Constraining the Surface Inhomogeneity and Settling Times of Metals on Accreting White Dwarfs
Constraining the Surface Inhomogeneity and Settling Times of Metals on Accreting White Dwarfs
Due to the short settling times of metals in DA white dwarf atmospheres, any white dwarfs with photospheric metals must be actively accreting. It is therefore natural to expect that the metals may not be deposited uniformly on the surface of the star. We present calculations showing how the temperature …