Events in Physics
Pier-Emmanuel Tremblay: 3D Model Atmospheres of White Dwarfs
Speaker: Pier-Emmanuel Tremblay (Hubble Fellow, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore)
Most stars become white dwarfs at the end of the stellar life cycle.
The study of these old degenerate remnants in clusters and the
galactic halo provides essential information about the first stellar
populations in our galaxy. We have recently computed the first grid
of 3D model atmospheres for hydrogen-atmosphere white dwarfs.
These time-resolved radiation-hydrodynamics simulations, unlike the
commonly used 1D calculations, do not rely on the mixing-length theory
for the treatment of convection. The derived stellar masses using
these models are in much better agreement with our understanding
of stellar evolution. In the future, 3D model atmospheres will be
computed for all types of white dwarfs, and these simulations will
be connected to structure models. These theoretical tools will be
essential for the study of the upcoming Gaia satellite data set,
and will provide a much more precise picture of how stars and
their planetary systems evolve in the Milky Way.