White dwarf cooling sequences and cosmochronology

TL;DR

This paper discusses how white dwarf luminosity functions, combined with improved models, can be used to determine the age and evolutionary history of the Galaxy.

Contribution

It highlights the potential of using white dwarf cooling sequences and luminosity functions for precise cosmochronology and Galactic evolution studies.

Findings

White dwarf luminosity functions are monotonic and decrease abruptly at the Galaxy's age.

Improved models enhance the accuracy of white dwarf cosmochronology.

Large surveys provide high-quality data for Galactic history reconstruction.

Abstract

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.