributes to ejecting the envelope. We performed Monte Carlo simulations of 10^7 MS+MS binaries for 9 different models using standard assumptions for the initial primary mass function, binary separations, and initial-mass-ratio distribution and evolved these systems using the publicly available BSE code. Including a fraction of recombination energy leads to a clear prediction of a large number of long orbital period (>~10 days) systems mostly containing high-mass WDs. The fraction of systems with He-core WD primaries increases with the CE efficiency and the existence of very low-mass He WDs is only predicted for high values of the CE efficiency (>~0.5). All models predict on average longer orbital periods for PCEBs containing C/O-core WDs than for PCEBs containing He WDs. This effect increases with increasing values of both efficiencies. Longer periods after the CE phase are also predicted for systems containing more massive secondary stars. The initial-mass-ratio distribution affects the distribution of orbital periods, especially the distribution of secondary star masses. Our simulations, in combination with a large and homogeneous observational sample, can provide constraints on the values of the CE efficiencies, as well as on the initial-mass-ratio distribution for MS+MS binary stars., Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

We compute the possible observational signatures of white dwarf dynamical interactions in dense stellar environments. Specifically, we compute the emission of gravitational waves, and we compare it with the sensitivity curves of planned space-borne gravitational wave detectors. We also compute the light curves for those interactions in which a detonation occurs, and one of the stars is destroyed, as well as the corresponding neutrino luminosities. We find that for the three possible outcomes of these interactions - which are the formation of an eccentric binary system, a lateral collision in which several mass transfer episodes occur, and a direct one in which just a single mass transfer episode takes place - only those in which an eccentric binary are formed are likely to be detected by the planned gravitational wave mission eLISA, while more sensitive detectors would be able to detect the signals emitted in lateral collisions. On the other hand, the light curves (and the thermal neutrino emission) of these interactions are considerably different, producing both very powerful outbursts and low luminosity events. Finally, we also calculate the X-ray signature produced in the aftermath of those interactions for which a merger occurs. We find that the temporal evolution follows a power law with the same exponent found in the case of the mergers of two neutron stars, although the total energy released is smaller., Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

Detached white dwarf + main sequence (WD+MS) systems represent the simplest population of post-common envelope binaries (PCEBs). Since the ensemble properties of this population carries important information about the characteristics of the common-envelope (CE) phase, it deserves close scrutiny. However, most population synthesis studies do not fully take into account the effects of the observational selection biases of the samples used to compare with the theoretical simulations. Here we present the results of a set of detailed Monte Carlo simulations of the population of WD+MS binaries in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 7. We used up-to-date stellar evolutionary models, a complete treatment of the Roche lobe overflow episode, and a full implementation of the orbital evolution of the binary systems. Moreover, in our treatment we took into account the selection criteria and all the known observational biases. Our population synthesis study allowed us to make a meaningful comparison with the available observational data. In particular, we examined the CE efficiency, the possible contribution of internal energy, and the initial mass ratio distribution (IMRD) of the binary systems. We found that our simulations correctly reproduce the properties of the observed distribution of WD+MS PCEBs. In particular, we found that once the observational biases are carefully taken into account, the distribution of orbital periods and of masses of the WD and MS stars can be correctly reproduced for several choices of the free parameters and different IMRDs, although models in which a moderate fraction (<=10%) of the internal energy is used to eject the CE and in which a low value of CE efficiency is used (<=0.3) seem to fit better the observational data. We also found that systems with He-core WDs are over-represented in the observed sample, due to selection effects., Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

