Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
May 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011aas...21832613b&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #218, #326.13; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 43, 2011
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
We present the first targeted survey for Extremely Low Mass (ELM) white dwarfs (WDs), helium core WDs with masses <0.3 M &sun;. Such low mass WDs are the signature of extreme mass-loss stellar evolution. We have discovered over a dozen new ELM WDs, most of which are compact binary systems with <1 day orbital periods. We predict that at least one of the systems is an eclipsing double-WD system that we can use to place fundamental mass-radius constraints on helium-core WD models. Intriguingly, the observed ELM WD systems are merging due to gravitational wave radiation and will become gravitational wave sources. We use our well-defined, non-kinematically-selected sample to measure the space density of ELM WD systems; their merger rate is comparable to the rate ofunderluminous supernovae, one model for which is the detonation of 0.3 M &sun; worth of helium.
Allende Prieto Carlos
Brown Warren R.
Kenyon Scott. J.
Kilic Mukremin
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