arXiv subjects

B. H. Dunlap

Publications and source records attributed to B. H. Dunlap.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2020

A White Dwarf with Transiting Circumstellar Material Far Outside the Roche Limit

We report the discovery of a white dwarf exhibiting deep, irregularly shaped transits, indicative of circumstellar planetary debris. Using Zwicky Transient Facility DR2 photometry of ZTF$\,$J013906.17+524536.89 and follow-up observations from the Las Cumbres Observatory, we identify multiple transit events that recur every ${\approx}\,107.2\,$d, much longer than the $4.5{-}4.9\,$h orbital periods observed in WD$\,$1145+017, the only other white dwarf known with transiting planetary debris. The transits vary in both depth and duration, lasting $15{-}25\,$d and reaching $20{-}45\,\%$ dips in flux. Optical spectra reveal strong Balmer lines, identifying the white dwarf as a DA with $T_{\mathrm{eff}}=10{,}530\pm140\,\mathrm{K}$ and $\log(g)=7.86\pm0.06$. A $\mathrm{Ca\,II\,K}$ absorption feature is present in all spectra both in and out of transit. Spectra obtained during one night at roughly $15\,\%$ transit depth show increased $\mathrm{Ca\,II\,K}$ absorption with a model atmospheric fit suggesting $[\mathrm{Ca/H}]=-4.6\pm0.3$, whereas spectra taken on three nights out of transit have $[\mathrm{Ca/H}]$ of -5.5, -5.3, and -4.9 with similar uncertainties. While the $\mathrm{Ca\,II\,K}$ line strength varies by only 2-sigma, we consider a predominantly interstellar origin for Ca absorption unlikely. We suggest a larger column density of circumstellar metallic gas along the line of site or increased accretion of material onto the white dwarf's surface are responsible for the Ca absorption, but further spectroscopic studies are required. In addition, high-speed time series photometry out of transit reveals variability with periods of 900 and 1030$\,$s, consistent with ZZ Ceti pulsations.

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arXiv2020

An Isolated White Dwarf with 317-Second Rotation and Magnetic Emission

We report the discovery of short-period photometric variability and modulated Zeeman-split hydrogen emission in SDSSJ125230.93-023417.72 (EPIC 228939929), a variable white dwarf star observed at long cadence in \textit{K2} Campaign 10. The behavior is associated with a magnetic ($B=5.0$ MG) spot on the stellar surface, making the $317.278$-second period a direct measurement of the stellar rotation rate. This object is therefore the fastest-rotating apparently isolated (without a stellar companion) white dwarf yet discovered, and the second found to exhibit chromospheric Balmer emission after GD 356, in which the emission has been attributed to a unipolar inductor mechanism driven by a possible rocky planet. We explore the properties and behavior of this object, and consider whether its evolution may hold implications for white dwarf mergers and their remnants.

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arXiv2020

Limits on Mode Coherence in Pulsating DA White Dwarfs Due to a Non-static Convection Zone

The standard theory of pulsations deals with the frequencies and growth rates of infinitesimal perturbations in a stellar model. Modes which are calculated to be linearly driven should increase their amplitudes exponentially with time; the fact that nearly constant amplitudes are usually observed is evidence that nonlinear mechanisms inhibit the growth of finite amplitude pulsations. Models predict that the mass of convection zones in pulsating hydrogen-atmosphere (DAV) white dwarfs is very sensitive to temperature (i.e., $M_{\rm CZ} \propto T_{\rm eff}^{-90}$), leading to the possibility that even low-amplitude pulsators may experience significant nonlinear effects. In particular, the outer turning point of finite-amplitude g-mode pulsations can vary with the local surface temperature, producing a reflected wave that is out of phase with what is required for a standing wave. This can lead to a lack of coherence of the mode and a reduction in its global amplitude. In this paper we show that: (1) whether a mode is calculated to propagate to the base of the convection zone is an accurate predictor of its width in the Fourier spectrum, (2) the phase shifts produced by reflection from the outer turning point are large enough to produce significant damping, and (3) amplitudes and periods are predicted to increase from the blue edge to the middle of the instability strip, and subsequently decrease as the red edge is approached. This amplitude decrease is in agreement with the observational data while the period decrease has not yet been systematically studied.