We present a coherent and detailed Monte Carlo simulation of the population of hot white dwarfs. We assess the statistical significance of the hot end of the white dwarf luminosity function and the role played by the bolometric corrections of hydrogen-rich white dwarfs at high effective temperatures. We use the most up-to-date stellar evolutionary models and implement a full description of the observational selection biases to obtain realistic simulations of the observed white dwarf population. Our theoretical results are compared with the luminosity function of hot white dwarfs obtained from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), for both DA and non-DA white dwarfs. We find that the theoretical results are in excellent agreement with the observational data for the population of white dwarfs with hydrogen deficient atmospheres (non-DA white dwarfs). For the population of white dwarfs with hydrogen-rich atmospheres (white dwarfs of the DA class), our simulations show some discrepancies with the observations for the brightest luminosity bins. These discrepancies can be attributed to the way in which the masses of the white dwarfs contributing to this luminosity bin have been computed, as most of them have masses smaller than the theoretical lower limit for carbon-oxygen white dwarfs. We conclude that the way in which the observational luminosity function of hot white dwarfs is obtained is very sensitive to the particular implementation of the method used to derive the masses of the sample. We also provide a revised luminosity function for hot white dwarfs with hydrogen-rich atmospheres., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

The evolution of white dwarfs is a simple gravothermal process. This process can be tested in two ways, through the luminosity function of these stars and through the secular variation of the period of pulsation of those stars that are variable. Here we show how the mass of the axion can be constrained using the white dwarf luminosity function., Comment: Proceedings of the 8th Patras Workshop on Axions, WIMPs and WISPs

The evolution of white dwarfs is a simple gravothermal process. This means that their luminosity function, i.e. the number of white dwarfs per unit bolometric magnitude and unit volume as a function of bolometric magnitude, is a monotonically increasing function that decreases abruptly as a consequence of the finite age of the Galaxy. The precision and the accuracy of the white dwarf luminosity functions obtained with the recent large surveys together with the improved quality of the theoretical models of evolution of white dwarfs allow to feed the hope that in a near future it will be possible to reconstruct the history of the different Galactic populations., Comment: Proceedings of the 40th Liege International Astrophysical Colloquium: Aging low mass stars: from red giants to white dwarfs

Recent surveys have allowed to derive the white dwarf mass distribution with reasonable accuracy. This distribution shows a noticeable degree of structure that it is often attributed to the evolution of close binaries in general, and to mergers in particular. To analyze if the origin of this structure can be attributed to the merger of double white dwarfs, we have used a simplified population synthesis model that retains the essential processes of formation of double degenerate binaries. Special care has been taken to avoid artifacts introduced by discontinuities in the distribution functions. Our result is that these structures are not probably due to mergers, but they can provide a deep insight on the evolution of close binary systems., Comment: Proceedings of the 18th European White Dwarf Workshop

We present a detailed Monte Carlo simulation of the population of the hot branch of the white dwarf luminosity function. We used the most up-to-date stellar evolutionary models and we implemented a full description of the observational selection biases. Our theoretical results are compared with the luminosity function of hot white dwarfs obtained from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), for both DA and non-DA white dwarfs. For non-DA white dwarfs we find an excellent agreement with the observational data, while for DA white dwarfs our simulations show some discrepancies with the observations for the brightest luminosity bins, those corresponding to L>= 10 L_sun., Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to be published in proceedings "18th European White Dwarf Workshop"

High-field magnetic white dwarfs have been long suspected to be the result of stellar mergers. However, the nature of the coalescing stars and the precise mechanism that produces the magnetic field are still unknown. Here we show that the hot, convective, differentially rotating corona present in the outer layers of the remnant of the merger of two degenerate cores is able to produce magnetic fields of the required strength that do not decay for long timescales. We also show, using an state-of-the-art Monte Carlo simulator, that the expected number of high-field magnetic white dwarfs produced in this way is consistent with that found in the solar neighborhood., Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publication in proceedings "18th European White Dwarf Workshop"

