The photospheres of the hottest fastest stars in the Galaxy

Abstract

We perform nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) model atmosphere analyses of the three hottest hypervelocity stars (space velocities between ≈1500–2800 km s−1) known to date, which were recently discovered spectroscopically and identified as runaways from Type Ia supernovae. The hottest of the three (J0546+0836, effective temperature Teff = 95 000 ± 15 000 K, surface gravity log 𝑔 = 5.5 ± 0.5) has an oxygen-dominated atmosphere with a significant amount of carbon (C = 0.10 ± 0.05, O = 0.90 ± 0.05, mass fractions). Its mixed absorption+emission line spectrum exhibits photospheric absorption lines from O v and O vi as well as O iii and O iv emission lines that are formed in a radiation-driven wind with a mass-loss rate of the order of Ṁ= 10−8 M⊙ yr−1. Spectroscopically, J0546+0836 is a [WC]–PG1159 transition-type pre-white dwarf. The second object (J0927–6335) is a PG1159-type white dwarf with a pure absorption-line spectrum dominated by C III/C IV and O III/O IV. We find Teff = 60 000 ± 5000 K, log 𝑔 = 7.0 ± 0.5, and a carbon-and oxygen-dominated atmosphere with C = 0.47 ± 0.25, O = 0.48 ± 0.25, and possibly a minute amount of helium (He = 0.05 ± 0.05). Comparison with post-AGB evolutionary tracks suggests a mass of M ≈ 0.5 M⊙ for both objects, if such tracks can safely be applied to these stars. We find the third object (J1332−3541) to be a relatively massive (M = 0.89 M⊙) hydrogen-rich (DAO) white dwarf with Teff = 65 657 ± 2390 K, log 𝑔 = 8.38 ± 0.08, and abundances H = 0.65 ± 0.04 and He = 0.35 ± 0.04. We discuss our results in the context of the “dynamically driven double-degenerate double-detonation” (D6) scenario proposed for the origin of these stars.