- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/743/138
- Title:
- Spectroscopic survey of bright white dwarfs
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/743/138
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We have conducted a spectroscopic survey of over 1300 bright (V<=17.5), hydrogen-rich white dwarfs based largely on the last published version of the McCook & Sion (1999ApJS..121....1M, Cat. III/235) catalog. The complete results from our survey, including the spectroscopic analysis of over 1100 DA white dwarfs, are presented. High signal-to-noise ratio optical spectra were obtained for each star and were subsequently analyzed using our standard spectroscopic technique where the observed Balmer line profiles are compared to synthetic spectra computed from the latest generation of model atmospheres appropriate for these stars. First, we present the spectroscopic content of our sample, which includes many misclassifications as well as several DAB, DAZ, and magnetic white dwarfs. Next, we look at how the new Stark broadening profiles affect the determination of the atmospheric parameters. When necessary, specific models and analysis techniques are used to derive the most accurate atmospheric parameters possible. In particular, we employ M dwarf templates to obtain better estimates of the atmospheric parameters for those white dwarfs that are in DA+dM binary systems.
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- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/730/128
- Title:
- Spectroscopy of DA WD from the SDSS-DR4
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/730/128
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present an improved spectroscopic and photometric analysis of hydrogen-line DA white dwarfs from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 4 (SDSS DR4) based on model atmospheres that include improved Stark broadening profiles with non-ideal gas effects. We also perform a careful visual inspection of all spectroscopic fits with high signal-to-noise ratios (S/Ns>12) and present improved atmospheric parameters (T_eff_ and logg) for each white dwarf. Through a comparison of spectroscopic and photometric temperatures, we report the discovery of 35 DA+DB/DC double degenerate candidates and two helium-rich DA stars. We also determine that a cutoff at S/N=15 optimizes the size and quality of the sample for computing the mean mass of DA white dwarfs, for which we report a value of 0.613M_{sun}_. We compare our results to previous analyses of the SDSS DR4 and find a good agreement if we account for the shift produced by the improved Stark profiles. Finally, the properties of DA white dwarfs in the SDSS are weighed against those of the Villanova White Dwarf Catalog sample of Gianninas et al. (2009JPhCS.172a2021G).
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/392/741
- Title:
- Stellar Catalogue in the Chandra DFS
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/392/741
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Stellar catalogues in five passbands (UBVRI) over an area of approximately 0.3{deg}^2^, comprising about 1200 objects, and in seven passbands (UBVRIJK) over approximately 0.1{deg}^2^, comprising about 400 objects, in the direction of the Chandra Deep Field South are presented. The 90% completeness level of the number counts is reached at approximately U=23.8, B=24.0, V=23.5, R=23.0, I=21.0, J=20.5, K=19.0. These multi-band catalogues have been produced from publicly available, single passband catalogues. A scheme is presented to select point sources from these catalogues, by combining the SExtractor parameter CLASS_STAR from all available passbands. Probable QSOs and unresolved galaxies are identified by using the previously developed {chi}^2^-technique (Hatziminaoglou et al., 2002, Cat. <J/A+A/384/81>), that fits the overall spectral energy distributions to template spectra and determines the best fitting template. Approximately 15% of true galaxies are misclassified as stars by the {chi}^2^ method. The number of unresolved galaxies and QSOs identified by the {chi}^2^-technique, allows us to estimate that the remaining level of contamination by such objects is at the level of 2.4% of the number of stars. The fraction of missing stars being incorrectly removed as QSOs or unresolved galaxies is estimated to be similar. The resulting stellar catalogues and the objects identified as likely QSOs and unresolved galaxies with coordinates, observed magnitudes with errors and assigned spectral types by the {chi}^2^-technique are presented and are publicly available.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/839/23
