I Can Do It With A Broken Planetesimal: Characterising the planetary debris in heavily polluted cool white dwarfs

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ID: 321334
2026
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Abstract
Abstract We present the analysis of four cool and strongly metal-polluted H-atmosphere white dwarfs observed with X-shooter. We compared their atmospheric parameters obtained from spectroscopy, photometry and a hybrid method, finding a difference of up to ≃ 160 K in Teff, and ≃ 0.3 dex in log g, between the three analyses. We adopt the Teff and log g from the photometric analysis, and subsequently measured the metal abundances of the photospheric elements from spectroscopic modelling, analysing their compositions. We identified from five to eleven unique metals in the photospheres of the four white dwarfs, with total accretion rates ranging from 108 to 109 g s−1. The compositional analysis of WD J035826.49+215726.16 suggests an accreted planetesimal akin to a core-rich differentiated body, with a core mass fraction of 70percnt, placing it among the most core-rich objects known to be accreted by white dwarfs. The parent body accreted by WD J042643.98–415341.44 shows an enhancement in Na compared to that of the Earth, making it most similar to primitive chondrites. The photosphere of WD J013222.88+052923.71 is greatly depleted in core-like material, and its composition resembles that of pure crust/mantle material. WD J232428.21–021643.65 has accreted the most Fe-rich planetesimal, with an Fe mass fraction of 67percnt. We compare these results to other published studies and conclude that these white dwarfs are among the most heavily polluted cool DAZs studied to date, increasing the sample of cool H-dominated white dwarfs with five or more metals by 50percnt.
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Authors Anna-Maria Cutolo, B T Gänsicke, Andrew Swan, Andrew M. Buchan, Jack Williams, D. Koester, Paula Izquierdo, Mark Hollands, James A. Blake, Nicola P Gentile Fusillo
Journal monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/mnras/stag1349
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stag1349
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