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arXiv2018

Dusty Exoplanetary Debris Disks in the Single-Temperature Blackbody Plane

We present a bulk sample analysis of the metal polluted white dwarfs which also host infrared bright dusty debris disks, known to be direct signatures of an active exoplanetary accretion source. We explore the relative positions of these systems in a single-temperature blackbody plane, defined as the temperature and radius of a single-temperature blackbody as fitted to the infrared excess. We find that the handful of dust systems which also host gaseous debris in emission congregate along the high temperature boundary of the dust disk region in the single-temperature blackbody plane. We discuss interpretations of this boundary and propose the single-temperature blackbody plane selection technique for use in future targeted searches of gaseous emission.

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arXiv2018

Rapid Evolution of the Gaseous Exoplanetary Debris Around the White Dwarf Star HE 1349--2305

Observations of heavy metal pollution in white dwarf stars indicate that metal-rich planetesimals are frequently scattered into star-grazing orbits, tidally disrupted, and accreted onto the white dwarf surface, offering direct insight into the dynamical evolution of post-main-sequence exoplanetary systems. Emission lines from the gaseous debris in the accretion disks of some of these systems show variations on timescales of decades, and have been interpreted as the general relativistic precession of recently formed, elliptical disk. Here we present a comprehensive spectroscopic monitoring campaign of the calcium infrared triplet emission in one system, HE 1349--2305, which shows morphological emission profile variations suggestive of a precessing, asymmetric intensity pattern. The emission profiles are shown to vary on a timescale of one to two years, which is an order of magnitude shorter than what has been observed in other similar systems. We demonstrate that this timescale is likely incompatible with general relativistic precession, and consider alternative explanations for the rapid evolution including the propagation of density waves within the gaseous debris. We conclude with recommendations for follow-up observations, and discuss how the rapid evolution of the gaseous debris in HE 1349--2305 could be leveraged to test theories of exoplanetary debris disk evolution around white dwarf stars.

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arXiv2017

WIRED for EC: New White Dwarfs with $\textit{WISE}$ Infrared Excesses and New Classification Schemes from the Edinburgh-Cape Blue Object Survey

We present a simple method for identifying candidate white dwarf systems with dusty exoplanetary debris based on a single temperature blackbody model fit to the infrared excess. We apply this technique to a sample of Southern Hemisphere white dwarfs from the recently completed Edinburgh-Cape Blue Object Survey and identify four new promising dusty debris disk candidates. We demonstrate the efficacy of our selection method by recovering three of the four $\textit{Spitzer}$ confirmed dusty debris disk systems in our sample. Further investigation using archival high resolution imaging shows $\textit{Spitzer}$ data of the un-recovered fourth object is likely contaminated by a line-of-sight object that either led to a mis-classification as a dusty disk in the literature or is confounding our method. Finally, in our diagnostic plot we show that dusty white dwarfs which also host gaseous debris lie along a boundary of our dusty debris disk region, providing clues to the origin and evolution of these especially interesting systems.

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arXiv2017

White Dwarf Rotation as a Function of Mass and a Dichotomy of Mode Linewidths: Kepler Observations of 27 Pulsating DA White Dwarfs Through K2 Campaign 8

