{
  "abstract": "Recent Gaia studies have identified numerous open clusters (OCs) & tidal tail catalogues, enabling systematic searches for white dwarfs (WDs) associated with clusters & their extended structures. We compile a literature-based sample of OC-WD pairs to validate WD membership in cluster cores & tails, investigate the initial-final mass relation (IFMR), identify WDs formed through non-canonical evolution, and interpret the observed WD populations using a grid of N-body simulations. We combine Gaia DR3 cluster & tail catalogues with UV-IR photometry to analyse the OC-WD pairs. WD masses, cooling ages, radii, temperatures & luminosities are estimated using colour-magnitude diagrams & spectral energy distributions. These observations are interpreted in the context of N-body simulations. We identify 235 OC-WD pairs (99 in tails) in 80 clusters. More than 28% of the pairs are likely spurious, with contamination substantially higher in the tails (>48%) than in the cluster cores (>13%), indicating significant field-star contamination in current Gaia-based catalogues. The Pleiade tails also show severe contamination by old WDs. Simulations predict that the fraction of core WDs increases with cluster age, reaching >10%, whereas the observed fractions remain systematically lower, consistent with the WD deficit problem. Despite the high contamination rate, most tail WDs (~83%) are consistent with having been born inside the tidal radius. We also identify 63 candidate binary-origin WDs & 47 new IFMR candidates. WDs provide a powerful probe of contamination in cluster and tail catalogues and place important constraints on cluster detection methods & N-body simulations. Resolving the WD deficit and improving membership validation will require improved observations, membership methods, WD physics, and spectroscopic follow-up, enabling stronger constraints on dynamical cluster evolution & the WD IFMR.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2607.11299",
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Vikrant V. Jadhav"
    },
    {
      "name": "Pavel Kroupa"
    },
    {
      "name": "David R. Miller"
    },
    {
      "name": "Snehalata Sahu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Dinnbier Frantisek"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ladislav Šubr"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4mnh5xfptykqy.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2607.11299",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "4mnh5xfptykqy",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.11299",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "LicenseRef-arXiv-nonexclusive-1.0",
  "licence_label": "arXiv licence",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "astro-ph.GA"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "astro-ph.SR"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2607.11299",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-07-13",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4mnh5xfptykqy.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:21:25Z",
      "native_id": "2607.11299",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.11299"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "arxiv:astro-ph.GA",
      "subfield": "galaxies"
    },
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "arxiv:astro-ph.SR",
      "subfield": "stellar"
    }
  ],
  "title": "The white dwarf population of open clusters and their tidal tails. Tracers of contamination and stellar interactions",
  "title_text": "The white dwarf population of open clusters and their tidal tails. Tracers of contamination and stellar interactions",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:21:25Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4mnh5xfptykqy",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": [
    {
      "doi": "10.1051/0004-6361/202661206",
      "pid": null,
      "relation": "published-as",
      "title": null,
      "venue": null
    }
  ]
}