scholarly journals A white dwarf bound to the transiting planetary system WASP-98

2020 ◽  
Vol 497 (4) ◽  
pp. 4416-4422
Author(s):  
John Southworth ◽  
Pier-Emmanuel Tremblay ◽  
Boris T Gänsicke ◽  
Daniel Evans ◽  
Teo Močnik

ABSTRACT WASP-98 is a planetary system containing a hot Jupiter transiting a late-G dwarf. A fainter star, 12 arcsec away, has previously been identified as a white dwarf, with a distance and proper motion consistent with a physical association with the planetary system. We present spectroscopy of the white dwarf, with the aim of determining its mass, radius, and temperature and hence the age of the system. However, the spectra show the featureless continuum and lack of spectral lines characteristic of the DC class of white dwarfs. We therefore fitted theoretical white dwarf spectra to the ugriz apparent magnitudes and Gaia DR2 parallax of this object in order to determine its physical properties and the age of the system. We find that the system is old, with a lower limit of 3.6 Gyr, but theoretical uncertainties preclude a precise determination of its age. Its kinematics are consistent with membership of the thick disc, but do not allow us to rule out the thin-disc alternative. The old age and low metallicity of the system suggest that it is subject to an age–metallicity relation, but analysis of the most metal-rich and metal-poor transiting planetary systems yields only insubstantial evidence of this. We conclude that the study of bound white dwarfs can yield independent ages to planetary systems, but such analysis may be better suited to DA and DB rather than DC white dwarfs.

2019 ◽  
Vol 489 (1) ◽  
pp. 420-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas J Ruffini ◽  
Andrew R Casey

ABSTRACT Observations of stellar remnants linked to Type Ia and Type Iax supernovae are necessary to fully understand their progenitors. Multiple progenitor scenarios predict a population of kicked donor remnants and partially burnt primary remnants, both moving with relatively high velocity. But only a handful of examples consistent with these two predicted populations have been observed. Here we report the likely first known example of an unbound white dwarf that is consistent with being the fully cooled primary remnant to a Type Iax supernova. The candidate, LP 93-21, is travelling with a galactocentric velocity of $v_{\textrm {gal}} \simeq 605\, {\rm km}\, {\rm s}^{-1}$, and is gravitationally unbound to the Milky Way. We rule out an extragalactic origin. The Type Iax supernova ejection scenario is consistent with its peculiar unbound trajectory, given anomalous elemental abundances are detected in its photosphere via spectroscopic follow-up. This discovery reflects recent models that suggest stellar ejections likely occur often. Unfortunately the intrinsic faintness of white dwarfs, and the uncertainty associated with their direct progenitor systems, makes it difficult to detect and confirm such donors.


Author(s):  
John H D Harrison ◽  
Amy Bonsor ◽  
Mihkel Kama ◽  
Andrew M Buchan ◽  
Simon Blouin ◽  
...  

Abstract White dwarfs that have accreted planetary bodies are a powerful probe of the bulk composition of exoplanetary material. In this paper, we present a Bayesian model to explain the abundances observed in the atmospheres of 202 DZ white dwarfs by considering the heating, geochemical differentiation, and collisional processes experienced by the planetary bodies accreted, as well as gravitational sinking. The majority (>60%) of systems are consistent with the accretion of primitive material. We attribute the small spread in refractory abundances observed to a similar spread in the initial planet-forming material, as seen in the compositions of nearby stars. A range in Na abundances in the pollutant material is attributed to a range in formation temperatures from below 1,000 K to higher than 1,400 K, suggesting that pollutant material arrives in white dwarf atmospheres from a variety of radial locations. We also find that Solar System-like differentiation is common place in exo-planetary systems. Extreme siderophile (Fe, Ni or Cr) abundances in 8 systems require the accretion of a core-rich fragment of a larger differentiated body to at least a 3σ significance, whilst one system shows evidence that it accreted a crust-rich fragment. In systems where the abundances suggest that accretion has finished (13/202), the total mass accreted can be calculated. The 13 systems are estimated to have accreted masses ranging from the mass of the Moon to half that of Vesta. Our analysis suggests that accretion continues for 11Myrs on average.


