3D-Kinematics of White Dwarfs from the SPY-Project

Abstract

We present a progress report on the kinematical analysis of the entire SPY (ESO SN Ia Progenitor surveY; see Napiwotzki et al. 2001) sample of about one thousand white dwarfs and hot subdwarfs. In a previous study (Pauli et al. 2003, 2006) 398 DA white dwarfs have been analysed already. Here we extend the study to 634 DA white dwarfs. We discuss kinematic criteria for a distinction of thin disk, thick disk and halo populations. This is the largest homogeneous sample of white dwarfs for which accurate 3D space motions have been determined. They have been derived from radial velocities, spectroscopic distances and proper motions from catalogues. Galactic orbits and further kinematic parameters were computed. Our kinematic criteria for assigning population membership are deduced from a sample of F and G stars taken from the literature for which chemical criteria can be used to distinguish between thin disk, thick disk and halo members. The kinematic population classification scheme is based on the position in the V U-velocity diagram, the position in the eccentricity-JZ diagram and the Galactic orbit. We combine this with age estimates and find 12 halo and 37 thick disk members amongst our DA white dwarfs. We were unable to determine the population membership of only nine of them. The remaining members of the sample of 632 stars belong to the thin disk population.