Farihi, J;
Brinkworth, CS;
Gänsicke, BT;
Marsh, TR;
Girven, J;
Hoard, DW;
Klein, B;
(2011)
Possible signs of water and differentiation in a rocky exoplanetary body.
Astrophysical Journal Letters
, 728
(1)
, Article L8. 10.1088/2041-8205/728/1/L8.
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Abstract
Spitzer observations reveal the presence of warm debris from a tidally destroyed rocky and possibly icy planetary body orbiting the white dwarf GD 61. Ultraviolet and optical spectroscopy of the metal-contaminated stellar photosphere reveal traces of hydrogen, oxygen, magnesium, silicon, iron, and calcium. The nominal ratios of these elements indicate an excess of oxygen relative to that expected from rock-forming metal oxides, and thus it is possible that water was accreted together with the terrestrial-like debris. Iron is found to be deficient relative to magnesium and silicon, suggesting the material may have originated as the outer layers of a differentiated parent body, as is widely accepted for the Moon.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Possible signs of water and differentiation in a rocky exoplanetary body |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1088/2041-8205/728/1/L8 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/728/1/L8 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © 2011. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. |
| Keywords: | circumstellar matter; minor planets, asteroids: general; planetary systems; stars: abundances; white dwarfs |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Physics and Astronomy |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1477427 |
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