2019 ◽  
Vol 490 (1) ◽  
pp. 1066-1075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyra Dame ◽  
Claudia Belardi ◽  
Mukremin Kilic ◽  
Armin Rest ◽  
A Gianninas ◽  
...  

Abstract We present minute cadence photometry of 31 732 point sources observed in one 3 $\rm deg^{2}$ DECam pointing centred at RA = 09:03:02 and Dec. = −04:35:00 over eight consecutive half-nights. We use these data to search for eclipse-like events consistent with a planetary transit of a white dwarf and other sources of stellar variability within the field. We do not find any significant evidence for minute-long transits around our targets, hence we rule out planetary transits around ∼370 white dwarfs that should be present in this field. Additionally, we identify 49 variables, including 40 new systems. These include 23 detached or contact stellar binaries, one eclipsing white dwarf + M dwarf binary, 16 δ Scuti, three RR Lyrae, and two ZZ Ceti pulsators. Results from the remaining two fields in our survey will allow us to place more stringent constraints on the frequency of planets orbiting white dwarfs in the habitable zone.


2019 ◽  
Vol 486 (3) ◽  
pp. 3560-3568 ◽  
Author(s):  
J-N Fu ◽  
G Vauclair ◽  
J Su ◽  
L Fox Machado ◽  
F Colas ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (S357) ◽  
pp. 170-174
Author(s):  
Terry D. Oswalt ◽  
Jay B. Holberg ◽  
Edward M. Sion

AbstractThe Gaia DR2 has dramatically increased the ability to detect faint nearby white dwarfs. The census of the local white dwarf population has recently been extended from 25 pc to 50 pc, effectively increasing the sample by roughly an order of magnitude. Here we examine the completeness of this new sample as a function of variables such as apparent magnitude, distance, proper motion, photometric color index, unresolved components, etc.


2020 ◽  
Vol 499 (2) ◽  
pp. 1890-1908 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack McCleery ◽  
Pier-Emmanuel Tremblay ◽  
Nicola Pietro Gentile Fusillo ◽  
Mark A Hollands ◽  
Boris T Gänsicke ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We present an overview of the sample of Northern hemisphere white dwarfs within 40 pc of the Sun detected from Gaia Data Release 2 (DR2). We find that 521 sources are spectroscopically confirmed degenerate stars, 111 of which were first identified as white dwarf candidates from Gaia DR2 and followed up recently with the William Herschel Telescope and Gran Telescopio Canarias. Three additional white dwarf candidates remain spectroscopically unobserved and six unresolved binaries are known to include a white dwarf but were not in our initial selection in the Gaia DR2 Hertzsprung–Russell diagram. Atmospheric parameters are calculated from Gaia and Pan-STARRS photometry for all objects in the sample, confirming most of the trends previously observed in the much smaller 20 pc sample. Local white dwarfs are overwhelmingly consistent with Galactic disc kinematics, with only four halo candidates. We find that DAZ white dwarfs are significantly less massive than the overall DA population ($\overline{M}_\mathrm{DAZ}$ = 0.59 M⊙, $\overline{M}_\mathrm{DA}$ = 0.66 M⊙). It may suggest that planet formation is less efficient at higher mass stars, producing more massive white dwarfs. We detect a sequence of crystallized white dwarfs in the mass range from 0.6 $\lesssim M/\mbox{$\mathrm{M}_\odot $}\ \lesssim$ 1.0 and find that the vast majority of objects on the sequence have standard kinematic properties that correspond to the average of the sample, suggesting that their nature can be explained by crystallization alone. We also detect 26 double degenerates and white dwarf components in 56 wide binary systems.


