Activity in White Dwarf Debris Disks II: WISE Mission Traces a Decade of Disk Evolution and Persistence

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ID: 338375
2026
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Abstract
Abstract This study presents multi-epoch photometry from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer to investigate variability in white dwarf debris disks, utilizing the full 14.5 yr mission datasets pre- and post-cryogen. Unambiguous variations are detected across the bulk of the 52 confirmed dusty white dwarfs and are consistent with universal variability after correcting for the sensitivity of WISE relative to Spitzer. Some disk light curves exhibit trends such as possible oscillations, sudden brightening, and steadily decaying fluxes, but all infrared excesses persist utterly. On baselines longer than 0.5 yr, flux changes are significantly skewed toward decreases, in contrast to the symmetric distribution found at shorter baselines with Spitzer, consistent with gradual dust depletion over time. Disk emission generally becomes redder when dimmer and bluer when brighter, consistent with changes in the grain size distribution following collisions, although five disks exhibit the opposite trend possibly due to dust production near apastron. A moderate positive correlation is observed between disk luminosity and photospheric Ca abundance, consistent with accretion from an optically thin disk component. Taken together with the Spitzer legacy of dusty white dwarfs, these results provide a comprehensive view of debris disk variability and provide empirical constraints on models of disk structure and evolution.
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Authors Hiba Tu Noor, Jay Farihi, Scott J. Kenyon
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Journal monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/mnras/stag2084
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stag2084
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