Constraining the axion mass through the asteroseismology of the ZZ Ceti star G117-B15A

Understand

We perform an asteroseismological study on the DAV star G117-B15A on the basis of a modern set of fully evolutionary DA white dwarf models that have consistent chemical profiles at the core and the envelope.

• We found an asteroseismological model for G117-B15A that closely reproduces its observed pulsation periods.
• Then, we use the most recently measured value of the rate of period change for the dominant mode of this pulsating star to impose a preliminary upper limit to the mass of the axion.