Seismic evidence for the loss of stellar angular momentum before the white-dwarf stage

S. Charpinet, G. Fontaine () and P. Brassard
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S. Charpinet: Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Toulouse-Tarbes, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, 14 avenue E. Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
G. Fontaine: Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada
P. Brassard: Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada

Nature, 2009, vol. 461, issue 7263, 501-503

Abstract: Stars lose their momentum Most stars end their stellar lives as white dwarfs. If all stars were to keep their angular momentum throughout their evolution, the compact nature of white dwarfs should make them rotate extremely rapidly, with periods of just seconds. However, observations of white dwarfs show that the surface layers rotate more slowly than that, with typical periods between hours and tens of years. Previously it has not been possible to establish whether they are spinning more quickly beneath the superficial layers of the photosphere. Now an asteroseismology approach reveals that the pulsating white dwarf PG 1159–035 is rotating as a solid body, with a relatively long period of about 33 to 34 hours. This implies that it has lost essentially all of its angular momentum, probably before the white dwarf stage.

Date: 2009
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DOI: 10.1038/nature08307

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