arXiv subjects

M. R. Schreiber

Publications and source records attributed to M. R. Schreiber.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2011

Post-common-envelope binaries from SDSS. XI: The white dwarf mass distributions of CVs and pre-CVs

We have known for a long time that many of the measured white dwarf (WD) masses in cataclysmic variables (CVs) significantly exceed the mean mass of single WDs. This was thought to be related to observational biases, but recent high-precision measurements of WD masses in a great number of CVs are challenging this interpretation. We review the measured WD masses of CVs, determine the WD-mass distribution of an extensive sample of post-common-envelope binaries (PCEBs) that are representative for the progenitors of the current CV population (pre-CVs) and compare both distributions. We calculate the CV formation time of the PCEBs in our sample by determining the post common-envelope (CE) and the main-sequence evolution of the binary systems and define a pre-CV to be a PCEB that evolves into a semi-detached configuration with stable mass transfer within less than the age of the Galaxy. Possible observational biases affecting the WD-mass distribution for the pre-CV and the CV samples are discussed. The mean WD mass among CVs is =0.83\pm0.23 Msun, much larger than that found for pre-CVs, =0.67\pm0.21 Msun. Selection effects cannot explain the high WD masses observed in CVs and we here suggest two possible explanations, both of which imply substantial revisions to the standard model of CV evolution: either most CVs have formed above the orbital-period gap (which requires a high WD mass to initiate stable mass transfer or a previous phase of thermal-timescale mass transfer), or the mass of the WDs in CVs grows through accretion (which strongly disagrees with the predictions of classical nova models). Both options may imply that CVs contribute to the single-degenerate progenitors of Type Ia supernovae. The number of He-core WDs found in CVs (<=10%) is roughly consistent with the number of He-core WDs in pre-CVs (<=17+-8%), which indicates a low value of the CE efficiency.

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arXiv2011

Multiple emission line components in detached post-common-envelope binaries

Motivated by the recent discovery of an Halpha emission line component originating close to the white dwarf primary in the post-common-envelope binary (PCEB) LTT 560, we have undertaken a spectroscopic snapshot survey on 11 short-period (P_orb < 6 h) PCEBs using FORS2. We have found multi-component Halpha emission line profiles in six of our targets, indicating that multiple Halpha emission sites are rather common in short-period PCEBs. The underlying physical mechanisms, however, can be fundamentally different. In our sample we find one system where the extracted radial velocities of two identified components indicate that both originate in the late-type secondary star, where one is caused by irradiation from the hot white dwarf primary and the other by stellar activity. Another object presents two components that are located on opposite sides of the centre-of-mass, suggesting a case similar to LTT 560, i.e. that accretion of stellar wind from the secondary star produces Halpha emission on, or close to, the white dwarf.

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arXiv2011

The Planets around the Post-Common Envelope Binary NN Serpentis

We have detected 2 circumbinary planets around the close binary system NN Serpentis using the orbital time delay effect measured via the sharp eclipses of the white dwarf primary. The present pre-cataclysmic binary was formed when the original - 2 M primary expanded into a red giant, causing the secondary star to drop from its original orbit at a separation of about 1.4 A.U. down to its current separation at 0.0043 A.U. A quasi-adiabatic evolution of the circumbinary planets' orbits during the common-envelope phase would have placed them in unstable configurations, suggesting that they may have suffered significant orbital drag effects and were originally in much larger orbits. Alternatively, they may have been created as 2nd-generation planets during the last million years from the substantial amount of material lost during the creation of the binary, making them the youngest planets known. Either solution shows how little we actually understand about planetary formation.

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arXiv2010

On the naming convention used for multiple star systems and extrasolar planets

The present naming convention for extrasolar planets used by the vast majority of researchers in the field is based upon an interpretation of the provisional I.A.U. standard for multiple star systems. With the existence of hundreds of exoplanets around single stars named by this convention and a handful of exoplanets around binary stars -- circumbinary planets -- it has become necessary to find a uniform and useful naming convention for the latter which is maximally compatible with the single host-star convention and which captures as much of the dynamical information about the planet as possible. We propose a simple and generic naming convention for all exoplanets which follows the provisional I.A.U. standard but more clearly indicates their dynamical status. The proposed convention is compatible with present usage and easily extendible to exoplanets around stars in systems of arbitrary multiplicity. We invite comments and discussion on the proposed convention, in the hope of a timely adoption by the I.A.U. Commissions 5, 8+24, 26, 42, 45 and 53.

