An independent constraint on the secular rate of variation of the gravitational constant from pulsating white dwarfs

Abstract

A secular variation of the gravitational constant modifies the structure and evolutionary time scales of white dwarfs. Using an state-of-the-art stellar evolutionary code and an up-to-date pulsational code we compute the effects of a secularly varying $G$ on the pulsational properties of variable white dwarfs. Comparing the the theoretical results obtained taking into account the effects of a running $G$ with the observed periods and measured rates of change of the periods of two well studied pulsating white dwarfs, G117--B15A and R548, we place constraints on the rate of variation of Newton's constant. We derive an upper bound $\dot{G}/G\sim -1.8\times 10^{-10}$ yr${}^{-1}$ using the variable white dwarf G117--B15A, and $\dot{G}/G\sim -1.3\times 10^{-10}$ yr${}^{-1}$ using R548. Although these upper limits are currently less restrictive than those obtained using other techniques, they can be improved in a future measuring the rate of change of the period of massive white dwarfs.

Comments: 13 pages, 4 tables, 3 figures. To be published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics