White-dwarf cooling sequence

What you are seeing: a white dwarf of mass $M$ cooling under the Mestel law $L(t) \propto M t^{-7/5}$ . The HR diagram at the top traces the cooling track (blue point = current age); the WD sphere and cross-section on the bottom show the photosphere colour by $T_{\rm eff}$ and the inward-growing crystal core (yellow) once $\Gamma > 175$

Figure 1. White-dwarf cooling: HR-diagram track + interior crystallization front. Method: Mestel L ~ M t^(-7/5), Stefan-Boltzmann T_eff = (L / 4 pi R^2 sigma)^(1/4), Eggleton M-R relation.

mass M / M_sun0.60

log age (years)9.00

animation speed1

show LF bumpon

WHAT TO TRY

Vary each control and watch the rail readouts respond.
Compare the diagnostic plot against the live scene.