Related papers: A Search for Unresolved Double Degenerates Using I…

We present a comparative study of effective temperatures determined from the hydrogen Balmer lines and from the UV energy distribution for 140 DA white dwarfs drawn from the IUE archive. Our results indicate that the optical and UV…

The ESO Supernova Ia Progenitor Survey (SPY) took high-resolution spectra of more than 1000 white dwarfs and pre-white dwarfs. About two thirds of the stars observed are hydrogen-dominated DA white dwarfs. Here we present a catalog and…

The ROSAT WFC survey has provided us with evidence for the existence of a previously unidentified sample of hot white dwarfs (WD) in non-interacting binary systems, through the detection of EUV and soft X-ray emission. These stars are…

We studied the class of DB white dwarf stars, using re-calibrated UV spectra for thirty four DBs obtained with the IUE satellite. By comparing the observed energy distributions with model atmospheres, we simultaneously determine…

A spectroscopic analysis of the DBA (or DAB) white dwarf KUV 02196+2816 is presented. The observed hydrogen and helium line profiles are shown to be incompatible with model spectra calculated under the assumption of a homogeneous hydrogen…

A spectroscopic analysis of the DAB white dwarf PG 1115+166 is presented. The observed hydrogen and helium line profiles are shown to be incompatible with model spectra calculated under the assumption of homogeneous or stratified chemical…

We describe radial velocity observations of a large sample of apparently single white dwarfs (WDs), obtained in a long-term effort to discover close, double-degenerate (DD) pairs which might comprise viable Type Ia Supernova (SN Ia)…

We report on a large survey for double degenerate (DD) binaries as potential progenitors of type Ia supernovae with the UVES spectrograph at the ESO VLT (SN Ia Progenitor surveY - SPY). About 560 white dwarfs were checked for radial…

We describe a near-IR photometric search for cool red dwarf companions to hot EUV-detected white dwarfs (WDs). While some composite systems have been found optically among WDs detected in recent EUV All-Sky Surveys, we develop an IR…

We report on systematic radial velocity surveys for white dwarf - white dwarf binaries (double degenerates - DDs) including SPY (ESO Supernovae Ia progenitor survey) recently carried out at the VLT. A large sample of DD will allow us to put…

We present follow-up spectroscopy and a detailed model atmosphere analysis of 29 wide double white dwarfs, including eight systems with a crystallized C/O core member. We use state-of-the-art evolutionary models to constrain the physical…

The number of spatially unresolved white dwarf plus main-sequence star binaries has increased rapidly in the last decade, jumping from only ~30 in 2003 to over 3000. However, in the majority of known systems the companion to the white dwarf…

We present the first discoveries of the double-lined double white dwarf (DBL) survey that targets over-luminous sources with respect to the canonical white dwarf cooling sequence according to a set of well-defined criteria. The primary goal…

We present a near-infrared photometric search for unresolved substellar companions and debris disks around white dwarfs in the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey Large Area Survey. We cross-correlate the SDSS DR4 and McCook & Sion catalogues of…

An observational constraint on the contribution of double degenerates to Type Ia supernovae requires multiple radial velocity measurements of ideally thousands of white dwarfs. This is because only a small fraction of the double degenerate…

In the course of our search for double degenerate (DD) binaries as potential progenitors of type Ia supernovae with the UVES spectrograph at the ESO VLT (ESO SN Ia Progenitor surveY - SPY) we discovered HE2209-1444 to be a double-lined…

Double white dwarf (DWD) binaries are expected to be very common in the Milky Way, but their intrinsic faintness challenges the detection of these systems. Currently, only a few tens of detached DWDs are know. Such systems offer the best…

We report on the spectroscopic confirmation of 68 new bright ($G=13.5-17.2$ mag) and blue (pre-)white dwarfs (WDs). This finding has allowed us to almost double the number of the hottest ($T_{\mathrm{eff}} \geq 60$kK) known WDs brighter…

Identification of white dwarfs (WD) with main-sequence (MS) companions and characterization of their properties can put important constraints on our understanding of binary stellar evolution and guide the theoretical predictions for a wide…

The estimation of the binary fraction of hot subdwarfs is key to shed light on the different evolution scenarios proposed to explain the loss of the hydrogen envelope during the red giant branch phase. In this paper we analyse the spectral…