The Mass of the White Dwarf in V471 Tauri -- Cycle 3 High

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Hst Proposal Id #4344

Scientific paper

V471 Tau is an eclipsing binary in the Hyades cluster whose components are a DA white dwarf and a detached K2 V main-sequence star. It presents a unique opportunity for direct determination of the mass of a white dwarf, except that it is impossible to obtain the velocity curve of the white dwarf from the ground because its light is swamped by that of the K dwarf. We propose to determine its velocity curve using the GHRS at Lyman-alpha, where the white dwarf has a strong absorption feature, and thus obtain only the fourth fundamentally determined mass of a white dwarf. As bonuses, our observations will also: (1) provide constraints on the presence of photospheric metals accreted at the white dwarf's magnetic poles from the K2 V star's wind; (2) allow us to search for modulation of metal lines at the 9.25-min rotation period of the white dwarf, which is expected if the metals are concentrated at the magnetic poles; (3) measure the gravitational redshift of the white dwarf; and (4) stringently constrain the magnetic field strength of the white dwarf by the presence or absence of Zeeman components of Lyman-alpha.

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