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Astrophysics and Astronomy

2006

White Dwarfs

Articles 1 - 4 of 4

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Iron In Hot Da White Dwarfs, Stéphane Vennes, Pierre Chayer, Jean François Dupuis, Thierry M. Lanz Dec 2006

Iron In Hot Da White Dwarfs, Stéphane Vennes, Pierre Chayer, Jean François Dupuis, Thierry M. Lanz

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

We present a study of the iron abundance pattern in hot, hydrogen-rich (DA) white dwarfs. The study is based on new and archival far-ultraviolet spectroscopy of a sample of white dwarfs in the temperature range 30,000 K ≲ Teff ≲ 64,000 K. The spectra obtained with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer, along with spectra obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph and the International Ultraviolet Explorer, sample Fe III-Fe VI absorption lines, enabling a detailed iron abundance analysis over a wider range of effective temperatures than previously afforded. The measurements reveal abundance variations in excess of 2 orders of …


Lp 400-22, A Very Low Mass And High-Velocity White Dwarf, Adéla Kawka, Stéphane Vennes, Terry D. Oswalt, J. Allyn Smith, Nicole M. Silvestri Jun 2006

Lp 400-22, A Very Low Mass And High-Velocity White Dwarf, Adéla Kawka, Stéphane Vennes, Terry D. Oswalt, J. Allyn Smith, Nicole M. Silvestri

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

We report the identification of LP 400-22 (WD 2234+222) as a very low mass and high-velocity white dwarf. The ultraviolet GALEX and optical photometric colors and a spectral line analysis of LP 400-22 show this star to have an effective temperature of 11,080 ± 140 K and a surface gravity of log g = 6.32 ± 0.08. Therefore, this is a helium-core white dwarf with a mass of 0.17 M⊙. The tangential velocity of this white dwarf is 414 ± 43 km s-1, making it one of the fastest moving white dwarfs known. We discuss probable evolutionary scenarios for this …


Spectroscopic Identification Of Cool White Dwarfs In The Solar Neighborhood, Adela Kawka, Stéphane Vennes May 2006

Spectroscopic Identification Of Cool White Dwarfs In The Solar Neighborhood, Adela Kawka, Stéphane Vennes

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The New Luyten Two-Tenths catalog contains a large number of high proper motion white dwarf candidates that remain to be spectroscopically confirmed. We present new spectroscopic observations, as well as SDSS archival spectra of 49 white dwarf candidates selected from the revised NLTT catalog of Salim & Gould. Of these, 34 are cool DA white dwarfs with temperatures ranging from approximately 5000 up to 11,690 K, and 11 are DC white dwarfs with temperatures ranging from 4300 K (NLTT 18555) up to 11,000 K. Three of the DA white dwarfs also display abundances of heavy elements (NLTT 3915, NLTT 44986, …


A Far-Ultraviolet Study Of The Hot White Dwarf In The Dwarf Nova Ww Ceti, Patrick Godon, Laura Seward, Edward M. Sion, Paula Szkody May 2006

A Far-Ultraviolet Study Of The Hot White Dwarf In The Dwarf Nova Ww Ceti, Patrick Godon, Laura Seward, Edward M. Sion, Paula Szkody

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

We present a synthetic spectral analysis of IUE archival and FUSE (Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer) far-UV spectra of the peculiar dwarf nova WW Cet. During the quiescence of WW Cet, a white dwarf with T wd ∼ 26,000 ± 1000 K can account for the far-UV flux and yields the proper distance. However, the best agreement with the observations is provided by a two-temperature white dwarf model with a cooler white dwarf at T wd = 25,000 K providing 75% of the far-UV flux and a hotter region (accretion belt or optically thick disk ring) with T = 40,000 K …