Parsons, S.G., Rebassa-Mansergas, A., Schreiber, M.R. et al. (3 more authors) (2016) The white dwarf binary pathways survey – I. A sample of FGK stars with white dwarf companions. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 463 (2). pp. 2125-2136. ISSN 0035-8711
Abstract
The number of spatially unresolved white dwarf plus main-sequence star binaries has increased rapidly in the last decade, jumping from only ∼30 in 2003 to over 3000. However, in the majority of known systems the companion to the white dwarf is a low-mass M dwarf, since these are relatively easy to identify from optical colours and spectra. White dwarfs with more massive FGK type companions have remained elusive due to the large difference in optical brightness between the two stars. In this paper, we identify 934 main-sequence FGK stars from the Radial Velocity Experiment survey in the Southern hemisphere and the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope survey in the Northern hemisphere, that show excess flux at ultraviolet wavelengths which we interpret as the likely presence of a white dwarf companion. We obtained Hubble Space Telescope ultraviolet spectra for nine systems which confirmed that the excess is indeed caused, in all cases, by a hot compact companion, eight being white dwarfs and one a hot subdwarf or pre-helium white dwarf, demonstrating that this sample is very clean. We also address the potential of this sample to test binary evolution models and Type Ia supernovae formation channels.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2016 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | binaries: close; stars: early-type; stars: evolution; white dwarfs. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Physics and Astronomy (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 25 Nov 2016 11:01 |
Last Modified: | 25 Nov 2016 11:01 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stw2143 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Oxford University Press (OUP) |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1093/mnras/stw2143 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:108461 |