2025MNRAS.542..293R


Query : 2025MNRAS.542..293R

2025MNRAS.542..293R - Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 542, 293-309 (2025/September-1)

Silicate mineralogy and bulk composition of exoplanetary material in polluted white dwarfs.

ROGERS L.K., BONSOR A., LE BOURDAIS E., XU S., SU K.Y.L., RICHARDS B., BUCHAN A., BALLERING N.P., BROUWERS M., DUFOUR P., KISSLER-PATIG M., MELIS C. and ZUCKERMAN B.

Abstract (from CDS):

White dwarf planetary systems uniquely link the bulk elemental composition of exoplanetary material to the mineralogy as photospheric abundances can be compared to circumstellar dust mineralogy. This study re-examines Spitzer/IRS spectra of eight white dwarfs with both circumstellar dust and photospheric metals. All systems show 10 $\mu$m silicate emission features consistent with a mixture of olivine and pyroxene silicates, with varying dominance. New Hubble Space Telescope ultraviolet spectroscopic observations of two of these systems, GD56 and WD 1150-153, reveal that both are accreting dry, rocky material. WD 1150-153 is accreting material consistent with Bulk Earth, while GD56 is accreting core-rich material with an inferred core mass fraction of 0.59$^{+0.08}_{-0.09}$ (0.37$^{+0.08}_{-0.08}$ by mole). A comparison between the bulk elemental composition of the accreted planetary material and the dust mineralogy of the eight systems reveals a tentative correlation between the dominant silicate mineralogy and the Mg/Si ratio, indicating that the circumstellar and photospheric material are compositionally similar. This suggests that rapid and well-mixed accretion is occurring with minimal compositional alteration. Furthermore, new GGCHEM equilibrium chemistry models confirm that Mg-rich planetary material preferentially forms olivine-rich dust, highlighting the importance of equilibrium in planetary chemistry and that a host star or rock's Mg/Si can be used to predict whether its silicate mineralogy is olivine- or pyroxene-dominated, influencing its capacity to structurally store water, recycle key nutrients, and possibly habitability.

Abstract Copyright: © The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Astronomical Society.

Journal keyword(s): planets and satellites: composition - stars: abundances - white dwarfs

Simbad objects: 9

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Number of rows : 9
N Identifier Otype ICRS (J2000)
RA
ICRS (J2000)
DEC
Mag U Mag B Mag V Mag R Mag I Sp type #ref
1850 - 2026
#notes
1 Wolf 88 WD* 01 48 56.7965896608 +19 02 27.484961100   15.5   15.4   DAZB 68 0
2 GD 40 WD* 03 02 53.1037481136 -01 08 33.798683976   15.479 15.384     DBZ4 187 0
3 GD 56 WD* 04 11 02.1686667960 -03 58 22.586865708   15.64 15.50 15.1   DA3.3 92 0
4 K2-22b Pl 11 17 55.8772962552 +02 37 08.603363784           ~ 69 0
5 GD 133 WD* 11 19 12.3988618680 +02 20 33.045927216   14.734 14.617 14.855   DA4.0 107 0
6 EC 11507-1519 WD* 11 53 15.2581290960 -15 36 36.506488428   16.16 16.00 15.9   DA4.0 61 0
7 GD 362 WD* 17 31 34.3168718112 +37 05 20.711767812   16.3   16.4   DAZB 200 0
8 LAWD 84 WD* 21 19 36.5325585235 -55 50 14.465412588 13.94 14.50 14.27 14.5   DA5.1 96 0
9 V* ZZ Psc WD* 23 28 47.6365087803 +05 14 54.235051503   13.217   13.106   DA4.1 536 0

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