We measure proper motions with the Hubble Space Telescope for 16 extreme radial velocity stars, mostly unbound B stars in the Milky Way halo. Twelve of these stars have proper motions statistically consistent with zero, and thus have radial trajector
ies statistically consistent with a Galactic center hypervelocity star origin. The trajectory of HE 0437-5439 is consistent with both Milky Way and Large Magellanic Cloud origins. A Galactic center origin is excluded at 3-sigma confidence for two of the lowest radial velocity stars in our sample, however. These two stars are probable disk runaways and provide evidence for ~500 km/s ejections from the disk. We also measure a significant proper motion for the unbound sdO star US 708. Its 1,000 km/s motion is in some tension with proposed supernova ejection models, but can be explained if US 708 was ejected from the stellar halo. In the future, we expect Gaia will better constrain the origin of these remarkable unbound stars.
We identify the RR Lyrae and delta Scuti (DSCT) stars in three catalogs of GALEX variable sources. The NUV amplitude of RR Lyrae stars is about twice that in V-band, so we find a larger percentage of low amplitude variables than catalogs such as Abba
s et al (2014). Interestingly, the (NUV-V)_0 color is sensitive to metallicity and can be used to distinguish between variables of the same period but differing [Fe/H]. This color is also more sensitive to T_eff than optical colors and can be used to identify the red edge of the instability gap. We find 8 DSCT stars, 17 RRc stars, 1 RRd star and 84 RRab stars in the GALEX variable catalogs of Welsh et al (2005) and Wheatley et al (2008). We also classify 6 DSCT stars, 5 RRc stars and 18 RRab stars among the 55 variable GALEX sources identified as stars or RR Lyraes in the catalog of Gezari et al (2013). We provide ephemerides and light curves for the 26 variables that were not previously known.
We analyze Keck ESI spectroscopy of HVS17, a B-type star traveling with a Galactic rest frame radial velocity of +445 km/s in the outer halo of the Milky Way. HVS17 has the projected rotation of a main sequence B star and is chemically peculiar, with
solar iron abundance and sub-solar alpha abundance. Comparing measured T_eff and logg with stellar evolution tracks implies that HVS17 is a 3.91 +-0.09 Msun, 153 +-9 Myr old star at a Galactocentric distance of r=48.5 +-4.6 kpc. The time between its formation and ejection significantly exceeds 10 Myr and thus is difficult to reconcile with any Galactic disk runaway scenario involving massive stars. The observations are consistent, on the other hand, with a hypervelocity star ejection from the Galactic center. We show that Gaia proper motion measurements will easily discriminate between a disk and Galactic center origin, thus allowing us to use HVS17 as a test particle to probe the shape of the Milky Ways dark matter halo.
We present the discovery of 17 low mass white dwarfs (WDs) in short-period P<1 day binaries. Our sample includes four objects with remarkable log(g)~5 surface gravities and orbital solutions that require them to be double degenerate binaries. All of
the lowest surface gravity WDs have metal lines in their spectra implying long gravitational settling times or on-going accretion. Notably, six of the WDs in our sample have binary merger times <10 Gyr. Four have >=0.9 Msun companions. If the companions are massive WDs, these four binaries will evolve into stable mass transfer AM CVn systems and possibly explode as underluminous supernovae. If the companions are neutron stars, then these may be milli-second pulsar binaries. These discoveries increase the number of detached, double degenerate binaries in the ELM Survey to 54; 31 of these binaries will merge within a Hubble time.
We obtain Keck HIRES spectroscopy of HVS5, one of the fastest unbound stars in the Milky Way halo. We show that HVS5 is a 3.62 +- 0.11 Msun main sequence B star at a distance of 50 +- 5 kpc. The difference between its age and its flight time from the
Galactic center is 105 +-18(stat)+-30(sys) Myr; flight times from locations elsewhere in the Galactic disk are similar. This 10^8 yr `arrival time between formation and ejection is difficult to reconcile with any ejection scenario involving massive stars that live for only 10^7 yr. For comparison, we derive arrival times of 10^7 yr for two unbound runaway B stars, consistent with their disk origin where ejection results from a supernova in a binary system or dynamical interactions between massive stars in a dense star cluster. For HVS5, ejection during the first 10^7 yr of its lifetime is ruled out at the 3-sigma level. Together with the 10^8 yr arrival times inferred for three other well-studied hypervelocity stars (HVSs), these results are consistent with a Galactic center origin for the HVSs. If the HVSs were indeed ejected by the central black hole, then the Galactic center was forming stars ~200 Myr ago, and the progenitors of the HVSs took ~100 Myr to enter the black holes loss cone.
