J-PLUS: Understanding outlier white dwarfs in the third data release via dimensionality reduction

C. López-Sanjuan, P. -E. Tremblay, A. del Pino, H. Domínguez Sánchez, H. Vázquez Ramió, A. Ederoclite, A. J. Cenarro, A. Marín-Franch, B. Anguiano, T. Civera, P. Cruz, J. A. Fernández-Ontiveros, F. M. Jiménez-Esteban, A. Rebassa-Mansergas, J. Vega-Ferrero, J. Alcaniz, R. E. Angulo, D. Cristóbal-Hornillos, R. A. Dupke, C. Hernández-Monteagudo, M. Moles, L. Sodré Jr., J. Varela

Published: 2025/9/25

Abstract

We present the white dwarf catalog derived from the third data release of the Javalambre Photometric Local Universe Survey (J-PLUS DR3), which covers 3284 deg2 using 12 optical filters. A particular focus is given to the classification of outlier sources. We applied a Bayesian fitting process to the 12-band J-PLUS photometry of white dwarf candidates from Gaia EDR3. The derived parameters were effective temperature, surface gravity, and parallax. We used theoretical models from H- and He-dominated atmospheres, with priors applied to parallax and spectral type. From the posteriors, we derived the probability of an H-dominated atmosphere and of calcium absorption for each source. Outliers were identified as sources with chi2 > 23.2, indicating significant deviations from the best-fitting model. We analyzed the residuals from the fits using the UMAP technique, which enables the classification of outliers into distinct categories. The catalog includes 14844 white dwarfs with r < 20 mag and 1 < parallax < 100 mas, with 72% of the sources lacking spectroscopic (R > 500) classification. The application of UMAP identified three main types of outliers: random measurement fluctuations (391 sources), metal-polluted white dwarfs (98 sources), and two-component systems (282 sources). The last category also includes white dwarfs with strong carbon absorption lines. We validated the J-PLUS classifications by comparison with spectroscopy from SDSS and DESI, and with Gaia BP/RP spectra, confirming a one-to-one correspondence between J-PLUS photometric and spectroscopic classifications. The J-PLUS DR3 white dwarf catalog provides a robust dataset for statistical studies. The use of dimensionality reduction techniques enhances the identification of peculiar objects, making this catalog a valuable resource for the selection of interesting targets such as metal-polluted white dwarfs or binary systems.