SETI public: Low Luminosity Companions to White Dwarfs

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Paper: astro-ph/0506017
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2005 13:02:54 GMT (862kb)

Title: Low Luminosity Companions to White Dwarfs

Authors: J. Farihi, E.E. Becklin, B. Zuckerman
Comments: 158 pages, 59 figures, 11 tables, accepted to ApJ Supplements
\\
This paper presents results of a near-infrared imaging survey for low mass
stellar and substellar companions to white dwarfs. A wide field proper
motion
survey of 261 white dwarfs was capable of directly detecting companions at
orbital separations between $\sim100$ and 5000 AU with masses as low as 0.05
$M_{\odot}$, while a deep near field search of 86 white dwarfs was capable
of
directly detecting companions at separations between $\sim50$ and 1100 AU
with
masses as low as 0.02 $M_{\odot}$. Additionally, all white dwarf targets
were
examined for near-infrared excess emission, a technique capable of detecting
companions at arbitrarily close separations down to masses of 0.05
$M_{\odot}$.
No brown dwarf candidates were detected, which implies a brown dwarf
companion fraction of $<0.5$% for white dwarfs. In contrast, the stellar
companion fraction of white dwarfs as measured by this survey is 22%,
uncorrected for bias. Moreover, most of the known and suspected stellar
companions to white dwarfs are low mass stars whose masses are only slightly
greater than the masses of brown dwarfs. Twenty previously unknown stellar
companions were detected, five of which are confirmed or likely white dwarfs
themselves, while fifteen are confirmed or likely low mass stars.
Similar to the distribution of cool field dwarfs as a function of spectral
type, the number of cool unevolved dwarf companions peaks at mid-M type.
Based
on the present work, relative to this peak, field L dwarfs appear to be
roughly
2-3 times more abundant than companion L dwarfs. Additionally, there is no
evidence that the initial companion masses have been altered by post main
sequence binary interactions.

\\ ( http://arXiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0506017 , 862kb)

• Previous message: LARRY KLAES: "SETI public: Development of an Electronic Readout System for the Detection of Radio Emission"

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