Three Moving Groups Detected in the LAMOST DR1 Archive

We analyze the kinematics of thick disk and halo stars observed by the Large sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope. We have constructed a sample of 7,993 F, G and K nearby main-sequence stars (\textit{d} $<$ 2 kpc) with estimates of position (x, y, z) and space velocity ($U$, $V$, $W$) based on color and proper motion from the SDSS DR9 catalog. Three `phase-space overdensities' are identified in [\textit{V}, $\sqrt{U^{2}+2V^{2}}$] with significance levels of $\sigma$ $>$ 3. %[L$_{Z}$, eccentricity], [L$_{Z}$, L$_{\bot}$], and [V$_{az}$, V$_{\triangle}E$]. Two of them (Hyades-Pleiades stream, Arcturus-AF06 stream) have been identified previously. We also find evidence for a new stream (centered at \textit{V} $\sim$ -180 km s$^{-1}$) in the halo. The formation mechanisms of these three streams are analyzed. Our results support the hypothesis the Arcturus-AF06 stream and the new stream originated from the debris of a disrupted satellite, while Hyades-Pleiades stream has a dynamical origin.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Stellar Stream Candidates in the Solar Neighborhood Found in the LAMOST DR3 and TGAS

We have cross-matched the LAMOST DR3 with the Gaia DR1 TGAS catalogs and obtained a sample of 166,827 stars with reliable kinematics. A technique based on the wavelet transform was applied to detect significant overdensities in velocity space among five subsamples divided by spatial position. In total, 16 significant overdensities of stars with very similar kinematics were identified. Among these, four are new stream candidates and the rest are previously known groups. Both the U-V velocity and metallicity distributions of the local sample show a clear gap between the Hercules structure and the Hyades-Pleiades structure. The U-V positions of these peaks shift with the spatial position. Following a description of our analysis, we speculate on possible origins of our stream candidates.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure

Ca II H and K and Hydrogen-Line Variations in V471 Tauri (=BD + 16°516)

Spectroscopic and narrow-band photoelectric observations of the white dwarf eclipsing binary V471 Tau (= BD + 16°516) are reported. Periodic fluctuations in Ca IIH and K emission and Ha absorption, and a wave-like distortion of the light curve mimic the characteristics of several well-observed RS CVn binaries. A probable correlation between maximum emission-line strength and wave minimum is shown to exist

LP 400-22, A very low-mass and high-velocity white dwarf

We report the identification of LP 400-22 (WD 2234+222) as a very low-mass and high-velocity white dwarf. The ultraviolet GALEX and optical photometric colors and a spectral line analysis of LP 400-22 show this star to have an effective temperature of 11080+/-140 K and a surface gravity of log g = 6.32+/-0.08. Therefore, this is a helium core white dwarf with a mass of 0.17 M_solar. The tangential velocity of this white dwarf is 414+/-43 km/s, making it one of the fastest moving white dwarfs known. We discuss probable evolutionary scenarios for this remarkable object.Comment: accepted for publication in ApJ Letters, made minor correction

Hubble Space Telescope Observations Of Cool White Dwarf Stars: Detection Of New Species Of Heavy Elements

Observations of cool white dwarf stars with the Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a number of spectral features from previously unobserved species. In this paper we present the data on four cool white dwarfs. We present line identifications, equivalent width measurements, and brief summaries of the significance of our findings. The four stars observed are GD 40 (DBZ3), G 74-7 (DAZ), L 745-46A (DZ), and LDS 749 B (DBA). Many additional species of heavy elements were detected in GD 40 and G 74-7. In L 745-46A,while the detections are limited to Fe I, Fe II, and Mg II, the quality of the Mg II h and k line profiles should permit a test of the line broadening theories, which are so crucial to abundance determinations. The clear detection of Mg II h and k in LDS 749 B should, once an abundance determination is made, provide a clear test of the hypothesis that the DBA stars are the result of accretion from the interstellar medium. This star contains no other clear features other than a tantalizing hint of C II 1335 with a P Cygni profile, and some expected He I lines

Where Are the Magnetic White Dwarfs With Detached, Nondegenerate Companions?

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey has already more than doubled the sample of white dwarfs with spectral classi- fications, the subset with detached M dwarf companions, and the subset of magnetic white dwarfs. In the course of assessing these new discoveries, we have noticed a curious, unexpected property of the total lists of magnetic white dwarfs and of white dwarf plus main-sequence binaries: there appears to be virtually zero overlap between the two samples! No confirmed magnetic white dwarf has yet been found in such a pairing with a main-sequence star. The same statement can be made for the samples of white dwarf–M dwarf pairs in wide, common proper motion systems. This contrasts with the situation for interacting binaries, in which an estimated 25% of the accreting systems have a magnetic white dwarf primary. Alternative explanations are discussed for the observed absence of magnetic white dwarf–main-sequence pairs, but the recent discoveries of very low accretion rate magnetic binaries pose difficulties for each. A plausible explanation may be that the presence of the companion and the likely large mass and small radius of the magnetic white dwarf (relative to nonmagnetic degenerate dwarfs) may provide a selection effect against the discovery of the latter in such binary systems. More careful analysis of the existing samples may yet uncover members of this class of binary, and the sample sizes will continue to grow. The question of whether the mass and field distributions of the magnetic primaries in interacting binaries are similar to those of the isolated magnetic white dwarfs (including those in wider binaries) must also be answered

