Hot White Dwarfs

Abstract

A sequence of models of white dwarfs including corrections for nonideality in the equation of state has been computed for a typical white-dwarf luminosity. The mass-radius relations found by liamada and Salpeter are appreciably modified hy thermal effects, particularly for white dwarfs of low mass. Our results for 40 Lri B, together with a recent determination of its radius, indicate a chemical composition heavier than helium. Te find that some white dwarfs exhibit a zone where electrons are strongly coupled, such that determination of the central temperatule becomes difficult.