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ProfRob
ProfRob
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Do white dwarvesdwarfs lose mass as they fade to black dwarvesdwarfs? Is there a correlation between temperature, mass, and radius?

I'm having a difficult time understanding certain behaviors of white dwarvesdwarfs.

I understand how mass is lost in the red giant to white dwarf transition process. I understand that white dwarfs can accumulate mass from a partner binary or some other source and I'm aware of the 1.4 M☉ Chandrasekhar limit. I get that they're not losing all their mass; in general they're just cooling and in the end there will be a lone black chunk of crystallized material floating forever in the void. I know they are really insanely hot when formed and very cold after an unfathomable amount of time. But is it that same, initial mass, or does it somehow diminish?

But is that initial mass the mass the remnant has after its cooled to a black dwarf? I guess what I'm asking is that I'm trying to figure out if there is a correlation between temperature, mass and radius. Some sort of equation?

Do white dwarves lose mass as they fade to black dwarves? Is there a correlation between temperature, mass, and radius?

I'm having a difficult time understanding certain behaviors of white dwarves.

I understand how mass is lost in the red giant to white dwarf transition process. I understand that white dwarfs can accumulate mass from a partner binary or some other source and I'm aware of the 1.4 M☉ Chandrasekhar limit. I get that they're not losing all their mass; in general they're just cooling and in the end there will be a lone black chunk of crystallized material floating forever in the void. I know they are really insanely hot when formed and very cold after an unfathomable amount of time. But is it that same, initial mass, or does it somehow diminish?

But is that initial mass the mass the remnant has after its cooled to a black dwarf? I guess what I'm asking is that I'm trying to figure out if there is a correlation between temperature, mass and radius. Some sort of equation?

Do white dwarfs lose mass as they fade to black dwarfs? Is there a correlation between temperature, mass, and radius?

I'm having a difficult time understanding certain behaviors of white dwarfs.

I understand how mass is lost in the red giant to white dwarf transition process. I understand that white dwarfs can accumulate mass from a partner binary or some other source and I'm aware of the 1.4 M☉ Chandrasekhar limit. I get that they're not losing all their mass; in general they're just cooling and in the end there will be a lone black chunk of crystallized material floating forever in the void. I know they are really insanely hot when formed and very cold after an unfathomable amount of time. But is it that same, initial mass, or does it somehow diminish?

But is that initial mass the mass the remnant has after its cooled to a black dwarf? I guess what I'm asking is that I'm trying to figure out if there is a correlation between temperature, mass and radius. Some sort of equation?

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White Dwarf
White Dwarf
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Do white dwarves lose mass as they fade to black dwarves? Is there a correlation between temperature, mass, and radius?

I'm having a difficult time understanding certain behaviors of white dwarves.

I understand how mass is lost in the red giant to white dwarf transition process. I understand that white dwarfs can accumulate mass from a partner binary or some other source and I'm aware of the 1.4 M☉ Chandrasekhar limit. I get that they're not losing all their mass; in general they're just cooling and in the end there will be a lone black chunk of crystallized material floating forever in the void. I know they are really insanely hot when formed and very cold after an unfathomable amount of time. But is it that same, initial mass, or does it somehow diminish?

But is that initial mass the mass the remnant has after its cooled to a black dwarf? I guess what I'm asking is that I'm trying to figure out if there is a correlation between temperature, mass and radius. Some sort of equation?