Interpreting luminosity bursts in a Kepler-measured ZZ Ceti using avalanche statistics

As they cool, white dwarfs pass through a period of primarily steady periodic luminosity variation. Recent data from the Kepler space telescope revealed unusual smaller aperiodic flares and larger multiperiodic flares in the white dwarf KIC 4552982. Here, these bursts are interpreted using the same simple model that describes fluctuations in magnets and earthquakes. These results show how tools from statistical physics can be used to interpret astronomical variability at multiple scales.