White dwarf evolution is essentially a gravothermal cooling process, which,for cool white dwarfs, sensitively depends on the treatment of the outer boundary conditions. We provide detailed outer boundary conditions appropriate for computing the evolution of cool white dwarfs employing detailed non-gray model atmospheres for pure H composition. We also explore the impact on the white dwarf cooling times of different assumptions for energy transfer in the atmosphere of cool white dwarfs. Detailed non-gray model atmospheres are computed taken into account non-ideal effects in the gas equation of state and chemical equilibrium, collision-induced absorption from molecules, and the Lyman alpha quasi-molecular opacity. Our results show that the use of detailed outer boundary conditions becomes relevant for effective temperatures lower than 5800 and 6100K for sequences with 0.60 and 0.90 M_sun, respectively. Detailed model atmospheres predict ages that are up to approx 10% shorter at log L/L_sun=-4 when compared with the ages derived using Eddington-like approximations at tau_Ross=2/3. We also analyze the effects of various assumptions and physical processes of relevance in the calculation of outer boundary conditions. In particular, we find that the Ly_alpha red wing absorption does not affect substantially the evolution of white dwarfs. White dwarf cooling timescales are sensitive to the surface boundary conditions for T_eff < 6000K. Interestingly enough, non-gray effects have little consequences on these cooling times at observable luminosities. In fact, collision-induced absorption processes, which significantly affect the spectra and colors of old white dwarfs with hydrogen-rich atmospheres, have not noticeable effects in their cooling rates, except throughout the Rosseland mean opacity., Comment: 6 pages, 9 figures, to be published in Astronomy and Astrophysics

The Large Observatory for X-ray Timing (LOFT) is one of the four candidate ESA M3 missions considered for launch in the time-frame of 2022. It is specifically designed to perform fast X-ray timing and probe the status of the matter near black holes and neutron stars. The LOFT scientific payload consists of a Large Area Detector and a Wide Field Monitor. The LAD is a 10 m^2-class pointed instrument with high spectral (200 eV @ 6 keV) and timing (< 10 {\mu}s) resolution over the 2-80 keV range. It is designed to observe persistent and transient X-ray sources with a very large dynamic range from a few mCrab up to an intensity of 15 Crab. An unprecedented large throughput (~280.000 cts/s from the Crab) is achieved with a segmented detector, making pile-up and dead-time, often worrying or limiting focused experiments, secondary issues. We present the on-board data handling concept that follows the highly segmented and hierarchical structure of the instrument from the front-end electronics to the on-board software. The system features customizable observation modes ranging from event-by-event data for sources below 0.5 Crab to individually adjustable time resolved spectra for the brighter sources. On-board lossless data compression will be applied before transmitting the data to ground., Comment: Proceedings of SPIE, Vol. 8443, Paper No. 8443-207, 2012

The LOFT mission concept is one of four candidates selected by ESA for the M3 launch opportunity as Medium Size missions of the Cosmic Vision programme. The launch window is currently planned for between 2022 and 2024. LOFT is designed to exploit the diagnostics of rapid X-ray flux and spectral variability that directly probe the motion of matter down to distances very close to black holes and neutron stars, as well as the physical state of ultra-dense matter. These primary science goals will be addressed by a payload composed of a Large Area Detector (LAD) and a Wide Field Monitor (WFM). The LAD is a collimated (<1 degree field of view) experiment operating in the energy range 2-50 keV, with a 10 m^2 peak effective area and an energy resolution of 260 eV at 6 keV. The WFM will operate in the same energy range as the LAD, enabling simultaneous monitoring of a few-steradian wide field of view, with an angular resolution of <5 arcmin. The LAD and WFM experiments will allow us to investigate variability from submillisecond QPO's to year-long transient outbursts. In this paper we report the current status of the project., Comment: Proceedings of SPIE, Vol. 8443, Paper No. 8443-85, 2012