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arXiv2010

Two planets orbiting the recently formed post-common envelope binary NN Serpentis

Planets orbiting post-common envelope binaries provide fundamental information on planet formation and evolution. We searched for such planets in NN Ser ab, an eclipsing short-period binary that shows long-term eclipse time variations. Using published, reanalysed, and new mid-eclipse times of NN Ser ab obtained between 1988 and 2010, we find excellent agreement with the light-travel-time effect by two additional bodies superposed on the linear ephemeris of the binary. Our multi-parameter fits accompanied by N-body simulations yield a best fit for the objects NN Ser (ab)c and d locked in a 2:1 mean motion resonance, with orbital periods P_c=15.5 yrs and P_d=7.7 yrs, masses M_c sin i_c = 6.9 M_Jup and M_d sin i_d = 2.2 M_Jup, and eccentricities e_c=0 and e_d=0.20. A secondary chi**2 minimum corresponds to an alternative solution with a period ratio of 5:2. We estimate that the progenitor binary consisted of an A star with ~2 M_Sun and the present M dwarf secondary at an orbital separation of ~1.5 AU. The survival of two planets through the common-envelope phase that created the present white dwarf requires fine tuning between the gravitational force and the drag force experienced by them in the expanding envelope. The alternative is a second-generation origin in a circumbinary disk created at the end of this phase. In that case, the planets would be extremely young with ages not exceeding the cooling age of the white dwarf of 10**6 yrs.

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arXiv2010

Post-common-envelope binaries from SDSS. IX: Constraining the common-envelope efficiency

Reconstructing the evolution of post-common-envelope binaries (PCEBs) can constrain current prescriptions of common-envelope (CE) evolution. Analyzing a new sample of PCEBs we derive constraints on one of the most important parameters in the field of close compact binary formation, i.e. the CE efficiency alpha. After reconstructing the post-CE evolution and based on fits to stellar evolution calculations as well as a parametrized energy equation for CE evolution that incorporates realistic approximations of the binding energy parameter lambda, we determine the possible evolutionary histories of the observed PCEBs. We also reconstruct CE evolution replacing the classical energy equation with a scaled angular momentum equation and compare the results obtained with both algorithms. We find that all PCEBs in our sample can be reconstructed with the energy equation if the internal energy of the envelope is included. Although most individual systems have solutions for a broad range of values for alpha, only for alpha=0.2-0.3 do we find simultaneous solutions for all PCEBs in our sample. If we adjust alpha to this range of values, the values of the angular momentum parameter gamma cluster in a small range of values. In contrast if we fix gamma to a small range of values that allows us to reconstruct all our systems, the possible ranges of values for alpha remains broad for individual systems. The classical parametrized energy equation seems to be an appropriate prescription of CE evolution and turns out to constrain the outcome of the CE evolution much more than the alternative angular momentum equation. If there is a universal value of the CE efficiency, it should be in the range of alpha=0.2-0.3. We do not find any indications for a dependence of alpha on the mass of the secondary star or the final orbital period.

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arXiv2010

Multi-site Observations of Pulsation in the Accreting White Dwarf SDSS J161033.64-010223.3 (V386 Ser)

