skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Attention:The NSF Public Access Repository (NSF-PAR) system and access will be unavailable from 7:00 AM ET to 7:30 AM ET on Friday, April 24 due to maintenance. We apologize for the inconvenience.


Title: Spectroscopic Characterization of WD J000801.25-350450 and Its Two Comoving Companions
Abstract We present new spectroscopic data for Gaia DR3 2309499817384726016 (WD 0008-350A) and its two wide, comoving, low-mass companions. We confirm the white dwarf is a hydrogen rich DA, withTeff= 6200 ± 90 K and a mass of 0.63 ± 0.03M, close to that of the average white dwarf. Near-infrared spectra of the two stellar companions to WD 0008-350A reveal that the inner companion is an M dwarf, exhibiting a spectral type of M8. Furthermore, the outer companion is identified as a possible M6 + M9 binary. This paper examines the evidence which suggests the system may be quadruple.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2238468
PAR ID:
10674131
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Corporate Creator(s):
Publisher / Repository:
The Astronomical Journal
Date Published:
Journal Name:
The Astronomical Journal
Volume:
171
Issue:
3
ISSN:
0004-6256
Page Range / eLocation ID:
171
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Abstract We report the discovery of SDSS J022932.28+713002.7, a nascent extremely low-mass (ELM) white dwarf (WD) orbiting a massive (>1Mat 2σconfidence) companion with a period of 36 hr. We use a combination of spectroscopy, including data from the ongoing fifth-generation Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-V), and photometry to measure the stellar parameters of the primary pre-ELM WD. The lightcurve of the primary WD exhibits ellipsoidal variation, which we combine with radial velocity data andPHOEBEbinary simulations to estimate the mass of the invisible companion. We find that the primary WD has massM1= 0.18 0.02 + 0.02 Mand the unseen secondary has massM2= 1.19 0.14 + 0.21 M. The mass of the companion suggests that it is most likely a near-Chandrasekhar-mass WD or a neutron star. It is likely that the system recently went through a Roche lobe overflow from the visible primary onto the invisible secondary. The dynamical configuration of the binary is consistent with the theoretical evolutionary tracks for such objects, and the primary is currently in its contraction phase. The measured orbital period puts this system on a stable evolutionary path which, within a few gigayears, will lead to a contracted ELM WD orbiting a massive compact companion. 
    more » « less
  2. Abstract The launch of JWST has ushered in a new era of high-precision infrared astronomy, allowing us to probe nearby white dwarfs for cold dust, exoplanets, and tidally heated exomoons. While previous searches for these exoplanets have successfully ruled out companions as small as 7–10 Jupiter masses (MJup), no instrument prior to JWST has been sensitive to the likely more common sub-Jovian-mass planets around white dwarfs. In this paper, we present the first multiband photometry (F560W, F770W, F1500W, F2100W) taken of WD 2149+021 with the Mid-Infrared Instrument on JWST. After a careful search for both resolved and unresolved planets, we do not identify any compelling candidates around WD 2149+021. Our analysis indicates that we are sensitive to companions as small as ∼0.5MJupoutwards of 1.″263 (28.3 au) and ∼1.0MJupat the innermost working angle (0.″654, 14.7 au) at 3 Gyr with 5σconfidence, placing significant constraints on any undetected companions around this white dwarf. The results of these observations emphasize the exciting future of sub-Jovian planet detection limits by JWST, which can begin to constrain how often these planets survive their host stars' evolution. 
    more » « less
  3. Abstract We present the results of a search for deeply-eclipsing white dwarfs in the ZTF Data Release 4. We identify nine deeply-eclipsing white dwarf candidates, four of which we followed up with high-cadence photometry and spectroscopy. Three of these systems show total eclipses in the ZTF data and our follow-up APO 3.5-meter telescope observations. Even though the eclipse duration is consistent with sub-stellar companions, our analysis shows that all four systems contain a white dwarf with low-mass stellar companions of ∼0.1 M⊙. We provide mass and radius constraints for both stars in each system based on our photometric and spectroscopic fitting. Finally, we present a list of 41 additional eclipsing WD+M candidates identified in a preliminary search of ZTF DR7, including 12 previously studied systems. We identify two new candidate short-period, eclipsing, white dwarf-brown dwarf binaries within our sample of 41 WD+M candidates based on PanSTARRS colors. 
    more » « less
  4. Abstract More than half of all main-sequence (MS) stars have one or more companions, and many of those with initial masses <8Mare born in hierarchical triples. These systems feature two stars in a close orbit (the inner binary) while a tertiary star orbits them on a wider orbit (the outer binary). In hierarchical triples, three-body dynamics combined with stellar evolution drives interactions and, in many cases, merges the inner binary entirely to create a renovated “post-merger binary” (PMB). By leveraging dynamical simulations and tracking binary interactions, we explore the outcomes of merged triples and investigate whether PMBs preserve signatures of their three-body history. Our findings indicate that in 26%–54% of wide double white dwarf (DWD) binaries (s≳ 100 au), the more massive white dwarf (WD) is a merger product, implying that these DWD binaries were previously triples. Overall, we estimate that 44% ± 14% of observed wide DWDs originated in triple star systems and thereby have rich dynamical histories. We also examine MS+MS and MS+red giant mergers manifesting as blue straggler stars (BSSs). These PMBs have orbital configurations and ages similar to most observed BSS binaries. While the triple+merger formation channel can explain the observed chemical abundances, moderate eccentricities, and companion masses in BSS binaries, it likely only accounts for ∼20%–25% of BSSs. Meanwhile, we predict that the majority of observed single BSSs formed as collisions in triples and harbor long-period (>10 yr) companions. Furthermore, both BSS binaries and DWDs exhibit signatures of WD birth kicks. 
    more » « less
  5. Abstract We present Hubble Space Telescope far-ultraviolet (FUV) spectra of a blue lurker–white dwarf (BL–WD) binary system in the 4 Gyr open cluster M67. We fit the FUV spectrum of the WD, determining it is a C/O WD with a mass of 0.7 2 0.04 + 0.05 Mand a cooling age of ~400 Myr. This requires a WD progenitor of ~3M, significantly larger than the current cluster turnoff mass of 1.3M. We suggest the WD progenitor star formed several hundred megayears ago via the merger of two stars near the turnoff of the cluster. In this scenario, the original progenitor system was a hierarchical triple consisting of a close, near-equal-mass inner binary, with a tertiary companion with an orbit of a few thousand days. The WD is descended from the merged inner binary, and the original tertiary is now the observed BL. The likely formation scenario involves a common envelope while the WD progenitor is on the AGB, and thus the observed orbital period of 359 days requires an efficient common envelope ejection. The rapid rotation of the BL indicates it accreted some material during its evolution, perhaps via a wind prior to the common envelope. This system will likely undergo a second common envelope in the future and thus could result in a short-period double WD binary or merger of a 0.72MC/O WD and a 0.38Mhelium WD, making this a potential progenitor of an interesting transient such as a sub-Chandrasekhar Type Ia supernova. 
    more » « less