White dwarfs are almost completely degenerate objects that cannot obtain energy from thermonuclear sources, so their evolution is just a gravothermal cooling process. Recent improvements in the accuracy and precision of the luminosity function and in pulsational data of variable white dwarfs suggest that they are cooling faster than expected from conventional theory. In this contribution we show that the inclusion of an additional cooling term due to axions able to interact with electrons with a coupling constant g_ae ~(2-7)x10^{-13} allows to fit better the observations., Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure. Proceedings for the 7th Patras Workshop on Axions, WIMPs and WISPs (PATRAS 2011), Mykonos, Greece, June 27 - July 1, 2011

High-field magnetic white dwarfs have been long suspected to be the result of stellar mergers. However, the nature of the coalescing stars and the precise mechanism that produces the magnetic field are still unknown. Here we show that the hot, convective, differentially rotating corona present in the outer layers of the remnant of the merger of two degenerate cores is able to produce magnetic fields of the required strength that do not decay for long timescales. We also show, using an state-of-the-art Monte Carlo simulator, that the expected number of high-field magnetic white dwarfs produced in this way is consistent with that found in the Solar neighborhood., Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letters

Type Ia supernovae are thought to be the outcome of the thermonuclear explosion of a white dwarf in a close binary system. Two possible scenarios, not necessarily incompatible, have been advanced. One assumes a white dwarf that accretes matter from a nondegenerate companion (the single degenerate scenario), the other assumes two white dwarfs that merge as a consequence of the emission of gravitational waves (the double degenerate scenario). The delay time distribution of star formation bursts strongly suggests that the DD scenario should be responsible of the late time explosions, but this contradicts the common wisdom that the outcome of the merging of two white dwarfs is an accretion induced collapse to a neutron star. In this contribution we review some of the most controversial issues of this problem., Comment: Proceedings of the 2011 Cefalu meeting "Advances in Computational Astrophysics: methods, tools and outcomes"

We present a nucleosynthesis study of the merger of a 0.4 solar masses helium white dwarf with a 0.8 solar masses carbon-oxygen white dwarf, coupling the thermodynamic history of Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics particles with a post-processing code. The resulting chemical abundance pattern, particularly for oxygen and fluorine, is in qualitative agreement with the observed abundances in R Coronae Borealis stars., Comment: Proceedings of the 2011 Cefalu meeting "Advances in Computational Astrophysics: methods, tools and outcomes"

We perform an asteroseismological study on the DAV star G117-B15A on the basis of a modern set of fully evolutionary DA white dwarf models that have consistent chemical profiles at the core and the envelope. We found an asteroseismological model for G117-B15A that closely reproduces its observed pulsation periods. Then, we use the most recently measured value of the rate of period change for the dominant mode of this pulsating star to impose a preliminary upper limit to the mass of the axion., Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, 1 table. To appear in the ASP proceedings of "The 61st Fujihara seminar: Progress in solar/stellar physics with helio- and asteroseismology", 13th-17th March 2011, Hakone, Japan. Ed: Hiromoto Shibahashi

We put asteroseismological constraints on the internal rotation profile of the GW Vir (PG1159-type) star PG 0122+200. To this end we employ a state-of-the-art asteroseismological model for this star and we assess the expected frequency splittings induced by rotation adopting a forward approach in which we compare the theoretical frequency separations with the observed ones assuming different types of plausible internal rotation profiles. We also employ two asteroseismological inversion methods for the inversion of the rotation profile of PG 0122+200. We find evidence for differential rotation in this star. We demonstrate that the frequency splittings of the rotational multiplets exhibited by PG 0122+200 are compatible with a rotation profile in which the central regions are spinning about 2.4 times faster than the stellar surface., Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables. To be published in MNRAS

We investigate the internal rotation profile of the GW Vir (PG1159-type) star PG 0122+200 by employing an asteroseismological model that closely reproduces the observed periods of this star. We adopt a forward approach and two inversion methods based on the rotational splitting of the pulsation frequencies to explore the properties of the rotation of PG 0122+200. We found evidence for differential rotation in this star., Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, To appear in the ASP proceedings of "The 61st Fujihara seminar: Progress in solar/stellar physics with helio- and asteroseismology", 13th-17th March 2011, Hakone, Japan. Ed: Hiromoto Shibahashi

