Population synthesis of DA white dwarfs: constraints on soft X-ray spectra evolution

Abstract

Extending the population synthesis method to isolated young cooling white dwarfs we are able to confront our model assumptions with observations made in ROSAT All-Sky Survey (Fleming et al., 1996). This allows us to check model parameters such as evolution of spectra and separation of heavy elements in DA WD envelopes. It seems like X-ray spectrum temperature of these objects is given by the formula T_{X-ray} = min(T_eff, T_max). We have obtained DA WD's birth rate and upper limit of the X-ray spectrum temperature: DA birth rate $=0.61\times 10^{-12}$ in cubic parsec per year and T_max = 41000 K. These values are in good correspondence with values obtained by other authors (Liebert et al., 2004; Wolff et al., 1996). From this fact we also conclude that our population synthesis method is applicable to the population of close-by isolated cooling white dwarfs as well as to the population of the isolated cooling neutron stars.

4 pages, 3 figures, conference "European White Dwarf Workshop, 2010", Tubingen, Germany