Testing white dwarf crystallization theory with asteroseismology of the massive pulsating DA star BPM 37093

It was predicted more than 40 years ago that the cores of the coolest white dwarf stars should eventually crystallize. This effect is one of the largest sources of uncertainty in white dwarf cooling models, which are now routinely used to estimate the ages of stellar populations in both the Galactic disk and the Galactic halo. We are attempting to minimize this source of uncertainty by calibrating the models, using observations of pulsating white dwarfs. In a typical mass white dwarf model, crystallization does not begin until the surface temperature reaches 6000-8000 K. In more massive white dwarf models, the effect begins at higher surface temperatures, where pulsations are observed in the ZZ Ceti (DAV) stars. We use the observed pulsation periods of BPM 37093, the most massive DAV white dwarf presently known, to probe the interior and determine the size of the crystallized core empirically. Our initial exploration of the models strongly suggests the presence of a solid core containing about 90% of the stellar mass, which is consistent with our theoretical expectations.