The Luminosity Function and Evolution of Cool White Dwarfs

Abstract

In the review, I attempt to focus on what we have recently learned from the observations about three general topics of great theoretical interest: 1. evidence for evolution of white dwarf surface abundances,2. the special problems of determining atmospheric parameters and abundances at the cool end of the sequence, and3. evidence for a peaking of the white dwarf luminosity function at Mbol = + 15 ± 1, with possible implications for cooling theory and the history of galactic star formation.