Wilson, D. J., Gansicke, B. T., Koester, D. et al. (4 more authors) (2014) Variable emission from a gaseous disc around a metal-polluted white dwarf. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 445 (2). pp. 1878-1884. ISSN 0035-8711
Abstract
We present the discovery of strongly variable emission lines from a gaseous disc around the DA white dwarf SDSS J1617+1620, a star previously found to have an infrared excess indicative of a dusty debris disc formed by the tidal disruption of a rocky planetary body. Time series spectroscopy obtained during the period 2006–2014 has shown the appearance of strong double-peaked Ca II emission lines in 2008. The lines were weak, at best, during earlier observations, and monotonically faded through the remainder of our monitoring. Our observations represent unambiguous evidence for short-term variability in the debris environment of evolved planetary systems. Possible explanations for this extraordinary variability include the impact on to the dusty disc of either a single small rocky planetesimal, or of material from a highly eccentric debris tail. The increase in flux from the emission lines is sufficient that similar events could be detected in the broad-band photometry of ongoing and future large-area time domain surveys.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2014 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | circumstellar matter; stars: individual: SDSS J1617+1620; planetary systems; white dwarfs |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Physics and Astronomy (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 28 Nov 2016 15:16 |
Last Modified: | 28 Nov 2016 15:16 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stu1876 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Oxford University Press (OUP): Policy P - Oxford Open Option A |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1093/mnras/stu1876 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:108484 |