1,154 research outputs found
Near-Infrared Constraints on the Presence of Warm Dust at Metal-Rich, Helium Atmosphere White Dwarfs
Here, we present near-infrared spectroscopic observations of 15 helium
atmosphere, metal-rich white dwarfs obtained at the NASA Infrared Telescope
Facility. While a connection has been demonstrated between the most highly
polluted, hydrogen atmosphere white dwarfs and the presence of warm
circumstellar dust and gas, their frequency at the helium atmosphere variety is
poorly constrained. None of our targets show excess near-infrared radiation
consistent with warm orbiting material. Adding these near-infrared constraints
to previous near- and mid-infrared observations, the frequency of warm
circumstellar material at metal-bearing white dwarfs is at least 20% for
hydrogen-dominated photospheres, but could be less than 5% for those
effectively composed of helium alone. The lower occurrence of dust disks around
helium atmosphere white dwarfs is consistent with Myr timescales for
photospheric metals in massive convection zones. Analyzing the mass
distribution of 10 white dwarfs with warm circumstellar material, we search for
similar trends between the frequency of disks and the predicted frequency of
massive planets around intermediate mass stars, but find the probability that
disk-bearing white dwarfs are more massive than average is not significant.Comment: AJ, in pres
On the Spectral Evolution of Cool, Helium-Atmosphere White Dwarfs: Detailed Spectroscopic and Photometric Analysis of DZ Stars
We present a detailed analysis of a large spectroscopic and photometric
sample of DZ white dwarfs based on our latest model atmosphere calculations. We
revise the atmospheric parameters of the trigonometric parallax sample of
Bergeron, Leggett, & Ruiz (12 stars) and analyze 147 new DZ white dwarfs
discovered in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The inclusion of metals and
hydrogen in our model atmosphere calculations leads to different atmospheric
parameters than those derived from pure helium models. Calcium abundances are
found in the range from log (Ca/He) = -12 to -8. We also find that fits of the
coolest objects show peculiarities, suggesting that our physical models may not
correctly describe the conditions of high atmospheric pressure encountered in
the coolest DZ stars. We find that the mean mass of the 11 DZ stars with
trigonometric parallaxes, = 0.63 Mo, is significantly lower than that
obtained from pure helium models, = 0.78 Mo, and in much better agreement
with the mean mass of other types of white dwarfs. We determine hydrogen
abundances for 27% of the DZ stars in our sample, while only upper limits are
obtained for objects with low signal-to-noise ratio spectroscopic data. We
confirm with a high level of confidence that the accretion rate of hydrogen is
at least two orders of magnitude smaller than that of metals (and up to five in
some cases) to be compatible with the observations. We find a correlation
between the hydrogen abundance and the effective temperature, suggesting for
the first time empirical evidence of a lower temperature boundary for the
hydrogen screening mechanism. Finally, we speculate on the possibility that the
DZA white dwarfs could be the result of the convective mixing of thin
hydrogen-rich atmospheres with the underlying helium convection zone.Comment: 67 pages, 32 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Photometric and Spectroscopic Analysis of Cool White Dwarfs with Trigonometric Parallax Measurements
A photometric and spectroscopic analysis of 152 cool white dwarf stars is
presented. The discovery of 7 new DA white dwarfs, 2 new DQ white dwarfs, 1 new
magnetic white dwarf, and 3 weak magnetic white dwarf candidates, is reported,
as well as 19 known or suspected double degenerates. The photometric energy
distributions, the Halpha line profiles, and the trigonometric parallax
measurements are combined and compared to model atmosphere calculations to
determine the effective temperature and the radius of each object, and also to
constrain the atmospheric composition. New evolutionary sequences with C/O
cores with thin and thick hydrogen layers are used to derive masses and ages.
We confirm the existence of a range in Teff between 5000 and 6000K where almost
all white dwarfs have H-rich atmospheres. There is little evidence for mixed
H/He dwarfs, with the exception of 2 He-rich DA stars, and 5 C2H white dwarfs
which possibly have mixed H/He/C atmospheres. The DQ sequence terminates near
6500K, below which they are believed to turn into C2H stars. True DC stars
slightly above this temperature are found to exhibit H-like energy
distributions despite the lack of Halpha absorption. Attempts to interpret the
chemical evolution show the problem to be complex. Convective mixing is
necessary to account for the non-DA to DA ratio as a function of temperature.
