Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T04:52:14.805Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Double degenerate candidates in the open cluster NGC 6633

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 October 2020

Joseph W. Barnett Open the ORCID record for Joseph W. Barnett [Opens in a new window]  and
Kurtis A. Williams Open the ORCID record for Kurtis A. Williams [Opens in a new window]
Joseph W. Barnett
Affiliation:
Department of Physics & Astronomy, Texas A & M University-Commerce, P.O. Box 3011, Commerce, TX, 75429, USA email: [email protected]
Kurtis A. Williams
Affiliation:
Department of Physics & Astronomy, Texas A & M University-Commerce, P.O. Box 3011, Commerce, TX, 75429, USA email: [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The study of white dwarfs, the end stage of stellar evolution for more than 95% of stars, is critical to bettering our understanding of the late stages of the lives of low mass stars. In particular, the post main sequence evolution of binary star systems is complex, and the identification and analysis of double degenerate systems is a crucial step in constraining models of binary star systems. Binary white dwarfs in open star clusters are particularly useful because cluster parameters such as distance, metal content, and total system age are more tightly constrained than for field double degenerates. Here we use the precision astrometry from the Gaia Data Release 2 catalog to study two other white dwarfs which were identified as candidate double degenerates in the field of the open star cluster NGC 6633. One of the two objects, LAWDS 4, is found to have astrometric properties fully consistent with that of the cluster. In such a case, the object is significantly overluminous for a single white dwarf, strongly indicating binarity. The second candidate binary, LAWDS 7, appears to be inconsistent with cluster membership, though a more thorough analysis is necessary to properly quantify the probability. At present we are proceeding to model the photometric and spectroscopic data for both objects as if they were cluster member double degenerates. Results of this latter analysis are forthcoming. Our results will add crucial data to the study of binary star evolution in open star clusters.

Keywords

binaries: generalwhite dwarfsopen clusters and associations: individual (NGC 6633)
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 15 , Symposium S357: White Dwarfs as Probes of Fundamental Physics: Tracers of Planetary, Stellar and Galactic Evolution , October 2019 , pp. 20 - 23
Copyright
© International Astronomical Union 2020

References

Dias, W. S., Assafin, M., Flório, V., et al. 2006, A&A, 446, 949Google Scholar
Gaia, Collaboration, Babusiaux, C., van Leeuwen, F., et al. 2018, A&A, 616, A10Google Scholar
Gaia, Collaboration, Brown, A. G. A., Vallenari, A., et al. 2018, A&A, 616, A1Google Scholar
Geller, A. M., Hurley, J. R., & Mathieu, R. D. 2013, AJ, 145, 8CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanders, W. L. 1971, A&A, 14, 226Google ScholarPubMed
Williams, K. A. & Bolte, M. 2007, AJ, 133, 1490CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams, K. A., Serna-Grey, D., Chakraborty, S., et al. 2015, AJ, 150, 194CrossRefGoogle Scholar