Are exoplanetesimals differentiated?
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Peer-reviewed
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Abstract
Metals observed in the atmospheres of white dwarfs suggest that many have
recently accreted planetary bodies. In some cases, the compositions observed
suggest the accretion of material dominantly from the core (or the mantle) of a
differentiated planetary body. Collisions between differentiated
exoplanetesimals produce such fragments. In this work, we take advantage of the
large numbers of white dwarfs where at least one siderophile (core-loving) and
one lithophile (rock-loving) species have been detected to assess how commonly
exoplanetesimals differentiate. We utilise N-body simulations that track the
fate of core and mantle material during the collisional evolution of planetary
systems to show that most remnants of differentiated planetesimals retain core
fractions similar to their parents, whilst some are extremely core-rich or
mantle-rich. Comparison with the white dwarf data for calcium and iron
indicates that the data are consistent with a model in which
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1365-2966
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Science and Technology Facilities Council (1788855)