Orbital Separation Amplification in Fragile Binaries with Evolved Components

The secular stellar mass-loss causes an amplification of the orbital separation in fragile, common proper motion, binary systems with separations of the order of 1000 A.U. In these systems, companions evolve as two independent coeval stars as they experience negligible mutual tidal interactions or mass transfer. We present models for how post-main sequence mass-loss statistically distorts the frequency distribution of separations in fragile binaries. These models demonstrate the expected increase in orbital seapration resulting from stellar mass-loss, as well as a perturbation of associated orbital parameters. Comparisons between our models and observations resulting from the Luyten survey of wide visual binaries, specifically those containing MS and white-dwarf pairs, demonstrate a good agreement between the calculated and the observed angular separation distribution functions

White Dwarf Cosmochronometry. I. Monte Carlo Simulations of Proper-Motion ̶ and Magnitude-Limited Samples Using Schmidt’s 1/Vmax Estimator

Observationally, white dwarf stars are a remarkably homogeneous class with a minimum observed Teff ~4000 K. Theoretically, the physics that determines their cooling timescales is relatively more straightforward than that which determines main-sequence evolutionary timescales. As a result, the white dwarf luminosity function has for the last decade been used as a probe of the age and star formation rate of the Galactic disk, providing an estimated local disk age of ~10 Gyr with estimated total uncertainties of roughly 20%. A long-standing criticism of the technique is that the reality of the reported downturn in the luminosity function (LF) hinges on just a handful of stars and on statistical arguments that fainter (older) objects would have been observed were they present. Indeed, the likely statistical variations of these small-number samples represent one of the primary uncertainties in the derived Galactic age, and the behavior of Schmidt\u27s 1/Vmax estimator in this limit is not well understood. In this work, we explore these uncertainties numerically by means of a Monte Carlo population synthesis code that simulates the kinematics and relative numbers of cooling white dwarfs. The “observationally selected” subsamples are drawn using typical proper motion and V-magnitude limits. The corresponding 1/Vmax LFs are then computed and compared to the input-integrated LFs. The results from our (noise-free) data suggest that (1) Schmidt’s 1/Vmax technique is a reliable and well-behaved estimator of the true space density with typical uncertainties of ~50% for 50 point samples and 25% for 200 point samples; (2) the age uncertainties quoted in previously published observational studies of the LF are consistent with uncertainties in the Monte Carlo results ̶ specifically, there is a ~15% and ≤10% observational uncertainty in the ages inferred from 50 point and 200 point samples, respectively; and (3) the large statistical variations in the bright end of these LFs ̶ even in the large-N limit ̶ preclude using the white dwarf LF to obtain an estimate of the recent star formation rate as a function of time

The White Dwarf Luminosity Function

White dwarfs are the final remnants of low- and intermediate-mass stars. Their evolution is essentially a cooling process that lasts for ∼ 10 Gyr. Their observed properties provide information about the history of the Galaxy, its dark matter content and a host of other interesting astrophysical problems. Examples of these include an independent determination of the past history of the local star formation rate, identification of the objects responsible for the reported microlensing events, constraints on the rate of change of the gravitational constant, and upper limits to the mass of weakly interacting massive particles. To carry on these tasks the essential observational tools are the luminosity and mass functions of white dwarfs, whereas the theoretical tools are the evolutionary sequences of white dwarf progenitors, and the corresponding white dwarf cooling sequences. In particular, the observed white dwarf luminosity function is the key manifestation of the white dwarf cooling theory, although other relevant ingredients are needed to compare theory and observations. In this review we summarize the recent attempts to empirically determine the white dwarf luminosity function for the different Galactic populations. We also discuss the biases that may affect its interpretation. Finally, we elaborate on the theoretical ingredients needed to model the white dwarf luminosity function, paying special attention to the remaining uncertainties, and we comment on some applications of the white dwarf cooling theory. Astrophysical problems for which white dwarf stars may provide useful leverage in the near future are also discussed

The White Dwarf Luminosity Function

White dwarfs are the final remnants of low- and intermediate-mass stars. Their evolution is essentially a cooling process that lasts for ∼ 10 Gyr. Their observed properties provide information about the history of the Galaxy, its dark matter content and a host of other interesting astrophysical problems. Examples of these include an independent determination of the past history of the local star formation rate, identification of the objects responsible for the reported microlensing events, constraints on the rate of change of the gravitational constant, and upper limits to the mass of weakly interacting massive particles. To carry on these tasks the essential observational tools are the luminosity and mass functions of white dwarfs, whereas the theoretical tools are the evolutionary sequences of white dwarf progenitors, and the corresponding white dwarf cooling sequences. In particular, the observed white dwarf luminosity function is the key manifestation of the white dwarf cooling theory, although other relevant ingredients are needed to compare theory and observations. In this review we summarize the recent attempts to empirically determine the white dwarf luminosity function for the different Galactic populations. We also discuss the biases that may affect its interpretation. Finally, we elaborate on the theoretical ingredients needed to model the white dwarf luminosity function, paying special attention to the remaining uncertainties, and we comment on some applications of the white dwarf cooling theory. Astrophysical problems for which white dwarf stars may provide useful leverage in the near future are also discussed