The critical binary star separation for a planetary system origin of white dwarf pollution

@article{Veras2017TheCB,
  title={The critical binary star separation for a planetary system origin of white dwarf pollution},
  author={Dimitri Veras and Siyi Xu and Alberto Rebassa-Mansergas},
  journal={Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society},
  year={2017},
  volume={473},
  pages={2871-2880}
}
The atmospheres of between one quarter and one half of observed single white dwarfs in the Milky Way contain heavy element pollution from planetary debris. The pollution observed in white dwarfs in binary star systems is, however, less clear, because companion star winds can generate a stream of matter which is accreted by the white dwarf. Here, we (i) discuss the necessity or lack thereof of a major planet in order to pollute a white dwarf with orbiting minor planets in both single and binary… Expand
View PDF on arXiv
12 Citations
Background Citations
6

Figures from this paper

12 Citations

Citation Type

Citation Type

The dynamical history of the evaporating or disrupted ice giant planet around white dwarf WD J0914+1914
Robust evidence of an ice giant planet shedding its atmosphere around the white dwarf WD J0914+1914 represents a milestone in exoplanetary science, allowing us to finally supplement our knowledge of… Expand
Orbital relaxation and excitation of planets tidally interacting with white dwarfs
Observational evidence of white dwarf planetary systems is dominated by the remains of exo-asteroids through accreted metals, debris discs, and orbiting planetesimals. However, exo-planets in these… Expand
Planetary Systems Around White Dwarfs
White dwarf planetary science is a rapidly growing field of research featuring a diverse set of observations and theoretical explorations. Giant planets, minor planets, and debris discs have all been… Expand
Constraining planet formation around 6–8 M⊙ stars
Identifying planets around O-type and B-type stars is inherently difficult; the most massive known planet host has a mass of only about $3M_{\odot}$. However, planetary systems which survive the… Expand
White dwarf pollution by asteroids from secular resonances
In the past few decades, observations have revealed signatures of metals polluting the atmospheres of white dwarfs. The diffusion timescale for metals to sink from the atmosphere of a white dwarf is… Expand
The unbiased frequency of planetary signatures around single and binary white dwarfs using Spitzer and Hubble
This paper presents combined Spitzer IRAC and Hubble COS results for a double-blind survey of 195 single and 22 wide binary white dwarfs for infrared excesses and atmospheric metals. The selection… Expand
On the role of resonances in polluting white dwarfs by asteroids
Pollution of white dwarf atmospheres may be caused by asteroids that originate from the locations of secular and mean-motion resonances in planetary systems. Asteroids in these locations experience… Expand
Effects of non-Kozai mutual inclinations on two-planet system stability through all phases of stellar evolution
Previous full-lifetime simulations of single-star multi-planet systems across all phases of stellar evolution have predominately assumed coplanar or nearly coplanar orbits. Here we assess the… Expand
White dwarf-main sequence binaries from LAMOST: the DR5 catalogue
We present the data release (DR) 5 catalogue of white dwarf-main sequence (WDMS) binaries from the Large Area Multi-Object fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST). The catalogue contains 876 WDMS… Expand
White dwarf–main-sequence binaries from Gaia EDR3: the unresolved 100 pc volume-limited sample
We use the data provided by the Gaia Early Data Release 3 to search for a highly complete volume-limited sample of unresolved binaries consisting of a white dwarf and a main-sequence companion… Expand
...
1
2
...

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 157 REFERENCES
A wide binary trigger for white dwarf pollution
Metal pollution in white dwarf atmospheres is commonly assumed to be a signature of remnant planetary systems. Most explanations for this pollution predict a sharp decrease in the number of polluted… Expand
The frequency of planetary debris around young white dwarfs
Context. Heavy metals in the atmospheres of white dwarfs are thought in many cases to be accreted from a circumstellar debris disk, which was formed by the tidal disruption of a rocky planetary body… Expand
THE LINK BETWEEN PLANETARY SYSTEMS, DUSTY WHITE DWARFS, AND METAL-POLLUTED WHITE DWARFS
It has long been suspected that metal-polluted white dwarfs (types DAZ, DBZ, and DZ) and white dwarfs with dusty disks possess planetary systems, but a specific physical mechanism by which… Expand
A disintegrating minor planet transiting a white dwarf
TLDR
Observations of a white dwarf being transited by at least one, and probably several, disintegrating planetesimals are reported, providing further evidence that the pollution of white dwarfs by heavy elements might originate from disrupted rocky bodies such as asteroids and minor planets. Expand
Eccentric planets and stellar evolution as a cause of polluted white dwarfs
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… Expand
ANCIENT PLANETARY SYSTEMS ARE ORBITING A LARGE FRACTION OF WHITE DWARF STARS
Infrared studies have revealed debris likely related to planet formation in orbit around ~30% of youthful, intermediate mass, main-sequence stars. We present evidence, based on atmospheric pollution… Expand
DUSTY DISKS AROUND WHITE DWARFS. I. ORIGIN OF DEBRIS DISKS
A significant fraction of the mature FGK stars have cool dusty disks at least an order of magnitude brighter than the solar system's outer zodiacal light. Since such dusts must be continually… Expand
The White Dwarf Binary Pathways Survey I: A sample of FGK stars with white dwarf companions
The number of spatially unresolved white dwarf plus main-sequence star binaries has increased rapidly in the last decade, jumping from only ∼30 in 2003 to over 3000. However, in the majority of known… Expand
Post-main-sequence Evolution of Icy Minor Planets. II. Water Retention and White Dwarf Pollution around Massive Progenitor Stars
Most studies suggest the pollution of white dwarf (WD) atmospheres arises from accretion of minor planets, but the exact properties of polluting material, and in particular the evidence for water in… Expand
Circumstellar Debris and Pollution at White Dwarf Stars
Circumstellar disks of planetary debris are now known or suspected to closely orbit hundreds of white dwarf stars. To date, both data and theory support disks that are entirely contained within the… Expand
...
1
2
3
4
5
...