The Post-CE Status of the Massive WD Binary LB11146

Details The Post-CE Status of the Massive WD Binary LB11146 The Post-CE Status of the Massive WD Binary LB11146

Jul 2001

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001hst..prop.9170n&link_type=abstract

HST Proposal ID #9170

Mathematics

Probability

Hst Proposal Id #9170 Hot Stars

Scientific paper

By analysis of its spectrum, LB11146 was discovered to be a binary system composed of magnetic/nonmagnetic white dwarfs each having a mass estimated to be 0.9 M_solar, making it the only known double degenerate system with a combined mass exceeding the Chandrasekhar limit. HST/FOC imaging failed to resolve the system down to 0.030". This places a 50 percent probability that the stars are separated by less than 1 A.U. and suggests that they shared a common envelope {CE} one or more times in the past as their massive progenitors evolved through the asymtotic giant branch. However, null results from radial velocity observations constrain the orbit to be larger than 0.1 A.U., which suggests that if this is a post-CE system, the orbital shrinkage was not extreme. We propose to observe this object at high angular resolution with FGS1r. With an angular resolution of 7 mas, FGS1r can measure or place tighter constraints {down to 0.3 A.U.} on the WD separation to unambiguously determine if this is a post-CE system. If the system is resolved, followup studies can determine dynamical masses. If the system is found to to be post-CE, it will offer a rare opportunity for observationally estimating the elusive CE efficiency parameter alpha_CE. This is of great interest for evaluating the prospects of merging post-CE massive WDs as the mechanism for SN Ia.

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