NGC 6791 is a well-studied, metal-rich open cluster that is so close to us that can be imaged down to luminosities fainter than that of the termination of its white dwarf cooling sequence, thus allowing for an in-depth study of its white dwarf population. We use a Monte Carlo simulator that employs up-to-date evolutionary cooling sequences for white dwarfs with hydrogen-rich and hydrogen-deficient atmospheres, with carbon-oxygen and helium cores. The cooling sequences for carbon-oxygen cores account for the delays introduced by both Ne^22 sedimentation in the liquid phase and by carbon-oxygen phase separation upon crystallization. We do not find evidence for a substantial fraction of helium-core white dwarfs, and hence our results support the suggestion that the origin of the bright peak of the white dwarf luminosity function can only be attributed to a population of unresolved binary white dwarfs. Moreover, our results indicate that the number distribution of secondary masses of the population of unresolved binaries has to increase with increasing mass ratio between the secondary and primary components of the progenitor system. We also find that the observed cooling sequence appears to be able to constrain the presence of progenitor sub-populations with different chemical compositions and the fraction of non-DA white dwarfs. Our simulations place interesting constraints on important characteristics of the stellar populations of NGC 6791. In particular, we find that the fraction of single helium-core white dwarfs must be smaller than 5%, that a sub-population of stars with zero metallicity must be <12%, while if the adopted metallicity of the sub-population is solar the upper limit is ~8%. Finally, we also find that the fraction of non-DA white dwarfs in this particular cluster is surprinsingly small <6%., Comment: 9 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

Many hydrogen deficient stars are characterised by surface abundance patterns that are hard to reconcile with conventional stellar evolution. Instead, it has been suggested that they may represent the result of a merger episode between a helium and a carbon-oxygen white dwarf. In this Letter, we present a nucleosynthesis study of the merger of a 0.4 M_sol helium white dwarf with a 0.8 M_sol carbon-oxygen white dwarf, by coupling the thermodynamic history of Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics particles with a post-processing code. The resulting chemical abundance pattern, particularly for oxygen and fluorine, is in qualitative agreement with the observed abundances in R Coronae Borealis stars., Comment: 5 Pages, 2 figures. Accepted to Astrophysical Journal Letters; http://stacks.iop.org/2041-8205/737/L34

Within the theoretical framework of some modern unification theories the constants of nature are functions of cosmological time. White dwarfs offer the possibility of testing a possible variation of G and, thus, to place constraints to these theories. We present full white dwarf evolutionary calculations in the case that G decreases with time. White dwarf evolution is computed in a self-consistent way, including the most up-to-date physical inputs, non-gray model atmospheres and a detailed core chemical composition that results from the calculation of the full evolution of progenitor stars. We find that the mechanical structure and the energy balance of white dwarfs are strongly modified by the presence of a varying G. In particular, for certain values of the rate of change of G, the evolution of cool white dwarfs is markedly affected. The impact of a varying G is more notorious in the case of more massive white dwarfs. In view of the recent results reporting that a very accurate white dwarf cooling age can be derived for the old and metal-rich open cluster NGC 6791, our study suggests that this cluster could be a potential target to constrain or detect a ypothetical secular variation of G., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

White dwarfs are almost completely degenerate objects that cannot obtain energy from the thermonuclear sources and their evolution is just a gravothermal process of cooling. The simplicity of these objects, the fact that the physical inputs necessary to understand them are well identified, although not always well understood, and the impressive observational background about white dwarfs make them the most well studied Galactic population. These characteristics allow to use them as laboratories to test new ideas of physics. In this contribution we discuss the robustness of the method and its application to the axion case., Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, to appear in the Proceedings for the 6th Patras meeting on Axions, WIMPs and WISPs

