DB white dwarfs from the Hamburg/ESO survey

They were selected for follow-up spectroscopy because of their U-B colour below -0.18, the absence of strong absorption lines, and a continuum shape similar to that of a quasar. Effective temperatures for individual stars were determined by fitting model atmospheres of nearly pure helium with a small admixture of hydrogen.

As a consequence of the selection criteria all but one sample stars have T_eff_ below 20000K. Four stars clearly show helium and hydrogen lines in their spectra. In the spectra of another three, helium, hydrogen, and metal lines can be detected.