The White Dwarf Luminosity Function from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Imaging Data

Citation:

Harris HC, Munn JA, Kilic M, Liebert J, Williams KA, von Hippel T, Levine SE, Monet DG, Eisenstein DJ, Kleinman SJ. The White Dwarf Luminosity Function from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Imaging Data. The Astronomical Journal [Internet]. 2006;131:571-581.

Abstract:

A sample of white dwarfs is selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey(SDSS) Data Release 3 using their reduced proper motions, based onimproved proper motions from combined SDSS and USNO-B data. NumerousSDSS and follow-up spectra (Kilic and coworkers) are used to quantifycompleteness and contamination of the sample; kinematics models are usedto understand and correct for velocity-dependent selection biases. Aluminosity function is constructed covering the range7bol<16, and its sensitivity to various assumptionsand selection limits is discussed. The white dwarf luminosity functionbased on 6000 stars is remarkably smooth and rises nearly monotonicallyto Mbol=15.3. It then drops abruptly, although the smallnumber of low-luminosity stars in the sample and their unknownatmospheric composition prevent quantitative conclusions about thisdecline. Stars are identified that may have high tangential velocities,and a preliminary luminosity function is constructed for them.

Notes:

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