Cool White Dwarfs Research Articles

A network of cooler white dwarfs as infrared standards for flux calibration

ABSTRACT The accurate flux calibration of observational data is vital for astrophysics and cosmology because absolute flux uncertainties of stellar standards propagate into scientific results. With the ever higher precision achieved by telescopic missions (e.g. JWST) in the infrared (IR), suitable calibrators are required for this regime. The basis of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) flux scale is defined by model fits of three hot (${T_\mathrm{eff}} > 30\, 000$ K) hydrogen-atmosphere (DA) white dwarfs, which achieve an accuracy better than 1 per cent at optical wavelengths but falls below this level in the IR range. We present a network of 17 cooler DA white dwarfs with ${T_\mathrm{eff}} < 20\, 000$ K as spectrophotometric flux standards that are equally, if not more, accurate at IR wavelengths. Cooler white dwarfs do not suffer from non-local thermal equilibrium effects in continuum flux or from ultraviolet metal line blanketing, have a larger sky density, are generally closer to Earth with little or negligible interstellar reddening, and have energy distributions peaking in the optical or near-IR. Using the latest grid of DA local thermal equilibrium atmosphere models with three-dimensional convection, the observed Space Telescope Imaging Spectrometer (STIS) and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) fluxes of our network are accurate to 3 per cent over most of the range $1450\!\! - \!\!16\, 000$ Å, with a median standard deviation of 1.41 per cent. Fitting the HST STIS and WFC3 white dwarf spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and Balmer lines independently yields SEDs that agree within $3\sigma$, which demonstrates the precision of the models for our network.

Catalog of Magnetic White Dwarfs with Hydrogen Dominated Atmospheres

White dwarfs are excellent research laboratories as they reach temperatures, pressures, and magnetic fields that are unattainable on Earth. To better understand how these three physical parameters interact with each other and with other stellar features, we determined the magnetic field strength for a total of 804 hydrogen-rich white dwarfs (WDs) of which 287 are not in the literature. We fitted the spectra observed with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey using atmospheric models that consider the Zeeman effect due to the magnetic field at each point in the stellar disk. Comparing magnetic and nonmagnetic WDs, the literature already shows that the magnetic ones have on average higher mass than the nonmagnetic. In addition to that, magnetic fields are more common in cooler WDs than in hotter WDs. In consonance, we found that those with higher magnetic field strengths tend to have higher masses, and lower temperatures, for which models indicate the crystallization process has already started. This reinforces the hypothesis that the field is being generated and/or amplified in the cooling process of the white dwarf. Our sample constitutes the largest number of white dwarfs with determined magnetic fields to date.

Spectral analysis of cool white dwarfs accreting from planetary systems: from the ultraviolet to the optical

ABSTRACT The accretion of planetary debris into the atmospheres of white dwarfs leads to the presence of metal lines in their spectra. Cool metal-rich white dwarfs, which left the main sequence many Gyr ago, allow the study of the remnants of the oldest planetary systems. Despite their low effective temperatures (Teff), a non-negligible amount of their flux is emitted in the near-ultraviolet (NUV), where many overlapping metal lines can potentially be detected. We have observed three metal-rich cool white dwarfs with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) onboard the Hubble Space Telescope, and compare the results determined from the NUV data with those previously derived from the analysis of optical spectroscopy. For two of the white dwarfs, SDSS J1038−0036 and SDSS J1535+1247, we find reasonable agreement with our previous analysis and the new combined fit of optical and NUV data. For the third object, SDSS J0956+5912, including the STIS data leads to a 10 per cent lower Teff, though we do not identify a convincing explanation for this discrepancy. The unusual abundances found for SDSS J0956+5912 suggest that the accreted parent body was composed largely of water ice and magnesium silicates, and with a mass of up to ≃ 2 × 1025 g. Furthermore, SDSS J0956+5912 shows likely traces of atomic carbon in the NUV. While molecular carbon is not observed in the optical, we demonstrate that the large quantity of metals accreted by SDSS J0956+5912 can suppress the C2 molecular bands, indicating that planetary accretion can convert DQ stars into DZs (and not DQZs/DZQs).

