Discovery of an ultramassive pulsating white dwarf
  We announce the discovery of the most massive pulsating hydrogen-atmosphere
(DA) white dwarf (WD) ever discovered, GD 518. Model atmosphere fits to the
optical spectrum of this star show it is a 12,030 +/- 210 K WD with a log(g) =
9.08 +/- 0.06, which corresponds to a mass of 1.20 +/- 0.03 Msun. Stellar
evolution models indicate that the progenitor of such a high-mass WD endured a
stable carbon-burning phase, producing an oxygen-neon-core WD. The discovery of
pulsations in GD 518 thus offers the first opportunity to probe the interior of
a WD with a possible oxygen-neon core. Such a massive WD should also be
significantly crystallized at this temperature. The star exhibits
multi-periodic luminosity variations at timescales ranging from roughly 425-595
s and amplitudes up to 0.7%, consistent in period and amplitude with the
observed variability of typical ZZ Ceti stars, which exhibit non-radial g-mode
pulsations driven by a hydrogen partial ionization zone. Successfully
unraveling both the total mass and core composition of GD 518 provides a unique
opportunity to investigate intermediate-mass stellar evolution, and can
possibly place an upper limit to the mass of a carbon-oxygen-core WD, which in
turn constrains SNe Ia progenitor systems.
