The ELM Survey. V. Merging Massive White Dwarf Binaries
Abstract
We present the discovery of 17 low-mass white dwarfs (WDs) in short-period (P <= 1 day) binaries. Our sample includes four objects with remarkable log g ~= 5 surface gravities and orbital solutions that require them to be double degenerate binaries. All of the lowest surface gravity WDs have metal lines in their spectra implying long gravitational settling times or ongoing accretion. Notably, six of the WDs in our sample have binary merger times <10 Gyr. Four have gsim0.9 M ⊙ companions. If the companions are massive WDs, these four binaries will evolve into stable mass transfer AM CVn systems and possibly explode as underluminous supernovae. If the companions are neutron stars, then these may be millisecond pulsar binaries. These discoveries increase the number of detached, double degenerate binaries in the ELM Survey to 54; 31 of these binaries will merge within a Hubble time.
Based on observations obtained at the MMT Observatory, a joint facility of the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Arizona.- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- May 2013
- DOI:
- 10.1088/0004-637X/769/1/66
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1304.4248
- Bibcode:
- 2013ApJ...769...66B
- Keywords:
-
- binaries: close;
- Galaxy: stellar content;
- stars: individual: SDSS J0751–0141 SDSS J0811+0225;
- stars: neutron;
- white dwarfs;
- Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 12 pages, accepted in ApJ