White dwarf–main-sequence binaries from Gaia EDR3: the unresolved 100 pc volume-limited sample

ABSTRACT We use the data provided by the Gaia Early Data Release 3 to search for a highly complete volume-limited sample of unresolved binaries consisting of a white dwarf and a main-sequence companion (i.e. WDMS binaries) within 100 pc. We select 112 objects based on their location within the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram, of which 97 are new identifications. We fit their spectral energy distributions (SED) with a two-body fitting algorithm implemented in VOSA (Virtual Observatory SED Analyser) to derive the effective temperatures, luminosities, and radii (hence surface gravities and masses) of both components. The stellar parameters are compared to those from the currently largest catalogue of close WDMS binaries, from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We find important differences between the properties of the Gaia and SDSS samples. In particular, the Gaia sample contains WDMS binaries with considerably cooler white dwarfs and main-sequence companions (some expected to be brown dwarfs). The Gaia sample also shows an important population of systems consisting of cool and extremely low-mass white dwarfs, not present in the SDSS sample. Finally, using a Monte Carlo population synthesis code, we find that the volume-limited sample of systems identified here seems to be highly complete (≃ 80 ± 9 per cent); however, it only represents ≃9 per cent of the total underlying population. The missing ≃91 per cent includes systems in which the main-sequence companions entirely dominate the SEDs. We also estimate an upper limit to the total space density of close WDMS binaries of ≃ (3.7 ± 1.9) × 10−4 pc−3.

Cool white dwarfs as standards for infrared observations

ABSTRACT In the era of modern digital sky surveys, uncertainties in the flux of stellar standards are commonly the dominant systematic error in photometric calibration and can often affect the results of higher level experiments. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) spectrophotometry, which is based on computed model atmospheres for three hot (Teff$\gt 30\, 000$ K) pure hydrogen (DA) white dwarfs, is currently considered the most reliable and internally consistent flux calibration. However, many next-generation facilities (e.g. Harmoni on E-ELT, Euclid, and JWST) will focus on IR observations, a regime in which white dwarf calibration has not yet been robustly tested. Cool DA white dwarfs have energy distributions that peak close to the optical or near-infrared, do not have shortcomings from UV metal line blanketing, and have a reasonably large sky density (≃4 deg−2 at G < 20), making them, potentially, excellent calibrators. Here, we present a pilot study based on STIS + WFC3 observations of two bright DA white dwarfs to test whether targets cooler than current hot primary standards (Teff$\lt 20\, 000$ K) are consistent with the HST flux scale. We also test the robustness of white dwarf models in the IR regime from an X-shooter analysis of Paschen lines and by cross-matching our previously derived Gaia white dwarf catalogue with observations obtained with 2MASS, UKIDSS, VHS, and WISE.

Line Profiles of the Calcium I Resonance Line in Cool Metal-polluted White Dwarfs

Abstract Metal-polluted white dwarfs (DZ stars) are characterized by a helium-rich atmosphere contaminated by heavy elements traces originating from accreted rocky planetesimals. As a detailed spectroscopic analysis of those objects can reveal the composition of the accreted debris, there is a great interest in developing accurate DZ atmosphere models. However, the coolest DZ white dwarfs are challenging to model due to the fluidlike density of their atmospheres. Under such extreme conditions, spectral absorption lines are heavily broadened by interactions with neutral helium, and it is no longer justified to use the conventional Lorentzian profiles. In this work, we determine the theoretical profiles of the Ca i resonance line (the most prominent spectral line for the coolest DZ white dwarfs) in the dense atmospheres of cool DZ white dwarfs. To do so, we use a unified theory of collisional line profiles and accurate ab initio potential energies and transition dipole moments for the CaHe molecule. We present the resulting profiles for the full range of temperatures and helium densities relevant for the modeling of cool, metal-polluted white dwarfs (from 3000 to 6000 K and from 1021 to 1023 cm−3). We also implement these new profiles in our atmosphere models and show that they lead to improved fits to the Ca i resonance line of the coolest DZ white dwarfs.

