Asteroseismology of WD J004917.14-252556.81, the Most Massive Pulsating White Dwarf

Abstract

We present extensive follow-up time-series photometry of WD J0049$-$2525, the most massive pulsating white dwarf currently known with $T_{\rm eff} = 13\, 020\,{\rm K}$ and $\log{\it g} = 9.34$ cm s$^{-2}$. The discovery observations detected only two significant pulsation modes. Here, we report the detection of 13 significant pulsation modes ranging from 170 to 258 s based on 11 nights of observations with the New Technology Telescope, Gemini, and Apache Point Observatory telescopes. We use these 13 modes to perform asteroseismology and find that the best-fitting models (under the assumption of an ONe core composition) have $M_{\star} \approx 1.29~M_\odot$, surface hydrogen layer mass of $\log(M_{\rm H}/M_{\star}) \lesssim -7.5$, and a crystallized core fraction of $>99\%$. An analysis of the period spacing also strongly suggests a very high mass. The asteroseismic distance derived is in good agreement with the distance provided by Gaia. We also find tentative evidence of a rotation period of 0.3 or 0.67 d. This analysis provides the first look at the interior of a $\sim 1.3~M_{\odot}$ white dwarf.