White Dwarfs: Advances in Observation and Theory, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1993 Nato Science Series C: Series, Vol. 403

The European Workshop on White Dwarfs was initiated by Prof. V. Weidemann, with the first meeting held in Kiel (FRG) in 1974. Since then a similar workshop has been held almost every two years: Frascati (1976), Tel Aviv (1978), Paris (1981), Kiel (1984), Frascati (1986) and Toulouse (1990). Two major IAU colloquia have also been devoted to the study of white dwarfs (No. 53, Rochester NY, 1979; No. 114, Hanover, NH, 1988). Our most recent meeting, the 8th Workshop, marks a number of important advances in both observational and theoretical studies of white dwarfs. This coincides with a significant expansion in the size of the community active in the field, as was clear from an increase in the number of participants between this workshop (77) and that in Toulouse (46), just two years ago. Key parts of any workshop are the discussion sessions following the pa­ pers. However, these are difficult to record and, very often, the 'live' flavour of the debates is lost. During this workshop we carried out an experiment, recording the discussion sessions on video tape and then transcribing these later for the proceedings. Although the recordings were made in non-studio conditions with regard to lighting and noise, only a very small part was unin­ telligible. All participants were given an opportunity to check their questions and answers for scientific accuracy and to correct any errors arising in the transcription process.

1 - White Dwarf Luminosity Function and Population.- Hyades white dwarfs: basic data and mass-radius relations.- The luminosity function of cool degenerates.- The luminosity function of massive white dwarfs.- The luminosity function of white dwarfs: a study of the selected area 94.- Influence of crystallisation on the luminosity function of white dwarfs.- White dwarfs from the Edinburgh-Cape survey.- White dwarfs from the Hamburg Schmidt survey.- A few new faint white dwarfs.- 2 - Pre-White Dwarf Evolution.- Transition from central stars to white dwarfs.- PG 1159 stars and related objects.- Progenitors of sdB stars: single stars?.- Peculiar binaries and born-again red giants among the nuclei of planetary nebulae.- Subdwarf B-stars and binarity.- White dwarf central stars of old planetary nebulae.- 3 - Theory of White Dwarf Structure and Evolution.- The merging of white dwarfs.- Importance of the crystallisation of minor elements on the cooling history of white dwarfs.- Equation of state revisited.- Coulomb interactions in the equation of state.- Axion cooling of white dwarfs.- 4 - EUV And X-Ray Observations of White Dwarfs.- Photospheric composition and structure in DA white dwarfs.- The X-ray luminosity function of DA white dwarfs.- Observations of hot white dwarfs with the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope.- Direct observations of EUV opacity sources in the hot, DA white dwarf G191-B2B.- A first analysis of ROSAT pointed observations of two DA white dwarfs.- White dwarfs as probes of neutral winds in A stars.- Early white dwarf results from EUVE.- 5 - Atmospheres and Envelopes I (Theory).- Metal line blanketing in non-LTE model atmospheres.- New results for cool magnetic white dwarfs.- Stratified helium-carbon layers with radiation pressure in hot high-gravity stars.- Macroscopic flux of spinning photons in hot layers of high gravity stars.- Lyman alpha in IUE spectra of DA white dwarfs.- On the atmospheric composition of cool white dwarfs.- Are there any hydrogen-rich, cool white dwarfs?.- Diffusion of heavy elements in white dwarfs with radiative forces and mass loss.- Stark broadening in white dwarf atmospheres.- Compton heating in the atmospheres of hot white dwarfs.- Atmospheres with inhomogeneous surface abundances and their relevance to the DAB white dwarf GD 323.- 6 - Atmospheres and Envelopes II (Observations).- NLTE analysis of extremely helium rich subdwarf O stars.- Hubble Space Telescope observations of white dwarf stars.- UV spectroscopy of PG1159-035 with HST, and a prospective view of future EUVE observations.- Hubble Space Telescope FOS observations of G191—B2B and KPD0005+5106.- The death of the EUV opacity problem.- Temperatures, gravities and masses for a sample of bright white dwarfs.- Analysis of three magnetic DA white dwarfs.- The H-alpha forest of the magnetic white dwarf PG1015+015.- Feige 55: a newly-identified DAO white dwarf with a metal-rich UV spectrum and a clue to the properties of DAO stars.- The hot DAB degenerates in the MCT survey.- 7 - White Dwarfs in Binaries.- White dwarfs in cataclysmic binaries.- Cataclysmic variable white dwarfs: a progress report.- Accretion on to magnetic white dwarfs: a new approach.- The accreting magnetic white dwarf in MR Ser.- AM CVn - A helium cataclysmic?.- Spectra of interacting white dwarf binary systems.- A population model for cataclysmic binaries.- Determination of white dwarf masses in polars.- Spectrophotometry of common proper motion binaries containing white dwarf components.- Photometry of white dwarfs in wide binaries.- EUV/X-ray selection of white dwarfsin binaries.- A search for double degenerates.- 8 - Pulsating White Dwarfs.- The physics of white dwarf pulsations.- Some seismological results for PG1159-035.- The convective outer layers of a pulsating white dwarf.- First numerical simulations of convection at the surface of a ZZ Ceti white dwarf.- GD165: another case for a pulsating DA white dwarf with a thick hydrogen layer?.- A new tool for white dwarf seismology and an application to the ZZ Ceti star G117—B15A.- Asteroseismology of planetary nuclei.- The Whole Earth Telescope as an instrument.- WET observations of the DAV GD154.- Whole Earth Telescope observations of the DBV white dwarf PG1115+158: preliminary results.- Bi-site observations of the ZZ Ceti PG2303+243.- 1H0857-242 during outburst.- Further photometric observations of the cataclysmic variable PG1012—029.- Photoelectric observations of white dwarfs at the Bologna Observatory.- The pancake photometer - for WET campaigns at Mt. Maidanak, Uzbekistan.- Workshop Summary.