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Article
From Young and Hot to Old and Cold: Comparing White Dwarf Cooling Theory to Main-Sequence Stellar Evolution in Open Clusters
The Astrophysical Journal
  • Ted von Hippel, University of Texas at Austin
Submitting Campus
Daytona Beach
Department
Physical Sciences
Document Type
Article
Publication/Presentation Date
3-20-2005
Abstract/Description

I explore the current ability of both white dwarf cooling theory and main-sequence stellar evolution theory to accurately determine stellar population ages by comparing ages derived using both techniques for open clusters ranging from 0.1 to 4 Gyr. I find good agreement between white dwarf and main-sequence evolutionary ages over the entire age range currently available for study. I also find that directly comparing main-sequence turnoff ages to white dwarf ages is only weakly sensitive to realistic levels of errors in cluster distance, metallicity, and reddening. Additional detailed comparisons between white dwarf and main-sequence ages have tremendous potential to refine and calibrate both of these important clocks, and I present new simulations of promising open cluster targets. The most demanding requirements for these white dwarf studies are very deep (V ≥ 25-28) cluster observations made necessary by the faintness of the oldest white dwarfs.

Publisher
Institute of Physics Publishing, Inc.
Grant or Award Name
NASA grant NAG5-13070 and National Science Foundation grant AST 03-07315.
Additional Information

Dr. von Hippel was not affiliated with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University at the time this paper was published.

Citation Information
Ted von Hippel. "From Young and Hot to Old and Cold: Comparing White Dwarf Cooling Theory to Main-Sequence Stellar Evolution in Open Clusters" The Astrophysical Journal Vol. 622 Iss. 1 (2005) p. 565 - 571
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/ted-vonhippel/52/