Bibcode
Kilic, Mukremin; Brown, Warren R.; Allende-Prieto, C.; Agüeros, M. A.; Heinke, Craig; Kenyon, S. J.
Referencia bibliográfica
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 727, Issue 1, article id. 3 (2011).
Fecha de publicación:
1
2011
Revista
Número de citas
122
Número de citas referidas
105
Descripción
We describe new radial velocity and X-ray observations of extremely
low-mass white dwarfs (ELM WDs, ~0.2 M sun) in the Sloan
Digital Sky Survey Data Release 4 and the MMT Hypervelocity Star survey.
We identify four new short period binaries, including two merger
systems. These observations bring the total number of short period
binary systems identified in our survey to 20. No main-sequence or
neutron star companions are visible in the available optical photometry,
radio, and X-ray data. Thus, the companions are most likely WDs. Twelve
of these systems will merge within a Hubble time due to gravitational
wave radiation. We have now tripled the number of known merging WD
systems. We discuss the characteristics of this merger sample and
potential links to underluminous supernovae, extreme helium stars, AM
CVn systems, and other merger products. We provide new observational
tests of the WD mass-period distribution and cooling models for ELM WDs.
We also find evidence for a new formation channel for single low-mass
WDs through binary mergers of two lower mass objects.
Based on observations obtained at the MMT Observatory, a joint facility
of the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Arizona.
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