On the formation of DA white dwarfs with low hydrogen contents: Preliminary Results

TL;DR

This paper reviews various mechanisms influencing the formation of DA white dwarfs with diverse hydrogen-layer masses, highlighting current understanding and misconceptions about their origins.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive review of mechanisms affecting hydrogen content in DA white dwarfs, clarifying misconceptions and summarizing recent findings.

Findings

White dwarfs exhibit a broad range of hydrogen-layer masses.

Multiple formation mechanisms can influence hydrogen content.

Current understanding of these mechanisms is incomplete and sometimes misunderstood.

Abstract

Systematic photometric and asteroseismological studies in the last decade support the belief that white dwarfs in the solar neighborhood harbor a broad range of hydrogen-layer contents. The reasons behind this spread of hydrogen-layer masses are not understood and usually misunderstood. In this work we present, and review, the different mechanisms that can (or cannot) lead to the formation of white dwarfs with a broad range hydrogen contents.