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An ultramassive 1.28 M⊙ white dwarf in NGC 2099

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Cummings, Jeffrey D., Kalirai, Jason S., Tremblay, Pier-Emmanuel, Ramirez-Ruiz, Enrico and Bergeron, P. (2016) An ultramassive 1.28 M⊙ white dwarf in NGC 2099. The Astrophysical Journal, 820 (1). L18. doi:10.3847/2041-8205/820/1/L18

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/2041-8205/820/1/L18

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Abstract

With the Keck I Low-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer we have observed nine white dwarf candidates in the very rich open cluster NGC 2099 (M37). The spectroscopy shows seven to be DA white dwarfs, one to be a DB white dwarf, and one to be a DZ white dwarf. Three of these DA white dwarfs are consistent with singly evolved cluster membership: an ultramassive (1.28${}_{-0.08}^{+0.05}$ ${M}_{\odot }$) and two intermediate-mass (0.70 and 0.75 ${M}_{\odot }$) white dwarfs. Analysis of their cooling ages allows us to calculate their progenitor masses and establish new constraints on the initial–final mass relation. The intermediate-mass white dwarfs are in strong agreement with previous work over this mass regime. The ultramassive white dwarf has V = 24.5, ~2 mag fainter than the other two remnants. The spectrum of this star has lower quality, so the derived stellar properties (e.g., ${T}_{{\rm{eff}}}$, log g) have uncertainties that are several times higher than the brighter counterparts. We measure these uncertainties and establish the star's final mass as the highest-mass white dwarf discovered thus far in a cluster, but we are unable to calculate its progenitor mass because at this high mass and cooler ${T}_{{\rm{eff}}}$ its inferred cooling age is highly sensitive to its mass. At the highest temperatures, however, this sensitivity of cooling age to an ultramassive white dwarf's mass is only moderate. This demonstrates that future investigations of the upper-mass end of the initial–final mass relation must identify massive, newly formed white dwarfs (i.e., in young clusters with ages 50–150 Myr).

Item Type: Journal Article
Subjects: Q Science > QB Astronomy
Divisions: Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Physics
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): White dwarf stars, Stars -- Evolution
Journal or Publication Title: The Astrophysical Journal
Publisher: Institute of Physics Publishing, Inc.
ISSN: 0004-637X
Official Date: 17 March 2016
Dates:
DateEvent
17 March 2016Published
1 March 2016Accepted
Volume: 820
Number: 1
Article Number: L18
DOI: 10.3847/2041-8205/820/1/L18
Status: Peer Reviewed
Publication Status: Published
Access rights to Published version: Restricted or Subscription Access
Copyright Holders: © 2016. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
RIOXX Funder/Project Grant:
Project/Grant IDRIOXX Funder NameFunder ID
AST-1211719[NASA] National Aeronautics and Space Administrationhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000104
Keck PI Data Award[NASA] National Aeronautics and Space Administrationhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000104
UNSPECIFIEDW. M. Keck Foundationhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000888

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