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Matthias R. Schreiber

Publications and source records attributed to Matthias R. Schreiber.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Suggested magnetic braking prescription derived from field complexity fails to reproduce the cataclysmic variable orbital period gap

Magnetic wind braking drives the spin-down of low-mass stars and the evolution of most interacting binary stars. A magnetic braking prescription that was claimed to reproduce both the period distribution of cataclysmic variables (CVs) and the evolution of the rotation rates of low-mass stars is based on a relation between the angular momentum loss rate and magnetic field complexity. The magnetic braking model based on field complexity has been claimed to predict a detached phase that could explain the observed period gap in the period distribution of CVs but has never been tested in detailed models of CV evolution. Here we fill this gap. We incorporated the suggested magnetic braking law in MESA and simulated the evolution of CVs for different initial stellar masses and initial orbital periods. We find that the prescription for magnetic braking based on field complexity fails to reproduce observations of CVs. The predicted secondary star radii are smaller than measured, and an extended detached phase that is required to explain the observed period gap (a dearth of non-magnetic CVs with periods between ${\sim}2$ and ${\sim}3$ hours) is not predicted. Proposed magnetic braking prescriptions based on a relation between the angular momentum loss rate and field complexity are too weak to reproduce the bloating of donor stars in CVs derived from observations and, in contrast to previous claims, do not provide an explanation for the observed period gap. The suggested steep decrease in the angular momentum loss rate does not lead to detachment. Stronger magnetic braking prescriptions and a discontinuity at the fully convective boundary are needed to explain the evolution of close binary stars that contain compact objects. The tension between braking laws derived from the spin-down of single stars and those required to explain CVs and other close binaries containing compact objects remains.

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The Empirical and Radiative Transfer Hybrid (EaRTH) Disk Model: Merging Analyses of Protoplanetary Dust Disk Mineralogy and Structure

Our understanding of how exoplanets form and evolve relies on analyses of both the mineralogy of protoplanetary disks and their detailed structures; however, these key complementary aspects of disks are usually studied separately. We present initial results from a hybrid model that combines the empirical characterization of the mineralogy of a disk, as determined from its mid-infrared spectral features, with the MCFOST radiative transfer disk model, a combination we call the EaRTH Disk Model. With the results of the mineralogy detection serving as input to the radiative transfer model, we generate mid-infrared spectral energy distributions (SEDs) that reflect both the mineralogical and structural parameters of the corresponding disk. Initial fits of the SED output by the resulting integrated model to Spitzer Space T elescope mid-infrared (IRS) spectra of the protoplanetary disk orbiting the nearby T Tauri star MP Mus demonstrate the potential advantages of this approach by revealing details like the dominance of micron-sized olivine and micron-sized forsterite in this dusty disk. The simultaneous insight into disk composition and structure provided by the EaRTH Disk methodology should be directly applicable to the interpretation of mid-infrared spectra of protoplanetary disks that will be produced by the James Webb Space Telescope.

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The formation of the magnetic symbiotic star FN Sgr

To shed light on the origin of magnetic symbiotic stars, we investigated the system FN Sgr in detail. We searched for a reasonable formation pathway to explain its stellar and binary parameters including the magnetic field of the accreting white dwarf. We used the MESA code to carry out pre-CE and post-CE binary evolution and determined the outcome of CE evolution assuming the energy formalism. For the origin and evolution of the white dwarf magnetic field, we adopted the crystallization scenario. We found that FN Sgr can be explained as follows. First, a non-magnetic white dwarf is formed through CE evolution. Later, during post-CE evolution, the white dwarf starts to crystallize and a weak magnetic field is generated. After a few hundred Myr, the magnetic field penetrates the white dwarf surface and becomes detectable. Meanwhile, its companion evolves and becomes an evolved red giant. Subsequently, the white dwarf accretes part of the angular momentum from the red giant stellar winds. As a result, the white dwarf spin period decreases and its magnetic field reaches super-equipartition, getting amplified due to a rotation- and crystallization-driven dynamo. The binary then evolves into a symbiotic star, with a magnetic white dwarf accreting from an evolved red giant through atmospheric Roche-lobe overflow. We conclude that the rotation- and crystallization-driven dynamo scenario, or any age-dependent scenario, can explain the origin of magnetic symbiotic stars reasonably well. This adds another piece to the pile of evidence supporting this scenario. If our formation channel is correct, our findings suggest that white dwarfs in most symbiotic stars formed through CE evolution might be magnetic, provided that the red giant has spent >3 Gyr as a main-sequence star.