A New Generation of Cool White Dwarf Atmosphere Models. III. WD J2356–209: Accretion of a Planetesimal with an Unusual Composition

Abstract WD J2356−209 is a cool metal-polluted white dwarf whose visible spectrum is dominated by a strong and broad sodium feature. Although it was discovered nearly two decades ago, no detailed and realistic analysis of this star had yet been realized. In the absence of atmosphere models taking into account the nonideal high-density effects arising at the photosphere of WD J2356−209, the origin of its unique spectrum had remained nebulous. We use the cool white dwarf atmosphere code presented in the first paper of this series to finally reveal the secrets of this peculiar object and details about the planetesimal that polluted its atmosphere. Thanks to the improved input physics of our models, we find a solution that is in excellent agreement with the photometric observations and the visible spectrum. Our solution reveals that the photosphere of WD J2356−209 has a number density ratio of , which is the highest ever found in a white dwarf. Since we do not know how long ago the accretion episode stopped (if it has), we cannot precisely determine the composition nor the mass of the accreted planetesimal. Nevertheless, all scenarios considered indicate that its composition is incompatible with that of chondrite-like material and that its mass was at least 1021 g.

A New Generation of Cool White Dwarf Atmosphere Models. II. A DZ Star with Collision-induced Absorption

Abstract In the first paper of this series, we presented our upgraded cool white dwarf atmosphere code. In this second paper, we use our new models to analyze SDSS J080440.63+223948.6 (J0804+2239), the first DZ star to show collision-induced absorption (CIA). This object provides a crucial test for our models, since previous versions of our code were unable to simultaneously fit the metal absorption lines and the CIA. We find an excellent fit to both the spectroscopic and photometric data, which further validates the improved constitutive physics of our models. We also show that the presence of metal lines allows lift of the degeneracy between high and low hydrogen abundances that usually affects the fits of white dwarfs with CIA. Finally, we investigate the potential impact of spectroscopically undetected metals on the photometric solutions of DC stars.

The age of the Galactic stellar halo fromGaiawhite dwarfs

We use 156 044 white dwarf candidates with $\geq5\sigma$ significant parallax measurements from the Gaia mission to measure the velocity dispersion of the Galactic disc; $(\sigma_U,\sigma_V,\sigma_W) = (30.8, 23.9, 20.0)$ km s$^{-1}$. We identify 142 objects that are inconsistent with disc membership at the $>5\sigma$ level. This is the largest sample of field halo white dwarfs identified to date. We perform a detailed model atmosphere analysis using optical and near-infrared photometry and parallaxes to constrain the mass and cooling age of each white dwarf. The white dwarf cooling ages of our targets range from 7 Myr for J1657+2056 to 10.3 Gyr for J1049-7400. The latter provides a firm lower limit of 10.3 Gyr for the age of the inner halo based on the well-understood physics of white dwarfs. Including the pre-white dwarf evolutionary lifetimes, and limiting our sample to the recently formed white dwarfs with cooling ages of $<500$ Myr, we estimate an age of $10.9 \pm 0.4$ Gyr (internal errors only) for the Galactic inner halo. The coolest white dwarfs in our sample also give similar results. For example, J1049-7400 has a total age of 10.9-11.1 Gyr. Our age measurements are consistent with other measurements of the age of the inner halo, including the white dwarf based measurements of the globular clusters M4, NGC 6397, and 47 Tuc.