The presence of helium in cool DA stars, the existence of the non-DA gap, and
the peculiar DC stars are also explained in terms of convective mixing,
although our understanding of how this mechanism works needs to be revised. The
oldest object in our sample is about 7.9 Gyr or 9.7 Gyr old depending on
whether thin or thick hydrogen layer models are used. The mean mass of our
sample is 0.65 +/- 0.20 Msun.Comment: Accepted by ApJ Suppl (~April 2001); 79 pages incl. 25 figure
Contribution of White Dwarfs to Cluster Masses
I present a literature search through 31 July 1997 of white dwarfs (WDs) in
open and globular clusters. There are 36 single WDs and 5 WDs in binaries known
among 13 open clusters, and 340 single WDs and 11 WDs in binaries known among
11 globular clusters. From these data I have calculated WD mass fractions for
four open clusters (the Pleiades, NGC 2168, NGC 3532, and the Hyades) and one
globular cluster (NGC 6121). I develop a simple model of cluster evolution that
incorporates stellar evolution but not dynamical evolution to interpret the WD
mass fractions. I augment the results of my simple model with N-body
simulations incorporating stellar evolution (Terlevich 1987; de la Feunte
Marcos 1996; Vesperini & Heggie 1997). I find that even though these clusters
undergo moderate to strong kinematical evolution the WD mass fraction is
relatively insensitive to kinematical evolution. By comparing the cluster mass
functions to that of the Galactic disk, and incorporating plausibility
arguments for the mass function of the Galactic halo, I estimate the WD mass
fraction in these two populations. I assume the Galactic disk is ~10 Gyrs old
(Winget et al. 1987; Liebert, Dahn, & Monet 1988; Oswalt et al. 1996) and that
the Galactic halo is ~12 Gyrs old (Reid 1997b; Gratton et al. 1997; Chaboyer et
al. 1998), although the WD mass fraction is insensitive to age in this range. I
find that the Galactic halo should contain 8 to 9% (alpha = -2.35) or perhaps
as much as 15 to 17% (alpha = -2.0) of its stellar mass in the form of WDs. The
Galactic disk WD mass fraction should be 6 to 7% (alpha = -2.35), consistent
with the empirical estimates of 3 to 7% (Liebert, Dahn, & Monet 1988; Oswalt et
al. 1996). (abridged)Comment: 20 pages, uuencoded gunzip'ed latex + 3 postscrip figures, to be
published in AJ, April, 199
The search for ZZ Ceti stars in the original Kepler mission
We report the discovery of 42 white dwarfs in the original Kepler mission
field, including nine new confirmed pulsating hydrogen-atmosphere white dwarfs
(ZZ Ceti stars). Guided by the Kepler-INT Survey (KIS), we selected white dwarf
candidates on the basis of their U-g, g-r, and r-H_alpha photometric colours.
We followed up these candidates with high-signal-to-noise optical spectroscopy
from the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope. Using ground-based, time-series
photometry, we put our sample of new spectroscopically characterized white
dwarfs in the context of the empirical ZZ Ceti instability strip. Prior to our
search, only two pulsating white dwarfs had been observed by Kepler.
Ultimately, four of our new ZZ Cetis were observed from space. These rich
datasets are helping initiate a rapid advancement in the asteroseismic
investigation of pulsating white dwarfs, which continues with the extended
Kepler mission, K2.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Partly burnt runaway stellar remnants from peculiar thermonuclear supernovae
We report the discovery of three stars that, along with the prototype
LP40-365, form a distinct class of chemically peculiar runaway stars that are
the survivors of thermonuclear explosions. Spectroscopy of the four confirmed
LP 40-365 stars finds ONe-dominated atmospheres enriched with remarkably
similar amounts of nuclear ashes of partial O- and Si-burning. Kinematic
evidence is consistent with ejection from a binary supernova progenitor; at
least two stars have rest-frame velocities indicating they are unbound to the
Galaxy. With masses and radii ranging between 0.20-0.28 Msun and 0.16-0.60
Rsun, respectively, we speculate these inflated white dwarfs are the partly
burnt remnants of either peculiar Type Iax or electron-capture supernovae.
Adopting supernova rates from the literature, we estimate that ~20 LP40-365
stars brighter than 19 mag should be detectable within 2 kpc from the Sun at
the end of the Gaia mission. We suggest that as they cool, these stars will
evolve in their spectroscopic appearance, and eventually become peculiar O-rich
white dwarfs. Finally, we stress that the discovery of new LP40-365 stars will
be useful to further constrain their evolution, supplying key boundary
conditions to the modelling of explosion mechanisms, supernova rates, and
nucleosynthetic yields of peculiar thermonuclear explosions.Comment: 22 pages, 14 figures, 6 tables. Accepted for publication on MNRA
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