Galactic models and white dwarf populations |
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Authors: | V Castellani M Cignoni S Degl'Innocenti † S Petroni P G Prada Moroni |
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Institution: | Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitàdi Pisa, Via Buonarroti 2, I-56127 Pisa, Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa, via Livornese 1291, S. Piero a Grado, I-56100 Pisa, Italy |
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Abstract: | We make use of a previous well-tested Galactic model, but describing the observational behaviour of the various stellar components in terms of suitable assumptions on their evolutionary status. In this way we are able to predict the expected distribution of Galactic white dwarfs (WDs), with results which appear in rather good agreement with recent estimates of the local WD luminosity function. The predicted occurrence of WDs in deep observations of selected Galactic fields is presented, and we discuss the role played by WDs in star counts. The effects on the theoretical predictions of different white dwarf evolutionary models, ages, initial mass functions and relations between progenitor mass and WD mass are also discussed. |
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Keywords: | white dwarfs Galaxy: fundamental parameters Galaxy: stellar content Galaxy: structure |
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