Nonradial pulsations in the primary white dwarfs of cataclysmic variables can now potentially allow us to explore the stellar interior of these accretors using stellar seismology. In this context, we conducted a multi-site campaign on the accreting pulsator SDSS J161033.64-010223.3 (V386 Ser) using seven observatories located around the world in May 2007 over a duration of 11 days. We report the best fit periodicities here, which were also previously observed in 2004, suggesting their underlying stability. Although we did not uncover a sufficient number of independent pulsation modes for a unique seismological fit, our campaign revealed that the dominant pulsation mode at 609s is an evenly spaced triplet. The even nature of the triplet is suggestive of rotational splitting, implying an enigmatic rotation period of about 4.8 days. There are two viable alternatives assuming the triplet is real: either the period of 4.8 days is representative of the rotation period of the entire star with implications for the angular momentum evolution of these systems, or it is perhaps an indication of differential rotation with a fast rotating exterior and slow rotation deeper in the star. Investigating the possibility that a changing period could mimic a triplet suggests that this scenario is improbable, but not impossible. Using time-series spectra acquired in May 2009, we determine the orbital period of SDSS J161033.64-010223.3 to be 83.8 +/- 2.9 min. Three of the observed photometric frequencies from our May 2007 campaign appear to be linear combinations of the 609s pulsation mode with the first harmonic of the orbital period at 41.5min. This is the first discovery of a linear combination between nonradial pulsation and orbital motion for a variable white dwarf.

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arXiv2009

VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV): The public ESO near-IR variability survey of the Milky Way

We describe the public ESO near-IR variability survey (VVV) scanning the Milky Way bulge and an adjacent section of the mid-plane where star formation activity is high. The survey will take 1929 hours of observations with the 4-metre VISTA telescope during five years (2010-2014), covering ~10^9 point sources across an area of 520 deg^2, including 33 known globular clusters and ~350 open clusters. The final product will be a deep near-IR atlas in five passbands (0.9-2.5 microns) and a catalogue of more than 10^6 variable point sources. Unlike single-epoch surveys that, in most cases, only produce 2-D maps, the VVV variable star survey will enable the construction of a 3-D map of the surveyed region using well-understood distance indicators such as RR Lyrae stars, and Cepheids. It will yield important information on the ages of the populations. The observations will be combined with data from MACHO, OGLE, EROS, VST, Spitzer, HST, Chandra, INTEGRAL, WISE, Fermi LAT, XMM-Newton, GAIA and ALMA for a complete understanding of the variable sources in the inner Milky Way. This public survey will provide data available to the whole community and therefore will enable further studies of the history of the Milky Way, its globular cluster evolution, and the population census of the Galactic Bulge and center, as well as the investigations of the star forming regions in the disk. The combined variable star catalogues will have important implications for theoretical investigations of pulsation properties of stars.

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arXiv2009

Post-common envelope binaries from SDSS - VII: A catalogue of white dwarf-main sequence binaries

We present a catalogue of 1602 white dwarf-main sequence binaries (WDMS) from the spectroscopic Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 6 (SDSS DR6). Among these we identify 440 as new WDMS binaries. We select WDMS binary candidates from template fitting all 1.27 million DR6 spectra, using combined constraints in both $χ^{2}$ and signal-to-noise ratio. In addition, we use Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) and UKIRT Infrared Sky Survey (UKIDSS) magnitudes to search for objects in which one of the two components dominates the SDSS spectrum. We use a decomposition/fitting technique to measure the effective temperatures, surface gravities, masses and distances to the white dwarfs, as well as the spectral types and distances to the companions in our catalogue. Distributions and density maps obtained from these stellar parameters are then used to study both the general properties and the selection effects of WDMS binaries in SDSS. We also make use of SDSS-GALEX-UKIDSS magnitudes to investigate the distribution of WDMS binaries, as well as their white dwarf effective temperatures and companion star spectral types, in ultraviolet to infrared colour space. We show that WDMS binaries can be very efficiently separated from single main sequence stars and white dwarfs when using a combined ultraviolet, optical, and infrared colour selection. Finally, we also provide radial velocities for 1068 systems measured from the \Lines{Na}{I}{8183.27,8194.81} absorption doublet and/or the H$α$ emission line. Among the systems with multiple SDSS spectroscopy, we find five new systems exhibiting significant radial velocity variations, identifying them as post-common-envelope binary candidates.

