Related papers: The sdA problem I: Physical Properties

Subdwarf A star (sdA) is a spectral classification given to objects showing H-rich spectra and sub-main sequence surface gravities, but effective temperature lower than the zero-age horizontal branch. Their evolutionary origin is an enigma.…

Subdwarf A-type stars (sdAs) are objects that have hydrogen-rich spectra with surface gravity similar to that of hot subdwarf stars but effective temperature below the zero-age horizontal branch (ZAHB). They are considered to be metal-poor…

We address the physical nature of subdwarf A-type (sdA) stars and their possible link to extremely low mass (ELM) white dwarfs (WDs). The two classes of objects are confused in low-resolution spectroscopy. However, colors and proper motions…

The physical nature of the sdA stars---cool hydrogen-rich objects with spectroscopic surface gravities intermediate between main sequence and canonical mass white dwarfs---has been elusive since they were found in Sloan Digital Sky Survey…

White dwarfs with log g lower than 7.0 are called Extremely Low Mass white dwarfs (ELMs). They were first found as companions to pulsars, then to other white dwarfs and main sequence stars (The ELM Survey: 2010 to 2016), and can only be…

Evolved stars with a helium core can be formed by non-conservative mass exchange interaction with a companion or by strong mass loss. Their masses are smaller than 0.5 MSun. In the database of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), there are…

In a search for new white dwarfs in DR12 of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Kepler et al. (2016) found atmospheric parameters for thousands of objects with effective temperatures below 20,000 K and surface gravities between 5.5 < log(g) <…

The spectroscopic class of subdwarf A-type (sdA) stars has come into focus in recent years because of their possible link to extremely low-mass white dwarfs, a rare class of objects resulting from binary evolution. Although most sdA stars…

As they evolve, white dwarfs undergo major changes in surface composition, a phenomenon known as spectral evolution. In particular, some stars enter the cooling sequence with helium atmospheres (type DO) but eventually develop hydrogen…

Context. The nature of the recently identified "sdA" spectroscopic class of star is not well understood. The thousands of known sdAs have H-dominated spectra, spectroscopic surface gravities intermediate to main sequence stars and isolated…

Hot subdwarf (SD) stars are the stripped cores of red giant stars in transition to the white dwarf sequence. The B-type subdwarfs (sdB) are powered by helium fusion in the core, more evolved ones (sdO) by shell burning. Low mass SDs may…

Hot subluminous stars of spectral type B and O are core helium-burning stars at the blue end of the horizontal branch or have evolved even beyond that stage. Strikingly, the distribution in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram of He-rich vs.…

Helium rich subdwarf O stars (sdOs) are hot compact stars in a pre-white dwarf evolutionary state. Most of them have effective temperatures and surface gravities in the range Teff = 40,000-50,000 K and log g = 5.5-6.0. Their atmospheres are…

Hot subluminous stars can be roughly divided into B- and O-types. Unlike the latter many sdBs are found in close binaries, indicating that binary evolution plays a vital role. Recent NLTE spectral analyses revealed that an evolutionary link…

We extend our spiral galaxy models that successfully describe nearby template spectra as well as the redshift evolution of CFRS and HDF spirals to include - in a chemically consistent way - the redshift evolution of a series of individual…

White dwarfs carry information on the structure and evolution of the Galaxy, especially through their luminosity function and initial-to-final mass relation. Very cool white dwarfs provide insight into the early ages of each population.…

The origin of dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) is investigated in a global cosmological context by simultaneously following the evolution of the Milky Way Galaxy and its dwarf satellites. This approach enable to study the formation of…

Some gaps in the mosaic of binary star evolution have recently been filled by the discoveries of helium-core white dwarf progenitors (often called extremely low mass (ELM) white dwarfs) as stripped cores of first-giant branch objects. Two…

We address the origin and evolutionary status of hot subdwarf stars by studying the optical spectral properties of 58 subdwarf O (sdO) stars. Combining them with the results of our previously studied subdwarf B (sdB) stars, we aim at…

An initial assessment is made of white dwarf and hot subdwarf stars observed in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. In a small area of sky (190 square degrees), observed much like the full survey will be, 269 white dwarfs and 56 hot subdwarfs are…