The tides are changing for white dwarfs

A research team led by Lucy McNeill, a Hakubi Assistant Professor, at the Hakubi Center for Advanced Research, Kyoto University, and a Visiting Scientist at iTHEMS, has revealed that white dwarfs in compact binary systems can become significantly hotter and larger than previously predicted due to strong tidal forces.

This “tidal heating” causes white dwarfs to expand to about twice their theoretical size, reaching surface temperatures between 10,000 and 30,000 K. As a result, the onset of mass transfer between the stars may occur at orbital periods up to three times longer than expected.

The findings provide new insights into the evolution of white dwarfs and the origins of Type Ia supernovae.

For more details, please visit Kyoto University’s press release page via the related link below.