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White Dwarf Rotation: Observations and Theory

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 May 2016

Steven D. Kawaler
Steven D. Kawaler*
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011 USA

Abstract

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White dwarfs rotate. The angular momentum in single white dwarfs must originate early in the life of the star, but also must be modified (and perhaps severely modified) during the many stages of evolution between birth as a main–sequence star and final appearance as a white dwarf. Observational constraints on the rotation of single white dwarf stars come from traditional spectroscopy and from asteroseismology, with the latter providing hints of angular velocity with depth. Results of these observational determinations, that white dwarfs rotate with periods ranging from hours to days (or longer), tells us that the processes by which angular momentum is deposited and/or drained from the cores of AGB stars are complex. Still, one can place strong limits on these processes by considering relatively simple limiting cases for angular momentum evolution in prior stages, and on subsequent angular momentum evolution in the white dwarfs. These limiting-case constraints will be reviewed in the context of the available observations.

Type
Session 5 Final Stages, Nucleosynthesis
Information
Symposium - International Astronomical Union , Volume 215: Stellar Rotation , 2004 , pp. 561 - 570
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of the Pacific 2004 

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