We compute new chemical profiles for the core and envelope of white dwarfs appropriate for pulsational studies of ZZ Ceti stars. These profiles are extracted from the complete evolution of progenitor stars, evolved through the main sequence and the thermally-pulsing asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stages, and from time-dependent element diffusion during white dwarf evolution. We discuss the importance of the initial-final mass relationship for the white dwarf carbon-oxygen composition. In particular, we find that the central oxygen abundance may be underestimated by about 15% if the white dwarf mass is assumed to be the hydrogen-free core mass before the first thermal pulse. We also discuss the importance for the chemical profiles expected in the outermost layers of ZZ Ceti stars of the computation of the thermally-pulsing AGB phase and of the phase in which element diffusion is relevant. We find a strong dependence of the outer layer chemical stratification on the stellar mass. In particular, in the less massive models, the double-layered structure in the helium layer built up during the thermally-pulsing AGB phase is not removed by diffusion by the time the ZZ Ceti stage is reached. Finally, we perform adiabatic pulsation calculations and discuss the implications of our new chemical profiles for the pulsational properties of ZZ Ceti stars. We find that the whole $g-$mode period spectrum and the mode-trapping properties of these pulsating white dwarfs as derived from our new chemical profiles are substantially different from those based on chemical profiles widely used in existing asteroseismological studies. Thus, we expect the asteroseismological models derived from our chemical profiles to be significantly different from those found thus far., Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures, 1 table. To be published in ApJ

The collision of two white dwarfs is a quite frequent event in dense stellar systems, like globular clusters and galactic nuclei. In this paper we present the results of a set of simulations of the close encounters and collisions of two white dwarfs. We use an up- to-date smoothed particle hydrodynamics code that incorporates very detailed input physics and an improved treatment of the artificial viscosity. Our simulations have been done using a large number of particles (~ 4 \times 10^5) and covering a wide range of velocities and initial distances of the colliding white dwarfs. We discuss in detail when the initial eccentric binary white dwarf survives the closest approach, when a lateral collision in which several mass transfer episodes occur is the outcome of the newly formed binary system, and which range of input parameters leads to a direct collision, in which only one mass transfer episode occurs. We also discuss the characteristics of the final configuration and we assess the possible observational signatures of the merger, such as the associated gravitational waveforms and the fallback luminosities. We find that the overall evolution of the system and the main characteristics of the final object agree with those found in previous studies. We also find that the fallback luminosities are close to 10^48 erg/s. Finally, we find as well that in the case of lateral and direct collisions the gravitational waveforms are characterized by large-amplitude peaks which are followed by a ring-down phase, while in the case in which the binary white dwarf survives the closest approach, the gravitational pattern shows a distinctive behavior, typical of eccentric systems., Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

Axions are the natural consequence of the introduction of the Peccei-Quinn symmetry to solve the strong CP problem. All the efforts to detect such elusive particles have failed up to now. Nevertheless, it has been recently shown that the luminosity function of white dwarfs is best fitted if axions with a mass of a few meV are included in the evolutionary calculations. Our aim is to show that variable white dwarfs can provide additional and independent evidence about the existence of axions. The evolution of a white dwarf is a slow cooling process that translates into a secular increase of the pulsation periods of some variable white dwarfs, the so-called DAV and DBV types. Since axions can freely escape from such stars, their existence would increase the cooling rate and, consequently, the rate of change of the periods as compared with the standard ones. The present values of the rate of change of the pulsation period of G117-B15A are compatible with the existence of axions with the masses suggested by the luminosity function of white dwarfs, in contrast with previous estimations. Furthermore, it is shown that if such axions indeed exist, the drift of the periods of pulsation of DBV stars would be noticeably perturbed., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