We present photometry and spectroscopy for 27 pulsating hydrogen-atmosphere white dwarfs (DAVs, a.k.a. ZZ Ceti stars) observed by the Kepler space telescope up to K2 Campaign 8, an extensive compilation of observations with unprecedented duration (>75 days) and duty cycle (>90%). The space-based photometry reveals pulsation properties previously inaccessible to ground-based observations. We observe a sharp dichotomy in oscillation mode linewidths at roughly 800 s, such that white dwarf pulsations with periods exceeding 800 s have substantially broader mode linewidths, more reminiscent of a damped harmonic oscillator than a heat-driven pulsator. Extended Kepler coverage also permits extensive mode identification: We identify the spherical degree of 61 out of 154 unique radial orders, providing direct constraints of the rotation period for 20 of these 27 DAVs, more than doubling the number of white dwarfs with rotation periods determined via asteroseismology. We also obtain spectroscopy from 4m-class telescopes for all DAVs with Kepler photometry. Using these homogeneously analyzed spectra we estimate the overall mass of all 27 DAVs, which allows us to measure white dwarf rotation as a function of mass, constraining the endpoints of angular momentum in low- and intermediate-mass stars. We find that 0.51-to-0.73-solar-mass white dwarfs, which evolved from 1.7-to-3.0-solar-mass ZAMS progenitors, have a mean rotation period of 35 hr with a standard deviation of 28 hr, with notable exceptions for higher-mass white dwarfs. Finally, we announce an online repository for our Kepler data and follow-up spectroscopy, which we collect at http://www.k2wd.org.

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arXiv2017

Evidence from K2 for rapid rotation in the descendant of an intermediate-mass star

Using patterns in the oscillation frequencies of a white dwarf observed by K2, we have measured the fastest rotation rate, 1.13(02) hr, of any isolated pulsating white dwarf known to date. Balmer-line fits to follow-up spectroscopy from the SOAR telescope show that the star (SDSSJ0837+1856, EPIC 211914185) is a 13,590(340) K, 0.87(03) solar-mass white dwarf. This is the highest mass measured for any pulsating white dwarf with known rotation, suggesting a possible link between high mass and fast rotation. If it is the product of single-star evolution, its progenitor was a roughly 4.0 solar-mass main-sequence B star; we know very little about the angular momentum evolution of such intermediate-mass stars. We explore the possibility that this rapidly rotating white dwarf is the byproduct of a binary merger, which we conclude is unlikely given the pulsation periods observed.

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arXiv2016

A deep test of radial differential rotation in a helium-atmosphere white dwarf: I. Discovery of pulsations in PG 0112+104

We present the detection of non-radial oscillations in a hot, helium-atmosphere white dwarf using 78.7 d of nearly uninterrupted photometry from the Kepler space telescope. With an effective temperature >30,000 K, PG 0112+104 becomes the hottest helium-atmosphere white dwarf known to pulsate. The rich oscillation spectrum of low-order g-modes includes clear patterns of rotational splittings from consecutive sequences of dipole and quadrupole modes, which can be used to probe the rotation rate with depth in this highly evolved stellar remnant. We also measure a surface rotation rate of 10.17404 hr from an apparent spot modulation in the K2 data. With two independent measures of rotation, PG 0112+104 provides a remarkable test of asteroseismic inference.

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arXiv2016

A subtle IR excess associated with a young White Dwarf in the Edinburgh-Cape Blue Object Survey

We report the discovery of a subtle infrared excess associated with the young white dwarf EC\,05365--4749 at 3.35 and 4.6\,$μ$m. Follow-up spectroscopic observations are consistent with a hydrogen atmosphere white dwarf of effective temperature 22\,800\,K and log [\emph{g} (\,cm\,s$^{-2}$) ] = 8.19. High resolution spectroscopy reveals atmospheric metal pollution with logarithmic abundances of [Mg/H] = --5.36 and [Ca/H] = --5.75, confirming the white dwarf is actively accreting from a metal-rich source with an intriguing abundance pattern. We find that the infrared excess is well modeled by a flat, opaque debris disk, though disk parameters are not well constrained by the small number of infrared excess points. We further demonstrate that relaxing the assumption of a circular dusty debris disk to include elliptical disks expands the widths of acceptable disks, adding an alternative interpretation to the subtle infrared excesses commonly observed around young white dwarfs.

