Determine the observed pulsation-mode identifications

Determine which pulsation modes, specified by spherical degree and radial order, correspond to the pulsation periods observed in pulsating white dwarf stars, because the mode identifications are generally unknown and generate degenerate asteroseismic solutions.

Background

White dwarf asteroseismology fits observed pulsation periods to periods calculated from stellar models. Because individual observed periods may correspond to multiple model modes, different assignments of spherical degree and radial order can produce distinct combinations of stellar parameters that fit the data comparably well.

The paper treats each consistent assignment of mode identifications as a separate seismic solution and develops procedures for isolating and characterizing these solutions. The unresolved identification of the observed modes is therefore a central source of solution degeneracy in period-by-period fitting.

References

This is a consequence of the fact that, in general, we do not know which pulsation modes we are observing.

— Improvements to Asteroseismic Fitting of White Dwarfs in the Gaia Era  (2609.04323 - Dublin et al., 3 Sep 2026) in Section 1, Introduction