Bibcode
Kilic, Mukremin; Brown, Warren R.; Allende Prieto, Carlos; Swift, B.; Kenyon, S. J.; Liebert, J.; Agüeros, M. A.
Bibliographical reference
The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Volume 695, Issue 1, pp. L92-L96 (2009).
Advertised on:
4
2009
Citations
22
Refereed citations
22
Description
We report the detection of a radial velocity companion to the extremely
low-mass white dwarf (WD) LP400-22. The radial velocity of the WD shows
variations with a semiamplitude of 119 km s-1 and a 0.98776
day period, which implies a companion mass of M >= 0.37 M
sun. The optical photometry rules out a main-sequence
companion. Thus the invisible companion is another WD or a neutron star.
Using proper-motion measurements and the radial velocity of the binary
system, we find that it has an unusual Galactic orbit. LP400-22 is
moving away from the Galactic center with a velocity of 396 ± 43
km s-1, which is very difficult to explain by supernova
runaway ejection mechanisms. Dynamical interactions with a massive black
hole like that in the Galactic center can in principle explain its
peculiar velocity, if the progenitor was a triple star system comprised
of a close binary and a distant tertiary companion. Until better proper
motions become available, we consider LP400-22 to be most likely a halo
star with a very unusual orbit.