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

Authors
  • C.J. Manser
  • B.T. Gänsicke
  • S. Eggl
  • M. Hollands
  • P. Izquierdo
  • D. Koester
  • J.D. Landstreet
  • W. Lyra
  • T.R. Marsh
  • F. Meru
  • A.J. Mustill
  • P. Rodríguez-Gil
  • O. Toloza
  • D. Veras
  • D.J. Wilson
  • M.R. Burleigh
  • M.B. Davies
  • J. Farihi
  • N. Gentile Fusillo
  • D. de Martino
  • S.G. Parsons
  • A. Quirrenbach
  • R. Raddi
  • S. Reffert
  • M. Del Santo
  • M.R. Schreiber
  • R. Silvotti
  • S. Toonen
  • E. Villaver
  • M. Wyatt
  • S. Xu
  • S. Portegies Zwart
Publication date 05-04-2019
Journal Science
Volume | Issue number 364 | 6435
Pages (from-to) 66-69
Organisations
  • Faculty of Science (FNWI) - Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy (API)
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.
Document type Article
Language English
Published at
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aat5330 (Final published version)
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