2014MNRAS.444L...1K -
Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 444, L1-L5 (2014/October-2)
A new gravitational wave verification source.
KILIC M., BROWN W.R., GIANNINAS A., HERMES J.J., ALLENDE PRIETO C. and KENYON S.J.
Abstract (from CDS):
We report the discovery of a detached 20-min orbital period binary white dwarf (WD). WD 0931+444 (SDSS J093506.93+441106.9) was previously classified as a WD + M dwarf system based on its optical spectrum. Our time-resolved optical spectroscopy observations obtained at the 8 m Gemini and 6.5 m MMT reveal peak-to-peak radial velocity variations of ~400 km/s every 20 min for the WD, but no velocity variations for the M dwarf. In addition, high-speed photometry from the McDonald 2.1 m telescope shows no evidence of variability nor evidence of a reflection effect. An M dwarf companion is physically too large to fit into a 20 min orbit. Thus, the orbital motion of the WD is almost certainly due to an invisible WD companion. The M dwarf must be either an unrelated background object or the tertiary component of a hierarchical triple system. WD 0931+444 contains a pair of WDs, a 0.32M☉ primary and a ≥ 0.14M☉ secondary, at a separation of ≥ 0.19 R☉. After J0651+2844, WD 0931+444 becomes the second shortest period detached binary WD currently known. The two WDs will lose angular momentum through gravitational wave radiation and merge in ≤ 9 Myr. The logh ≃ -22 gravitational wave strain from WD 0931+444 is strong enough to make it a verification source for gravitational wave missions in the milli-Hertz frequency range, e.g. the evolved Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (eLISA), bringing the total number of known eLISA verification sources to nine.
Abstract Copyright:
© 2014 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society (2014)
Journal keyword(s):
gravitational waves - binaries: close - stars: individual: (SDSS J093506.93+441106.9, WD 0931+444) - white dwarfs
Status at CDS
:
Large table(s) will be appraised for possible ingestion in VizieR.
Simbad objects:
8
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