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Do Magnetic Fields Prevent Hydrogen from Accreting onto Cool Metal-line White Dwarf Stars?

S. Friedrich·S. Jordan·D. Koester
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Abstract

It is generally assumed that metals detected in the spectra of a few cool white dwarfs cannot be of primordial origin and must be accreted from the interstellar medium. However, the observed abundances of hydrogen, which should also be accreted from the interstellar medium, are lower than expected from metal accretion. Magnetic fields are thought to be the reason for this discrepancy. We have therefore obtained circular polarization spectra of the helium-rich white dwarfs GD40 and L745-46A, which both show strong metal lines as well as hydrogen. Whereas L745-46A might have a magnetic field of about -6900 G, which is about two times the field strength of 3000G necessary to repell hydrogen at the Alfen radius, only an upper limit for the field strength of GD40 of 4000G (with 99% confidence) can be set which is far off the minimum field strength of 144000G to repell hydrogen.

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S. Friedrich, S. Jordan, D. Koester. 2004-10-21. Do Magnetic Fields Prevent Hydrogen from Accreting onto Cool Metal-line White Dwarf Stars?. https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0410507

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