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Formation of long-period post-common-envelope binaries II. Explaining the self-lensing binary KOI 3278

The vast majority of close binaries containing a compact object form through common-envelope (CE) evolution. Despite this importance, we struggle to even understand the energy budget of CE evolution. For decades, observed long-period post-CE binaries have been interpreted as evidence for additional energies to contribute during CE evolution. We have recently shown that this argument is based on simplified assumptions for all long-period post-CE binaries containing massive white dwarfs. The only remaining post-CE binary star that has been claimed to require contributions from additional energy sources to understand its formation is KOI 3278. Here we address in detail the potential evolutionary history of KOI 3278. In particular, we investigated whether extra energy sources, such as recombination energy, are indeed required to explain its existence. We used the 1D stellar evolution code MESA to carry out binary evolution simulations and searched for potential formation pathways for KOI 3278 that are able to explain its observed properties. We found that KOI 3278 can be explained if the white dwarf progenitor filled its Roche lobe during a helium shell flash. In this case, the orbital period of KOI 3278 can be reproduced if the CE binding energy is calculated taking into account gravitational energy and thermodynamic internal energy. While the CE evolution that led to the formation of KOI 3278 must have been efficient, that is, most of the available orbital energy must have been used to unbind the CE, recombination energy is not required. We conclude that currently not a single observed post-CE binary requires to assume energy sources other than gravitational and thermodynamic energy to contribute to CE evolution. KOI 3278, however, remains an intriguing post-CE binary as, unlike its siblings, understanding its existence requires highly efficient CE ejection.

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Formation of long-period post-common-envelope binaries I. No extra energy is needed to explain oxygen-neon white dwarfs paired with AFGK-type main-sequence stars

In this first in a series of papers related to long-period post-common-envelope (CE) binaries, we investigated whether extra energy is required or not to explain the currently known post-CE binaries with sufficiently long orbital periods consisting of oxygen-neon white dwarfs with AFGK-type main-sequence star companions. We carried out binary population simulations with the BSE code and searched for their formation pathways. Unlike what has been claimed for a long time, we show that all such post-CE binaries can be explained by assuming inefficient CE evolution, which is consistent with results achieved for the remaining post-CE binaries. There is therefore no need for an extra energy source. We also found that for CE efficiency close to 100%, post-CE binaries hosting oxygen-neon white dwarfs with orbital periods as long as a thousand days can be explained. For all known systems we found formation pathways consisting of CE evolution triggered when a highly evolved (i.e. the envelope mass being comparable to the core mass) thermally-pulsing asymptotic giant branch star fills its Roche lobe at an orbital period of several thousand days. Due to the sufficiently low envelope mass and sufficiently long orbital period, the resulting post-CE orbital period can easily be several tens of days. We conclude that the known post-CE binaries with oxygen-neon white dwarfs and AFGK-type main-sequence stars can be explained without invoking any energy source other than orbital and thermal energy. Our results strengthen the idea that the most common formation pathway of the overall population of post-CE binaries hosting white dwarfs is through inefficient CE evolution.

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The cataclysmic variable orbital period gap: More evident than ever

Recently, large and homogeneous samples of cataclysmic variables (CVs) identified by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) were published. In these samples, the famous orbital period gap, which is a dearth of systems in the orbital period range ~2-3 hr and the defining feature of most evolutionary models for CVs, has been claimed not to be clearly present. If true, this finding would completely change our picture of CV evolution. In this Letter we focus on potential differences with respect to the orbital period gap between CVs in which the magnetic field of the white dwarf is strong enough to connect with that of the donor star, so-called polars, and non-polar CVs as the white dwarf magnetic field in polars has been predicted to reduce the strength of angular momentum loss through magnetic braking. We separated the SDSS I-IV sample of CVs into polars and non-polar systems and performed statistical tests to evaluate whether the period distributions are bimodal as predicted by the standard model for CV evolution or not. We confirm the existence of a period gap in the SDSS I-IV sample of non-polar CVs with >98 per cent confidence. The boundaries of the orbital period gap are 147 and 191 minutes, with the lower boundary being different to previously published values (129 min). The orbital period distribution of polars from SDSS I-IV is clearly different and does not show a similar period gap. The SDSS samples as well as previous samples of CVs are consistent with the standard theory of CV evolution. Magnetic braking does indeed seem get disrupted around the fully convective boundary, which causes a detached phase during CV evolution. In polars, the white dwarf magnetic field reduces the strength of magnetic braking and consequently the orbital period distribution of polars does not display an equally profound and extended period gap as non-polars.