The nature of the several microlensing events observed by the MACHO team towards the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is still a subject of debate. Low-mass substellar objects and stars with masses larger than ~M_{sun} have been ruled out as major components of a Massive Astrophysical Compact Halo Object (MACHO) Galactic halo, while stars of half a solar mass seem to be viable candidates. Main sequence stars have been already discarded, and there are tight restrictions on the role played by white dwarfs with hydrogen-dominated atmospheres. In this paper we evaluate the contribution to the dark matter content of the Galaxy of white dwarfs with hydrogen-deficient atmospheres. For this purpose we use a Monte Carlo simulator which incorporates up-to-date evolutionary sequences of white dwarfs with hydrogen-rich and hydrogen-deficient atmospheres. We also take into account detailed descriptions of the thick disk and the halo of our Galaxy as well as of a reliable model of the LMC. We find that the contribution of white dwarfs with hydrogen-deficient atmospheres moderately increases the theoretical estimate of the optical depth with respect to the value obtained when only hydrogen-rich white dwarfs are considered. We also find that the contribuiton of the thick disk population of white dwarfs is comparable to the halo contribution. However, the contributions of both the halo and the thick disk white-dwarf populations are still insufficient to explain the number of events observed by the MACHO team. Finally, we find that the contribution to the halo dark matter of the entire population under study is less than 10% at the 95% conficence level., Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

We present full evolutionary calculations appropriate for the study of hot hydrogen-deficent DO white dwarfs, PG 1159 stars, and DB white dwarfs. White dwarf sequences are computed for a wide range of stellar masses and helium envelopes on the basis of a complete treatment of the evolutionary history of progenitors stars, including the core hydrogen and helium burning phases, the thermally-pulsing AGB phase, and the born-again episode that is responsible for the hydrogen deficiency. We also provide colors and magnitudes for the new sequences for $T_{\rm eff} < 40 000$ K, where the NLTE effects are not dominant. These new calculations provide an homogeneous set of evolutionary tracks appropriate for mass and age determinations for both PG 1159 stars and DO white dwarfs. The calculations are extended down to an effective temperature of 7 000 K. We applied these new tracks to redetermine stellar masses and ages of all known DO white dwarfs with spectroscopically-determined effective temperatures and gravities, and compare them with previous results. We also compare for the first time consistent mass determinations for both DO and PG 1159 stars, and find a considerably higher mean mass for the DO white dwarfs. We discuss as well the chemical profile expected in the envelope of variable DB white dwarfs from the consideration of the evolutionary history of progenitor stars. Finally, we present tentative evidence for a different evolutionary channel, other than that involving the PG 1159 stars, for the formation of hot, hydrogen-deficient white dwarfs., Comment: To be published in The Astrophysical Journal

The magnetic diagnostics subsystem of the LISA Technology Package (LTP) on board the LISA PathFinder (LPF) spacecraft includes a set of four tri-axial fluxgate magnetometers, intended to measure with high precision the magnetic field at their respective positions. However, their readouts do not provide a direct measurement of the magnetic field at the positions of the test masses, and hence an interpolation method must be designed and implemented to obtain the values of the magnetic field at these positions. However, such interpolation process faces serious difficulties. Indeed, the size of the interpolation region is excessive for a linear interpolation to be reliable while, on the other hand, the number of magnetometer channels does not provide sufficient data to go beyond the linear approximation. We describe an alternative method to address this issue, by means of neural network algorithms. The key point in this approach is the ability of neural networks to learn from suitable training data representing the behavior of the magnetic field. Despite the relatively large distance between the test masses and the magnetometers, and the insufficient number of data channels, we find that our artificial neural network algorithm is able to reduce the estimation errors of the field and gradient down to levels below 10%, a quite satisfactory result. Learning efficiency can be best improved by making use of data obtained in on-ground measurements prior to mission launch in all relevant satellite locations and in real operation conditions. Reliable information on that appears to be essential for a meaningful assessment of magnetic noise in the LTP., Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables, submitted to Physical Review D

