Eccentric planets and stellar evolution as a cause of polluted white dwarfs
@article{Frewen2014EccentricPA, title={Eccentric planets and stellar evolution as a cause of polluted white dwarfs}, author={S. F. N. Frewen and Brad Hansen}, journal={Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society}, year={2014}, volume={439}, pages={2442-2458} }
A significant fraction of white dwarfs (WDs) are observed to be polluted with metals despite high surface gravities and short settling times. The current theoretical model for this pollution is accretion of rocky bodies delivered to the WD through perturbations by orbiting planets. Using N-body simulations, we examine the possibility of a single planet as the source of pollution. We determine the stability of test particles on circular orbits in systems with a single planet located at 4 au for…
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