Archival Search for a White Dwarf Dark Matter Component via WFPC2 Proper Motion Measurements

Details Archival Search for a White Dwarf Dark Matter Component via WFPC2 Proper Motion Measurements Archival Search for a White Dwarf Dark Matter Component via WFPC2 Proper Motion Measurements

Jul 2000

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2000hst..prop.8764c&link_type=abstract

HST Proposal ID #8764

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

Hst Proposal Id #8764 Galaxies

Scientific paper

We propose searching for proper motions of faint blue objects in a previously well sampled field. Such objects have been recently detected in the HDF and are suggested to be old halo white dwarfs {Ibata et al. 1999}. If this identification is correct, and the implied density persists, a major portion of the dark matter in galactic halos will have been found. A dominant baryonic component in dark halos has dramatic consequences for fields spanning much of astronomy and astrophysics. Theories of structure and galactic formation would have to be revised, while our understanding of stellar birth would need to account to the drastically different IMF required to produce halo white dwarfs. In addition the baryon and metallicity budgets of the universe would be profoundly effected. With the addition of the previously analysed HDF, our selection of a field at high galactic latitude would also allow us to begin examining the spatial distribution of the new population. A true halo population should be clearly distinguishable from a thick disk-type distribution via the directions and magnitudes of the proper motions as a function of {l, b}. Since these objects are faint {V 28.5} and require high precision astrometry only HST can study them. We choose the best archival field to evaluate this approach, with no additional cost in HST time.

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