Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Wide Binary Systems And The Nature Of High-Velocity White Dwarfs, Nicole M. Silvestri, Terry D. Oswalt, Suzanne L. Hawley

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

We present measured radial velocities and complete space motions for 116 white dwarf stars with M dwarf companions. Thirteen pairs have " halo-like " velocities. According to a recent study by Oppenheimer et al., all these high-velocity white dwarfs should be considered part of the dark matter heavy halo of the Galaxy, based on their kinematics. Based on the near-solar abundance levels of the M dwarf companions, we conclude that 12 of our 13 high-velocity white dwarfs are actually part of the high-velocity tail of the thick disk, rather than the dark matter halo of the Galaxy, in agreement with …