White Dwarfs as Probes of the Evolution of Planets, Stars, the Milky Way and the Expanding Universe

Astrometric, photometric and spectroscopic all-sky surveys provide the first complete, unbiased view of the Galactic population of the most abundant type of stellar remnants: white dwarfs. This wealth of observational data provides an array of opportunities to use white dwarfs as probes of a wide range of astrophysics, including the formation and evolution of stars and planets, the star formation rate of the Galaxy, and the populations of low-frequency gravitational wave sources and progenitors of thermonuclear supernovae. These applications require improved models of these electron-degenerate stars, which in turn rely on developments in the relevant input physics, including equations of state and opacities. This conference will provide a joint platform for experts in the observational and theoretical study of white dwarfs, scientists working on the underlying fundamental physics, and astronomers using white dwarfs as diagnostic tools to gain a panoramic overview of the state-of-the-art, to identify remaining limitations of the current models, and to explore novel scientific opportunities arising from the new data.