No Arabic abstract
Using a detailed Galactic model in which we consider distinct contributions from the bulge, thin disc, thick disc, and halo, and a population synthesis approach, we determined the birth rates, numbers, and period distributions of double white dwarfs (DWDs) within each component. In the Galaxy as a whole, our model predicts the current birth rate of DWDs to be 3.21x10^{-2} yr^{-1}, the local density to be 2.2x10^{-4} pc^{-3} and the total number to be 2.76x10^{8}. Assuming SNIa are formed from the merger of two CO white dwarfs, the SNIa rate should be 0.0013 yr^{-1}. The frequency spectra of DWD strain amplitude and number distribution are presented as a function of galactic component, DWD type, formation channel, and metallicity. We confirm that CO+He and He+He white dwarf (WD) pairs should dominate the GW signal at very high frequencies (log f Hz^{-1} > -2.3), while CO+CO and ONeMg WD pairs have a dominant contribution at log f Hz^{-1} < -2.3. Formation channels involving two common-envelope (CE) phases or a stable Roche lobe overflow phase followed by a CE phase dominate the production of DWDs detectable by LISA at log f Hz^{-1} > -4.5. DWDs with the shortest orbital periods will come from the CE+CE channel. The Exposed Core plus CE channel is a minor channel. A number of resolved DWDs would be detected, making up 0.012% of the total number of DWDs in the Galaxy. The majority of these would be CO+He and He+He pairs formed through the CE+CE channel.
We investigate the gravitational wave (GW) signal generated by a population of double neutron-star binaries (DNS) with eccentric orbits caused by kicks during supernova collapse and binary evolution. The DNS population of a standard Milky-Way type galaxy has been studied as a function of star formation history, initial mass function (IMF) and metallicity and of the binary-star common-envelope ejection process. The model provides birth rates, merger rates and total numbers of DNS as a function of time. The GW signal produced by this population has been computed and expressed in terms of a hypothetical space GW detector (eLISA) by calculating the number of discrete GW signals at different confidence levels, where `signal refers to detectable GW strain in a given frequency-resolution element. In terms of the parameter space explored, the number of DNS-originating GW signals is greatest in regions of recent star formation, and is significantly increased if metallicity is reduced from 0.02 to 0.001, consistent with Belczynski10a. Increasing the IMF power-law index (from --2.5 to --1.5) increases the number of GW signals by a large factor. This number is also much higher for models where the common-envelope ejection is treated using the $alpha-$mechanism (energy conservation) than when using the $gamma-$mechanism (angular-momentum conservation). We have estimated the total number of detectable DNS GW signals from the Galaxy by combining contributions from thin disc, thick disc, bulge and halo. The most probable numbers for an eLISA-type experiment are 0-1600 signals per year at S/N$geqslant$1, 0-900 signals per year at S/N$geqslant$3, and 0-570 at S/N$geqslant$5, coming from about 0-65, 0-60 and 0-50 resolved DNS respectively.
We present the final sample of 98 detached double white dwarf (WD) binaries found in the Extremely Low Mass (ELM) Survey, a spectroscopic survey targeting <0.3 Msun He-core WDs completed in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey footprint. Over the course of the survey we observed ancillary low mass WD candidates like GD278, which we show is a P=0.19 d double WD binary, as well as candidates that turn out to be field blue straggler/subdwarf A-type stars with luminosities too large to be WDs given their Gaia parallaxes. Here, we define a clean sample of ELM WDs that is complete within our target selection and magnitude range 15<g_0<20 mag. The measurements are consistent with 100% of ELM WDs being 0.0089 < P < 1.5 d double WD binaries, 35% of which belong to the Galactic halo. We infer these are mostly He+CO WD binaries given the measurement constraints. The merger rate of the observed He+CO WD binaries exceeds the formation rate of stable mass transfer AM CVn binaries by a factor of 25, and so the majority of He+CO WD binaries must experience unstable mass transfer and merge. The shortest-period systems like J0651+2844 are signature {it LISA} verification binaries that can be studied with gravitational waves and light.
