Probing the Fates of Stars With White Dwarfs in Open Star Clusters
Kurtis Williams
University of Texas
Stars end their evolution by either forming a white dwarf remnant or
exploding as core collapse supernova. Which fate a star experiences
is thought to depend primarily on its mass, with the dividing line
lying somewhere between six and ten solar masses. The precise value
of this critical mass has a great impact on the number of supernovae
and on the chemical enrichment of stellar populations. I will present
studies of the white dwarf populations of intermediate age (100 Myr to
1 Gyr) open star clusters that provide observational evidence on the
dividing line between the white dwarf and supernova fates of stars.
These same data also help to define the initial-final mass relation
for white dwarfs. I will also discuss the systematic issues that are
currently limiting the observational constraints on the critical mass
for supernovae. Finally, I will consider some tenuous evidence of a
link between the intriguing hot carbon atmosphere white dwarfs and
the highest mass progenitors of white dwarfs.
| Date: | Jeudi, le 19 novembre 2009 |
| Heure: | 11:30 |
| Lieu: | Université de Montréal |
| | Pavillon Roger-Gaudry, Local D-460 |
| Contact: | Patrick Dufour |
|
