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arXiv · 1609.02563

Mass and eccentricity constraints on the planetary debris orbiting the white dwarf WD 1145+017

Pol Gurri·Dimitri Veras·Boris T. Gänsicke
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Abstract

Being the first of its kind, the white dwarf WD 1145+017 exhibits a complex system of disintegrating debris which offers a unique opportunity to study its disruption process in real time. Even with plenty of transit observations there are no clear constraints on the masses or eccentricities of such debris. Using $N$-body simulations we show that masses greater than approximately $10^{20}$ kg (a tenth of the mass of Ceres) or orbits that are not nearly circular ($\mathrm{eccentricity}>10^{-3}$) dramatically increase the chances of the system becoming unstable within two years, which would contrast with the observational data over this timespan. We also provide a direct comparison between transit phase shifts detected in the observations and by our numerical simulations.

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Pol Gurri, Dimitri Veras, Boris T. Gänsicke. 2016-09-08. Mass and eccentricity constraints on the planetary debris orbiting the white dwarf WD 1145+017. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras%2Fstw2293

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