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Title: ENIGMAS FROM THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY DR7 KLEINMAN WHITE DWARF CATALOG

Abstract

We report results from a continuation of our searches for high field magnetic white dwarfs (WDs) paired in a detached binary with non-degenerate companions. We made use of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR7 catalog of Kleinman et al. (2013) with 19,712 spectroscopically identified WDs. These include 1735 WD plus M dwarf detached pairs (almost 10% of the Kleinman et al.'s list). No new pairs were found, although we did recover the polar (AM Herculis system) ST LMi in a low state of accretion. With the larger sample the original situation reported 10 yr ago remains intact now at a much higher level of statistical significance: in the selected SDSS sample, high field magnetic WDs are not found in an apparently detached pairing with an M dwarf, unless they are a magnetic cataclysmic variable (CV) in a low state of accretion. This finding strengthens the case that the fields in the isolated high field magnetic WDs are generated by stellar mergers but also raises questions on the nature of the progenitors of the magnetic CVs.

Authors:
;  [1];
  1. Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22522450
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Astrophysical Journal
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 804; Journal Issue: 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0004-637X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; BINARY STARS; CATALOGS; MAGNETIC FIELDS; POLARIZATION; SKY; STAR ACCRETION; STAR EVOLUTION; WHITE DWARF STARS

Citation Formats

Liebert, James, Smith, Paul S., Ferrario, Lilia, and Wickramasinghe, Dayal T., E-mail: jamesliebert@gmail.com, E-mail: psmith@as.arizona.edu, E-mail: Lilia.Ferrario@anu.edu.au, E-mail: Dayal.Wickramasinghe@anu.edu.au. ENIGMAS FROM THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY DR7 KLEINMAN WHITE DWARF CATALOG. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/804/2/93.
Liebert, James, Smith, Paul S., Ferrario, Lilia, & Wickramasinghe, Dayal T., E-mail: jamesliebert@gmail.com, E-mail: psmith@as.arizona.edu, E-mail: Lilia.Ferrario@anu.edu.au, E-mail: Dayal.Wickramasinghe@anu.edu.au. ENIGMAS FROM THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY DR7 KLEINMAN WHITE DWARF CATALOG. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/804/2/93
Liebert, James, Smith, Paul S., Ferrario, Lilia, and Wickramasinghe, Dayal T., E-mail: jamesliebert@gmail.com, E-mail: psmith@as.arizona.edu, E-mail: Lilia.Ferrario@anu.edu.au, E-mail: Dayal.Wickramasinghe@anu.edu.au. 2015. "ENIGMAS FROM THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY DR7 KLEINMAN WHITE DWARF CATALOG". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/804/2/93.
@article{osti_22522450,
title = {ENIGMAS FROM THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY DR7 KLEINMAN WHITE DWARF CATALOG},
author = {Liebert, James and Smith, Paul S. and Ferrario, Lilia and Wickramasinghe, Dayal T., E-mail: jamesliebert@gmail.com, E-mail: psmith@as.arizona.edu, E-mail: Lilia.Ferrario@anu.edu.au, E-mail: Dayal.Wickramasinghe@anu.edu.au},
abstractNote = {We report results from a continuation of our searches for high field magnetic white dwarfs (WDs) paired in a detached binary with non-degenerate companions. We made use of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR7 catalog of Kleinman et al. (2013) with 19,712 spectroscopically identified WDs. These include 1735 WD plus M dwarf detached pairs (almost 10% of the Kleinman et al.'s list). No new pairs were found, although we did recover the polar (AM Herculis system) ST LMi in a low state of accretion. With the larger sample the original situation reported 10 yr ago remains intact now at a much higher level of statistical significance: in the selected SDSS sample, high field magnetic WDs are not found in an apparently detached pairing with an M dwarf, unless they are a magnetic cataclysmic variable (CV) in a low state of accretion. This finding strengthens the case that the fields in the isolated high field magnetic WDs are generated by stellar mergers but also raises questions on the nature of the progenitors of the magnetic CVs.},
doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/804/2/93},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22522450}, journal = {Astrophysical Journal},
issn = {0004-637X},
number = 2,
volume = 804,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun May 10 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Sun May 10 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}