A white dwarf with an oxygen atmosphere

Stars born with masses below around 10 solar masses end their lives as white dwarf stars. Their atmospheres are dominated by the lightest elements because gravitational diffusion brings the lightest element to the surface. We report the discovery of a white dwarf with an atmosphere completely domina...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2016-04, Vol.352 (6281), p.67-69
Main Authors: Kepler, S. O., Koester, Detlev, Ourique, Gustavo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atmosphere
Floats
Helium
Hydrogen
Magnesium
Neon
Oxygen
Star & galaxy formation
Stars
White dwarfs
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Summary:Stars born with masses below around 10 solar masses end their lives as white dwarf stars. Their atmospheres are dominated by the lightest elements because gravitational diffusion brings the lightest element to the surface. We report the discovery of a white dwarf with an atmosphere completely dominated by oxygen, SDSS J124043.01+671034.68. After oxygen, the next most abundant elements in its atmosphere are neon and magnesium, but these are lower by a factor of ≥25 by number. The fact that no hydrogen or helium are observed is surprising. Oxygen, neon, and magnesium are the products of carbon burning, which occurs in stars at the high-mass end of pre–white dwarf formation. This star, a possible oxygen-neon white dwarf, will provide a rare observational test of the evolutionary paths toward white dwarfs.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.aad6705