The ELM survey. I. Low-mass white dwarfs

Eleven of the twelve WDs are binaries with orbital periods shorter than 14hr; the one non-variable WD is possibly a pole-on system among our non-kinematically selected targets. Our sample is unique: it is complete in a well-defined range of apparent magnitude and color.

The orbital mass functions imply that the unseen companions are most likely other WDs, although neutron star companions cannot be excluded. Six of the eleven systems with orbital solutions will merge within a Hubble time due to the loss of angular momentum through gravitational wave radiation. The quickest merger is J0923+3028, a g=15.7 ELM WD binary with a 1.08hr orbital period and a <=130Myr merger time.