Hot DQ white dwarfs constitute a new class of white dwarf stars, uncovered recently within the framework of the SDSS project. Recently, three hot DQ white dwarfs have been reported to exhibit photometric variability with periods compatible with pulsation g-modes. Here, we present a nonadiabatic pulsation analysis of the recently discovered carbon-rich hot DQ white dwarf stars. One of our main aims is to test the convective-mixing picture for the origin of hot DQs through the pulsational properties. Our study relies on the full evolutionary models of hot DQ white dwarfs recently developed by Althaus et al. (2009), that consistently cover the whole evolution from the born-again stage to the white dwarf cooling track. Specifically, we present a stability analysis of white dwarf models from stages before the blue edge of the DBV instability strip until the domain of the hot DQ white dwarfs, including the transition DB --> hot DQ white dwarf. We found that at evolutionary phases in which the models are characterized by He-dominated atmospheres, they exhibit unstable $g$-mode pulsations typical of DBV stars, and when the models become DQ white dwarfs with carbon-dominated atmospheres, they continue being pulsationally unstable with similar characteristics than DB models, and in agreement with the periods detected in variable hot DQ white dwarfs. Our calculations provide strong support to the convective-mixing picture for the formation of hot DQs. In particular, our results point to the existence of pulsating DB white dwarfs with very thin He-rich envelopes, which after passing the DBV instability strip become variable hot DQ stars. The existence of these DB stars with very thin envelopes could be investigated through asteroseismology., Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures. To be published in Astronomy & Astrophysics

Motivated by the recent detection of single and binary He-core white dwarfs in metal-rich clusters, we present a full set of evolutionary calculations and colors appropriate for the study of such white dwarfs. The paper is also aimed at investigating whether stable hydrogen burning may constitute a main source of energy for massive He-core white dwarfs resulting from high-metallicity progenitors. White dwarf sequences are derived by taking into account the evolutionary history of progenitor stars with supersolar metallicities. We also incorporate a self-consistent, time-dependent treatment of gravitational settling and chemical diffusion, as well as of the residual nuclear burning. We find that the influence of residual nuclear burning during the late stages of white dwarf evolution is strongly dependent on the occurrence of chemical diffusion at the base of the hydrogen-rich envelope. When no diffusion is considered, residual hydrogen burning strongly influences the advanced stages of white dwarf cooling, introducing evolutionary delays of several Gyr. By contrast, when diffusion is taken into account the role of residual nuclear burning is strongly mitigated, and the evolution is dictated only by the thermal content stored in the ions. In addition, for all of our sequences, we provide accurate color and magnitudes on the basis of new and improved non gray model atmospheres which explicitly include Ly$\alpha$ quasi-molecular opacity., Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, 1 table. To be published in Astronomy & Astrophysics

We present the results of a set of high-resolution simulations of the merging process of two white dwarfs. In order to do so, we use an up-to-date Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics code which incorporates very detailed input physics and an improved treatment of the artificial viscosity. Our simulations have been done using a large number of particles (4x10^5) and cover the full range of masses and chemical compositions of the coalescing white dwarfs. We also compare the time evolution of the system during the first phases of the coalescence with that obtained using a simplified treatment of mass transfer, we discuss in detail the characteristics of the final configuration, we assess the possible observational signatures of the merger, like the associated gravitational waveforms and the fallback X-ray flares, and we study the long-term evolution of the coalescence., Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics

A seismological study of the pulsating PG1159 stars PG2131+066 and PG 1707+427 is presented. We perform extensive adiabatic computations of g-mode pulsation periods of PG1159 evolutionary models with stellar masses ranging from 0.530 to 0.741 Msun. We constrain the stellar mass of PG2131+066 and PG 1707+427 by comparing the observed period spacing of each star with the theoretical asymptotic period spacings and with the average of the computed period spacings. We also employ the individual observed periods to find representative seismological models for both stars., Comment: Proceedings, 16th European White Dwarf Workshop, Barcelona, 2008