An ultra-massive white dwarf with a mixed hydrogen-carbon atmosphere as a likely merger remnant

Abstract

White dwarfs are dense, cooling stellar embers consisting mostly of carbon and oxygen, or oxygen and neon (with a few percent carbon) at higher initial stellar masses. These stellar cores are enveloped by a shell of helium which in turn is usually surrounded by a layer of hydrogen, generally prohibiting direct observation of the interior composition. However, carbon is observed at the surface of a sizeable fraction of white dwarfs, sometimes with traces of oxygen, and it is thought to be dredged-up from the core by a deep helium convection zone. In these objects only traces of hydrogen are found as large masses of hydrogen are predicted to inhibit hydrogen/helium convective mixing within the envelope. We report the identification of WDJ055134.612+413531.09, an ultra-massive (1.14 $M_{\odot }$) white dwarf with a unique hydrogen/carbon mixed atmosphere (C/H=0.15 in number ratio). Our analysis of the envelope and interior indicates that the total hydrogen and helium mass fractions must be several orders of magnitude lower than predictions of single star evolution: less than $10^{-9.5}$ and $10^{-7.0}$, respectively. Due to the fast kinematics ($129\pm 5$ km/s relative to the local standard of rest), large mass, and peculiar envelope composition, we argue that WDJ0551+4135 is consistent with formation from the merger of two white dwarfs in a tight binary system.

Published in Nature Astronomy Letters on March 2nd 2020, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-020-1028-0

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