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Rotation plays a role in the generation of magnetic fields in single white dwarfs

Recent surveys of close white dwarf binaries as well as single white dwarfs have provided evidence for the late appearance of magnetic fields in white dwarfs, and a possible generation mechanism a crystallization and rotation-driven dynamo has been suggested. A key prediction of this dynamo is that magnetic white dwarfs rotate, at least on average, faster than their non-magnetic counterparts and/or that the magnetic field strength increases with rotation. Here we present rotation periods of ten white dwarfs within 40 pc measured using photometric variations. Eight of the light curves come from TESS observations and are thus not biased towards short periods, in contrast to most period estimates that have been reported previously in the literature. These TESS spin periods are indeed systematically shorter than those of non-magnetic white dwarfs. This means that the crystallization and rotation-driven dynamo could be responsible for a fraction of the magnetic fields in white dwarfs. However, the full sample of magnetic white dwarfs also contains slowly rotating strongly magnetic white dwarfs which indicates that another mechanism that leads to the late appearance of magnetic white dwarfs might be at work, either in addition to or instead of the dynamo. The fast-spinning and massive magnetic white dwarfs that appear in the literature form a small fraction of magnetic white dwarfs, and probably result from a channel related to white dwarf mergers.

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Planet formation around Intermediate-mass stars I: Different disc evolutionary pathways as a function of stellar mass

The study of protoplanetary disc evolution and planet formation has mainly concentrated on solar (and low) mass stars since they host the majority of the confirmed exoplanets. Nevertheless, the numerous planets found orbiting stars up to $\sim3M_\odot$ has sparked interest in understanding how they form and how their hosting discs evolve. Our goal is to improve our knowledge on the gas disc evolution around intermediate mass stars for future planet formation studies. We study the long-term evolution of protoplanetary discs affected by viscous accretion, X-ray and FUV photoevaporation from the central star around stars between $1 - 3M_\odot$ considering the effects of stellar evolution. We explore different values of the viscosity parameter and the initial mass of the disc. We find that the evolutionary pathway of disc dispersal depends on the stellar mass. Our simulations reveal four distinct evolutionary pathways for the gas disc not reported before that are a consequence of stellar evolution, and which will likely impact dust evolution and planet formation. As the stellar mass grows from 1 to $\sim2M_\odot$, the disc evolution changes from the conventional inside-out clearing to a homogeneous disc evolution scenario where both inner and outer discs, formed after photoevaporation opened a gap, vanish over a similar timescale. As the stellar mass continues to increase, reaching $\sim 3M_\odot$, we have identified a distinct pathway that we refer to as revenant disc evolution, where the inner and outer discs reconnect after the gap opened. For the largest masses, we observe outside-in disc dispersal, in which the outer disc dissipates first due to the strong FUV photoevaporation. Revenant disc evolution stands out as it is capable of extending the disc lifespan. Otherwise, the disc dispersal time scale decreases with increasing stellar mass except for low viscosity discs.

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Evidence for saturated and disrupted magnetic braking from samples of detached close binaries with M and K dwarfs

