A planetesimal orbiting within the debris disc around a white dwarf star

Christopher J. Manser, Boris T. Gänsicke, Siegfried Eggl, Mark Hollands, Paula Izquierdo, Detlev Koester, John D. Landstreet, Wladimir Lyra, Thomas R. Marsh, Farzana Meru, Alexander J. Mustill, Pablo Rodríguez-Gil, Odette Toloza, Dimitri Veras, David J. Wilson, Matthew R. Burleigh, Melvyn B. Davies, Jay Farihi, Nicola Gentile Fusillo, Domitilla de MartinoSteven G. Parsons, Andreas Quirrenbach, Roberto Raddi, Sabine Reffert, Melania Del Santo, Matthias R. Schreiber, Roberto Silvotti, Silvia Toonen, Eva Villaver, Mark Wyatt, Siyi Xu, Simon Portegies Zwart

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Many white dwarf stars show signs of having accreted smaller bodies, implying that they may host planetary systems. A small number of these systems contain gaseous debris discs, visible through emission lines. We report a stable 123.4-minute periodic variation in the strength and shape of the Ca II emission line profiles originating from the debris disc around the white dwarf SDSS J122859.93+104032.9. We interpret this short-period signal as the signature of a solid-body planetesimal held together by its internal strength.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)66-69
Number of pages4
JournalScience
Volume364
Issue number6435
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 5 2019
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A planetesimal orbiting within the debris disc around a white dwarf star'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this