First Kepler results on compact pulsators VI. Targets in the final half of the survey phase

TL;DR

This paper reports the final results of a Kepler survey for pulsating white dwarfs and hot subdwarfs, identifying new pulsators and binary systems, and discusses the potential for detailed asteroseismic studies.

Contribution

It completes the Kepler survey for compact pulsators, discovering new pulsators and binary systems, and highlights the potential for long-term asteroseismic analysis.

Findings

Identified 5 new V1093 Her pulsators

Discovered one AM CVn type cataclysmic variable

No V361 Hya type pulsators found in this half

Abstract

We present results from the final six months of a survey to search for pulsations in white dwarfs and hot subdwarf stars with the Kepler spacecraft. Spectroscopic observations are used to separate the objects into accurate classes, and we explore the physical parameters of the subdwarf B (sdB) stars and white dwarfs in the sample. From the Kepler photometry and our spectroscopic data, we find that the sample contains 5 new pulsators of the V1093 Her type, one AM CVn type cataclysmic variable, and a number of other binary systems. This completes the survey for compact pulsators with Kepler. No V361 Hya type of short-period pulsating sdB stars were found in this half, leaving us with a total of one single multiperiodic V361 Hya and 13 V1093 Her pulsators for the full survey. Except for the sdB pulsators, no other clearly pulsating hot subdwarfs or white dwarfs were found, although a few low-amplitude candidates still remain. The most interesting targets discovered in this survey will be observed throughout the remainder of the Kepler Mission, providing the most long-term photometric datasets ever made on such compact, evolved stars. Asteroseismic investigations of these datasets will be invaluable in revealing the interior structure of these stars, and will boost our understanding of their evolutionary history.