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Unusual Abundances from Planetary System Material Polluting the White Dwarf G238-44
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abstract
Ultraviolet and optical spectra of the hydrogen-dominated atmosphere white dwarf star G238-44 obtained with FUSE, Keck/HIRES, HST/COS, and HST/STIS reveal ten elements heavier than helium: C, N, O, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Ca, and Fe. G238-44 is only the third white dwarf with nitrogen detected in its atmosphere from polluting planetary system material. Keck/HIRES data taken on eleven nights over 24 years show no evidence for variation in the equivalent width of measured absorption lines, suggesting stable and continuous accretion from a circumstellar reservoir. From measured abundances and limits on other elements we find an anomalous abundance pattern and evidence for the presence of metallic iron. If the pollution is from a single parent body, then it would have no known counterpart within the solar system. If we allow for two distinct parent bodies, then we can reproduce the observed abundances with a mix of iron-rich Mercury-like material and an analog of an icy Kuiper Belt object with a respective mass ratio of 1.7:1. Such compositionally disparate objects would provide chemical evidence for both rocky and icy bodies in an exoplanetary system and would be indicative of a planetary system so strongly perturbed that G238-44 is able to capture both asteroid- and Kuiper Belt-analog bodies near-simultaneously within its $<$100 Myr cooling age.
Forward citations
Cited by 2 Pith papers
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First planetesimals from DESI DR1: 12 highly metal-rich white dwarfs
Twelve white dwarfs from DESI DR1 have accreted debris resembling inner-Solar-System rock, with two systems likely accreting water-rich planetesimals.
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The Origins of Lithium Enhancement in Polluted White Dwarfs
Lithium enhancements in several polluted white dwarfs are most consistent with Big Bang and Galactic nucleosynthesis rather than continental crust or spalled-ring exomoons, with one object defying all three explanations.
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