A New Generation of Cool White Dwarf Atmosphere Models. I. Theoretical Framework and Applications to DZ Stars

Abstract The photospheres of the coolest helium-atmosphere white dwarfs are characterized by fluidlike densities. Under those conditions, standard approximations used in model atmosphere codes are no longer appropriate. Unfortunately, the majority of cool He-rich white dwarfs show no spectral features, giving us no opportunities to put more elaborate models to the test. In the few cases where spectral features are observed (such as in cool DQ or DZ stars), current models completely fail to reproduce the spectroscopic data, signaling shortcomings in our theoretical framework. In order to fully trust parameters derived solely from the energy distribution, it is thus important to at least succeed in reproducing the spectra of the few coolest stars exhibiting spectral features, especially since such stars possess even less extreme physical conditions due to the presence of heavy elements. In this paper, we revise every building block of our model atmosphere code in order to eliminate low-density approximations. Our updated white dwarf atmosphere code incorporates state-of-the-art constitutive physics suitable for the conditions found in cool helium-rich stars (DC and DZ white dwarfs). This includes new high-density metal-line profiles, nonideal continuum opacities, an accurate equation of state, and a detailed description of the ionization equilibrium. In particular, we present new ab initio calculations to assess the ionization equilibrium of heavy elements (C, Ca, Fe, Mg, and Na) in a dense helium medium and show how our improved models allow us to achieve better spectral fits for two cool DZ stars, Ross 640 and LP 658-2.

Pressure Distortion of the H2–He Collision-induced Absorption at the Photosphere of Cool White Dwarf Stars

Abstract Collision-induced absorption (CIA) from molecular hydrogen is a dominant opacity source in the atmosphere of cool white dwarfs. It results in a significant flux depletion in the near-IR and IR parts of their spectra. Because of the extreme conditions of helium-rich atmospheres (where the density can be as high as a few g cm−3), this opacity source is expected to undergo strong pressure distortion and the currently used opacities have not been validated at such extreme conditions. To check the distortion of the CIA opacity, we applied state-of-the-art ab initio methods of computational quantum chemistry to simulate the CIA opacity at high densities. The results show that the CIA profiles are significantly distorted above densities of in a way that is not captured by the existing models. The roto-translational band is enhanced and shifted to higher frequencies as an effect of the decrease of the interatomic separation of the H2 molecule. The vibrational band is blueward shifted and split into Q R and Q P branches, separated by a pronounced interference dip. Its intensity is also substantially reduced. The distortions result in a shift of the maximum of the absorption from 2.3 μm to 3–7 μm, which could potentially explain the spectra of some very cool, helium-rich white dwarfs.

A Multiwavelength Study of Nearby Millisecond Pulsar PSR J1400−1431: Improved Astrometry and an Optical Detection of Its Cool White Dwarf Companion

Abstract In 2012, five high-school students involved in the Pulsar Search Collaboratory discovered the millisecond pulsar (MSP) PSR J1400−1431, and initial timing parameters were published in Rosen et al. a year later. Since then, we have obtained a phase-connected timing solution spanning five years, resolving a significant position discrepancy and measuring , proper motion, parallax, and a monotonic slope in dispersion measure over time. Due to PSR J1400−1431’s proximity and significant proper motion, we use the Shklovskii effect and other priors to determine a 95% confidence interval for PSR J1400−1431’s distance, pc. With an improved timing position, we present the first detection of the pulsar’s low-mass white dwarf (WD) companion using the Goodman Spectrograph on the 4.1 m SOAR telescope. Deeper imaging suggests that it is a cool DA-type WD with K and . We show a convincing association between PSR J1400−1431 and a γ-ray point source, 3FGL J1400.5−1437, but only weak (3.3σ) evidence of pulsations after folding γ-ray photons using our radio timing model. We detect an X-ray counterpart with XMM-Newton, but the measured X-ray luminosity (1×1029 erg s−1) makes PSR J1400−1431 the least X-ray luminous rotation-powered MSP detected to date. Together, our findings present a consistent picture of a nearby ( pc) MSP in a 9.5-day orbit around a cool ∼0.3 M ⊙ WD companion, with orbital inclination .

Asymmetry in the triplet 3p-4s Mg lines in cool DZ white dwarfs

The purpose of the present work is to make an exhaustive study of the line shape of the triplet 3p-4s Mg line (Mgb triplet), which is perturbed by He in the extreme physical conditions found in the cool atmosphere of DZ white dwarfs. This study is undertaken by inferring both a unified theory of spectral line broadening and ab initio potential energies. Cool white dwarfs require a specific treatment for line broadening owing to the high helium densities that are involved. Beyond the conventional symmetrical Lorentzian core at low density, we show that the line profiles are asymmetrical and have significant additional contributions on the short wavelength side. This blue asymmetry is a consequence of low maxima in the corresponding Mg-He potential energy difference curves at short and intermediate internuclear distances. The new profiles are shown to provide a good fit to an SDSS (Sloan Digital Sky Survey) observation.

