A large fraction of white dwarfs (WDs) have metal-polluted atmospheres, which are produced by accreting material from remnant planetary systems. The composition of the accreted debris broadly resembles that of rocky Solar system objects. Volatile-enriched debris with compositions similar to long-period comets (LPCs) is rarely observed. We attempt to reconcile this dearth of volatiles with the premise that exo-Oort clouds (XOCs) occur around a large fraction of planet-hosting stars. We estimate the comet accretion rate from an XOC analytically, adapting the ‘loss cone’ theory of LPC delivery in the Solar system. We investigate the dynamical evolution of an XOC during late stellar evolution. Using numerical simulations, we show that 1–30 per cent of XOC objects remain bound after anisotropic stellar mass-loss imparting a WD natal kick of ${\sim}1 \, {\rm km \, s^{-1}}$. We also characterize the surviving comets’ distribution function. Surviving planets orbiting a WD can prevent the accretion of XOC comets by the star. A planet’s ‘dynamical barrier’ is effective at preventing comet accretion if the energy kick imparted by the planet exceeds the comet’s orbital binding energy. By modifying the loss cone theory, we calculate the amount by which a planet reduces the WD’s accretion rate. We suggest that the scarcity of volatile-enriched debris in polluted WDs is caused by an unseen population of 10–$100 \, \mathrm{au}$ scale giant planets acting as barriers to incoming LPCs. Finally, we constrain the amount of volatiles delivered to a planet in the habitable zone of an old, cool WD.
- Award ID(s):
- 1739160
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10328723
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The Astrophysical Journal
- Volume:
- 922
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 0004-637X
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 4
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
more » « less
ABSTRACT -
more » « less
ABSTRACT The recently discovered system Gaia 0007−1605 consisting of a white dwarf (WD) with a close brown dwarf companion and a distant WD tertiary very much resembles the triple system containing the first transiting planet candidate around a WD ever discovered: WD 1856+534. We have previously argued that the inner binary in WD 1856+534 most likely formed through common envelope evolution but triple star dynamics represent an alternative scenario. Here, we analyse different formation scenarios for Gaia 0007−1605. We reconstructed the potential common envelope evolution of the system and found that assuming standard parameters for the energy budget provides a reasonable solution. In agreement with other close white dwarf + brown dwarf binaries, and in contrast to WD 1856+534, no energy sources other than orbital energy during common envelope evolution are required to understand the current configuration of the system. In addition, using analytical prescriptions for triple dynamics, we show that Von Zeipel–Lidov–Kozai oscillations might have triggered tidal migration due to high-eccentricity incursions (e ≳ 0.997). We conclude that the inner binary in Gaia 0007−1605, as its sibling WD 1856+534, formed either through common envelope evolution, triple dynamics, or a combination of both mechanisms.
-
Abstract We report the discovery of TOI-2180 b, a 2.8 M J giant planet orbiting a slightly evolved G5 host star. This planet transited only once in Cycle 2 of the primary Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission. Citizen scientists identified the 24 hr single-transit event shortly after the data were released, allowing a Doppler monitoring campaign with the Automated Planet Finder telescope at Lick Observatory to begin promptly. The radial velocity observations refined the orbital period of TOI-2180 b to be 260.8 ± 0.6 days, revealed an orbital eccentricity of 0.368 ± 0.007, and discovered long-term acceleration from a more distant massive companion. We conducted ground-based photometry from 14 sites spread around the globe in an attempt to detect another transit. Although we did not make a clear transit detection, the nondetections improved the precision of the orbital period. We predict that TESS will likely detect another transit of TOI-2180 b in Sector 48 of its extended mission. We use giant planet structure models to retrieve the bulk heavy-element content of TOI-2180 b. When considered alongside other giant planets with orbital periods over 100 days, we find tentative evidence that the correlation between planet mass and metal enrichment relative to stellar is dependent on orbital properties. Single-transit discoveries like TOI-2180 b highlight the exciting potential of the TESS mission to find planets with long orbital periods and low irradiation fluxes despite the selection biases associated with the transit method.more » « less
-
Abstract We present the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) discovery of the LHS 1678 (TOI-696) exoplanet system, comprised of two approximately Earth-sized transiting planets and a likely astrometric brown dwarf orbiting a bright ( V J = 12.5, K s = 8.3) M2 dwarf at 19.9 pc. The two TESS-detected planets are of radius 0.70 ± 0.04 R ⊕ and 0.98 ± 0.06 R ⊕ in 0.86 day and 3.69 day orbits, respectively. Both planets are validated and characterized via ground-based follow-up observations. High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher RV monitoring yields 97.7 percentile mass upper limits of 0.35 M ⊕ and 1.4 M ⊕ for planets b and c, respectively. The astrometric companion detected by the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory/Small and Moderate Aperture Telescope System 0.9 m has an orbital period on the order of decades and is undetected by other means. Additional ground-based observations constrain the companion to being a high-mass brown dwarf or smaller. Each planet is of unique interest; the inner planet has an ultra-short period, and the outer planet is in the Venus zone. Both are promising targets for atmospheric characterization with the James Webb Space Telescope and mass measurements via extreme-precision radial velocity. A third planet candidate of radius 0.9 ± 0.1 R ⊕ in a 4.97 day orbit is also identified in multicycle TESS data for validation in future work. The host star is associated with an observed gap in the lower main sequence of the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram. This gap is tied to the transition from partially to fully convective interiors in M dwarfs, and the effect of the associated stellar astrophysics on exoplanet evolution is currently unknown. The culmination of these system properties makes LHS 1678 a unique, compelling playground for comparative exoplanet science and understanding the formation and evolution of small, short-period exoplanets orbiting low-mass stars.more » « less
-
more » « less
Abstract Kepler-289 is a three-planet system containing two sub-Neptunes and one cool giant planet orbiting a young, Sun-like star. All three planets exhibit transit timing variations (TTVs), with both adjacent planet pairs having orbital periods close to the 2:1 orbital resonance. We observe two transits of Kepler-289c with the Wide-field InfraRed Camera on the 200″ Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory, using diffuser-assisted photometry to achieve space-like photometric precision from the ground. These new transit observations extend the original four-year Kepler TTV baseline by an additional 7.5 yr. We rereduce the archival Kepler data with an improved stellar activity correction and carry out a joint fit with the Palomar data to constrain the transit shapes and derive updated transit times. We then model the TTVs to determine the masses of the three planets and constrain their densities and bulk compositions. Our new analysis improves on previous mass and density constraints by a factor of two or more for all three planets, with the innermost planet showing the largest improvement. Our updated atmospheric mass fractions for the inner two planets indicate that they have hydrogen-rich envelopes, consistent with their location on the upper side of the radius valley. We also constrain the heavy element composition of the outer Saturn-mass planet, Kepler-289c, for the first time, finding that it contains 30.5 ± 6.9
M ⊕of metals. We use dust evolution models to show that Kepler-289c must have formed beyond 1 au, and likely beyond 3 au, and then migrated inward.
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac22a9
