Current challenges in the physics of white dwarf stars

Abstract

White dwarfs are a class of stars with unique physical properties. They present many challenging problems whose solution requires the application of advanced theories of dense matter, state-of-the-art experimental techniques, and extensive computing efforts. New ground- and space-based observatories will soon provide an increasingly detailed view of white dwarf stars and reveal new phenomena that will challenge our models. This review is an introduction for researchers who are not in the field of white dwarf astrophysics with the intent to entice them to contribute their expertise to advance our knowledge of these exotic stars. We discuss a wide variety of currently unsolved or partially resolved problems that are broadly related to equations of state, transport processes and opacities.