Detection of White Dwarf companions to Blue Stragglers in the open cluster NGC 188: direct evidence for recent mass transfer
Detection of White Dwarf companions to Blue Stragglers in the open cluster NGC 188: direct evidence for recent mass transfer
Several possible formation pathways for blue straggler stars have been
developed recently, but no one pathway has yet been observationally
confirmed for a specific blue straggler. Here we report the first
findings from a Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys/Solar
Blind Channel far-UV photometric program to search for white dwarf
companions to blue straggler stars. We find three hot and young white
dwarf companions to blue straggler stars in the 7 Gyr open cluster NGC
188, indicating that mass transfer in these systems ended less than 300
Myr ago. These companions are direct and secure observational evidence
that these blue straggler stars were formed through mass transfer in
binary stars. Their existence in a well-studied cluster environment
allows for observational constraints of both the current binary system
and the progenitor binary system, mapping the entire mass transfer
history.
binaries: spectroscopic, blue stragglers, open clusters and associations: individual: NGC 188, ultraviolet: stars, white dwarfs
Gosnell, Natalie M.
ca36477c-cf40-44c0-a70e-b4921b383780
Mathieu, Robert D.
f8406264-e1b5-41be-9074-b612cd9e967f
Geller, Aaron M.
358fcd0f-def3-47e2-8595-ab16cdb12f3a
Sills, Alison
2f7067f6-89a0-4738-b60e-a25e8b7a434d
Leigh, Nathan
90069e68-a317-4cce-92e3-2401e3518751
Knigge, Christian
ac320eec-631a-426e-b2db-717c8bf7857e
1 March 2014
Gosnell, Natalie M.
ca36477c-cf40-44c0-a70e-b4921b383780
Mathieu, Robert D.
f8406264-e1b5-41be-9074-b612cd9e967f
Geller, Aaron M.
358fcd0f-def3-47e2-8595-ab16cdb12f3a
Sills, Alison
2f7067f6-89a0-4738-b60e-a25e8b7a434d
Leigh, Nathan
90069e68-a317-4cce-92e3-2401e3518751
Knigge, Christian
ac320eec-631a-426e-b2db-717c8bf7857e
Gosnell, Natalie M., Mathieu, Robert D., Geller, Aaron M., Sills, Alison, Leigh, Nathan and Knigge, Christian
(2014)
Detection of White Dwarf companions to Blue Stragglers in the open cluster NGC 188: direct evidence for recent mass transfer.
The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 783 (1).
(doi:10.1088/2041-8205/783/1/L8).
Abstract
Several possible formation pathways for blue straggler stars have been
developed recently, but no one pathway has yet been observationally
confirmed for a specific blue straggler. Here we report the first
findings from a Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys/Solar
Blind Channel far-UV photometric program to search for white dwarf
companions to blue straggler stars. We find three hot and young white
dwarf companions to blue straggler stars in the 7 Gyr open cluster NGC
188, indicating that mass transfer in these systems ended less than 300
Myr ago. These companions are direct and secure observational evidence
that these blue straggler stars were formed through mass transfer in
binary stars. Their existence in a well-studied cluster environment
allows for observational constraints of both the current binary system
and the progenitor binary system, mapping the entire mass transfer
history.
More information
e-pub ahead of print date: 13 February 2014
Published date: 1 March 2014
Keywords:
binaries: spectroscopic, blue stragglers, open clusters and associations: individual: NGC 188, ultraviolet: stars, white dwarfs
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 413690
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/413690
ISSN: 2041-8205
PURE UUID: 1d0509df-452d-406c-8033-17a57703513c
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 31 Aug 2017 16:31
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 14:52
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Natalie M. Gosnell
Author:
Robert D. Mathieu
Author:
Aaron M. Geller
Author:
Alison Sills
Author:
Nathan Leigh
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics