The ELM Survey. VIII. Ninety-eight Double White Dwarf Binaries
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Standard
The ELM Survey. VIII. Ninety-eight Double White Dwarf Binaries. / Brown, Warren R.; Kilic, Mukremin; Kosakowski, Alekzander; Andrews, Jeff J.; Heinke, Craig O.; Agueros, Marcel A.; Camilo, Fernando; Gianninas, A.; Hermes, J. J.; Kenyon, Scott J.
In: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 889, No. 1, 49, 20.01.2020.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Harvard
APA
Vancouver
Author
Bibtex
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
T1 - The ELM Survey. VIII. Ninety-eight Double White Dwarf Binaries
AU - Brown, Warren R.
AU - Kilic, Mukremin
AU - Kosakowski, Alekzander
AU - Andrews, Jeff J.
AU - Heinke, Craig O.
AU - Agueros, Marcel A.
AU - Camilo, Fernando
AU - Gianninas, A.
AU - Hermes, J. J.
AU - Kenyon, Scott J.
PY - 2020/1/20
Y1 - 2020/1/20
N2 - We present the final sample of 98 detached double white dwarf (WD) binaries found in the Extremely Low Mass (ELM) Survey, a spectroscopic survey targeting M He-core WDs completed in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey footprint. Over the course of the survey we observed ancillary low-mass WD candidates like GD 278, which we show is a P = 0.19 day double WD binary, as well as candidates that turn out to be field blue straggler/subdwarf A-type stars with luminosities too high to be WDs given their Gaia parallaxes. Here, we define a clean sample of ELM WDs that is complete within our target selection and magnitude range 15 g(0) P <1.5 day double WD binaries, 35% of which belong to the Galactic halo. We infer that these are mostly He+CO WD binaries given the measurement constraints. The merger rate of the observed He+CO WD binaries exceeds the formation rate of stable mass-transfer AM CVn binaries by a factor of 25, and so the majority of He+CO WD binaries must experience unstable mass transfer and merge. The systems with the shortest periods, such as J0651+2844, are signature LISA verification binaries that can be studied with gravitational waves and light.
AB - We present the final sample of 98 detached double white dwarf (WD) binaries found in the Extremely Low Mass (ELM) Survey, a spectroscopic survey targeting M He-core WDs completed in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey footprint. Over the course of the survey we observed ancillary low-mass WD candidates like GD 278, which we show is a P = 0.19 day double WD binary, as well as candidates that turn out to be field blue straggler/subdwarf A-type stars with luminosities too high to be WDs given their Gaia parallaxes. Here, we define a clean sample of ELM WDs that is complete within our target selection and magnitude range 15 g(0) P <1.5 day double WD binaries, 35% of which belong to the Galactic halo. We infer that these are mostly He+CO WD binaries given the measurement constraints. The merger rate of the observed He+CO WD binaries exceeds the formation rate of stable mass-transfer AM CVn binaries by a factor of 25, and so the majority of He+CO WD binaries must experience unstable mass transfer and merge. The systems with the shortest periods, such as J0651+2844, are signature LISA verification binaries that can be studied with gravitational waves and light.
KW - White dwarf stars
KW - Compact binary stars
KW - Galaxy stellar content
KW - COMMON-ENVELOPE BINARIES
KW - AM CVN STARS
KW - NEUTRON-STAR
KW - SDA PROBLEM
KW - SDSS
KW - POPULATION
KW - CATALOG
KW - SEARCH
KW - SAMPLE
KW - GAIA
U2 - 10.3847/1538-4357/ab63cd
DO - 10.3847/1538-4357/ab63cd
M3 - Journal article
VL - 889
JO - Astrophysical Journal
JF - Astrophysical Journal
SN - 0004-637X
IS - 1
M1 - 49
ER -
ID: 247498639