The puzzling white dwarf cooling sequence in NGC 6791: A simple solution

Bedin, L R; Salaris, M; Piotto, G; Cassisi, S; Milone, Antonino; Anderson, Jay; King, I R

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The puzzling white dwarf cooling sequence in NGC 6791: A simple solution

Date

2008

Authors

Bedin, L R

Salaris, M

Piotto, G

Cassisi, S

Milone, Antonino

Anderson, Jay

King, I R

Publisher

IOP Publishing

Abstract

In this Letter we demonstrate that the puzzling bright peak in the luminosity function of the white dwarf (WD) cooling sequence of NGC 6791 can be naturally accounted for if ∼34% of the observed WDs are WD+WD binary systems.