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arXiv2015

A second case of outbursts in a pulsating white dwarf observed by Kepler

We present observations of a new phenomenon in pulsating white dwarf stars: large-amplitude outbursts at timescales much longer than the pulsation periods. The cool (Teff = 11,010 K), hydrogen-atmosphere pulsating white dwarf PG 1149+057 was observed nearly continuously for more than 78.8 d by the extended Kepler mission in K2 Campaign 1. The target showed 10 outburst events, recurring roughly every 8 d and lasting roughly 15 hr, with maximum flux excursions up to 45% in the Kepler bandpass. We demonstrate that the outbursts affect the pulsations and therefore must come from the white dwarf. Additionally, we argue that these events are not magnetic reconnection flares, and are most likely connected to the stellar pulsations and the relatively deep surface convection zone. PG 1149+057 is now the second cool pulsating white dwarf to show this outburst phenomenon, after the first variable white dwarf observed in the Kepler mission, KIC 4552982. Both stars have the same effective temperature, within the uncertainties, and are among the coolest known pulsating white dwarfs of typical mass. These outbursts provide fresh observational insight into the red edge of the DAV instability strip and the eventual cessation of pulsations in cool white dwarfs.

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arXiv2015

Insights into internal effects of common-envelope evolution using the extended Kepler mission

We present an analysis of the binary and physical parameters of a unique pulsating white dwarf with a main-sequence companion, SDSS J1136+0409, observed for more than 77 d during the first pointing of the extended Kepler mission: K2 Campaign 1. Using new ground-based spectroscopy, we show that this post-common-envelope binary has an orbital period of 6.89760103(60) hr, which is also seen in the photometry as a result of Doppler beaming and ellipsoidal variations of the secondary. We spectroscopically refine the temperature of the white dwarf to 12330(260) K and its mass to 0.601(36) Msun. We detect seven independent pulsation modes in the K2 light curve. A preliminary asteroseismic solution is in reasonable agreement with the spectroscopic atmospheric parameters. Three of the pulsation modes are clearly rotationally split multiplets, which we use to demonstrate that the white dwarf is not synchronously rotating with the orbital period but has a rotation period of 2.49(53) hr. This is faster than any known isolated white dwarf, but slower than almost all white dwarfs measured in non-magnetic cataclysmic variables, the likely future state of this binary.

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arXiv2015

An eclipsing post common-envelope system consisting of a pulsating hot subdwarf B star and a brown dwarf companion

Hot subdwarf B stars (sdBs) are evolved, core helium-burning objects located on the extreme horizontal branch. Their formation history is still puzzling as the sdB progenitors must lose nearly all of their hydrogen envelope during the red-giant phase. About half of the known sdBs are in close binaries with periods from 1.2 h to a few days, a fact that implies they experienced a common-envelope phase. Eclipsing hot subdwarf binaries (also called HW Virginis systems) are rare but important objects for determining fundamental stellar parameters. Even more significant and uncommon are those binaries containing a pulsating sdB, as the mass can be determined independently by asteroseismology. Here we present a first analysis of the eclipsing hot subdwarf binary V2008-1753. The light curve shows a total eclipse, a prominent reflection effect, and low--amplitude pulsations with periods from 150 to 180 s. An analysis of the light-- and radial velocity (RV) curves indicates a mass ratio close to $ q = 0.146$, an RV semi-amplitude of $K=54.6 \,\rm kms^{-1}$, and an inclination of $i=86.8^\circ$. Combining these results with our spectroscopic determination of the surface gravity, $\log \,g = 5.83$, the best--fitting model yields an sdB mass of 0.47$M_{\rm \odot}$ and a companion mass of $69 M_{\rm Jup}$. As the latter mass is below the hydrogen-burning limit, V2008-1753 represents the first HW Vir system known consisting of a pulsating sdB and a brown dwarf companion. Consequently, it holds great potential for better constraining models of sdB binary evolution and asteroseismology.

