Understanding the Oldest White Dwarfs: Atmospheres of Cool WDs as Extreme Physics Laboratories

Piotr M. Kowalski

Published 2010-10-08Version 1

Reliable modeling of the atmospheres of cool white dwarfs is crucial for understanding the atmospheric evolution of these stars and for accurate white dwarfs cosmochronology. Over the last decade {\it ab initio} modeling entered many research fields and has been successful in predicting properties of various materials under extreme conditions. In many cases the investigated physical regimes are difficult or even impossible to access by experimental methods, and first principles quantum mechanical calculations are the only tools available for investigation. Using modern methods of computational chemistry and physics we investigate the atmospheres of helium-rich, old white dwarfs. Such atmospheres reach extreme, fluid like densities (up to grams per cm$^3$) and represent an excellent laboratory for high temperature and pressure physics and chemistry. We show our results for the stability and opacity of $\rm H^-$ and $\rm C_2$ in dense helium and the implications of our work for understanding cool white dwarfs.