Submitting Campus
Daytona Beach
Department
Physical Sciences
Document Type
Article
Publication/Presentation Date
1-2006
Abstract/Description
A sample of white dwarfs is selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 3 using their reduced proper motions, based on improved proper motions from combined SDSS and USNO-B data. Numerous SDSS and follow-up spectra (Kilic and coworkers) are used to quantify completeness and contamination of the sample; kinematicsmodels are used to understand and correct for velocity-dependent selection biases.A luminosity function is constructed covering the range 7 < Mbol < 16, and its sensitivity to various assumptions and selection limits is discussed. The white dwarf luminosity function based on 6000 stars is remarkably smooth and rises nearly monotonically to Mbol=15.3. It then drops abruptly, although the small number of low-luminosity stars in the sample and their unknown atmospheric composition prevent quantitative conclusions about this decline. Stars are identified that may have high tangential velocities, and a preliminary luminosity function is constructed for them.
Publication Title
The Astronomical Journal
Publisher
Institute of Physics Publishing, Inc.
Grant or Award Name
National Science Foundation grant AST 03-07321
Scholarly Commons Citation
Harris, H. C., Munn, J. A., Kilic, M., Liebert, J. W., Williams, K. A., von Hippel, T., Levine, S. E., Monet, D. G., Eisenstein, D. J., Kleinman, S. J., Metcalfe, T. S., Nikka, A., Winget, D. E., Brinkmann, J., Fukugita, M., Knapp, G. R., Lupton, R. H., Smith, J. A., & Schneider, D. P. (2006). The White Dwarf Luminosity Function from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Imaging Data. The Astronomical Journal, 131(1). Retrieved from https://commons.erau.edu/publication/219
