Exploring Late Stellar Evolution in the Era of Large Surveys: Machine Learning Prospects for Hot Subdwarfs and White Dwarfs
The rapid growth of large-scale astronomical surveys and advances in data-driven analysis techniques have transformed the study of late-stage stellar evolution. Modern facilities are producing large volumes of photometric, spectroscopic, and astrometric data, enabling systematic investigations of compact stellar populations across the Milky Way. Among the most important tracers of these advanced evolutionary phases are hot subdwarfs and white dwarfs: hot subdwarfs are core-helium-burning tracers of late, binary-driven stellar evolution, while white dwarfs represent the final evolutionary endpoint of low- and intermediate-mass stars. These compact objects provide important laboratories for studying stellar interiors, binary evolution, and the long-term fate of planetary systems. This paper explores how recent advances in machine learning are being applied to the detection, characterization, and, when combined with follow-up spectroscopy and modeling, the physical interpretation of hot subdwarfs and white dwarfs. By combining photometric, spectroscopic, and time-domain observations with these computational tools, it is now possible to efficiently discover rare objects, detect stellar variability, and probe the internal structure and evolutionary pathways of compact stars. Ultimately, these developments highlight the growing role of advanced algorithms in supporting the study of the final stages of stellar evolution, provided their outputs are validated against physical observables.