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arXiv2009

SDSS unveils a population of intrinsically faint cataclysmic variables at the minimum orbital period

We discuss the properties of 137 cataclysmic variables (CVs) which are included in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) spectroscopic data base, and for which accurate orbital periods have been measured. 92 of these systems are new discoveries from SDSS and were followed-up in more detail over the past few years. 45 systems were previously identified as CVs because of the detection of optical outbursts and/or X-ray emission, and subsequently re-identified from the SDSS spectroscopy. The period distribution of the SDSS CVs differs dramatically from that of all the previously known CVs, in particular it contains a significant accumulation of systems in the orbital period range 80--86 min. We identify this feature as the elusive "period minimum spike" predicted by CV population models, which resolves a long-standing discrepancy between compact binary evolution theory and observations. We show that this spike is almost entirely due to the large number of CVs with very low accretion activity identified by SDSS. The optical spectra of these systems are dominated by emission from the white dwarf photosphere, and display little or no spectroscopic signature from the donor stars, suggesting very low-mass companion stars. We determine the average absolute magnitude of these low-luminosity CVs at the period minimum to be =11.6+-0.7. Comparison of the SDSS CV sample to the CVs found in the Hamburg Quasar Survey and the Palomar Green Survey suggests that the depth of SDSS is the key ingredient resulting in the discovery of a large number of intrinsically faint short-period systems.

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arXiv2009

Post common envelope binaries from the SDSS. VI. SDSS J120615.73+510047.0: a new low accretion rate magnetic binary

We report the discovery of the ninth pre-polar, consisting of a late-type ZAMS secondary and a magnetic white dwarf. The white dwarf accretes at extreme low rate, dot{M} ~ 10**-14 Msun/yr, from the wind of the companion donor star. The source was found in our systematic search for WD/MS binaries within SDSS/SEGUE. Based on seven Sloan-spectra we estimate a binary period of ~200, 230, or 270 min. The UV to IR spectral energy distribution was decomposed into a dM3-dM4 ZAMS secondary and a cool white dwarf, ~9000 K, which consistently imply a distance between 360 and 420 pc. The optical spectrum displays one pronounced cyclotron hump, likely originating from a low-temperature plasma, ~1 keV, in a field of 108 MG. We comment on the evolutionary link between polars and pre-polars.

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arXiv2009

Post common envelope binaries from SDSS. IV: SDSSJ121258.25-012310.1, a new eclipsing system

From optical photometry we show that SDSSJ121258.25-012310.1 is a new eclipsing, post common-envelope binary with an orbital period of 8.06 hours and an eclipse length of 23 minutes. We observed the object over 11 nights in different bands and determined the ephemeris of the eclipse to HJD_mid = 2454104. 7086(2) + 0.3358706(5) x E, where numbers in parenthesis indicate the uncertainties in the last digit. The depth of the eclipse is 2.85 +/- 0.17 mag in the V band, 1.82 +/- 0.08 mag in the R band and 0.52 +/- 0.02 mag in the I band. From spectroscopic observations we measured the semi-amplitude of the radial velocity K_2 = 181 +/- 3 km/s for the secondary star. The stellar and binary parameters of the system were constrained from a) fitting the SDSS composite spectrum of the binary, b) using a K-band luminosty-mass relation for the secondary star, and c) from detailed analyses of the eclipse light curve. The white dwarf has an effective temperature of 17700 +/- 300 K, and its surface gravity is logg =7.53 +/- 0.2. We estimate that the spectral type of the red dwarf is M4 +/- 1 and the distance to the system is 230 +/- 20 parsec. The mass of the secondary star is estimated to be in the range Msec = 0.26-0.29 Msun, while the mass of the white dwarf is most likely Mwd = 0.46-0.48 Msun. From an empirical mass-radius relation we estimate the radius of the red dwarf to be in the range 0.28-0.31 Rsun, whereas we get Rwd = 0.016-0.018 Rsun from a theoretical mass-radius realation. Finally we discuss the spectral energy distribution and the likely evolutionary state of SDSS1212-0123.

