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Start Over Subject white dwarf stars Publisher CDS
31. Close white dwarf + M dwarf binaries (WD+dM)
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/144/93
Title:
Close white dwarf + M dwarf binaries (WD+dM)
Short Name:
J/AJ/144/93
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We present a study of close white dwarf and M dwarf (WD+dM) binary systems and examine the effect that a close companion has on the magnetic field generation in M dwarfs. We use a base sample of 1602 white dwarf main-sequence binaries from Rebassa-Mansergas et al. to develop a set of color cuts in GALEX, SDSS, UKIDSS, and 2MASS color space. Then using the SDSS Data Release 8 spectroscopic database, we construct a sample of 1756 WD+dM high-quality pairs from our color cuts and previous catalogs. We separate the individual WD and dM from each spectrum using an iterative technique that compares the WD and dM components to best-fit templates. Using the absolute height above the Galactic plane as a proxy for age, and the H{alpha} emission line as an indicator for magnetic activity, we investigate the age-activity relation for our sample for spectral types <=M7. Our results show that early-type M dwarfs (<=M4) in close binary systems are more likely to be active and have longer activity lifetimes compared to their field counterparts. However, at a spectral type of M5 (just past the onset of full convection in M dwarfs), the activity fraction and lifetimes of WD+dM binary systems become more comparable to that of the field M dwarfs. One of the implications of having a close binary companion is presumed to be increased stellar rotation through disk disruption, tidal effects, or angular momentum exchange. Thus, we interpret the similarity in activity behavior between late-type dMs in WD+dM pairs and late-type field dMs to be due to a decrease in sensitivity in close binary companions (or stellar rotation), which has implications for the nature of magnetic activity in fully convective stars. Using the WD components of the pairs, we find WD cooling ages to use as an additional constraint on the age-activity relation for our sample. We find that, on average, active early-type dMs tend to be younger and that active late-type dMs span a much broader age regime making them indistinguishable from the inactive late-type population. We also show that magnetic strength, as measured by H{alpha}, is comparable between paired and field M dwarfs until a spectral type of M6/M7 where M dwarf activity for stars with close companions becomes much stronger. In addition, we present 37 very close candidate pairs with fast-moving orbits that display radial velocity changes over hour timescales.
32. COCONUTS. I. Spectra of a WD and T4 comoving syst.
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/891/171
Title:
COCONUTS. I. Spectra of a WD and T4 comoving syst.
Short Name:
J/ApJ/891/171
Date:
17 Jan 2022 13:06:37
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We present the first discovery from the COol Companions ON Ultrawide orbiTS (COCONUTS) program, a large-scale survey for wide-orbit planetary and substellar companions. We have discovered a comoving system COCONUTS-1, composed of a hydrogen-dominated white dwarf (PSOJ058.9855+45.4184; d=31.5pc) and a T4 companion (PSOJ058.9869+45.4296) at a 40.6" (1280au) projected separation. We derive physical properties for COCONUTS-1B from (1) its near-infrared spectrum using cloudless Sonora atmospheric models, and (2) its luminosity and the white dwarf's age (7.3_-1.6_^+2.8^Gyr) using Sonora evolutionary models. The two methods give consistent temperatures and radii, but atmospheric models infer a lower surface gravity and therefore an unphysically young age. Assuming evolutionary model parameters (T_eff_=1255_-8_^+6^K, logg=5.44_-0.03_^+0.02^dex, R=0.789_-0.005_^+0.011^R_Jup_), we find that cloudless model atmospheres have brighter Y- and J-band fluxes than the data, suggesting that condensate clouds have not fully dispersed around 1300K. The W2 flux (4.6{mu}m) of COCONUTS-1B is fainter than models, suggesting non-equilibrium mixing of CO. To investigate the gravity dependence of the L/T transition, we compile all 60 known L6-T6 benchmarks and derive a homogeneous set of temperatures, surface gravities, and masses. As is well known, young, low-gravity late-L dwarfs have significantly fainter, redder near-infrared photometry and ~200-300K cooler temperatures than old, high-gravity objects. Our sample now reveals such gravity dependence becomes weaker for T dwarfs, with young objects having comparable near-infrared photometry and ~100K cooler temperatures compared to old objects. Finally, we find that young objects have a larger amplitude J-band brightening than old objects, and also brighten at H band as they cross the L/T transition.
