This web page describes a project inspired by an unexpected result of the PAWM project, during which we observed 46 white dwarfs (WDs) in a search for exoplanet transits. No transit events were discovered, but we found that 3 WDs were variable. One of them led to a publication (2013 SAS Conference) where it is argued that the 5 mmag amplitude, 2.7-hour variation could be produced by either a "hot Jupiter" exoplanet that reflects WD light or a starspot (we now favor the starspot explanation). The high incidence of variability among WDs was unexpected. A continuation of PAWM, called PAWM2, is justified since professional astronomers seem to have overlooked the merits of conducting photometric monitoring surveys of WDs and this task is easy for amateurs.
At the present time observers are expected to find their own WD targets for a night's observing. Please check this web page and the PAWM web page to be sure that a tentative target has not already been observed. Observers must process their own data and create a light curve graphical plot for submission to the webmaster. The principal goal for these observations is to identify WD exoplanet candidates that produce small amplitude variability (<8 mmag) with periods that could be produced by exoplanets in the WD's habitable zone (2 to 10 hrs). So far, 6 out of 66 WDs have been shown by PAWM1 and PAWM2 to be variable (9.1 ± 3.7 %), so the variability search has a relatively high probability of success. A secondary goal is to observe an exoplanet transit! This goal is secondary because it is unlikely to be achieved.Links on this web page
You can find thousands of WDs at the Villanova White Dwarf Catalog web site. If no variability is seen on a single 6-hour or longer observing session I will consider moving that WD to the Completed Target List. If variability is present, or suspected, I will put it on the Current Target List for confirmation.