Context. Recent observations of close detached eclipsing M and K dwarf binaries have provided substantial support for magnetic saturation when stars rotate sufficiently fast, leading to a magnetic braking (MB) torque proportional to the spin of the star. Aims. We investigated here how strong MB torques need to be to reproduce the observationally-inferred relative numbers of white dwarf plus M dwarf post-common-envelope binaries under the assumption of magnetic saturation. Methods. We carried out binary population simulations with the BSE code adopting empirically-derived inter-correlated main-sequence binary distributions as initial binary populations and compared the simulation outcomes with observations. Results. We found that the dearth of extreme mass ratio binaries in the inter-correlated initial distributions is key to reproduce the large fraction of post-common-envelope binaries hosting low-mass M dwarfs (${\sim0.1-0.2}$ M$_\odot$). In addition, orbital angular momentum loss rates due to MB should be high for M dwarfs with radiative cores and orders of magnitude smaller for fully convective stars to explain the observed dramatic change of the fraction of short-period binaries at the fully convective boundary. Conclusions. We conclude that saturated but disrupted, that is, dropping drastically at the fully convective boundary, MB can explain the observations of both close main-sequence binaries containing M and K dwarfs and post-common-envelope binaries. Whether a similar prescription can explain the spin down rates of single stars and of binaries containing more massive stars needs to be tested.

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Period bouncers as detached magnetic cataclysmic variables

The general prediction that more than half of all CVs have evolved past the period minimum is in strong disagreement with observational surveys, which show that the relative number of these objects is just a few per cent. Here, we investigate whether a large number of post-period minimum CVs could detach because of the appearance of a strong white dwarf magnetic field potentially generated by a rotation- and crystallization-driven dynamo. We used the MESA code to calculate evolutionary tracks of CVs incorporating the spin evolution and cooling as well as compressional heating of the white dwarf. If the conditions for the dynamo were met, we assumed that the emerging magnetic field of the white dwarf connects to that of the companion star and incorporated the corresponding synchronization torque, which transfers spin angular momentum to the orbit. We find that for CVs with donor masses exceeding 0.04 Msun, magnetic fields are generated mostly if the white dwarfs start to crystallize before the onset of mass transfer. It is possible that a few white dwarf magnetic fields are generated in the period gap. For the remaining CVs, the conditions for the dynamo to work are met beyond the period minimum, when the accretion rate decreased significantly. Synchronization torques cause these systems to detach for several Gyrs even if the magnetic field strength of the white dwarf is just one MG. If the rotation- and crystallization-driven dynamo - which is currently the only mechanism that can explain several observational facts related to magnetism in CVs and their progenitors - or a similar temperature-dependent mechanism is responsible for the generation of magnetic field in white dwarfs, most CVs that have evolved beyond the period minimum must detach for several Gyrs at some point. This reduces the predicted number of semi-detached period bouncers by up to 60-80 per cent.

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Reversing the verdict: Cataclysmic variables could be the dominant progenitors of AM CVn binaries after all

Context. AM CVn binaries are potential progenitors of thermonuclear supernovae and strong sources of persistent gravitational wave radiation. For a long time, it has been believed that these systems cannot descend from cataclysmic variables (CVs), at least not in large numbers, because the initial conditions need to be fine-tuned and, even worse, the resulting surface hydrogen abundance would be high enough to be detected which contradicts a defining feature of AM CVn binaries. Aims. Here we show that both claimed weaknesses of the CV formation channel for AM CVn binaries are model-dependent and rely on poorly constrained assumptions for magnetic braking. Methods. We performed binary evolution simulations with the MESA code for different combinations of post-common-envelope white dwarf and companion masses as well as orbital periods assuming the CARB model for strong magnetic braking. Results. We found that AM CVn binaries with extremely-low surface hydrogen abundances are one natural outcome of CV evolution if the donor star has developed a non-negligible helium core prior to the onset of mass transfer. In this case, after hydrogen envelope exhaustion during CV evolution, the donor becomes degenerate and its surface hydrogen abundance substantially drops and becomes undetectable. Our simulations also show that the CV formation channel is able to explain the observed AM CVn binaries with very low mass and bloated donor stars (Gaia14aae and ZTF J1637+49). Conclusions. CVs with evolved donors are likely the progenitors of at least a fraction of AM CVn binaries.

