59,852 research outputs found
A population synthesis study of the luminosity function of hot white dwarfs
We present a coherent and detailed Monte Carlo simulation of the population
of hot white dwarfs. We assess the statistical significance of the hot end of
the white dwarf luminosity function and the role played by the bolometric
corrections of hydrogen-rich white dwarfs at high effective temperatures. We
use the most up-to-date stellar evolutionary models and implement a full
description of the observational selection biases to obtain realistic
simulations of the observed white dwarf population. Our theoretical results are
compared with the luminosity function of hot white dwarfs obtained from the
Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), for both DA and non-DA white dwarfs. We find
that the theoretical results are in excellent agreement with the observational
data for the population of white dwarfs with hydrogen deficient atmospheres
(non-DA white dwarfs). For the population of white dwarfs with hydrogen-rich
atmospheres (white dwarfs of the DA class), our simulations show some
discrepancies with the observations for the brightest luminosity bins. These
discrepancies can be attributed to the way in which the masses of the white
dwarfs contributing to this luminosity bin have been computed, as most of them
have masses smaller than the theoretical lower limit for carbon-oxygen white
dwarfs. We conclude that the way in which the observational luminosity function
of hot white dwarfs is obtained is very sensitive to the particular
implementation of the method used to derive the masses of the sample. We also
provide a revised luminosity function for hot white dwarfs with hydrogen-rich
atmospheres.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in A&
The galactic population of white dwarfs
Original paper can be found at: http://www.iop.org/EJ/conf DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/172/1/012004 [16th European White Dwarfs Workshop]The contribution of white dwarfs of the different Galactic populations to the stellar content of our Galaxy is only poorly known. Some authors claim a vast population of halo white dwarfs, which would be in accordance with some investigations of the early phases of Galaxy formation claiming a top-heavy initialâ massâ function. Here, I present a model of the population of white dwarfs in the Milky Way based on observations of the local white dwarf sample and a standard model of Galactic structure. This model will be used to estimate the space densities of thin disc, thick disc and halo white dwarfs and their contribution to the baryonic mass budget of the Milky Way. One result of this investigation is that white dwarfs of the halo population contribute a large fraction of the Galactic white dwarf number count, but they are not responsible for the lion's share of stellar mass in the Milky Way. Another important result is the substantial contribution of the â often neglected â population of thick disc white dwarfs. Misclassification of thick disc white dwarfs is responsible for overestimates of the halo population in previous investigations.Peer reviewe
The contribution of Oxygen-Neon white dwarfs to the MACHO content of the Galactic Halo
The interpretation of microlensing results towards the Large
Magellanic Cloud (LMC) still remains controversial. White dwarfs have been
proposed to explain these results and, hence, to contribute significantly to
the mass budget of our Galaxy. However, several constraints on the role played
by regular carbon-oxygen white dwarfs exist. Massivewhite dwarfs are thought to
be made of a mixture of oxygen and neon. Correspondingly, their cooling rate is
larger than those of typical carbon-oxygen white dwarfs and they fade to
invisibility in short timescales. Consequently, they constitute a good
candidate for explaining the microlensing results. Here, we examine in detail
this hypothesis by using the most recent and up-to-date cooling tracks for
massive white dwarfs and a Monte Carlo simulator which takes into account the
most relevant Galactic inputs. We find that oxygen-neon white dwarfs cannot
account for a substantial fraction of the microlensing depth towards the LMC,
independently of the adopted initial mass function, although some microlensing
events could be due to oxygen--neon white dwarfs. The white dwarf population
contributes at most a 5% to the mass of the Galactic halo.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
Low Luminosity Companions to White Dwarfs
This paper presents results of a near-infrared imaging survey for low mass
stellar and substellar companions to white dwarfs. A wide field proper motion
survey of 261 white dwarfs was capable of directly detecting companions at
orbital separations between and 5000 AU with masses as low as 0.05
, while a deep near field search of 86 white dwarfs was capable of
directly detecting companions at separations between and 1100 AU with
masses as low as 0.02 . Additionally, all white dwarf targets were
examined for near-infrared excess emission, a technique capable of detecting
companions at arbitrarily close separations down to masses of 0.05 .
