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We present the serendipitous discovery of eclipse-like events around the massive white dwarf SDSS J152934.98+292801.9 (hereafter J1529+2928). We selected J1529+2928 for time-series photometry based on its spectroscopic temperature and surface gravity, which place it near the ZZ Ceti instability strip. Instead of pulsations, we detect photometric dips from this white dwarf every 38 minutes. Follow-up optical spectroscopy observations with Gemini reveal no significant radial velocity variations, ruling out stellar and brown dwarf companions. A disintegrating planet around this white dwarf cannot explain the observed light curves in different filters. Given the short period, the source of the photometric dips must be a dark spot that comes into view every 38 min due to the rotation of the white dwarf. Our optical spectroscopy does not show any evidence of Zeeman splitting of the Balmer lines, limiting the magnetic field strength to B<70 kG. Since up to 15% of white dwarfs display kG magnetic fields, such eclipse-like events should be common around white dwarfs. We discuss the potential implications of this discovery on transient surveys targeting white dwarfs, like the K2 mission and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope.
Recently, Cheng et al. identified a number of massive white dwarfs (WD) that appear to have an additional heat source providing a luminosity near $approx 10^{-3}L_odot$ for multiple Gyr. In this paper we explore heating from electron capture and pycn
Normal type Ia supernovae (SNe) are thought to arise from the thermonuclear explosion of massive ($>0.8$ M$_odot$) carbon-oxygen white dwarfs (WDs), although the exact mechanism is debated. In some models helium accretion onto a carbon-oxygen (CO) WD
We report the identification, from a photometric, astrometric and spectroscopic study, of a massive white dwarf member of the nearby, approximately solar metalicity, Coma Berenices open star cluster (Melotte 111). We find the optical to near-IR energ
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We report on timing observations of the recently discovered binary pulsar PSR J1952+2630 using the Arecibo Observatory. The mildly recycled 20.7-ms pulsar is in a 9.4-hr orbit with a massive, M_WD > 0.93 M_sun, white dwarf (WD) companion. We present,