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Odette Toloza

My interests are white dwarfs and systems that contain white dwarfs. I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at Warwick under the Leverhulme Trust Research grant.

During my PhD, I developed skills in modelling white dwarf optical and (mostly) in the ultraviolet spectroscopy, indeed I got vast experience analysing time-tagged spectroscopy from HST. I do also evolutionary simulations for interacting binaries containig white dwarfs. My research areas are:

representation of a cataclysmic variable Cataclysmic Variables

A cataclysmic variable (CV) is a white dwarf accreting
from a low-mass companion. I am particularly interested in
CVs which in the past where potential progenitors of su-
pernova type Ia via the single degenerate channel.
The white dwarfs in these CVs show anomalous C/N flux
ratios which result from the primordial nucleosynthesis
of the donor star. Detailed modelling of the atmosphere
of the white dwarf provides crucial clues about the
history of progenitors of supernova type Ia.

Figure 1: artist's impression of a cataclysmic variable (image from University of Athens Observatory)

mpwd.pngMetal polluted white dwarfs

Planetesimals venturing too close to a white dwarf
are tidally disrupted, forming a debris disc which
subsequently accretes onto the white dwarf,
polluting the white dwarf atmosphere. The analysis
of the photospheric elements found in these metal
polluted white dwarfs lead to the characterization
of the chemical composition of the planetesimals.


Right: Artist's impression of a comet-like object
falling
onto a white dwarf (ESA/Hubble images).
pulsations.gif Pulsating white dwarfs

non-radial gravity waves propagating across the white dwarf
surface cause changes on the brightness of the white dwaraf.
I am interested on what are the effects on the white dwarf's
atmosphere.



Left: Animation from Scientific Computing in the School

of Physics at the University of Sydney. It demonstrates
the oscillation produced by l=3 m=1.


MY WORK

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016MNRAS.459.3929T

thesis

Odette

Write to:

Odette Toloza,
Department of Physics,
University of Warwick,
Coventry CV4 7AL
UK

Contact details:

E-Mail: Odette.Toloza@warwick.ac.uk
(updated November 2018)
My CV