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Characterizing the Chemistry of Planetary Materials Around White Dwarf Stars

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Handbook of Exoplanets

Abstract

Planetary systems that orbit white dwarf stars can be studied via spectroscopic observations of the stars themselves. Numerous white dwarfs are seen to have accreted mostly rocky minor planets, the remnants of which are present in the stellar photospheres. The elemental abundances in the photospheres unveil the bulk compositions of the accreted parent bodies with a precision far greater than can be attained with any other technique currently available to astronomers. The most significant discovery, overall, is that rocky extrasolar planets have bulk elemental compositions similar to those of Earth and other rocky objects in our solar system. The white dwarf studies reveal that many extrasolar minor planets (asteroids) are differentiated, possessing analogs of terrestrial crust, mantle, and core; this finding has important implications for the origin of our own solar system.

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Dedication

UCLA Professor Michael Jura was a pioneer in the use of polluted white dwarfs as uniquely remarkable probes of extrasolar planetary systems; his creative ideas and contributions enlightened the field.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    B. Zuckerman

  2. Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    E. D. Young

Authors
  1. B. Zuckerman
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  2. E. D. Young
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to B. Zuckerman .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias , La Laguna, Spain

    Hans J. Deeg

  2. Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, La Laguna, Spain

    Juan Antonio Belmonte

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Zuckerman, B., Young, E.D. (2017). Characterizing the Chemistry of Planetary Materials Around White Dwarf Stars. In: Deeg, H., Belmonte, J. (eds) Handbook of Exoplanets . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30648-3_14-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30648-3_14-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-30648-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-30648-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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