skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF THE CURRENT CENSUS OF NORTHERN WHITE DWARFS WITHIN 40 pc OF THE SUN

Abstract

We present a detailed description of the physical properties of our current census of white dwarfs within 40 pc of the Sun, based on an exhaustive spectroscopic survey of northern hemisphere candidates from the SUPERBLINK proper motion database. Our method for selecting white dwarf candidates is based on a combination of theoretical color–magnitude relations and reduced proper motion diagrams. We reported in an earlier publication the discovery of nearly 200 new white dwarfs, and we present here the discovery of an additional 133 new white dwarfs, among which we identify 96 DA, 3 DB, 24 DC, 3 DQ, and 7 DZ stars. We further identify 178 white dwarfs that lie within 40 pc of the Sun, representing a 40% increase of the current census, which now includes 492 objects. We estimate the completeness of our survey at between 66% and 78%, allowing for uncertainties in the distance estimates. We also perform a homogeneous model atmosphere analysis of this 40 pc sample and find a large fraction of massive white dwarfs, indicating that we are successfully recovering the more massive, and less luminous objects often missed in other surveys. We also show that the 40 pc sample is dominated by coolmore » and old white dwarfs, which populate the faint end of the luminosity function, although trigonometric parallaxes will be needed to shape this part of the luminosity function more accurately. Finally, we identify 4 probable members of the 20 pc sample, 4 suspected double degenerate binaries, and we also report the discovery of two new ZZ Ceti pulsators.« less

Authors:
;  [1]
  1. Département de Physique, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7 (Canada)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22520173
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Astrophysical Journal, Supplement Series
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 219; Journal Issue: 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0067-0049
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; BINARY STARS; COLOR; DIAGRAMS; DISTANCE; LUMINOSITY; MASS; NORTHERN HEMISPHERE; PROPER MOTION; SUN; WHITE DWARF STARS

Citation Formats

Limoges, M. -M., Bergeron, P., and Lépine, S., E-mail: limoges@astro.umontreal.ca, E-mail: bergeron@astro.umontreal.ca, E-mail: slepine@chara.gsu.edu. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF THE CURRENT CENSUS OF NORTHERN WHITE DWARFS WITHIN 40 pc OF THE SUN. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1088/0067-0049/219/2/19.
Limoges, M. -M., Bergeron, P., & Lépine, S., E-mail: limoges@astro.umontreal.ca, E-mail: bergeron@astro.umontreal.ca, E-mail: slepine@chara.gsu.edu. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF THE CURRENT CENSUS OF NORTHERN WHITE DWARFS WITHIN 40 pc OF THE SUN. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0067-0049/219/2/19
Limoges, M. -M., Bergeron, P., and Lépine, S., E-mail: limoges@astro.umontreal.ca, E-mail: bergeron@astro.umontreal.ca, E-mail: slepine@chara.gsu.edu. 2015. "PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF THE CURRENT CENSUS OF NORTHERN WHITE DWARFS WITHIN 40 pc OF THE SUN". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0067-0049/219/2/19.
@article{osti_22520173,
title = {PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF THE CURRENT CENSUS OF NORTHERN WHITE DWARFS WITHIN 40 pc OF THE SUN},
author = {Limoges, M. -M. and Bergeron, P. and Lépine, S., E-mail: limoges@astro.umontreal.ca, E-mail: bergeron@astro.umontreal.ca, E-mail: slepine@chara.gsu.edu},
abstractNote = {We present a detailed description of the physical properties of our current census of white dwarfs within 40 pc of the Sun, based on an exhaustive spectroscopic survey of northern hemisphere candidates from the SUPERBLINK proper motion database. Our method for selecting white dwarf candidates is based on a combination of theoretical color–magnitude relations and reduced proper motion diagrams. We reported in an earlier publication the discovery of nearly 200 new white dwarfs, and we present here the discovery of an additional 133 new white dwarfs, among which we identify 96 DA, 3 DB, 24 DC, 3 DQ, and 7 DZ stars. We further identify 178 white dwarfs that lie within 40 pc of the Sun, representing a 40% increase of the current census, which now includes 492 objects. We estimate the completeness of our survey at between 66% and 78%, allowing for uncertainties in the distance estimates. We also perform a homogeneous model atmosphere analysis of this 40 pc sample and find a large fraction of massive white dwarfs, indicating that we are successfully recovering the more massive, and less luminous objects often missed in other surveys. We also show that the 40 pc sample is dominated by cool and old white dwarfs, which populate the faint end of the luminosity function, although trigonometric parallaxes will be needed to shape this part of the luminosity function more accurately. Finally, we identify 4 probable members of the 20 pc sample, 4 suspected double degenerate binaries, and we also report the discovery of two new ZZ Ceti pulsators.},
doi = {10.1088/0067-0049/219/2/19},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22520173}, journal = {Astrophysical Journal, Supplement Series},
issn = {0067-0049},
number = 2,
volume = 219,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Aug 15 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Sat Aug 15 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}