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Humboldt Research Fellowship for Dr. Pier-Emmanuel Tremblay at the Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg (ZAH)

Dr. Tremblay will be working on white dwarf atmospheres and the computation of models that aim at understanding aspects of the history of Galactic structures Dr. Pier-Emmanuel Tremblay has been awarded a Research Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. He will be working at the Landessternwarte Königstuhl (LSW) at the Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg (ZAH) in the group of Prof. Dr. Norbert Christlieb and Dr. Hans Ludwig. In his two years stay, his main interest will be white dwarf atmospheres and the computation of models that ultimately aim at understanding aspects of the history of Galactic structures. Pier-Emmanuel Tremblay graduated in June 2011 from the Université de Montréal in Canada. His Ph.D. thesis was centered on the improvement of hydrogen-rich white dwarf models, motivated by the observation that until now, the spectroscopically determined mean mass of cool white dwarfs is up to 20% higher than that of hot white dwarfs. This is in contradiction with the theory of stellar evolution which claims that isolated white dwarfs should cool down by conserving their masses. The solution to this problem has recently been found by Dr. Tremblay and his collaborators, including Dr. Ludwig from the LSW, by computing 3D hydrodynamic models of cool convective white dwarfs. These 3D models were shown to correct the observed mass discrepancy. At the LSW, Dr. Tremblay will be working on improving 3D models so that they can be used in the spectroscopic analysis of white dwarfs. Since all white dwarfs with a cooling age greater than ~1 Gyr possess convective atmospheres, the potential benefit of enhanced 3D models in the understanding of old white dwarfs in our galaxy is important. The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation promotes international research cooperation by awarding fellowships to outstandingly qualified young scientists from abroad, and thus allows them to carry out a self-selected, long-term research project in conjunction with an academic host in Germany. The Landessternwarte Königstuhl (LSW) is one of the three institutes comprising the Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg (ZAH). "I am delighted to be part of a highly motivated group of young scientists and postdocs, who also take part in important observational surveys of stars in our Galaxy." says Dr. Tremblay. Contact: Dr. Guido Thimm Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg phone: +49 6221 541805/541801 thimm@ari.uni-heidelberg.de Communications and Marketing Press Office phone: +49 6221 542311 presse@rektorat.uni-heidelberg.de