Parameters of the local white dwarfs

Using a variety of recent spectroscopic, photometric, and trigonometric distance determinations, we re-compute a space density of 4.8+/-0.5x10^-3^pc^-3^ corresponding to a mass density of 3.2+/-0.3x10^-3^M_{sun}_pc^-3^ from the complete portion of the sample within 13pc. We find an overall mean mass for the local white dwarfs of 0.665M_{sun}_, a value larger than most other non-volume-limited estimates. Although the sample is small, we find no evidence of a correlation between mass and temperature in which white dwarfs below 13000K are systematically more massive than those above this temperature.

Within 20pc 25% of the white dwarfs are in binary systems (including double degenerate systems). Approximately 6% are double degenerates and 6.5% are Sirius-like systems. The fraction of magnetic white dwarfs in the local population is found to be 13%.