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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Observational Constraints On The Degenerate Mass-Radius Relation, J. B. Holberg, Terry D. Oswalt, M. A. Barstow
Observational Constraints On The Degenerate Mass-Radius Relation, J. B. Holberg, Terry D. Oswalt, M. A. Barstow
Publications
The white dwarf mass–radius relationship is fundamental to modern astrophysics. It is central to routine estimation of DA white dwarf masses derived from spectroscopic temperatures and gravities. It is also the basis for observational determinations of the white dwarf initial–final-mass relation. Nevertheless, definitive and detailed observational confirmations of the mass–radius relation (MRR) remain elusive owing to a lack of sufficiently accurate white dwarf masses and radii. Current best estimates of masses and radii allow only broad conclusions about the expected inverse relation between masses and radii in degenerate stars. In this paper, we examine a restricted set of 12 DA …
The Initial–Final Mass Relation Among White Dwarfs In Wide Binaries, J. K. Zhao, T. D. Oswalt, L. A. Willson, Q. Wang, G. Zhao
The Initial–Final Mass Relation Among White Dwarfs In Wide Binaries, J. K. Zhao, T. D. Oswalt, L. A. Willson, Q. Wang, G. Zhao
Publications
We present the initial–final mass relation derived from 10 white dwarfs in wide binaries that consist of a main-sequence star and a white dwarf. The temperature and gravity of each white dwarf were measured by fitting theoretical model atmospheres to the observed spectrum using a χ2 fitting algorithm. The cooling time and mass were obtained using theoretical cooling tracks. The total age of each binary was estimated from the chromospheric activity of its main-sequence component to an uncertainty of about 0.17 dex in log t. The difference between the total age and white dwarf cooling time is taken …