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It has been shown quite recently (Morales-Rueda et al. 2003) that dB stars, extreme horizontal branch (EHB) objects in high probability all belong to binary systems. We study in detail the mass and angular momentum loss from the giant progenitors of sdB stars in an attempt to clarify why binarity must be a crucial factor in producing EHB objects. Assuming that the progenitors of EHB objects belong to binaries with initial separations of a roughly a hundred solar radii and fill in their critical Roche lobes while close to the tip of red giant branch, we have found that considerable shrinkage of the orbit can be achieved due to a combined effect of angular momentum loss from the red giant and appreciable accretion on its low mass companion on the hydrodynamical timescale of the donor, resulting in formation of helium WD with masses roughly equal to a half solar mass and thus evading the common envelope stage. A simple approximative analytical formula for mass loss rate from Roche lobe filling giant donor has been proposed depending on mass, luminosity and radius of donor. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

For the past 25 years, we have been considering the Stark effect for neutral helium lines in DB white dwarfs using the standard Stark broadening theory in both the impact regime (in the center of the lines) and the quasi-static regime (in the wings) for the electrons, while neglecting the effect of ions in motion. Although this is probably a good approximation based on previous theoretical work, the transition between the two regimes for the electrons and the contribution of the ions very near the core might be poorly represented. To better represent these particularities, we report here the results of a new series of simulations that treat the local dynamics and interactions of both electrons and ions around a neutral helium atom. From these simulations, we produce new improved line profiles, which we compare with our previous analytical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As they evolve, white dwarfs undergo major changes in their atmospheric composition, a phenomenon known as spectral evolution. In particular, most hot He-rich (DO) stars transform into H-rich (DA) stars as they cool off, most likely as a result of the float-up of residual H. We investigate this DO-to-DA transition by taking advantage of the extensive spectroscopic dataset provided by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Using our new state-of-the-art non-LTE model atmospheres, we perform a spectroscopic analysis of 1882 hot (Teff >30,000 K) white dwarfs identified in the SDSS. We find that at least 15% of all white dwarfs are born with a He-dominated atmosphere. Among these, ∼2/3 turn into H-rich stars before they reach Teff ∼40,000 K, while the remaining ∼1/3 maintain their He-rich surface throughout their entire evolution. We speculate on the origin of these two groups of objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We first present a brief description of the six distinct families of pulsating white dwarfs that are now known. These are all opacity-driven pulsators showing low- to mid-order, low-degree gravity modes. We then discuss some recent highlights that have come up in the field of white dwarf asteroseismology. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A remarkable and intriguing fact is that few DB white dwarfs, i.e., objects with a helium-rich atmosphere, are found in the effective temperature range between 45000-30000 K, and this exclusion zone is known as the DB gap. Since the temperatures of the blue and the red edges of the DB gap coincide with the effective temperatures where HeII/III and HeI/II convection zones show up respectively, convective mixing is suspected to be the cause of the appearance of DBs outside the DB gap. Chemical separation due to gravitational settling in the convectively stable atmosphere is then suspected to be the cause of the presence of the DB gap. The white dwarfs which turn back to DBs after the DB gap phase are expected to have a semiconvective layer, which is superadiabatic but convectively stable, when they are located near the red edge of the DB gap. Such white dwarfs are expected to be pulsationally unstable. Discovery of pulsation in them will open up a new class of pulsating white dwarfs to asteroseismic study. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]