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The C/N ratio from FUV spectroscopy as a constraint upon the past evolution of HS0218+3229

Some white dwarfs accreting from non-degenerate companions show anomalous carbon and nitrogen abundances in the photospheres of their stellar components which have been postulated to be descendants of supersoft X-ray binaries. Therefore the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio can provide constraints upon their past evolution. We fit far ultraviolet spectroscopy of the cataclysmic variable HS0218+3229 taken with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph using Markov Chain Monte Carlo. While some parameters depend upon the amount of reddening, the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio is about one tenth of the Solar value ($log C/N=-0.53^{+0.13}_{-0.14}$ and $-0.58^{+0.16}_{-0.15}$ for almost no reddening and E(B-V)=0.065, respectively, which are consistent within the uncertainties). We also provide estimates of the silicon and aluminum abundances, and upper limits for iron and oxygen. Using the measured parameters of HS0218+3229 we reconstruct its past using evolutionary simulations with MESA. We implemented Gaussian process fits to the MESA grid in order to determiner the most likely initial binary configuration of HS0218+3229. We found that an initial mass of the donor of $M_{\rm donor;i}=0.90-0.98,\mathrm{M}_{\odot}$ and an initial orbital period of $P_{\rm orb;i}=2.88$ days ($P_{\rm orb;i}=3.12-3.16$ days) for an assumed white dwarf mass of $M_{\mathrm{WD}}=0.83\,\mathrm{M}_{\odot}$ ($M_{\mathrm{WD}}=0.60\,\mathrm{M}_{\odot}$) are needed to replicate the measured parameters. These configurations imply that the system did not go through a phase of quasi-steady hydrogen-burning on the white dwarf's surface. However, it could have experienced a phase of thermal timescale mass transfer in the past if the initial mass ratio was $\geq1.5$. We predict that HS0218+3229 will evolve into a CV with a period below the $\simeq80$\,min period minimum for normal CVs, displaying helium and hydrogen in its spectrum.

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Close detached white dwarf + brown dwarf binaries: further evidence for low values of the common envelope efficiency

Common envelope evolution is a fundamental ingredient in our understanding of the formation of close binary stars containing compact objects which includes the progenitors of type Ia supernovae, short gamma ray bursts and most stellar gravitational wave sources. To predict the outcome of common envelope evolution we still rely to a large degree on a simplified energy conservation equation. Unfortunately, this equation contains a theoretically rather poorly constrained efficiency parameter ($α_{\mathrm{CE}}$) and, even worse, it is unclear if energy sources in addition to orbital energy (such as recombination energy) contribute to the envelope ejection process. In previous works we reconstructed the evolution of observed populations of post common envelope binaries (PCEBs) consisting of white dwarfs with main sequence star companions and found indications that the efficiency is rather small ($α_{\mathrm{CE}}\simeq0.2-0.3$) and that extra energy sources are only required in very few cases. Here we used the same reconstruction tool to investigate the evolutionary history of a sample of observed PCEBs with brown dwarf companions. In contrast to previous works, we found that the evolution of observationally well characterized PCEBs with brown dwarf companions can be understood assuming a low common envelope efficiency ($α_{\mathrm{CE}}=0.24-0.41$), similar to that required to understand PCEBs with main sequence star companions, and that contributions from recombination energy are not required. We conclude that the vast majority of PCEBs form from common envelope evolution that can be parameterized with a small efficiency and without taking into account additional energy sources.

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Characterization of the dust content in the ring around Sz 91: indications for planetesimal formation?

One of the most important questions in the field of planet formation is how mm-cm sized dust particles overcome the radial drift and fragmentation barriers to form kilometer-sized planetesimals. ALMA observations of protoplanetary disks, in particular transition disks or disks with clear signs of substructures, can provide new constraints on theories of grain growth and planetesimal formation and therefore represent one possibility to progress on this issue. We here present ALMA band 4 (2.1 mm) observations of the transition disk system Sz 91 and combine them with previously obtained band 6 (1.3 mm) and 7 (0.9 mm) observations. Sz 91 with its well defined mm-ring, more extended gas disk, and evidence of smaller dust particles close to the star, is a clear case of dust filtering and the accumulation of mm sized particles in a gas pressure bump. We computed the spectral index (nearly constant at $\sim$3.34), optical depth (marginally optically thick), and maximum grain size ($\sim\,0.61$ mm) in the dust ring from the multi-wavelength ALMA observations and compared the results with recently published simulations of grain growth in disk substructures. Our observational results are in very good agreement with the predictions of models for grain growth in dust rings that include fragmentation and planetesimal formation through the streaming instability.

