Bibcode
Tremblay, P.-E.; Leggett, S. K.; Lodieu, N.; Freytag, B.; Bergeron, P.; Kalirai, J. S.; Ludwig, H.-G.
Bibliographical reference
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 788, Issue 2, article id. 103, 15 pp. (2014).
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6
2014
Journal
Citations
8
Refereed citations
7
Description
We have identified 8 to 10 new cool white dwarfs from the Large Area
Survey (LAS) Data Release 9 of the United Kingdom InfraRed Telescope
(UKIRT) Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS). The data set was paired with
the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to obtain proper motions and a broad
ugrizYJHK wavelength coverage. Optical spectroscopic observations were
secured at Gemini Observatory and confirm the degenerate status for
eight of our targets. The final sample includes two additional white
dwarf candidates with no spectroscopic observations. We rely on improved
one-dimensional model atmospheres and new multi-dimensional simulations
with CO5BOLD to review the stellar parameters of the published LAS white
dwarf sample along with our additional discoveries. Most of the new
objects possess very cool atmospheres with effective temperatures below
5000 K, including two pure-hydrogen remnants with a cooling age between
8.5 and 9.0 Gyr, and tangential velocities in the range 40 km
s–1 <=v tan <= 60 km
s–1. They are likely thick disk 10-11 Gyr old objects.
In addition, we find a resolved double degenerate system with v
tan ~ 155 km s–1 and a cooling age between
3.0 and 5.0 Gyr. These white dwarfs could be disk remnants with a very
high velocity or former halo G stars. We also compare the LAS sample
with earlier studies of very cool degenerates and observe a similar
deficit of helium-dominated atmospheres in the range 5000 < T
eff (K) < 6000. We review the possible explanations for
the spectral evolution from helium-dominated toward hydrogen-rich
atmospheres at low temperatures.
Related projects
Very Low Mass Stars, Brown Dwarfs and Planets
Our goal is to study the processes that lead to the formation of low mass stars, brown dwarfs and planets and to characterize the physical properties of these objects in various evolutionary stages. Low mass stars and brown dwarfs are likely the most numerous type of objects in our Galaxy but due to their low intrinsic luminosity they are not so
Rafael
Rebolo López