We study the effect of tidal forcing on gravitational wave signals from tidally relaxed white dwarf pairs in the LISA, DECIGO and BBO frequency band ($0.1-100,{rm mHz}$). We show that for stars not in hydrostatic equilibrium (in their own rotating frames), tidal forcing will result in energy and angular momentum exchange between the orbit and the stars, thereby deforming the orbit and producing gravitational wave power in harmonics not excited in perfectly circular synchronous binaries. This effect is not present in the usual orbit-averaged treatment of the equilibrium tide, and is analogous to transit timing variations in multiplanet systems. It should be present for all LISA white dwarf pairs since gravitational waves carry away angular momentum faster than tidal torques can act to synchronize the spins, and when mass transfer occurs as it does for at least eight LISA verification binaries. With the strain amplitudes of the excited harmonics depending directly on the density profiles of the stars, gravitational wave astronomy offers the possibility of studying the internal structure of white dwarfs, complimenting information obtained from asteroseismology of pulsating white dwarfs. Since the vast majority of white-dwarf pairs in this frequency band are expected to be in the quasi-circular state, we focus here on these binaries, providing general analytic expressions for the dependence of the induced eccentricity and strain amplitudes on the stellar apsidal motion constants and their radius and mass ratios. Tidal dissipation and gravitation wave damping will affect the results presented here and will be considered elsewhere.
The spectroscopic catalogue of white dwarf-main sequence (WDMS) binaries from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) is the largest and most homogeneous sample of compact binary stars currently known. However, because of selection effects, the current sample is strongly biased against systems containing cool white dwarfs and/or early type companions, which are predicted to dominate the intrinsic population. In this study we present colour selection criteria that combines optical (ugriz DR8 SDSS) plus infrared (yjhk DR9 UKIRT Infrared Sky Survey (UKIDSS), JHK Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) and/or w1w2 Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)) magnitudes to select 3419 photometric candidates of harbouring cool white dwarfs and/or dominant (M dwarf) companions. We demonstrate that 84 per cent of our selected candidates are very likely genuine WDMS binaries, and that the white dwarf effective temperatures and secondary star spectral types of 71 per cent of our selected sources are expected to be below <~10000-15000K, and concentrated at ~M2-3, respectively. We also present an updated version of the spectroscopic SDSS WDMS binary catalogue, which incorporates 47 new systems from SDSS DR8. The bulk of the DR8 spectroscopy is made up of main-sequence stars and red giants that were targeted as part of the Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE) Survey, therefore the number of new spectroscopic WDMS binaries in DR8 is very small compared to previous SDSS data releases. Despite their low number, DR8 WDMS binaries are found to be dominated by systems containing cool white dwarfs and therefore represent an important addition to the spectroscopic sample. The updated SDSS DR8 spectroscopic catalogue of WDMS binaries consists of 2316 systems.
We estimate the merger rate of double degenerate binaries containing extremely low mass (ELM) <0.3 Msun white dwarfs in the Galaxy. Such white dwarfs are detectable for timescales of 0.1 Gyr -- 1 Gyr in the ELM Survey; the binaries they reside in have gravitational wave merger times of 0.001 Gyr -- 100 Gyr. To explain the observed distribution requires that most ELM white dwarf binary progenitors detach from the common envelope phase with <1 hr orbital periods. We calculate the local space density of ELM white dwarf binaries and estimate a merger rate of 3e-3/yr over the entire disk of the Milky Way; the merger rate in the halo is 10 times smaller. The ELM white dwarf binary merger rate exceeds by a factor of 40 the formation rate of stable mass transfer AM CVn binaries, marginally exceeds the rate of underluminous supernovae, and is identical to the formation rate of R CrB stars. On this basis, we conclude that ELM white dwarf binaries can be the progenitors of all observed AM CVn and possibly underluminous supernovae, however the majority of He+CO white dwarf binaries go through unstable mass transfer and merge, e.g. into single massive ~1 Msun white dwarfs.