Cool white dwarf companions to four millisecond pulsars

We report on photometric and spectroscopic observations of white dwarf companions to four binary radio millisecond pulsars, leading to the discovery of companions to PSRs J0614-3329, J1231-1411 and J2017+0603. We place limits on the brightness of the companion to PSR J0613-0200. Optical spectroscopy of the companion to PSR J0614-3329 identifies it as a DA type white dwarf with a temperature of Teff=6460+-80 K, a surface gravity log g=7.0+-0.2 cgs and a mass of Mwd=0.24+-0.04 Msun. We find that the distance to PSR J0614-3329 is smaller than previously estimated, removing the need for the pulsar to have an unrealistically high gamma-ray efficiency. Comparing the photometry with predictions from white dwarf cooling models allows us to estimate temperatures and cooling ages of the companions to PSRs J0613-0200, J1231-1411 and J2017+0603. We find that the white dwarfs in these systems are cool Teff<4000 K and old >5 Gyr. Thin Hydrogen envelopes are required for these white dwarfs to cool to the observed temperatures, and we suggest that besides Hydrogen shell flashes, irradiation driven mass loss by the pulsar may have been important.

Indirect probes of dark matter and globular cluster properties from dark matter annihilation within the coolest white dwarfs

White Dwarfs (WD) capture Dark Matter (DM) as they orbit within their host halos. These captured particles may subsequently annihilate, heating the stellar core and preventing the WD from cooling. The potential wells of WDs are considerably deeper and core temperatures significantly cooler than those of main sequence stars. Consequently, DM evaporation is less important in WDs and DM with masses $M_{\chi} \gtrsim 100\, \kev$ and annihilation cross-sections orders of magnitude below the canonical thermal cross-section ($\sigmav \gtrsim 10^{-46}\, \cm^3$/s) can significantly alter WD cooling in particular astrophysical environments. We consider WDs in globular clusters (GCs) and dwarf galaxies. If the parameters of the DM particle are known, then the temperature of the coolest WD in a GC can be used to constrain the DM density of the cluster's halo (potentially even ruling out the presence of a halo if the inferred density is of order the ambient Galactic density). Recently several direct detection experiments have seen signals whose origins might be due to low mass DM. In this paper, we show that if these claims from CRESST, DAMA, CDMS-Si, and CoGeNT could be interpreted as DM, then observations of NGC 6397 limit the fraction of DM in that cluster to be $f_{\mathrm{DM}} \lesssim 10^{-3}$. This would be an improvement over existing constraints of 3 orders of magnitude and clearly rule out a significant DM halo for this cluster...

The incidence of magnetic fields in cool DZ white dwarfs

Little is known about the incidence of magnetic fields among the coolest white dwarfs. Their spectra usually do not exhibit any absorption lines as the bound-bound opacities of hydrogen and helium are vanishingly small. Probing these stars for the presence of magnetic fields is therefore extremely challenging. However, external pollution of a cool white dwarf by, e.g., planetary debris, leads to the appearance of metal lines in its spectral energy distribution. These lines provide a unique tool to identify and measure magnetism in the coolest and oldest white dwarfs in the Galaxy. We report the identification of 7 strongly metal polluted, cool (T_eff < 8000 K) white dwarfs with magnetic field strengths ranging from 1.9 to 9.6 MG. An analysis of our larger magnitude-limited sample of cool DZ yields a lower limit on the magnetic incidence of 13+/-4 percent, noticeably much higher than among hot DA white dwarfs.

