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arXiv · 2206.01259

Spectroscopy of TOI-1259B -- an unpolluted white dwarf companion to an inflated warm Saturn

Evan Fitzmaurice·David V. Martin·Romy Rodriguez Martinez·Patrick Vallely·Alexander P. Stephan·Kiersten M. Boley·Rick Pogge·Kareem El-Badry·Vedad Kunovac·Amaury H. M. J. Triaud
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Abstract

TOI-1259 consists of a transiting exoplanet orbiting a main sequence star, with a bound outer white dwarf companion. Less than a dozen systems with this architecture are known. We conduct follow-up spectroscopy on the white dwarf TOI-1259B using the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) to better characterise it. We observe only strong hydrogen lines, making TOI-1259B a DA white dwarf. We see no evidence of heavy element pollution, which would have been evidence of planetary material around the white dwarf. Such pollution is seen in ~ 25 - 50% of white dwarfs, but it is unknown if this rate is higher or lower in TOI-1259-like systems that contain a known planet. Our spectroscopy permits an improved white dwarf age measurement of 4.05 (+1.00 -0.42) Gyrs, which matches gyrochronology of the main sequence star. This is the first of an expanded sample of similar binaries that will allow us to calibrate these dating methods and provide a new perspective on planets in binaries.

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Evan Fitzmaurice, David V. Martin, Romy Rodriguez Martinez, Patrick Vallely, Alexander P. Stephan, Kiersten M. Boley, Rick Pogge, Kareem El-Badry, Vedad Kunovac, Amaury H. M. J. Triaud. 2022-09-13. Spectroscopy of TOI-1259B -- an unpolluted white dwarf companion to an inflated warm Saturn. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras%2Fstac2879

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