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Are exoplanetesimals differentiated?

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Bonsor, A 
Carter, PJ 
Hollands, M 
Gänsicke, BT 
Leinhardt, Z 

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 66−6+4% have accreted the remnants of differentiated planetesimals, whilst 31−5+5% have Ca/Fe abundances altered by the effects of heating (although the former can be as high as 100%, if heating is ignored). These conclusions assume pollution by a single body and that collisional evolution retains similar features across diverse planetary systems. These results imply that both collisions and differentiation are key processes in exoplanetary systems. We highlight the need for a larger sample of polluted white dwarfs with precisely determined metal abundances to better understand the process of differentiation in exoplanetary systems.

Description

Keywords

planets and satellites: general, circumstellar matter, planetary systems, white dwarfs

Journal Title

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0035-8711
1365-2966

Volume Title

492

Publisher

Oxford University Press (OUP)

Rights

Publisher's own licence
Sponsorship
Royal Society (DH150088)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (1788855)