Discovery of ZZ Cetis in detached white dwarf plus main-sequence binaries

Abstract

We present the first results of a dedicated search for pulsating white dwarfs (WDs) in detached white dwarf plus main-sequence binaries. Candidate systems were selected from a catalogue of WD+MS binaries, based on the surface gravities and effective temperatures of the WDs. We observed a total of 26 systems using ULTRACAM mounted on ESO's 3.5m New Technology Telescope (NTT) at La Silla. Our photometric observations reveal pulsations in seven WDs of our sample, including the first pulsating white dwarf with a main-sequence companion in a post common envelope binary, SDSSJ1136+0409. Asteroseismology of these new pulsating systems will provide crucial insight into how binary interactions, particularly the common envelope phase, affect the internal structure and evolution of WDs. In addition, our observations have revealed the partially eclipsing nature of one of our targets, SDSSJ1223-0056.

8 pages, accepted for publication in MNRAS

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• Probing the structure of Kepler ZZ Ceti stars with full evolutionary models-based asteroseismology
• Photometric follow-up of 43 new eclipsing white dwarf plus main-sequence binaries from the ZTF survey
• The DECam Minute Cadence Survey I
• Exploring the pulsational properties of two ZZ Ceti stars
• Searching for new variable white dwarfs: The discovery of the three new pulsating and three new binary systems