New phase diagrams for dense carbon-oxygen mixtures and white dwarf evolution

Autores
Althaus, Leandro Gabriel; García-Berro, E.; Isern, J.; Córsico, Alejandro Hugo; Miller Bertolami, Marcelo Miguel
Año de publicación
2012
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Context. Cool white dwarfs are reliable and independent stellar chronometers. The most common white dwarfs have carbon-oxygen dense cores. Consequently, the cooling ages of very cool white dwarfs sensitively depend on the adopted phase diagram of the carbon-oxygen binary mixture. Aims. A new phase diagram of dense carbon-oxygen mixtures appropriate for white dwarf interiors has been recently obtained using direct molecular dynamics simulations. In this paper, we explore the consequences of this phase diagram in the evolution of cool white dwarfs. Methods. To do this we employ a detailed stellar evolutionary code and accurate initial white dwarf configurations, derived from the full evolution of progenitor stars. We use two different phase diagrams, that of Horowitz et al. (2010, Phys. Rev. Lett., 104, 231101), which presents an azeotrope, and the phase diagram of Segretain & Chabrier (1993, A&A, 271, L13), which is of the spindle form. Results. We computed the evolution of 0.593 and 0.878 M ⊙ white dwarf models during the crystallization phase, and we found that the energy released by carbon-oxygen phase separation is smaller when the new phase diagram of Horowitz et al. is used. This translates into time delays that are on average a factor ∼2 smaller than those obtained when the phase diagram of Segretain & Chabrier is employed. Conclusions. Our results have important implications for white dwarf cosmochronology, because the cooling ages of very old white dwarfs are different for the two phase diagrams. This may have a noticeable impact on the age determinations of very old globular clusters, for which the white dwarf color-magnitude diagram provides an independent way of estimating their age.
Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas
Materia
Ciencias Astronómicas
stars: evolution
stars: interiors
white dwarfs
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Repositorio
SEDICI (UNLP)
Institución
Universidad Nacional de La Plata
OAI Identificador
oai:sedici.unlp.edu.ar:10915/84416

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network_acronym_str SEDICI
repository_id_str 1329
network_name_str SEDICI (UNLP)
spelling New phase diagrams for dense carbon-oxygen mixtures and white dwarf evolutionAlthaus, Leandro GabrielGarcía-Berro, E.Isern, J.Córsico, Alejandro HugoMiller Bertolami, Marcelo MiguelCiencias Astronómicasstars: evolutionstars: interiorswhite dwarfsContext. Cool white dwarfs are reliable and independent stellar chronometers. The most common white dwarfs have carbon-oxygen dense cores. Consequently, the cooling ages of very cool white dwarfs sensitively depend on the adopted phase diagram of the carbon-oxygen binary mixture. Aims. A new phase diagram of dense carbon-oxygen mixtures appropriate for white dwarf interiors has been recently obtained using direct molecular dynamics simulations. In this paper, we explore the consequences of this phase diagram in the evolution of cool white dwarfs. Methods. To do this we employ a detailed stellar evolutionary code and accurate initial white dwarf configurations, derived from the full evolution of progenitor stars. We use two different phase diagrams, that of Horowitz et al. (2010, Phys. Rev. Lett., 104, 231101), which presents an azeotrope, and the phase diagram of Segretain & Chabrier (1993, A&A, 271, L13), which is of the spindle form. Results. We computed the evolution of 0.593 and 0.878 M ⊙ white dwarf models during the crystallization phase, and we found that the energy released by carbon-oxygen phase separation is smaller when the new phase diagram of Horowitz et al. is used. This translates into time delays that are on average a factor ∼2 smaller than those obtained when the phase diagram of Segretain & Chabrier is employed. Conclusions. Our results have important implications for white dwarf cosmochronology, because the cooling ages of very old white dwarfs are different for the two phase diagrams. This may have a noticeable impact on the age determinations of very old globular clusters, for which the white dwarf color-magnitude diagram provides an independent way of estimating their age.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas2012info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionArticulohttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfhttp://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/84416enginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/issn/0004-6361info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1051/0004-6361/201117902info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)reponame:SEDICI (UNLP)instname:Universidad Nacional de La Platainstacron:UNLP2025-09-29T11:16:05Zoai:sedici.unlp.edu.ar:10915/84416Institucionalhttp://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/Universidad públicaNo correspondehttp://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/oai/snrdalira@sedici.unlp.edu.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:13292025-09-29 11:16:05.537SEDICI (UNLP) - Universidad Nacional de La Platafalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv New phase diagrams for dense carbon-oxygen mixtures and white dwarf evolution
title New phase diagrams for dense carbon-oxygen mixtures and white dwarf evolution
spellingShingle New phase diagrams for dense carbon-oxygen mixtures and white dwarf evolution
Althaus, Leandro Gabriel
Ciencias Astronómicas
stars: evolution
stars: interiors
white dwarfs
title_short New phase diagrams for dense carbon-oxygen mixtures and white dwarf evolution
title_full New phase diagrams for dense carbon-oxygen mixtures and white dwarf evolution
title_fullStr New phase diagrams for dense carbon-oxygen mixtures and white dwarf evolution
title_full_unstemmed New phase diagrams for dense carbon-oxygen mixtures and white dwarf evolution
title_sort New phase diagrams for dense carbon-oxygen mixtures and white dwarf evolution
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Althaus, Leandro Gabriel
García-Berro, E.
