Re: [mesa-users] Evolving a white dwarf on the cooling sequence

[Jing L. <jin...@ca...>]

On 1/9/12 1:39 PM, Francesca Valsecchi wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I would like to use MESA to create white dwarf models of different 
> masses and temperatures.
>
> I created a He white dwarf using one of the test_suite runs and I am 
> trying to evolve it on the cooling sequence.
>
> I have tried using the test_suite called wd_cool, reading in input the 
> He white dwarf model created, but I did not have success.
>
> Is there any documentations on the various test_suite that deal with 
> white dwarfs? Also any paper that used MESA to study white dwarfs 
> would be useful.
>
>
> Thank you very much!
>
>
> Francesca
>
>
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Hello,

I remember I once used mesa to deal with wd cooling and it worked well. 
Actually you do not necessarily need to go to test_suite. Here is my 
suggestion: copy a work directory, edit the inlist_project file to let 
mesa start with the model you already created, and let mesa run. When 
the T and P are too low for further nuclear fusion, the He WD is now on 
its cooling trace. There should be a variable indicating the luminosity 
resulted from nuclear burning ( maybe called Lnuc or something, you can 
check the file mesa/star/public/star_data.dek for the variable name), as 
long as Lnuc<< the total luminosity, the He WD is cooling down. MESA 
will continue running until the equation of state of the central matter 
is uncertain ( I remember it is when lgQ>some critical value, you can 
also check what lgQ is in MESA's document, probably also in the 
star_data.dek file).

Good luck!

-- 
Sincerely
Jing

Ph.D candidate at physics.caltech
email: jin...@ca...
address: MC350-17,Caltech,1200 E.California Blvd
          Pasadena, CA 91125