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Article
Re-defining the Empirical ZZ Ceti Instability Strip
The Astrophysical Journal
  • Anjum S. Mukadam, University of Texas
  • Ted von Hippel, University of Texas
  • D. E. Winget,, University of Texas
  • M. H. Montgomery, University of Texas
Submitting Campus
Daytona Beach
Department
Physical Sciences
Document Type
Article
Publication/Presentation Date
5-28-2004
Abstract/Description

We use the new ZZ Ceti stars (hydrogen atmosphere white dwarf variables; DAVs) discovered within the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (Mukadam et al. 2004) to re-define the empirical ZZ Ceti instability strip. This is the first time since the discovery of white dwarf variables in 1968 that we have a homogeneous set of spectra acquired using the same instrument on the same telescope, and with con- sistent data reductions, for a statistically significant sample of ZZ Ceti stars. The homogeneity of the spectra reduces the scatter in the spectroscopic temperatures and we find a narrow instability strip of width ∼ 950K, from 10850–11800K. We question the purity of the DAV instability strip as we find several non-variables within. We present our best fit for the red edge and our constraint for the blue edge of the instability strip, determined using a statistical approach.

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1086/422551
Publisher
The American Astronomical Society, The Institute of Physics
Grant or Award Name
Texas Advanced Research Program grant ARP-0543 and NASA grant NAG5- 13094
Additional Information

Dr. von Hippel was not affiliated with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University at the time this paper was published.

Citation Information
Anjum S. Mukadam, Ted von Hippel, D. E. Winget, and M. H. Montgomery. "Re-defining the Empirical ZZ Ceti Instability Strip" The Astrophysical Journal Vol. 612 Iss. 2 (2004)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/ted-vonhippel/78/