Polarimetry as a tool to find and characterise habitable planets orbiting white dwarfs

AbstractThere are several ways planets can survive the giant phase of the host star, hence one can consider the case of Earth-like planets orbiting white dwarfs. As a white dwarf cools from 6000 K to 4000 K, a planet orbiting at 0.01 AU from the star would remain in the continuous habitable zone (CHZ) for about 8 Gyr. Polarisation due to a terrestrial planet in the CHZ of a cool white dwarf (CWD) is 102 (104) times larger than it would be in the habitable zone of a typical M-dwarf (Sun-like star). Polarimetry is thus a powerful tool to detect close-in planets around white dwarfs. Multi-band polarimetry would also allow one to reveal the presence of a planet atmosphere, even providing a first characterisation. With current facilities a super-Earth-sized atmosphereless planet is detectable with polarimetry around the brightest known CWD. Planned future facilities render smaller planets detectable, in particular by increasing the instrumental sensitivity in the blue. Preliminary habitability study show also that photosynthetic processes can be sustained on Earth-like planets orbiting CWDs and that the DNA-weighted UV radiation dose for an Earth-like planet in the CHZ is less than the maxima encountered on Earth, hence white dwarfs are compatible with the persistence of complex life from the perspective of UV irradiation.

Signs of a faint disc population at polluted white dwarfs

Observations of atmospheric metals and dust discs around white dwarfs provide important clues to the fate of terrestrial planetary systems around intermediate mass stars. We present Spitzer IRAC observations of 15 metal polluted white dwarfs to investigate the occurrence and physical properties of circumstellar dust created by the disruption of planetary bodies. We find subtle infrared excess emission consistent with warm dust around KUV 15519+1730 and HS 2132+0941, and weaker excess around the DZ white dwarf G245-58, which, if real, makes it the coolest white dwarf known to exhibit a 3.6 micron excess and the first DZ star with a bright disc. All together our data corroborate a picture where 1) discs at metal-enriched white dwarfs are commonplace and most escape detection in the infrared (possibly as narrow rings), 2) the discs are long lived, having lifetimes on the order of 10^6 yr or longer, and 3) the frequency of bright, infrared detectable discs decreases with age, on a timescale of roughly 500 Myr, suggesting large planetesimal disruptions decline on this same timescale.

Density Effects in Sodium and ionized Calcium perturbed by helium in Cool White Dwarf Stars

Traces of heavy metal in cool DZ white dwarfs may be attributed to the accretion of circumstellar dust. This dust is thought to originate from the tidal disruption of some rocky material, they provide a unique opportunity to study the composition of extra-solar planetary systems. The determinations of precise atmospheric parameters and abundances require accurate description of the line profiles of the identified features. We present absorption spectra of Na-He and Ca + -He for the conditions prevailing in cool white dwarfs.

New phase diagrams for dense carbon-oxygen mixtures and white dwarf evolution

Cool white dwarfs are reliable and independent stellar chronometers. The most common white dwarfs have carbon-oxygen dense cores. Consequently, the cooling ages of very cool white dwarfs sensitively depend on the adopted phase diagram of the carbon-oxygen binary mixture. A new phase diagram of dense carbon-oxygen mixtures appropriate for white dwarf interiors has been recently obtained using direct molecular dynamics simulations. In this paper, we explore the consequences of this phase diagram in the evolution of cool white dwarfs. To do this we employ a detailed stellar evolutionary code and accurate initial white dwarf configurations, derived from the full evolution of progenitor stars. We use two different phase diagrams, that of Horowitz et al. (2010), which presents an azeotrope, and the phase diagram of Segretain & Chabrier (1993), which is of the spindle form. We computed the evolution of 0.593 and 0.878M_sun white dwarf models during the crystallization phase, and we found that the energy released by carbon-oxygen phase separation is smaller when the new phase diagram of Horowitz et al. (2010) is used. This translates into time delays that are on average a factor about 2 smaller than those obtained when the phase diagram of Segretain & Chabrier (1993) is employed. Our results have important implications for white dwarf cosmochronology, because the cooling ages of very old white dwarfs are different for the two phase diagrams. This may have a noticeable impact on the age determinations of very old globular clusters, for which the white dwarf color-magnitude diagram provides an independent way of estimating their age.