Abstract
There is increasing evidence that planets are ubiquitous, and may form around stars over a wide range of stellar masses. After a star dies, the planets may remain, and in some circumstances there may be a new epoch of planet formation after the main sequence. In this chapter, scenarios for the retention and formation of planets after star death, and the prospects for detection, including current known post-main sequence systems are discussed. Planets in the graveyard are, in many cases, easier observational targets than planets around main sequence stars. Different detection techniques may also be brought to bear, in some cases with much higher sensitivity, allowing the detection of low mass planets. Planets detected in the graveyard reflect the ‘live’ population of planets, and in some cases provide potentially strong constraints on planet formation processes, and the general planet population.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Backer, D.C., 1992, A pulsar timing tutorial and NRAO Green Bank observations of PSR 1257+12, In: Planets Around Pulsars, PASP Conf Proc. vol 36, ed. J.A. Phillips, S.E. Thorsett and S.R. Kulkarni, pp. 11
Bailes, M., Lyne, A.G. & Shemar, S.L., 1991, A planet orbiting the neutron star PSR1829-10, Nature, 352, 311
Beer, M.E., King, A.R. & Pringle, J.E., 2004, The planet in M4: implications for planet formation in globular clusters, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 355, 1244
Blandford, R.D., Romani, R.W. & Applegate, J.H., 1987, Timing a millisecond pulsar in a globular cluster, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 225, P51
Bryden, G., Beichman, C.A., Rieke, G.H., Stansberry. J.A., Stapelfeldt, K.R., Trilling., D.E., Turner, N.J. & Wolszczan, A., 2006, Spitzer MIPS Limits on Asteroidal Dust in the Pulsar Planetary System PSR B1257+12, Astrophysical Journal, 646, 1038
Burleigh, M.R., Clarke, F.J. & Hodgkin, S.T., 2002, Imaging planets around nearby white dwarfs, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 331, 41
Currie, T. & Hansen, B.M.S., 2007, The Evolution of Protoplanetary Disks Around Millisecond Pulsars: The PSR 1257+12 System, Astrophysical Journal, 666, 1232
Debes, J.H. & Sigurdsson, S., 2002 Are There Unstable Planetary Systems around White Dwarfs?, Astrophysical Journal, Letters, 572, 556
Debes, J.H., Sigurdsson, S. & Woodgate, B.E., 2005, Cool Customers in the Stellar Graveyard. II. Limits to Substellar Objects around Nearby DAZ White Dwarfs, Astronomical Journal, 130, 1221
Demianski, M. & Proszynski, M., 1979, Does PSR0329+54 have companions?, Nature, 282, 383
Ford, E.B., Joshi, K.J., Rasio, F.A. & Zbarsky, B., 2000, Theoretical Implications of the PSR B1620-26 Triple System and Its Planet, Astrophysical Journal, 528, 336
Fregeau, J.M., Chatterjee, S. & Rasio, F.A., 2006, Dynamical Interactions of Planetary Systems in Dense Stellar Environments, Astrophysical Journal, 640, 1086
Gillilan, R.L., et al., 2000, A Lack of Planets in 47 Tucanae from a Hubble Space Telescope Search, Astrophysical Journal, Letters, 545, 47
Greaves, J.S. & Holland, W.S., 2000, A search for protoplanetary discs around millisecond pulsars, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 316, 21
Hansen, B.M.S., 2004, The Astrophysics of Cool White Dwarfs, Physics Reports, 399, 1
Hansen, B.M.S., Kulkarni. S. & Wiktorowicz, S., 2006, A Spitzer Search for Infrared Excesses around Massive Young White Dwarfs, Astronomical Journal, 131, 1106
Heger, A., Woosley, S.E., Langer, N. & Hartmann, D.H., 2003, How Massive Single Stars End Their Life, Astrophysical Journal, 591, 288
Joshi, K.J. & Rasio, F.A., 1997, Distant Companions and Planets around Millisecond Pulsars, Astrophysical Journal, 479, 948
Jura, M., 2003, A Tidally Disrupted Asteroid around the White Dwarf G29-38, Astrophysical Journal, Letters, 584, 91
Konacki, M. & Wolszczan, A., 2003 Masses and Orbital Inclinations of Planets in the PSR B1257+12 System, Astrophysical Journal, Letters, 591, 51
Lazio, T.J.W. & Fischer, J., 2004, Mid-and Far-Infrared Infrared Space Observatory Limits on Dust Disks around Millisecond Pulsars, Astronomical Journal, 128, 842
Livio, M., Pringle, J.E. & Saffer, R.A., 1992, Planets around massive white dwarfs, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 257, P15
Miller, M.C. & Hamilton, D.P., 2001, Implications of the PSR 1257+12 Planetary System for Isolated Millisecond Pulsars, Astrophysical Journal, 550, 863
Mullally, F., Kilic, M., Reach, W.T., Kuchner, M.J., von Hippel, T., Burrows, A. & Winget, D.E., 2007, A Spitzer White Dwarf Infrared Survey, Astrophysical Journal, Supplements, 171, 206
Mullally, F. & Winget, D., 2007, A Possible Planet Around a White Dwarf, BAAS, 38, 1129
Phinney, E.S. & Hansen, B.M.S., 1993, The pulsar planet production process, In: Planets Around Pulsars, PASP Conf Proc. vol 36, ed. J.A. Phillips, S.E. Thorsett and S.R. Kulkarni, pp. 371
Posselt, B., Neuhäuser, R. & Haberl, F., 2006, Substellar companions around neutron stars, In: On the Present and Future of Pulsar Astronomy, 26th meeting of the IAU, Joint Discussion 2, IAU, 11
Sigurdsson, S., 1992, Planets in globular clusters?, Astrophysical Journal, Letters, 399, 95
Sigurdsson, S., 1993 Genesis of a planet in Messier 4, Astrophysical Journal, Letters, 415, 43
Sigurdsson, S., Richer, H.B., Hansen, B.M.S., Stairs, I.H. & Thorsett, S.E., 2003, A Young White Dwarf Companion to Pulsar B1620-26: Evidence for Early Planet Formation, Science, 301, 193
Silvotti, R., et al., 2007, A giant planet orbiting the ‘extreme horizontal branch’ star V 391 Pegasi, Nature, 449, 189–191
Thorsett, S.E., Arzoumanian, Z. & Taylor, J.H., 1993, PSR B1620-26 — A binary radio pulsar with a planetary companion?, Astrophysical Journal, Letters, 412, 33
Thorsett, S.E., Arzoumanian, Z., Camilo, F. & Lyne, A.G., 1999, The Triple Pulsar System PSR B1620-26 in M4, Astrophysical Journal, 523, 763
Wang, Z., Chakrabarty, D. & Kaplan, D.L., 2006, A debris disk around an isolated young neutron star, Nature, 440, 772
Wolszczan, A. & Frail, D.A., 1992 A planetary system around the millisecond pulsar PSR1257+12, Nature, 355, 145
Wolszczan, A., 1994 Confirmation of Earth Mass Planets Orbiting the Millisecond Pulsar PSR:B1257+12, Science 264, 538
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Praxis Publishing Ltd, Chichester, UK
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Sigurdsson, S. (2008). Searching for Exoplanets in the Stellar Graveyard. In: Mason, J.W. (eds) Exoplanets. Springer Praxis Books. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-74008-7_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-74008-7_8
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-74007-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-74008-7
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyPhysics and Astronomy (R0)