A proper-motion survey for white dwarfs with the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2

Abstract

We have performed a search for halo white dwarfs as high proper motion objects in a second-epoch Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 image of the Groth-Westphal strip. The survey covers 74.8 arcmin2 and is complete to V ∼ 26.5. We identify 24 high proper motion objects with μ > 0″.014 yr-1. Five of these high proper motion objects are identified as strong white dwarf candidates on the basis of their position in a reduced proper motion diagram. We also identify two marginal candidates whose photometric errors place them within ∼ 1 σ of the white dwarf region of the reduced proper motion diagram. We create a model of the Milky Way thin disk, thick disk, and stellar halo and find that this sample of ..