Brown dwarfs as close companions to white dwarfs

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (12) References (34) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Brown Dwarfs as Close Companions to White Dwarfs Stringfellow, Guy S. ; Bodenheimer, Peter ; Black, David C. Abstract The influence of the radiation flux emitted by a white dwarf primary on the evolution of a closely orbiting brown dwarf (BD) companion is investigated. Full stellar evolutionary calculations are presented for both isolated and thermal bath cases, including effects of large variations in the atmospheric grain opacities. High grain opacities significantly increase the radii of the BDs, but the thermal bath does not. The major influence of the thermal bath is to increase substantially the surface temperature and luminosity of the BD at a given age. These results are compared with the observational properties of the possible BD companion of the white dwarf G29-38. Inclusion of both physical effects, high grain opacities and thermal bath, increases the mass range (0.034-0.063 solar masses) of viable models significantly, yet the final determination of whether the object is indeed a BD requires improvements in the observations of the system's properties. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: February 1990 DOI: 10.1086/185651 Bibcode: 1990ApJ...349L..59S Keywords: Binary Stars; Brown Dwarf Stars; Stellar Evolution; Stellar Radiation; White Dwarf Stars; Astronomical Models; Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram; Stellar Luminosity; Stellar Mass; Stellar Temperature; Astrophysics; INFRARED: SOURCES; STARS: BINARIES; STARS: EVOLUTION; STARS: INDIVIDUAL ALPHANUMERIC: G29-38; STARS: INTERIORS; STARS: LATE-TYPE; STARS: LUMINOSITIES; STARS: WHITE DWARFS full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (1)