2025ApJ...979..167P


Query : 2025ApJ...979..167P

2025ApJ...979..167P - Astrophys. J., 979, 167 (2025/February-1)

A Second Candidate Magnetic Helium Core White Dwarf and 3 Other Variable White Dwarfs in the Globular Cluster NGC 6397.

PICHARDO MARCANO M., RIVERA SANDOVAL L.E., MACCARONE T.J., ROHRMANN R.D., ALTHAUS L.G., HEINKE C.O., BELLONI D. and BAHRAMIAN A.

Abstract (from CDS):

Using archival Hubble Space Telescope observations, we report the discovery of four variable low-mass white dwarfs (WDs; 0.18 M⊙ ≤ M ≤ 0.5 M⊙) in the globular cluster NGC 6397. One source exhibits a periodic optical modulation of 5.21 ± 0.02 hr, which we interpret as potentially due to the rotation of a magnetic helium core WD (He WD). This makes this candidate the second magnetic He WD in NGC 6397, and one of the few He WDs with a measured rotation period. The other three candidates show aperiodic variability, with a change in magnitude ranging from ∼0.11 to 0.6. These discoveries highlight the importance of high-cadence photometric surveys in dense stellar environments. Follow-up spectroscopic observations are needed to confirm the nature of the variability of these systems.

Abstract Copyright: © 2025. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.

Journal keyword(s): White dwarf stars - Globular star clusters - Stellar magnetic fields

Status at CDS : Tables of objects will be appraised for possible ingestion in SIMBAD.

Simbad objects: 4

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Number of rows : 4
N Identifier Otype ICRS (J2000)
RA
ICRS (J2000)
DEC
Mag U Mag B Mag V Mag R Mag I Sp type #ref
1850 - 2026
#notes
1 PSR J0023-72U Psr 00 24 09.8325 -72 03 59.667           ~ 64 2
2 PSR J1400-1431 Psr 14 00 37.00370 -14 31 47.0422           ~ 49 0
3 [CGC98] NF 1 * 17 40 40.659 -53 40 19.85   19.08   18.98   ~ 4 0
4 NGC 6397 GlC 17 40 42.09 -53 40 27.6     5.17     ~ 2103 0

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