Origin of DAHe emission

Determine the origin of the DAHe subclass of white dwarfs, whose spectra exhibit Zeeman-split Balmer lines in emission.

Background

The catalogue identifies DAHe white dwarfs as objects with Zeeman-split Balmer lines in emission. The authors note that this subclass occupies a distinctive region of the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram but that its physical origin has not been established.

References

The DAHe subclass show Zeeman-split Balmer lines in emission, of uncertain origin, and cluster together on the HR~diagram.

— The DESI Data Release 1 white dwarf catalogue  (2609.04314 - Swan et al., 3 Sep 2026) in Section 5.2, HR diagrams