Mass and eccentricity constraints on the planetary debris orbiting the white dwarf WD 1145+017

Mass and eccentricity constraints on the planetary debris orbiting the white dwarf WD 1145+017

Authors:

Gurri et al

Abstract:

Being the first of its kind, the white dwarf WD 1145+017 exhibits a complex system of disintegrating debris which offers a unique opportunity to study its disruption process in real time. Even with plenty of transit observations there are no clear constraints on the masses or eccentricities of such debris. Using N-body simulations we show that masses greater than approximately 1020 kg (a tenth of the mass of Ceres) or orbits that are not nearly circular (eccentricity>10−3) dramatically increase the chances of the system becoming unstable within two years, which would contrast with the observational data over this timespan. We also provide a direct comparison between transit phase shifts detected in the observations and by our numerical simulations.