Cool White Dwarfs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Mukremin Kilic; Jeffrey A. Munn; Hugh C. Harris; James W. Liebert; Ted von Hippel; Kurtis A. Williams; Travis S. Metcalfe; D. E. Winget; Stephen E. Levine

Cool White Dwarfs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Mukremin Kilic, Jeffrey A. Munn, Hugh C. Harris, James W. Liebert, Ted von Hippel, Kurtis A. Williams, Travis S. Metcalfe, D. E. Winget, Stephen E. Levine

Physical Sciences

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Abstract

A reduced proper motion diagram utilizing Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) photometry and astrometry and USNO-B plate astrometry is used to separate cool white dwarf candidates from metal-weak, high-velocity, mainsequence Population II stars (subdwarfs) in the SDSS Data Release 2 imaging area. Follow-up spectroscopy using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope, the MMT, and the McDonald 2.7 m telescope is used to demonstrate that the white dwarf and subdwarf loci separate cleanly in the reduced proper motion diagram and that the contamination by subdwarfs is small near the cool white dwarf locus. This enables large, statistically complete samples of white dwarfs, particularly the poorly understood cool white dwarfs, to be created from the SDSS imaging survey, with important implications for white dwarf luminosity function studies. SDSS photometry for our sample of cool white dwarfs is compared to current white dwarf models.

Original language	American English
Journal	The Astronomical Journal
Volume	131
State	Published - Jan 1 2006

Keywords

atmospheres
stars: evolution
white dwarfs

Disciplines

Stars, Interstellar Medium and the Galaxy

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Cool White Dwarfs in the Sloan Digital Sky SurveyFinal published version, 2.29 MBLicense: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "Cool White Dwarfs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey",

abstract = " A reduced proper motion diagram utilizing Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) photometry and astrometry and USNO-B plate astrometry is used to separate cool white dwarf candidates from metal-weak, high-velocity, mainsequence Population II stars (subdwarfs) in the SDSS Data Release 2 imaging area. Follow-up spectroscopy using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope, the MMT, and the McDonald 2.7 m telescope is used to demonstrate that the white dwarf and subdwarf loci separate cleanly in the reduced proper motion diagram and that the contamination by subdwarfs is small near the cool white dwarf locus. This enables large, statistically complete samples of white dwarfs, particularly the poorly understood cool white dwarfs, to be created from the SDSS imaging survey, with important implications for white dwarf luminosity function studies. SDSS photometry for our sample of cool white dwarfs is compared to current white dwarf models.",

keywords = "atmospheres, stars: evolution, white dwarfs",

author = "Mukremin Kilic and Munn, {Jeffrey A.} and Harris, {Hugh C.} and Liebert, {James W.} and {von Hippel}, Ted and Williams, {Kurtis A.} and Metcalfe, {Travis S.} and Winget, {D. E.} and Levine, {Stephen E.}",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Cool White Dwarfs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

AU - Kilic, Mukremin

AU - Munn, Jeffrey A.

AU - Harris, Hugh C.

AU - Liebert, James W.

AU - von Hippel, Ted

AU - Williams, Kurtis A.

AU - Metcalfe, Travis S.

AU - Winget, D. E.

AU - Levine, Stephen E.

PY - 2006/1/1

Y1 - 2006/1/1

N2 - A reduced proper motion diagram utilizing Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) photometry and astrometry and USNO-B plate astrometry is used to separate cool white dwarf candidates from metal-weak, high-velocity, mainsequence Population II stars (subdwarfs) in the SDSS Data Release 2 imaging area. Follow-up spectroscopy using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope, the MMT, and the McDonald 2.7 m telescope is used to demonstrate that the white dwarf and subdwarf loci separate cleanly in the reduced proper motion diagram and that the contamination by subdwarfs is small near the cool white dwarf locus. This enables large, statistically complete samples of white dwarfs, particularly the poorly understood cool white dwarfs, to be created from the SDSS imaging survey, with important implications for white dwarf luminosity function studies. SDSS photometry for our sample of cool white dwarfs is compared to current white dwarf models.

AB - A reduced proper motion diagram utilizing Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) photometry and astrometry and USNO-B plate astrometry is used to separate cool white dwarf candidates from metal-weak, high-velocity, mainsequence Population II stars (subdwarfs) in the SDSS Data Release 2 imaging area. Follow-up spectroscopy using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope, the MMT, and the McDonald 2.7 m telescope is used to demonstrate that the white dwarf and subdwarf loci separate cleanly in the reduced proper motion diagram and that the contamination by subdwarfs is small near the cool white dwarf locus. This enables large, statistically complete samples of white dwarfs, particularly the poorly understood cool white dwarfs, to be created from the SDSS imaging survey, with important implications for white dwarf luminosity function studies. SDSS photometry for our sample of cool white dwarfs is compared to current white dwarf models.

KW - atmospheres

KW - stars: evolution

KW - white dwarfs

UR - https://commons.erau.edu/publication/214

M3 - Article

VL - 131

JO - The Astronomical Journal

JF - The Astronomical Journal

ER -

Cool White Dwarfs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Abstract

Keywords

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