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A 99-minute Double-lined White Dwarf Binary from SDSS-V

We report the discovery of SDSS J133725.26+395237.7 (hereafter SDSS J1337+3952), a double-lined white dwarf (WD+WD) binary identified in early data from the fifth generation Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-V). The double-lined nature of the system enables us to fully determine its orbital and stellar parameters with follow-up Gemini spectroscopy and Swift UVOT ultraviolet fluxes. The system is nearby ($d = 113$ pc), and consists of a $0.51\, M_\odot$ primary and a $0.32\, M_\odot$ secondary. SDSS J1337+3952 is a powerful source of gravitational waves in the millihertz regime, and will be detectable by future space-based interferometers. Due to this gravitational wave emission, the binary orbit will shrink down to the point of interaction in $\approx 220$ Myr. The inferred stellar masses indicate that SDSS J1337+3952 will likely not explode as a Type Ia supernova (SN Ia). Instead, the system will probably merge and evolve into a rapidly rotating helium star, and could produce an under-luminous thermonuclear supernova along the way. The continuing search for similar systems in SDSS-V will grow the statistical sample of double-degenerate binaries across parameter space, constraining models of binary evolution and SNe Ia.

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Breaking the degeneracy in magnetic cataclysmic variable X-ray spectral modeling using X-ray light curves

We present an analysis of mock X-ray spectra and light curves of magnetic cataclysmic variables using an upgraded version of the 3D CYCLOPS code. This 3D representation of the accretion flow allows us to properly model total and partial occultation of the post-shock region by the white dwarf as well as the modulation of the X-ray light curves due to the phase-dependent extinction of the pre-shock region. We carried out detailed post-shock region modeling in a four-dimensional parameter space by varying the white dwarf mass and magnetic field strength as well as the magnetosphere radius and the specific accretion rate. To calculate the post-shock region temperature and density profiles, we assumed equipartition between ions and electrons, took into account the white dwarf gravitational potential, the finite size of the magnetosphere and a dipole-like magnetic field geometry, and considered cooling by both bremsstrahlung and cyclotron radiative processes. By investigating the impact of the parameters on the resulting X-ray continuum spectra, we show that there is an inevitable degeneracy in the four-dimensional parameter space investigated here, which compromises X-ray continuum spectral fitting strategies and can lead to incorrect parameter estimates. However, the inclusion of X-ray light curves in different energy ranges can break this degeneracy, and it therefore remains, in principle, possible to use X-ray data to derive fundamental parameters of magnetic cataclysmic variables, which represents an essential step toward understanding their formation and evolution.

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Magnetic dynamos in white dwarfs -- II. Relating magnetism and pollution

We investigate whether the recently suggested rotation and crystallization driven dynamo can explain the apparent increase of magnetism in old metal polluted white dwarfs. We find that the effective temperature distribution of polluted magnetic white dwarfs is in agreement with most/all of them having a crystallizing core and increased rotational velocities are expected due to accretion of planetary material which is evidenced by the metal absorption lines. We conclude that a rotation and crystallization driven dynamo offers not only an explanation for the different occurrence rates of strongly magnetic white dwarfs in close binaries, but also for the high incidence of weaker magnetic fields in old metal polluted white dwarfs.

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Magnetic dynamos in white dwarfs -- I. Explaining the dearth of bright intermediate polars in globular clusters

Recently, Bahramian et al. investigated a large sample of globular clusters (GCs) and found that bright intermediate polars (IPs) are a factor of 10 less frequent in GCs than in the Galactic field. We theoretically investigate here this discrepancy based on GC numerical simulations. We found that, due to disruptive dynamical interaction, there is on average a reduction of only half of bright IP progenitors, which is clearly not enough to explain the observed deficiency. However, if the rotation- and crystallization-driven dynamo scenario recently proposed by Schreiber et al. is incorporated in the simulations, the observed rareness of bright IPs in GCs can be reproduced. This is because bright cataclysmic variables in GCs are typically very old systems ($\gtrsim$ 10 Gyr), with white dwarfs that almost fully crystallized before mass transfer started, which does not allow strong magnetic fields to be generated. The observed mass density of bright IPs in GCs can be recovered if around one third of the bright cataclysmic variables dynamically formed through mergers have magnetic field strengths similar to those of IPs. We conclude that the observed paucity of bright IPs in GCs is a natural consequence of the newly proposed rotation- and crystallization-driven dynamo scenario.

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