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arXiv2008

Post Common Envelope Binaries from SDSS. V: Four eclipsing white dwarf main sequence binaries

We identify SDSS011009.09+132616.1, SDSS030308.35+005444.1, SDSS143547.87+373338.5 and SDSS154846.00+405728.8 as four eclipsing white dwarf plus main sequence (WDMS) binaries from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and report on follow-up observations of these systems. Orbital periods and ephemerides have been established from multi-season photometry. SDSS1435+3733, with Porb=3h has the shortest orbital period of all known eclipsing WDMS binaries. Time-resolved spectroscopic observations have been obtained and the radial velocities of the secondary stars in all four systems were measured. A spectral decomposition/fitting technique was then employed to determine the white dwarf effective temperatures and surface gravities, as well as the spectral types of the companion stars. We used a light curve modeling code to further constrain the masses and radii of the components in all systems. All three DA white dwarfs have masses of Mwd~0.4-0.6Msun, in line with the expectations from close binary evolution. The DC white dwarf in SDSS0303+0054 has a mass of Mwd>0.85Msun, making it unusually massive for a post-common envelope system. Our new additions raise the number of known eclipsing WDMS binaries to fourteen, and we find that the average white dwarf mass in this sample is =0.57+/-0.16Msun, only slightly lower than the average mass of single white dwarfs. The majority of all eclipsing WDMS binaries contain low-mass (<0.6Msun) secondary stars, and will eventually provide valuable observational input for the calibration of the mass-radius relations of low-mass main sequence stars and of white dwarfs.

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arXiv2008

Post Common Envelope Binaries from SDSS - III. Seven new orbital periods

We present follow-up spectroscopy and photometry of 11 post common envelope binary (PCEB) candidates identified from multiple Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) spectroscopy in an earlier paper. Radial velocity measurements using the \Lines{Na}{I}{8183.27,8194.81} absorption doublet were performed for nine of these systems and provided measurements of six orbital periods in the range $\Porb= 2.7-17.4$ h. Three PCEB candidates did not show significant radial velocity variations in the follow-up data, and we discuss the implications for the use of SDSS spectroscopy alone to identify PCEBs. Differential photometry confirmed one of our spectroscopic orbital periods and provided one additional \Porb measurement. Binary parameters are estimated for the seven objects for which we have measured the orbital period and the radial velocity amplitude of the low-mass companion star, $K_\mathrm{sec}$. So far, we have published nine SDSS PCEBs orbital periods, all of them $\Porb<1$ d. We perform Monte-Carlo simulations and show that $3σ$ SDSS radial velocity variations should still be detectable for systems in the orbital period range of $\Porb\sim1-10$ days. Consequently, our results suggest that the number of PCEBs decreases considerably for $\Porb>1$ day, and that during the common envelope phase the orbital energy of the binary star is maybe less efficiently used to expell the envelope than frequently assumed.

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arXiv2008

Post common envelope binaries from SDSS. II: Identification of 9 close binaries with VLT/FORS2

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey turned out to be very efficient in identifying white dwarf/main sequence binaries (WDMS). The population of WDMS systems consists of wide systems whose stellar components evolve like single stars and - more interesting in the context of close binary evolution - PCEBs. We pursue a large-scale follow-up survey to identify and characterise the PCEBs among the WDMS binaries that have been found with SDSS. We use a two-step strategy with the identification of PCEBs among WDMS in the first and orbital period determinations in the second phase. Here we present first results of our VLT/FORS2 pilot-study that has the target of identifying the PCEBs among the fainter (g>~18.5) SDSS-WDMS. From published SDSS catalogues we selected 26 WDMS targets to be observed with VLT/FORS2. Using a spectral decomposition/fitting technique we determined the white dwarf effective temperatures and surface gravities, masses, and secondary star spectral types for all WDMS in our sample. We used the NaI 8183.27,8194.81 doublet to measure radial velocity variations of our targets and performed additional follow-up spectroscopy using Magellan-Clay/LDSS3 of two systems showing significant radial velocity variations. Among the 26 WDMS systems we find 9 strong PCEB candidates showing clear (>=3sigma) radial velocity variations and we estimate the fraction of PCEBs among SDSS WDMS to be ~35%. We find indications for a dependence of the relative number of PCEBs among SDSS-WDMS on the spectral type of the secondary star. These results are subject to small number statistics and need to be confirmed by additional observations. For two of the identified PCEB candidates, SDSSJ1047+0523 and SDSSJ1414-0132, we measured the orbital periods to be 9.17hrs and 17.48hrs respectively.

