White dwarfs in the Capodimonte deep field

Abstract

In this article we describe the search for white dwarfs (WDs) in the multi-band photometric data of the Capodimonte deep field survey. The WD candidates were selected through the V-R_C vs B-V color-color diagram. For two bright objects, the WD nature has been confirmed spectroscopically, and the atmospheric parameters (Teff and logg) have been determined. We have computed synthetic stellar population models for the observed field and the expected number of white dwarfs agrees with the observations. The possible contamination by turn-off and horizontal branch halo stars has been estimated. The quasar (QSO) contamination has been determined by comparing the number of WD candidates in different color bins with state-of-the-art models and previous observations. The WD space density is measured at different distances from the Sun. The total contamination (non-degenerate stars + QSOs) in our sample is estimated to be around 30%. This work should be considered a small experiment in view of more ambitious projects to be performed in the coming years in larger survey contexts.

9 pages, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics (21/11/2008)

References in corpus (24)

• On the variation of the Initial Mass Function
• The SDSS View of the Palomar-Green Bright Quasar Survey
• Star counts in the Galaxy. Simulating from very deep to very shallow photometric surveys with the TRILEGAL code
• Two Stellar Components in the Halo of the Milky Way
• The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Catalog IV. Fifth Data Release
• A Catalog of Spectroscopically Confirmed White Dwarfs from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 4
• White Dwarf Mass Distribution in the SDSS
• The White Dwarf Luminosity Function from SDSS Imaging Data
• The ALHAMBRA Project: A large area multi medium-band optical and NIR photometric survey
• The ages of very cool hydrogen-rich white dwarfs
• The Spheroid Luminosity and Mass Functions From HST Star Counts
• Pure hydrogen atmosphere for very cool white dwarfs
• Recovering the star formation rate in the solar neighborhood
• Cool White Dwarfs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• White Dwarf Luminosity and Mass Functions from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Spectra
• Calibrated stellar models for metal-poor population
• Additional Ultracool White Dwarfs Found in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• RR Lyrae variables in Galactic globular clusters V. The case of M3 pulsators
• Galactic Models and White Dwarf Populations
• Absolute Proper Motions to B~22.5: IV. Faint, Low Velocity White Dwarfs and the White Dwarf Population Density Law
• The Capodimonte Deep Field I - Presentation of the survey and first follow-up studies
• The Interpretation of Near-Infrared Star Counts at the South Galactic Pole
• Disentangling the Galaxy at low Galactic latitudes
• The Galactic Halo density distribution from photometric survey data: results of a pilot study

Cited by in corpus (1)

• The white dwarf luminosity function