Isern, J.
Córsico, Alejandro Hugo
Miller Bertolami, Marcelo Miguel
author Althaus, Leandro Gabriel
author_facet Althaus, Leandro Gabriel
García-Berro, E.
Isern, J.
Córsico, Alejandro Hugo
Miller Bertolami, Marcelo Miguel
author_role author
author2 García-Berro, E.
Isern, J.
Córsico, Alejandro Hugo
Miller Bertolami, Marcelo Miguel
author2_role author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Ciencias Astronómicas
stars: evolution
stars: interiors
white dwarfs
topic Ciencias Astronómicas
stars: evolution
stars: interiors
white dwarfs
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Context. Cool white dwarfs are reliable and independent stellar chronometers. The most common white dwarfs have carbon-oxygen dense cores. Consequently, the cooling ages of very cool white dwarfs sensitively depend on the adopted phase diagram of the carbon-oxygen binary mixture. Aims. A new phase diagram of dense carbon-oxygen mixtures appropriate for white dwarf interiors has been recently obtained using direct molecular dynamics simulations. In this paper, we explore the consequences of this phase diagram in the evolution of cool white dwarfs. Methods. To do this we employ a detailed stellar evolutionary code and accurate initial white dwarf configurations, derived from the full evolution of progenitor stars. We use two different phase diagrams, that of Horowitz et al. (2010, Phys. Rev. Lett., 104, 231101), which presents an azeotrope, and the phase diagram of Segretain & Chabrier (1993, A&A, 271, L13), which is of the spindle form. Results. We computed the evolution of 0.593 and 0.878 M ⊙ white dwarf models during the crystallization phase, and we found that the energy released by carbon-oxygen phase separation is smaller when the new phase diagram of Horowitz et al. is used. This translates into time delays that are on average a factor ∼2 smaller than those obtained when the phase diagram of Segretain & Chabrier is employed. Conclusions. Our results have important implications for white dwarf cosmochronology, because the cooling ages of very old white dwarfs are different for the two phase diagrams. This may have a noticeable impact on the age determinations of very old globular clusters, for which the white dwarf color-magnitude diagram provides an independent way of estimating their age.
Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas
description Context. Cool white dwarfs are reliable and independent stellar chronometers. The most common white dwarfs have carbon-oxygen dense cores. Consequently, the cooling ages of very cool white dwarfs sensitively depend on the adopted phase diagram of the carbon-oxygen binary mixture. Aims. A new phase diagram of dense carbon-oxygen mixtures appropriate for white dwarf interiors has been recently obtained using direct molecular dynamics simulations. In this paper, we explore the consequences of this phase diagram in the evolution of cool white dwarfs. Methods. To do this we employ a detailed stellar evolutionary code and accurate initial white dwarf configurations, derived from the full evolution of progenitor stars. We use two different phase diagrams, that of Horowitz et al. (2010, Phys. Rev. Lett., 104, 231101), which presents an azeotrope, and the phase diagram of Segretain & Chabrier (1993, A&A, 271, L13), which is of the spindle form. Results. We computed the evolution of 0.593 and 0.878 M ⊙ white dwarf models during the crystallization phase, and we found that the energy released by carbon-oxygen phase separation is smaller when the new phase diagram of Horowitz et al. is used. This translates into time delays that are on average a factor ∼2 smaller than those obtained when the phase diagram of Segretain & Chabrier is employed. Conclusions. Our results have important implications for white dwarf cosmochronology, because the cooling ages of very old white dwarfs are different for the two phase diagrams. This may have a noticeable impact on the age determinations of very old globular clusters, for which the white dwarf color-magnitude diagram provides an independent way of estimating their age.
publishDate 2012
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2012
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Articulo
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/84416
url http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/84416
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/issn/0004-6361
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1051/0004-6361/201117902
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
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instname:Universidad Nacional de La Plata
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repository.name.fl_str_mv SEDICI (UNLP) - Universidad Nacional de La Plata
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