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arXiv2007

A new period determination for the close PG1159 binary SDSSJ212531.92-010745.9

Methods to measure masses of PG1159 stars in order to test evolutionary scenarios are currently based on spectroscopic masses or asteroseismological mass determinations. One recently discovered PG1159 star in a close binary system may finally allow the first dynamical mass determination, which has so far been analysed on the basis of one SDSS spectrum and photometric monitoring. In order to be able to phase future radial velocity measurements of the system SDSSJ212531.92-010745.9, we follow up on the photometric monitoring of this system to provide a solid observational basis for an improved orbital ephemeris determination. New white-light time series of the brightness variation of SDSSJ212531.92-010745.9 with the Tuebingen 80cm and Goettingen 50cm telescopes extend the monitoring into a second season (2006), tripling the length of overall observational data available, and significantly increasing the time base covered. We give the ephemeris for the orbital motion of the system, based on a sine fit which now results in a period of 6.95573(5)h, and discuss the associated new amplitude determination in the context of the phased light curve variation profile. The accuracy of the ephemeris has been improved by more than one order of magnitude compared to that previously published for 2005 alone.

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arXiv2007

Post Common Envelope Binaries from SDSS. I: 101 white dwarf main sequence binaries with multiple SDSS spectroscopy

We present a detailed analysis of 101 white dwarf-main sequence binaries (WDMS) from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) for which multiple SDSS spectra are available. We detect significant radial velocity variations in 18 WDMS, identifying them as post common envelope binaries (PCEBs) or strong PCEB candidates. Strict upper limits to the orbital periods are calculated, ranging from 0.43 to 7880 d. Given the sparse temporal sampling and relatively low spectral resolution of the SDSS spectra, our results imply a PCEB fraction of >=15% among the WDMS in the SDSS data base. Using a spectral decomposition/fitting technique we determined the white dwarf effective temperatures and surface gravities, masses, and secondary star spectral types for all WDMS in our sample. Two independent distance estimates are obtained from the flux scaling factors between the WDMS spectra, and the white dwarf models and main sequence star templates, respectively. Approximately one third of the systems in our sample show a significant discrepancy between the two distance estimates. In the majority of discrepant cases, the distance estimate based on the secondary star is too large. A possible explanation for this behaviour is that the secondary star spectral types that we determined from the SDSS spectra are systematically too early by 1-2 spectral classes. This behaviour could be explained by stellar activity, if covering a significant fraction of the star by cool dark spots will raise the temperature of the inter-spot regions. Finally, we discuss the selection effects of the WDMS sample provided by the SDSS project.

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arXiv2006

Understanding white dwarf binary evolution with white dwarf/main sequence binaries: first results from SEGUE

Close white dwarf binaries make up a wide variety of objects such as double white dwarf binaries, which are possible SN Ia progenitors, cataclysmic variables, super soft sources, or AM CVn stars. The evolution and formation of close white dwarf binaries crucially depends on the rate at which angular momentum is extracted from the binary orbit. The two most important sources of angular momentum loss are the common envelope phase and magnetic braking. Both processes are so far poorly understood. Observational population studies of white dwarf/main sequence binaries provide the potential to significantly progress with this situation and to clearly constrain magnetic braking and the CE-phase. However, the current population of white dwarf/main sequence binaries is highly incomplete and heavily biased towards young systems containing hot white dwarfs. The SDSSII/SEGUE collaboration awarded us with 5 fibers per plate pair in order to fill this gap and to identify the required unbiased sample of old white dwarf/main sequence binaries. The success rate of our selection criteria exceeds 65% and during the first 10 months we have identified 41 new systems, most of them belonging to the missed old population.

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