Kilo-gauss Magnetic Fields in three DA White Dwarfs
Astrophysics
2007-05-23 v1
Abstract
We have detected longitudinal magnetic fields between 2 and 4kG in three normal DA white dwarfs (WD0446-790, WD1105-048, WD2359434) out of a sample of 12 by using optical spectropolarimetry done with the VLT Antu 8 m telescope equipped with FORS1. With the exception of 40 Eri B (4kG) these are the first positive detections of magnetic fields in white dwarfs below 30kG. A detection rate of 25% (3/12) may indicate now for the firsttime that a substantial fraction of white dwarfs have a weak magnetic field.This result, if confirmed by future observations, would form a cornerston for our understanding of the evolution of stellar magnetic fields.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0501191,
title = {Kilo-gauss Magnetic Fields in three DA White Dwarfs},
author = {R. Aznar Cuadrado and S. Jordan and R. Napiwotzki and H. M. Schmid and S. K. Solanki and G. Mathys},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0501191},
year = {2007}
}
Comments
6 pages, 1 figure, in White Dwarfs, eds.D.,Koester, S.Moehler, ASP Conf.Series, p. 159