33. Comparison of IUE and CALSPEC SEDs for 6 WDs
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/155/162
Title:
Comparison of IUE and CALSPEC SEDs for 6 WDs
Short Name:
J/AJ/155/162
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
A collection of spectral energy distributions (SEDs) is available in the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) CALSPEC database that is based on calculated model atmospheres for pure hydrogen white dwarfs (WDs). A much larger set (~100000) of UV SEDs covering the range (1150-3350 {AA}) with somewhat lower quality are available in the IUE database. IUE low-dispersion flux distributions are compared with CALSPEC to provide a correction that places IUE fluxes on the CALSPEC scale. While IUE observations are repeatable to only 4%-10% in regions of good sensitivity, the average flux corrections have a precision of 2%-3%. Our re-calibration places the IUE flux scale on the current UV reference standard and is relevant for any project based on IUE archival data, including our planned comparison of GALEX to the corrected IUE fluxes. IUE SEDs may be used to plan observations and cross-calibrate data from future missions, so the IUE flux calibration must be consistent with HST instrumental calibrations to the best possible precision.
34. Cool DZ white dwarfs. I.
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/467/4970
Title:
Cool DZ white dwarfs. I.
Short Name:
J/MNRAS/467/4970
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
White dwarfs with metal lines in their spectra act as signposts for post-main-sequence planetary systems. Searching the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 12, we have identified 231 cool (<9000K) DZ white dwarfs with strong metal absorption, extending the DZ cooling sequence to both higher metal abundances and lower temperatures, and hence longer cooling ages. Of these 231 systems, 104 are previously unknown white dwarfs. Compared with previous work, our spectral fitting uses improved model atmospheres with updated line profiles and line-lists, which we use to derive effective temperatures and abundances for up to eight elements. We also determine spectroscopic distances to our sample, identifying two halo members with tangential space velocities >300km/s. The implications of our results on remnant planetary systems are to be discussed in a separate paper.
35. Cool WD atmosphere models. IV. Spectral evolution
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/878/63
Title:
Cool WD atmosphere models. IV. Spectral evolution
Short Name:
J/ApJ/878/63
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
As a result of competing physical mechanisms, the atmospheric composition of white dwarfs changes throughout their evolution, a process known as spectral evolution. Because of the ambiguity of their atmospheric compositions and the difficulties inherent to the modeling of their dense atmospheres, no consensus exists regarding the spectral evolution of cool white dwarfs (Teff<6000K). In the previous papers of this series, we presented and observationally validated a new generation of cool white dwarf atmosphere models that include all the necessary constitutive physics to accurately model those objects. Using these new models and a homogeneous sample of 501 cool white dwarfs, we revisit the spectral evolution of cool white dwarfs. Our sample includes all spectroscopically identified white dwarfs cooler than 8300K for which a parallax is available in Gaia DR2 and photometric observations are available in Pan-STARRS1 and 2MASS. Except for a few cool carbon-polluted objects, our models allow an excellent fit to the spectroscopic and photometric observations of all objects included in our sample. We identify a decrease of the ratio of hydrogen- to helium-rich objects between 7500 and 6250K, which we interpret as the signature of convective mixing. After this decrease, hydrogen-rich objects become more abundant up to 5000K. This puzzling increase, reminiscent of the non-DA gap, has yet to be explained. At lower temperatures, below 5000K, hydrogen-rich white dwarfs become rarer, which rules out the scenario in which the accretion of hydrogen from the interstellar medium dominates the spectral evolution of cool white dwarfs.
