Astronomers gain new insight into ‘feeding habits’ of white dwarf stars

Starving white dwarf stars gain mass in magnetically controlled bursts, according to new scientific research including expertise from the University of Southampton.

The findings, published in the journal Nature, challenge the thinking that most white dwarfs are ‘non-magnetic’ and incapable of drawing into orbit material from companion stars.

Professor Christian Knigge, study co-author from the University of Southampton’s Astronomy group, says the discovery that starving white dwarf stars act as magnetic ‘binge eaters’ is confirmation that accretion – the gradual accumulation of additional matter - is a universal process.

Read the full story in the University of Southampton’s main news section.