A new weak-field magnetic DA white dwarf in the local 20 pc volume. The frequency of magnetic fields in DA stars

Abstract

We report the discovery of a new magnetic DA white dwarf (WD), WD 0011 - 721, which is located within the very important 20 pc volume-limited sample of the closest WDs to the Sun. This star has a mean field modulus ⟨|B|⟩ of 343 kG, and from the polarisation signal we deduce a line-of-sight field component of 75 kG. The magnetic field is sufficiently weak to have escaped detection in classification spectra. We then present a preliminary exploration of the data concerning the frequency of such fields among WDs with hydrogen-rich atmospheres (DA stars). We find that 20 ± 5% of the DA WDs in this volume have magnetic fields, mostly weaker than 1 MG. Unlike the slow field decay found among the magnetic Bp stars of the upper main sequence, the WDs in this sample show no evidence of magnetic field or flux changes over several Gyr.