paper

Twenty-three new ultra-cool subdwarfs from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

arXiv:0804.1731 · doi:10.1086/590183

Abstract

A search of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectroscopic database has turned up 23 new ultra-cool subdwarfs, low-mass metal-poor stars of spectral subtype M 7.0 or later. Spectra from these red objects all show very strong molecular bands of CaH but relatively weak bands of TiO, indicative of a cool, metal-poor atmosphere. Five of the stars are formally classified as M subdwarfs (sdM7.0-sdM8.5), 13 as more metal-poor extreme subdwarfs (esdM7.0-esdM8.0), and five as extremely metal-poor ultra subdwarfs (usdM7.0-usdM7.5). In the [H_r,r-z] reduced proper motion diagram, these subdwarfs clearly populate the locus of low-luminosity stars with halo kinematics. It is argued that the objects are all very low-mass, metal-poor stars from the Galactic halo (Population II). These new discoveries more than double the census of spectroscopically confirmed ultra-cool subdwarfs. We show that the stars stand out remarkably in the [g-r,r-i] color-color diagram; a proposed color and proper motion selection scheme is expected to be extremely efficient in identifying more of these old, very low mass stars in the vicinity of the Sun.

arXiv comment4 pages, submitted to the Astrophysical Journal Letters, version 2 includes minor corrections

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