The rate of cooling of the pulsating white dwarf star G117-B15A: A new asteroseismological inference of the axion mass

We employ a state-of-the-art asteroseismological model of G117-B15A, the archetype of the H-rich atmosphere (DA) white dwarf pulsators (also known as DAV or ZZ Ceti variables), and use the most recently measured value of the rate of period change for the dominant mode of this pulsating star to deriv...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Córsico, Alejandro Hugo, Althaus, Leandro Gabriel, Miller Bertolami, Marcelo Miguel, Romero, Alejandra Daniela, García-Berro, E., Isern, J., Kepler, S. O.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2012
País:Argentina
Institución:Universidad Nacional de La Plata
Repositorio:SEDICI (UNLP)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:sedici.unlp.edu.ar:10915/84570
Acceso en línea:http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/84570
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Ciencias Astronómicas
Asteroseismology
Elementary particles
Stars: individual: ZZ Ceti stars
Stars: interiors
Stars: oscillations
White dwarfs
Descripción
Sumario:We employ a state-of-the-art asteroseismological model of G117-B15A, the archetype of the H-rich atmosphere (DA) white dwarf pulsators (also known as DAV or ZZ Ceti variables), and use the most recently measured value of the rate of period change for the dominant mode of this pulsating star to derive a new constraint on the mass of axion, the still conjectural non-baryonic particle considered as a candidate for dark matter of the Universe. Assuming that G117-B15A is truly represented by our asteroseismological model, and, in particular, that the period of the dominant mode is associated with a pulsation g mode trapped in the H envelope, we find strong indications of the existence of extra cooling in this star, compatible with emission of axions of mass macos2β=17.4-2.7+2.3 meV.