A New Detailed Examination of White Dwarfs in NGC 3532 and NGC 2287

Publication Title

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Document Type

Article

Abstract/Description

We present the results of a photometric and spectroscopic study of the white dwarf candidate members of the intermediate age open clusters NGC 3532 and NGC 2287. Of the nine objects investigated, it is determined that six are probable members of the clusters, four in NGC 3532 and two in NGC 2287. For these six white dwarfs, we use our estimates of their cooling times together with the cluster ages to constrain the lifetimes and masses of their progenitor stars. We examine the location of these objects in initial mass-final mass space and find that they now provide no evidence for substantial scatter in initial mass-final mass relation (IFMR) as suggested by previous investigations. Instead, we demonstrate that, when combined with current data from other solar metallicity open clusters and the Sirius binary system, they hint at an IFMR that is steeper in the initial mass range 3 Msolar 〈~ Minit 〈~ 4 Msolar than at progenitor masses immediately lower and higher than this. This form is generally consistent with the predictions of stellar evolutionary models and can aid population synthesis models in reproducing the relatively sharp drop observed at the high mass end of the main peak in the mass distribution of white dwarfs. *Based on observations made with ESO telescopes at the La Silla Paranal Observatory under programme IDs 079.D-0490(A) and 080.D-0654(A).E-mail: pdd@aao.gov.au

Department

Physics and Astronomy

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2009.14688.x

Volume

395

Issue

2248

ISSN

1365-2966

Date

6-1-2009

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