The low-mass white dwarf companion to β Crateris |
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Authors: | M.R. Burleigh M.A. Barstow K.J. Schenker A.I. Sills G.A. Wynn P.D. Dobbie S.A. Good |
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Affiliation: | Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, University Rd., Leicester LE1 7RH |
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Abstract: | We present FUSE H Lyman series spectroscopy of the hot white dwarf companion to the 4th magnitude A1 III star β Crt, which shows that it has an unusually low mass, , and has almost certainly evolved through binary interaction. This system could be a long-sought remnant of Algol-type evolution, although radial velocity measurements appear to show that the pair are not close. Instead, micro-variations in the proper motion of β Crt as measured by Hipparcos suggest that the period could be as high as ∼10 yr. However, a low-mass white dwarf in a system with a period ≳3 yr is difficult to explain by conventional models for binary evolution. We speculate on alternative models for the evolution of this system which involve an eccentric binary or multiple components. |
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Keywords: | binaries: general stars: individual: β Crt white dwarfs ultraviolet: stars |
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