Ab initio Stellar Astrophysics: Reliable Modeling of Cool White Dwarf Atmospheres

TL;DR

This paper employs ab initio computational methods to improve modeling of cool white dwarf atmospheres, leading to better spectral fits and insights into atmospheric composition and evolution.

Contribution

It introduces a new set of atmosphere models using DFT that incorporate Ly-$ m eta$ wing opacity, challenging existing spectral evolution theories.

Findings

Successful spectral energy distribution fits for cool DA stars.

Hydrogen-rich models fit most cool white dwarfs, questioning previous spectral evolution assumptions.

Insights into the stability and opacity of negative hydrogen ions and molecular carbon in dense helium.

Abstract

Over the last decade {\it ab initio} modeling of material properties has become widespread in diverse fields of research. It has proved to be a powerful tool for predicting various properties of matter under extreme conditions. We apply modern computational chemistry and materials science methods, including density functional theory (DFT), to solve lingering problems in the modeling of the dense atmospheres of cool white dwarfs ($T_{\rm eff}\rm <7000 \, K$). Our work on the revision and improvements of the absorption mechanisms in the hydrogen and helium dominated atmospheres resulted in a new set of atmosphere models. By inclusion of the Ly-$\rm \alpha$ red wing opacity we successfully fitted the entire spectral energy distributions of known cool DA stars. In the subsequent work we fitted the majority of the coolest stars with hydrogen-rich models. This finding challenges our understanding of the spectral evolution of cool white dwarfs. We discuss a few examples, including the cool companion to the pulsar PSR J0437-4715. The two problems important for the understanding of cool white dwarfs are the behavior of negative hydrogen ion and molecular carbon in a fluid-like, helium dominated medium. Using {\it ab initio} methods we investigate the stability and opacity of these two species in dense helium. Our investigation of $\rm C_2$ indicates that the absorption features observed in the ``peculiar'' DQp white dwarfs resemble the absorption of perturbed $\rm C_2$ in dense helium.