Extremely low mass (ELM) white dwarfs (WDs) with masses <0.25 Msun are rare objects that result from compact binary evolution. Here, we present a targeted spectroscopic survey of ELM WD candidates selected by color. The survey is 71% complete and has
uncovered 18 new ELM WDs. Of the 7 ELM WDs with follow-up observations, 6 are short-period binaries and 4 have merger times less than 5 Gyr. The most intriguing object, J1741+6526, likely has either a pulsar companion or a massive WD companion making the system a possible supernova Type Ia or .Ia progenitor. The overall ELM Survey has now identified 19 double degenerate binaries with <10 Gyr merger times. The significant absence of short orbital period ELM WDs at cool temperatures suggests that common envelope evolution creates ELM WDs directly in short period systems. At least one-third of the merging systems are halo objects, thus ELM WD binaries continue to form and merge in both the disk and the halo.
We study blue horizontal branch (BHB) and RR Lyrae stars in the Rogers et al. (1993a) fields and compare their velocity and density distributions with other surveys in the same part of the sky. Photometric data are given for 176 early-type stars in t
he northern field. We identify fourteen BHB stars and four possible BHB stars, and determine the selection efficiency of the Century Survey, the HK Survey, and the SDSS survey for BHB stars. We give light curves and gamma -radial velocities for three type-ab RR Lyrae stars in the northern field; comparison with the nearby LONEOS Survey shows that there is likely to be an equal number of lower-amplitude type-ab RR Lyrae stars that we do not find. There are therefore at least twice as many BHB stars as type-ab RR Lyrae stars in the northern field--similar to the ratio in the solar neighborhood. The velocity distribution of the southern field shows no evidence for an anomalous thick disk that was found by Gilmore et al. (2002); the halo velocity peaks at a slightly prograde rotational velocity but there is also a significant retrograde halo component in this field. The velocity distribution in the northern field shows no evidence of Galactic rotation for |Z|>4 kpc and a slight prograde motion for |Z|<4 kpc. The space densities of BHB stars in the northern field agree with an extrapolation of the power-law distribution recently derived by de Propris et al. (2010). For |Z|<4 kpc, however, we observe an excess of BHB stars compared with this power-law. We conclude that these BHB stars mostly belong to a spatially flattened, non-rotating inner halo component of the Milky Way in confirmation of the Kinman et al. (2009) analysis of Century Survey BHB stars.
We describe spectroscopic observations of 21 low-mass (<0.45 M_sun) white dwarfs (WDs) from the Palomar-Green Survey obtained over four years. We use both radial velocities and infrared photometry to identify binary systems, and find that the fractio
n of single, low-mass WDs is <30%. We discuss the potential formation channels for these single stars including binary mergers of lower-mass objects. However, binary mergers are not likely to explain the observed number of single low-mass WDs. Thus additional formation channels, such as enhanced mass loss due to winds or interactions with substellar companions, are likely.
We use Hubble Space Telescope imaging to measure the absolute proper motion of the hypervelocity star (HVS) HE 0437-5439, a short-lived B star located in the direction of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We observe (mu_alpha, mu_delta)=(+0.53+-0.25(
stat)+-0.33(sys), +0.09+-0.21(stat)+-0.48(sys)) mas/yr. The velocity vector points directly away from the center of the Milky Way; an origin from the center of the LMC is ruled out at the 3-sigma level. The flight time of the HVS from the Milky Way exceeds its main-sequence lifetime, thus its stellar nature requires it to be a blue straggler. The large space velocity rules out a Galactic-disk ejection. Combining the HVSs observed trajectory, stellar nature, and required initial velocity, we conclude that HE 0437-5439 was most likely a compact binary ejected by the Milky Ways central black hole.
It is not easy to identify and classify low-amplitude variables, but it is important that the classification is done correctly. We use photometry and spectroscopy to classify low-amplitude variables in a 246 deg^2 part of the Akerlof et al. (2002) fi
eld. Akerlof and collaborators found that 38% of the RR Lyrae stars in their 2000 deg^2 test field were RR1 (type c). This suggests that these RR Lyrae stars belong to an Oosterhoff Type II population while their period distribution is primarily Oosterhoff Type I. Our observations support their RR0 (type ab) classifications, however 6 of the 7 stars that they classified as RR1 (type c) are eclipsing binaries. Our classifications are supported by spectroscopic metallicities, line-broadening and Galactic rotation measurements. Our 246 deg^2 field contains 16 RR Lyrae stars that are brighter than m_R = 14.5; only four of these are RR1 (type c). This corresponds to an Oosterhoff Type I population in agreement with the period distribution.
