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Paper: A Pulsational Study of Crystallized White Dwarf Stars
Volume: 135, A Half Century of Stellar Pulsation Interpretations: a Tribute to Arthur N. Cox
Page: 449
Authors: Montgomery, M. H.; Winget, D. E.
Abstract: The DAV white dwarf BPM 37093 has sparked our recent interest in the effects of crystallization upon g-mode frequencies (paper in preparation). Its high mass (1.09 solar masses) suggest it is partially crystallized. Since the theory of crystallization has not been directly tested in an astrophysical context, we attempt to provide a diagnostic of the degree of crystallization of a pulsating white dwarf based on its observed pulsation frequencies. The theory of crystallization and the possible phase separation of the crystallized elements is the largest single uncertainty in the theory of white dwarf cooling, which is presently used to determine the age of the galactic disk.
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