36. Cool white dwarfs in the SDSS
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/131/582
Title:
Cool white dwarfs in the SDSS
Short Name:
J/AJ/131/582
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
A reduced proper motion diagram utilising Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) photometry and astrometry and USNO-B plate astrometry is used to separate cool white dwarf candidates from metal-weak, high-velocity, main-sequence Population II stars (subdwarfs) in the SDSS Data Release 2 imaging area. Follow-up spectroscopy using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope, the MMT, and the McDonald 2.7m telescope is used to demonstrate that the white dwarf and subdwarf loci separate cleanly in the reduced proper motion diagram and that the contamination by subdwarfs is small near the cool white dwarf locus.
37. Cool white dwarfs in the solar neighborhood
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/643/402
Title:
Cool white dwarfs in the solar neighborhood
Short Name:
J/ApJ/643/402
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
The New Luyten Two-Tenths catalog contains a large number of high proper motion white dwarf candidates that remain to be spectroscopically confirmed. We present new spectroscopic observations, as well as SDSS archival spectra of 49 white dwarf candidates selected from the revised NLTT catalog of Salim & Gould (2003, Cat. J/ApJ/582/1011). Of these, 34 are cool DA white dwarfs with temperatures ranging from approximately 5000 up to 11,690K, and 11 are DC white dwarfs with temperatures ranging from 4300K (NLTT 18555) up to 11000K. Three of the DA white dwarfs also display abundances of heavy elements (NLTT 3915, NLTT 44986, and NLTT 43806), and one is a cool magnetic white dwarf (NLTT 44447) with an estimated magnetic field strength of 1.3MG. We also present a new cool DQ white dwarf (NLTT 31347) with an estimated temperature of 6250K. We supplement our sample with SDSS ugriz photometry for a fraction of the newly identified white dwarfs. A kinematical study of this sample of white dwarfs, characterized by proper motions ranging from 0.136"/yr to 0.611"/yr, suggest that they belong to the thin disk population.
38. CSS21055 light curves
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/558/A96
Title:
CSS21055 light curves
Short Name:
J/A+A/558/A96
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We report photometric observations of the eclipsing close binary CSS21055 (SDSS J141126+200911) that strongly suggest that the companion to the carbon-oxygen white dwarf is a brown dwarf with a mass between 0.030 and 0.074M_{sun}. The measured orbital period is 121.73-min and the totality of the eclipse lasts 125s. If confirmed, CSS21055 would be the first detached eclipsing WD+BD binary. Spectroscopy in the eclipse could provide information about the companion's evolutionary state and atmospheric structure.
39. DA-white dwarfs from SDSS and UKIDSS
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/417/1210
Title:
DA-white dwarfs from SDSS and UKIDSS
Short Name:
J/MNRAS/417/1210
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We present a method which uses colour-colour cuts on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) photometry to select white dwarfs with hydrogen-rich (DA) atmospheres without the recourse to spectroscopy. This method results in a sample of DA white dwarfs that is 95 per cent complete at an efficiency of returning a true DA white dwarf of 62 per cent. The approach was applied to SDSS Data Release 7 for objects with and without SDSS spectroscopy.
40. DA white dwarfs from the Palomar Green Survey
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/156/47
Title:
DA white dwarfs from the Palomar Green Survey
Short Name:
J/ApJS/156/47
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
Spectrophotometric observations at high signal-to-noise ratio were obtained of a complete sample of 347 DA white dwarfs from the Palomar Green (PG) Survey (1986, Cat. <II/207>). Fits of observed Balmer lines to synthetic spectra calculated from pure-hydrogen model atmospheres were used to obtain robust values of T_eff_, log(g), masses, radii, and cooling ages. The luminosity function of the sample, weighted by 1/V_max_, was obtained and compared with other determinations.

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