- Title:
- Subdwarf A stars vs ELM WDs radial velocities
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/839/23
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We address the physical nature of subdwarf A-type (sdA) stars and their possible link to extremely low mass (ELM) white dwarfs (WDs). The two classes of objects are confused in low-resolution spectroscopy. However, colors and proper motions indicate that sdA stars are cooler and more luminous, and thus larger in radius, than published ELM WDs. We demonstrate that surface gravities derived from pure hydrogen models suffer a systematic ~1dex error for sdA stars, likely explained by metal line blanketing below 9000K. A detailed study of five eclipsing binaries with radial velocity orbital solutions and infrared excess establishes that these sdA stars are metal-poor ~1.2M_{sun}_ main sequence stars with ~0.8M_{sun}_ companions. While WDs must exist at sdA temperatures, only ~1% of a magnitude-limited sdA sample should be ELM WDs. We conclude that the majority of sdA stars are metal-poor A-F type stars in the halo, and that recently discovered pulsating ELM WD-like stars with no obvious radial velocity variations may be SX Phe variables, not pulsating WDs.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/443/1821
- Title:
- Supersoft X-ray sources in M31
- Short Name:
- J/MNRAS/443/1821
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We searched for the optical/UV/IR counterparts of seven supersoft X-ray sources (SSSs) in M31 in the Hubble Space Telescope} (HST}) 'Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury' (PHAT) archival images and photometric catalogue. Three of the SSSs were transient; the other four are persistent sources. The PHAT offers the opportunity to identify SSSs hosting very massive white dwarfs (WDs) that may explode as Type Ia supernovae in single degenerate binaries, with magnitudes and colour indexes typical of symbiotics, high-mass close binaries, or systems with an optically luminous accretion disc. We find evidence that the transient SSSs were classical or recurrent novae; two probable counterparts that we identified are probably symbiotic binaries undergoing mass transfer at a very high rate. There is a candidate accreting WD binary in the error circle of one of the persistent sources, r3-8. In the spatial error circle of the best-studied SSS in M31, r2-12, no red giants or AGB stars are sufficiently luminous in the optical and UV bands to be symbiotic systems hosting an accreting and hydrogen-burning WD. This SSS has a known modulation of the X-ray flux with a 217.7s period, and we measured an upper limit on its derivative, namely |dP/dt|<~0.82x10^11. This limit can be reconciled with the rotation period of a WD accreting at a high rate in a binary with an orbital period of a few hours. However, there is no luminous counterpart with colour indexes typical of an accretion disc irradiated by a hot central source. Adopting a semi-empirical relationship, the upper limit for the disc optical luminosity implies an upper limit of only 169-min for the orbital period of the WD binary.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/VII/241
- Title:
- The 2dF QSO Redshift Survey
- Short Name:
- VII/241
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The final catalogue of the 2dF QSO Redshift Survey (2QZ) is based on Anglo-Australian Telescope 2dF spectroscopic observations of 44576 colour-selected (ub_J_r) objects with 18.25<b_J_< 20.85 selected from automated plate measurement scans of UK Schmidt Telescope (UKST) photographic plates. The 2QZ comprises 23338 quasi-stellar objects (QSOs), 12292 galactic stars (including 2071 white dwarfs) and 4558 compact narrow emission-line galaxies. We obtained a reliable spectroscopic identification for 86 per cent of objects observed with 2dF. We also report on the 6dF QSO Redshift Survey (6QZ), based on UKST 6dF observations of 1564 brighter (16<b_J_<18.25) sources selected from the same photographic input catalogue. In total, we identified 322 QSOs spectroscopically in the 6QZ. The completed 2QZ is, by more than a factor of 50, the largest homogeneous QSO catalogue ever constructed at these faint limits (b_J_<20.85) and high QSO surface densities (35 QSOs/deg^2^). As such, it represents an important resource in the study of the Universe at moderate-to-high redshifts.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/VII/223
- Title:
- The 2dF QSO Redshift Survey. V. The 10k catalogue
- Short Name:
- VII/223
