Discovery of a Proto-White Dwarf with a Massive Unseen Companion

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Main Authors: Pallathadka, Gautham Adamane, Chandra, Vedant, Zakamska, Nadia L., Hwang, Hsiang-Chih, Zenati, Yossef, Hermes, J. J., El-Badry, Kareem, Gaensicke, Boris T., Morrison, Sean, Crumpler, Nicole R., Arseneau, Stefan
Format: Preprint
Published: 2023
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author Pallathadka, Gautham Adamane
Chandra, Vedant
Zakamska, Nadia L.
Hwang, Hsiang-Chih
Zenati, Yossef
Hermes, J. J.
El-Badry, Kareem
Gaensicke, Boris T.
Morrison, Sean
Crumpler, Nicole R.
Arseneau, Stefan
author_facet Pallathadka, Gautham Adamane
Chandra, Vedant
Zakamska, Nadia L.
Hwang, Hsiang-Chih
Zenati, Yossef
Hermes, J. J.
El-Badry, Kareem
Gaensicke, Boris T.
Morrison, Sean
Crumpler, Nicole R.
Arseneau, Stefan
contents We report the discovery of SDSS~J022932.28+713002.7, a nascent extremely low-mass (ELM) white dwarf (WD) orbiting a massive ($> 1\,M_\odot$ at 2$σ$ confidence) companion with a period of 36 hours. We use a combination of spectroscopy, including data from the ongoing SDSS-V survey, and photometry to measure the stellar parameters for the primary pre-ELM white dwarf. %Because of the degeneracy between inclination, mass of the companion and lack of constraints on the inclination, mass of the companion is uncertain. The lightcurve of the primary WD exhibits ellipsoidal variation, which we combine with radial velocity data and $\tt{PHOEBE}$ binary simulations to estimate the mass of the invisible companion. We find that the primary WD has mass $M_1$ = $0.18^{+0.02}_{-0.02}$ M$_\odot$ and the unseen secondary has mass $M_2$ = $1.19^{+0.21}_{-0.14}$ M$_\odot$. The mass of the companion suggests that it is most likely a near-Chandrasekhar mass white dwarf 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 Gyrs, will lead to a contracted ELM white dwarf orbiting a massive compact companion.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2310_16313
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Discovery of a Proto-White Dwarf with a Massive Unseen Companion
Pallathadka, Gautham Adamane
Chandra, Vedant
Zakamska, Nadia L.
Hwang, Hsiang-Chih
Zenati, Yossef
Hermes, J. J.
El-Badry, Kareem
Gaensicke, Boris T.
Morrison, Sean
Crumpler, Nicole R.
Arseneau, Stefan
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
We report the discovery of SDSS~J022932.28+713002.7, a nascent extremely low-mass (ELM) white dwarf (WD) orbiting a massive ($> 1\,M_\odot$ at 2$σ$ confidence) companion with a period of 36 hours. We use a combination of spectroscopy, including data from the ongoing SDSS-V survey, and photometry to measure the stellar parameters for the primary pre-ELM white dwarf. %Because of the degeneracy between inclination, mass of the companion and lack of constraints on the inclination, mass of the companion is uncertain. The lightcurve of the primary WD exhibits ellipsoidal variation, which we combine with radial velocity data and $\tt{PHOEBE}$ binary simulations to estimate the mass of the invisible companion. We find that the primary WD has mass $M_1$ = $0.18^{+0.02}_{-0.02}$ M$_\odot$ and the unseen secondary has mass $M_2$ = $1.19^{+0.21}_{-0.14}$ M$_\odot$. The mass of the companion suggests that it is most likely a near-Chandrasekhar mass white dwarf 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 Gyrs, will lead to a contracted ELM white dwarf orbiting a massive compact companion.
title Discovery of a Proto-White Dwarf with a Massive Unseen Companion
topic Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2310.16313