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arXiv2012

EC 10246-2707: a new eclipsing sdB + M dwarf binary

We announce the discovery of a new eclipsing hot subdwarf B + M dwarf binary, EC 10246-2707, and present multi-colour photometric and spectroscopic observations of this system. Similar to other HW Vir-type binaries, the light curve shows both primary and secondary eclipses, along with a strong reflection effect from the M dwarf; no intrinsic light contribution is detected from the cool companion. The orbital period is 0.1185079936 +/- 0.0000000009 days, or about three hours. Analysis of our time-series spectroscopy reveals a velocity semi-amplitude of K_1 = 71.6 +/- 1.7 km/s for the sdB and best-fitting atmospheric parameters of Teff = 28900 +/- 500 K, log g = 5.64 +/- 0.06, and log[N(He)/N(H)] = -2.5 +/- 0.2. Although we cannot claim a unique solution from modeling the light curve, the best-fitting model has an sdB mass of 0.45 Msun and a cool companion mass of 0.12 Msun. These results are roughly consistent with a canonical-mass sdB and M dwarf separated by a ~ 0.84 Rsun. We find no evidence of pulsations in the light curve and limit the amplitude of rapid photometric oscillations to < 0.08%. Using 15 years of eclipse timings, we construct an O-C diagram but find no statistically significant period changes; we rule out |P-dot| > 7.2 x 10^(-12). If EC 10246-2707 evolves into a cataclysmic variable, its period should fall below the famous CV period gap.

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arXiv2012

Discovery of the closest hot subdwarf binary with white dwarf companion

We report the discovery of an extremely close, eclipsing binary system. A white dwarf is orbited by a core He-burning compact hot subdwarf star with a period as short as $\simeq0.04987 {\rm d}$ making this system the most compact hot subdwarf binary discovered so far. The subdwarf will start to transfer helium-rich material on short timescales of less than $50 {\rm Myr}$. The ignition of He-burning at the surface may trigger carbon-burning in the core although the WD is less massive than the Chandrasekhar limit ($>0.74\,M_{\rm \odot}$) making this binary a possible progenitor candidate for a supernova type Ia event.

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arXiv2011

Fortnightly Fluctuations in the O-C Diagram of CS 1246

Dominated by a single, large-amplitude pulsation mode, the rapidly-pulsating hot subdwarf B star CS 1246 is a prime candidate for a long-term O-C diagram study. We collected nearly 400 hours of photometry with the PROMPT telescopes over a time span of 14 months to begin looking for secular variations in the pulse timings. Interestingly, the O-C diagram is dominated by a strong sinusoidal pattern with a period of 14.1 days and an amplitude of 10.7 light-seconds. Underneath this sine wave is a secular trend implying a decrease in the 371.7-s pulsational period of Pdot = -1.9 x 10^-11, which we attribute to the evolution of the star through the H-R diagram. The sinusoidal variation could be produced by the presence of a low-mass companion, with m sin i ~ 0.12 Msun, orbiting the subdwarf B star at a distance of 20 Rsun. An analysis of the combined light curve reveals the presence of a low-amplitude first harmonic to the main pulsation mode.

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arXiv2010

A New Small-Amplitude Variable Hot DQ White Dwarf

We present the discovery of photometric variations in the carbon-dominated atmosphere (hot DQ) white dwarf star SDSS J133710.19-002643.6. We find evidence for two low-amplitude, harmonically-related periodicities at 169 s and 339 s, making it the fastest and smallest amplitude of the four known hot DQ variables and the only variable whose spectrum suggests the presence of hydrogen. The star's fundamental and harmonic amplitudes are roughly equal, and its pulse shape is similar to the other two members of the class with detected harmonics. Like the other variables, it appears relatively stable in frequency and amplitude.

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arXiv2010

Pulsational Mapping of Calcium Across the Surface of a White Dwarf

We constrain the distribution of calcium across the surface of the white dwarf star G29-38 by combining time series spectroscopy from Gemini-North with global time series photometry from the Whole Earth Telescope. G29-38 is actively accreting metals from a known debris disk. Since the metals sink significantly faster than they mix across the surface, any inhomogeneity in the accretion process will appear as an inhomogeneity of the metals on the surface of the star. We measure the flux amplitudes and the calcium equivalent width amplitudes for two large pulsations excited on G29-38 in 2008. The ratio of these amplitudes best fits a model for polar accretion of calcium and rules out equatorial accretion.

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