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The 2dF QSO Redshift Survey (2QZ) 10k catalogue is the first release of the 2QZ, containing over 10000 QSOs. There are a total of 20590 sources listed, for which spectra have been obtained using the 2-degree field facility at the Anglo-Australian Observatory. Current data covers an effective area of 289.6deg^2^ for QSO candidates with magnitudes 18.25<b_J_<20.85. The file 2qz_10k.dat contains the names, positions, magnitudes, spectroscopic identifications and redshifts for each of the sources.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/723/1072
- Title:
- The ELM survey. I. Low-mass white dwarfs
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/723/1072
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We analyze radial velocity observations of the 12 extremely low-mass (ELM), with <=0.25M_{sun}_, white dwarfs (WDs) in the MMT Hypervelocity Star Survey. Eleven of the twelve WDs are binaries with orbital periods shorter than 14hr; the one non-variable WD is possibly a pole-on system among our non-kinematically selected targets. Our sample is unique: it is complete in a well-defined range of apparent magnitude and color. The orbital mass functions imply that the unseen companions are most likely other WDs, although neutron star companions cannot be excluded. Six of the eleven systems with orbital solutions will merge within a Hubble time due to the loss of angular momentum through gravitational wave radiation. The quickest merger is J0923+3028, a g=15.7 ELM WD binary with a 1.08hr orbital period and a <=130Myr merger time. The chance of a supernova Ia event among our ELM WDs is only 1%-7%, however. Three binary systems (J0755+4906, J1233+1602, and J2119-0018) have extreme mass ratios and will most likely form stable mass-transfer AM CVn systems. Two of these objects, SDSS J1233+1602 and J2119-0018, are the lowest surface gravity WDs ever found; both show CaII absorption likely from accretion of circumbinary material. We predict that at least one of our WDs is an eclipsing detached double WD system, important for constraining helium core WD models.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/889/49
- Title:
- The ELM Survey. VIII. Final double WD binaries
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/889/49
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present the final sample of 98 detached double white dwarf (WD) binaries found in the Extremely Low Mass (ELM) Survey, a spectroscopic survey targeting <0.3M_{sun}_ He-core WDs completed in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey footprint. Over the course of the survey we observed ancillary low-mass WD candidates like GD 278, which we show is a P=0.19d double WD binary, as well as candidates that turn out to be field blue straggler/subdwarf A-type stars with luminosities too high to be WDs given their Gaia parallaxes. Here, we define a clean sample of ELM WDs that is complete within our target selection and magnitude range 15<g_0_<20mag. The measurements are consistent with 100% of ELM WDs being 0.0089<P<1.5d double WD binaries, 35% of which belong to the Galactic halo. We infer that these are mostly He+CO WD binaries given the measurement constraints. The merger rate of the observed He+CO WD binaries exceeds the formation rate of stable mass-transfer AM CVn binaries by a factor of 25, and so the majority of He+CO WD binaries must experience unstable mass transfer and merge. The systems with the shortest periods, such as J0651+2844, are signature LISA verification binaries that can be studied with gravitational waves and light.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/818/155
- Title:
- The ELM survey. VII. 15 new ELM white dwarf cand.
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/818/155
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present the discovery of 15 extremely low-mass (5<logg<7) white dwarf (WD) candidates, 9 of which are in ultra-compact double-degenerate binaries. Our targeted extremely low-mass Survey sample now includes 76 binaries. The sample has a lognormal distribution of orbital periods with a median period of 5.4hr. The velocity amplitudes imply that the binary companions have a normal distribution of mass with 0.76 M_{sun}_ mean and 0.25M_{sun}_ dispersion. Thus extremely low-mass WDs are found in binaries with a typical mass ratio of 1:4. Statistically speaking, 95% of the WD binaries have a total mass below the Chandrasekhar mass, and thus are not type Ia supernova progenitors. Yet half of the observed binaries will merge in less than 6Gyr due to gravitational wave radiation; probable outcomes include single massive WDs and stable mass transfer AM CVn binaries.