1980 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 255-262
Author(s):  
Jesse L. Greenstein

Extensive mass loss is observed for hot subluminous stars, through P Cygni lines in the ultraviolet. This persists in some sub-dwarf 0 stars, but is generally not observed in white dwarfs. The ultraviolet provides determination of effective temperatures. Among nine sdO’s, the maximum temperature reported is definitely below 60, 000 K; an object at 100, 000 K would be distinguishable. The sdO’s show a wide variety of line strengths, notably in N V, C IV and Si TV, as well as He II. One halo sdB is reported as rich in peculiar elements; it shows anomalous N V for its temperature. The comparison of effective temperatures of white dwarfs observed from space and from the ground gives excellent agreement. The hottest white dwarfs are near 60, 000 K, although one (helium-rich) reaches 80, 000 K. Another helium-rich close binary probably has an accretion disk; it is the only white dwarf to show the expanding shell of N V, C IV, Si IV characteristic of some subdwarfs. Two magnetic white dwarfs have been observed; one has strong unidentifiable features and the smallest known radius.


1978 ◽  
Vol 80 ◽  
pp. 437-440
Author(s):  
James Liebert

The recent discovery that the parallax star LP701-29 is a white dwarf has firmly extended the degenerate sequence below MV= +16m(Dahnet al. 1978). As the search for white dwarfs extends to cooler and fainter stars, however, it becomes particularly important to develop a plan for selecting candidates among the many thousands of red proper motion stars. We begin by assessing the completeness of the known sample within 10 parsecs in the northern two thirds of the sky. Some color-dependent selection effects must be evaluated, however, since these may preferentially inhibit the discovery of cooler stars. A correction factor for the missing low velocity white dwarfs is estimated. Then, Green's(1977) recent determination of the number density of blue degenerates is used to normalize various theoretical luminosity functions, the benchmarks against which the current sample out to 10 pc can be compared. It is concluded that the sample may be approaching completeness in the northern sky for white dwarfs with tangential velocities (vT) ≥ 40 km/sec (μ ≥ 1″.0/yr.) and Mbol< +15m. The implied luminosity function is thus consistent with that found by Sion and Liebert (1977). Below Mbol= +15mthe different theoretical functions predict substantially different numbers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 629 ◽  
pp. L6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Santiago Torres ◽  
Carles Cantero ◽  
María E. Camisassa ◽  
Teresa Antoja ◽  
Alberto Rebassa-Mansergas ◽  
...  

Aims. We analyzed the velocity space of the thin- and thick-disk Gaia white dwarf population within 100 pc by searching for signatures of the Hercules stellar stream. We aimed to identify objects belonging to the Hercules stream, and by taking advantage of white dwarf stars as reliable cosmochronometers, to derive a first age distribution. Methods. We applied a kernel density estimation to the UV velocity space of white dwarfs. For the region where a clear overdensity of stars was found, we created a 5D space of dynamic variables. We applied a hierarchichal clustering method, HDBSCAN, to this 5D space, and identified those white dwarfs that share similar kinematic characteristics. Finally, under general assumptions and from their photometric properties, we derived an age estimate for each object. Results. The Hercules stream was first revealed as an overdensity in the UV velocity space of the thick-disk white dwarf population. Three substreams were then found: Hercules a and Hercules b, formed by thick-disk stars with an age distribution that peaked 4 Gyr in the past and extends to very old ages; and Hercules c, with a ratio of 65:35 of thin to thick stars and a more uniform age distribution that is younger than 10 Gyr.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (S357) ◽  
pp. 197-201
Author(s):  
Tyler Heintz ◽  
JJ Hermes

AbstractWe present a sample of nearly 650 widely separated double white dwarf binaries found using Gaia DR2 astrometry. We derive preliminary total ages for each white dwarf in our sample using Gaia photometry and compare the total ages of both components of each binary in our sample. We find agreement within 3 sigma between the two ages ∼85% of the time with median age uncertainties of ∼3.5 Gyr depending on which initial-final mass relation is used. When a subsample with the most precise ages is used, the agreement within 3 sigma drops to ∼70% with median age uncertainties of 300-600 Myr.


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