Equilibrium Configurations of Rotating White Dwarfs at Finite Temperatures

Abstract

In this work, cold and hot, static and rotating white dwarf stars are investigated within the framework of classical physics, employing the Chandrasekhar equation of state. The main parameters of white dwarfs such as the central density, pressure, total mass and radius are calculated fulfilling the stability criteria for hot rotating stars. To construct rotating configurations the Hartle approach is involved. It is shown that the effects of finite temperatures become crucial in low-mass white dwarfs, whereas rotation is relevant in all mass range. The simultaneous accounting for temperature and rotation is critical in the calculation of the radii of white dwarfs. The results obtained in this work can be applied to explain a variety of observational data for white dwarfs from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Releases.