No brown dwarf candidates were detected, which implies a brown dwarf
companion fraction of % for white dwarfs. In contrast, the stellar
companion fraction of white dwarfs as measured by this survey is 22%,
uncorrected for bias. Moreover, most of the known and suspected stellar
companions to white dwarfs are low mass stars whose masses are only slightly
greater than the masses of brown dwarfs. Twenty previously unknown stellar
companions were detected, five of which are confirmed or likely white dwarfs
themselves, while fifteen are confirmed or likely low mass stars.
Similar to the distribution of cool field dwarfs as a function of spectral
type, the number of cool unevolved dwarf companions peaks at mid-M type. Based
on the present work, relative to this peak, field L dwarfs appear to be roughly
2-3 times more abundant than companion L dwarfs. Additionally, there is no
evidence that the initial companion masses have been altered by post main
sequence binary interactions.Comment: 149 pages, 59 figures, 11 tables, accepted to ApJ Supplement
Isochrones and Luminosity Functions for Old White Dwarfs
Using a new grid of models of cooling white dwarfs, we calculate isochrones
and luminosity functions in the Johnson-Kron/Cousins and HST filter sets for
systems containing old white dwarfs. These new models incorporate a non-grey
atmosphere which is necessary to properly describe the effects of molecular
opacity at the cool temperatures of old white dwarfs. The various functions
calculated and extensively tabulated and plotted are meant to be as utilitarian
as possible for observers so all results are listed in quantities that
observers will obtain. The tables and plots developed should eventually prove
critical in interpreting the results of HST's Advanced Camera observations of
the oldest white dwarfs in nearby globular clusters, in understanding the
results of searches for old white dwarfs in the Galactic halo, and in
determining ages for star clusters of all ages using white dwarfs. As a
practical application we demonstrate the use of these results by deriving the
white dwarf cooling age of the old Galactic cluster M67.Comment: 7 pages, 8 tables, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
The White Dwarfs within 25 Parsecs of the Sun: Kinematics and Spectroscopic Subtypes
We present the fractional distribution of spectroscopic subtypes, range and
distribution of surface temperatures, and kinematical properties of the white
dwarfs within 25pc of the sun. There is no convincing evidence of halo white
dwarfs in the total 25 pc sample of 224 white dwarfs. There is also little to
suggest the presence of genuine thick disk subcomponent members within 25
parsecs. It appears that the entire 25 pc sample likely belong to the thin
disk. We also find no significant kinematic differences with respect to
spectroscopic subtypes. The total DA to non-DA ratio of the 25 pc sample is
1.8, a manifestation of deepening envelope convection which transforms DA stars
with sufficiently thin H surface layers into non-DAs. We compare this ratio
with the results of other studies. We find that at least 11% of the white
dwarfs within 25 parsecs of the sun (the DAZ and DZ stars) have photospheric
metals that likely originate from accretion of circumstellar material (debris
disks) around them. If this interpretation is correct, then it suggests the
possibility that a similar percentage have planets, asteroid-like bodies or
debris disks orbiting them. Our volume-limited sample reveals a pileup of DC
white dwarfs at the well-known cutoff in DQ white dwarfs at Tef about 6000K.
Mindful of small number statistics, we speculate on its possible evolutionary
significance. We find that the incidence of magnetic white dwarfs in the 25 pc
sample is at least 8%, in our volume-limited sample, dominated by cool white
dwarfs. We derive approximate formation rates of DB and DQ degenerates and
present a preliminary test of the evolutionary scenario that all cooling DB
stars become DQ white dwarfs via helium convective dredge-up with the diffusion
tail of carbon extending upward from their cores.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journa
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