| Two More Candidate AM Canum Venaticorum (AM CVn) Binaries from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (2008) | |||||||||
Abstract | |||||||||
| AM CVn systems are a select group of ultracompact binaries with the shortest orbital periods of any known binary subclass; mass-transfer is likely from a low-mass (partially-)degenerate secondary onto a white dwarf primary, driven by gravitational radiation. In the past few years, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) has provided five new AM CVns. Here we report on two further candidates selected from more recent SDSS data. SDSS J1208+3550 is similar to the earlier SDSS discoveries, recognized as an AM CVn via its distinctive spectrum which is dominated by helium emission. From the expanded SDSS Data Release 6 (DR6) spectroscopic area, we provide an updated surface density estimate for such AM CVns of order 10^{-3.1} to 10^{-2.5} per deg^2 for 15. Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures, 1 table; submitted to AJ | |||||||||
Publication details | |||||||||
| |||||||||