Detecting a Debris Disk Around the Most Metal-Rich White Dwarf

Details Detecting a Debris Disk Around the Most Metal-Rich White Dwarf Detecting a Debris Disk Around the Most Metal-Rich White Dwarf

Jun 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010sptz.prop70023k&link_type=abstract

Spitzer Proposal ID #70023

Physics

Scientific paper

We recently discovered the most metal-rich white dwarf currently known. Our follow-up MMT spectroscopy shows that SDSS J0738+18 has a helium dominated atmosphere polluted with significant amounts of O, Mg, Si, Ca, and Fe. Our model atmosphere analysis shows that SDSS J0738+18 has an amount of metals similar to the mass of the dwarf planet Ceres. With this mass of metals, SDSS J0738+18 is even more metal-rich than the Sun. The large amounts of oxygen present in the photosphere of this star indicates that the accreted object was similar to Earth. Our follow-up near-infrared observations at Gemini reveal H- and K-band flux excesses most likely due to a dust disk. We propose to obtain IRAC imaging of this star to confirm the presence and to constrain the physical parameters of the disk. Confirmation of such an IR excess from this disk will reveal the source of the material. If the disk is confirmed, our abundance analysis can be used to study the composition of the accreted matter and therefore the dust disk itself. In addition to this star, we recently discovered 11 more white dwarfs with K-band excesses revealed in our PAIRITEL (the old 2MASS telescope) observations. Here, we propose to obtain IRAC imaging of these 11 additional white dwarfs to confirm the presence of disks. If confirmed, these disks would imply that the fraction of white dwarfs with debris disks (and remnant planetary systems) may be as high as 15%.

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