Direct measurement of the white dwarf stellar tidal quality factor

Obtain a direct measurement of the modified stellar tidal quality factor Q_*' for an isolated white dwarf to quantify tidal dissipation in white dwarf interiors, rather than relying on estimates inferred from other systems or theoretical ranges.

Background

Transit timing studies of hot Jupiter systems around main-sequence stars have constrained stellar tidal dissipation, but the analogous parameter for white dwarfs remains unmeasured for isolated objects.

The paper notes that existing estimates for Q_*' in white dwarfs span many orders of magnitude (1012–1015), highlighting the need for a direct observational determination.

References

A direct measurement of $Q_*'$ for an isolated white dwarf is currently lacking but is expected to lie in the range $10{12}$--$10{15}$ \citep{Willems_2010, Becker_2023}.

— Transit Timing of the White Dwarf-Cold Jupiter System WD 1856+534  (2511.21611 - Gendreau-Distler et al., 26 Nov 2025) in Section 1, Introduction