A giant planet candidate transiting a white dwarf

Andrew Vanderburg; Saul A. Rappaport; Siyi Xu; Ian J. M. Crossfield; Juliette C. Becker; Bruce Gary; Felipe Murgas; Simon Blouin; Thomas G. Kaye; Enric Palle; Carl Melis; Brett M. Morris; Laura Kreidberg; Varoujan Gorjian; Caroline V. Morley; Andrew W. Mann; Hannu Parviainen; Logan A. Pearce; Elisabeth R. Newton; Andreia Carrillo; Ben Zuckerman; Lorne Nelson; Greg Zeimann; Warren R. Brown; René Tronsgaard; Beth Klein; George R. Ricker; Roland K. Vanderspek; David W. Latham; Sara Seager; Joshua N. Winn; Jon M. Jenkins; Fred C. Adams; Björn Benneke; David Berardo; Lars A. Buchhave; Douglas A. Caldwell; Jessie L. Christiansen; Karen A. Collins; Knicole D. Colón; Tansu Daylan; John Doty; Alexandra E. Doyle; Diana Dragomir; Courtney Dressing; Patrick Dufour; Akihiko Fukui; Ana Glidden; Natalia M. Guerrero; Xueying Guo; Kevin Heng; Andreea I. Henriksen; Chelsea X. Huang; Lisa Kaltenegger; Stephen R. Kane; John A. Lewis; Jack J. Lissauer; Farisa Morales; Norio Narita; Joshua Pepper; Mark E. Rose; Jeffrey C. Smith; Keivan G. Stassun; Liang Yu

doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2713-y

A giant planet candidate transiting a white dwarf

Andrew Vanderburg^*, Saul A. Rappaport, Siyi Xu, Ian J. M. Crossfield, Juliette C. Becker, Bruce Gary, Felipe Murgas, Simon Blouin, Thomas G. Kaye, Enric Palle, Carl Melis, Brett M. Morris, Laura Kreidberg, Varoujan Gorjian, Caroline V. Morley, Andrew W. Mann, Hannu Parviainen, Logan A. Pearce, Elisabeth R. Newton, Andreia CarrilloBen Zuckerman, Lorne Nelson, Greg Zeimann, Warren R. Brown, René Tronsgaard, Beth Klein, George R. Ricker, Roland K. Vanderspek, David W. Latham, Sara Seager, Joshua N. Winn, Jon M. Jenkins, Fred C. Adams, Björn Benneke, David Berardo, Lars A. Buchhave, Douglas A. Caldwell, Jessie L. Christiansen, Karen A. Collins, Knicole D. Colón, Tansu Daylan, John Doty, Alexandra E. Doyle, Diana Dragomir, Courtney Dressing, Patrick Dufour, Akihiko Fukui, Ana Glidden, Natalia M. Guerrero, Xueying Guo, Kevin Heng, Andreea I. Henriksen, Chelsea X. Huang, Lisa Kaltenegger, Stephen R. Kane, John A. Lewis, Jack J. Lissauer, Farisa Morales, Norio Narita, Joshua Pepper, Mark E. Rose, Jeffrey C. Smith, Keivan G. Stassun, Liang Yu

^*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

Astronomers have discovered thousands of planets outside the Solar System1, most of which orbit stars that will eventually evolve into red giants and then into white dwarfs. During the red giant phase, any close-orbiting planets will be engulfed by the star2, but more distant planets can survive this phase and remain in orbit around the white dwarf3,4. Some white dwarfs show evidence for rocky material floating in their atmospheres5, in warm debris disks6–9 or orbiting very closely10–12, which has been interpreted as the debris of rocky planets that were scattered inwards and tidally disrupted13. Recently, the discovery of a gaseous debris disk with a composition similar to that of ice giant planets14 demonstrated that massive planets might also find their way into tight orbits around white dwarfs, but it is unclear whether these planets can survive the journey. So far, no intact planets have been detected in close orbits around white dwarfs. Here we report the observation of a giant planet candidate transiting the white dwarf WD 1856+534 (TIC 267574918) every 1.4 days. We observed and modelled the periodic dimming of the white dwarf caused by the planet candidate passing in front of the star in its orbit. The planet candidate is roughly the same size as Jupiter and is no more than 14 times as massive (with 95 per cent confidence). Other cases of white dwarfs with close brown dwarf or stellar companions are explained as the consequence of common-envelope evolution, wherein the original orbit is enveloped during the red giant phase and shrinks owing to friction. In this case, however, the long orbital period (compared with other white dwarfs with close brown dwarf or stellar companions) and low mass of the planet candidate make common-envelope evolution less likely. Instead, our findings for the WD 1856+534 system indicate that giant planets can be scattered into tight orbits without being tidally disrupted, motivating the search for smaller transiting planets around white dwarfs.

Original language	English
Journal	Nature
Volume	585
Pages (from-to)	363-367
ISSN	1476-4687
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2713-y
Publication status	Published - 2020

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Vanderburg, A., Rappaport, S. A., Xu, S., Crossfield, I. J. M., Becker, J. C., Gary, B., Murgas, F., Blouin, S., Kaye, T. G., Palle, E., Melis, C., Morris, B. M., Kreidberg, L., Gorjian, V., Morley, C. V., Mann, A. W., Parviainen, H., Pearce, L. A., Newton, E. R., ... Yu, L. (2020). A giant planet candidate transiting a white dwarf. Nature, 585, 363-367. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2713-y

@article{b27fd762084c477db8f68bcc53d325ef,

title = "A giant planet candidate transiting a white dwarf",

abstract = "Astronomers have discovered thousands of planets outside the Solar System1, most of which orbit stars that will eventually evolve into red giants and then into white dwarfs. During the red giant phase, any close-orbiting planets will be engulfed by the star2, but more distant planets can survive this phase and remain in orbit around the white dwarf3,4. Some white dwarfs show evidence for rocky material floating in their atmospheres5, in warm debris disks6–9 or orbiting very closely10–12, which has been interpreted as the debris of rocky planets that were scattered inwards and tidally disrupted13. Recently, the discovery of a gaseous debris disk with a composition similar to that of ice giant planets14 demonstrated that massive planets might also find their way into tight orbits around white dwarfs, but it is unclear whether these planets can survive the journey. So far, no intact planets have been detected in close orbits around white dwarfs. Here we report the observation of a giant planet candidate transiting the white dwarf WD 1856+534 (TIC 267574918) every 1.4 days. We observed and modelled the periodic dimming of the white dwarf caused by the planet candidate passing in front of the star in its orbit. The planet candidate is roughly the same size as Jupiter and is no more than 14 times as massive (with 95 per cent confidence). Other cases of white dwarfs with close brown dwarf or stellar companions are explained as the consequence of common-envelope evolution, wherein the original orbit is enveloped during the red giant phase and shrinks owing to friction. In this case, however, the long orbital period (compared with other white dwarfs with close brown dwarf or stellar companions) and low mass of the planet candidate make common-envelope evolution less likely. Instead, our findings for the WD 1856+534 system indicate that giant planets can be scattered into tight orbits without being tidally disrupted, motivating the search for smaller transiting planets around white dwarfs.",

author = "Andrew Vanderburg and Rappaport, {Saul A.} and Siyi Xu and Crossfield, {Ian J. M.} and Becker, {Juliette C.} and Bruce Gary and Felipe Murgas and Simon Blouin and Kaye, {Thomas G.} and Enric Palle and Carl Melis and Morris, {Brett M.} and Laura Kreidberg and Varoujan Gorjian and Morley, {Caroline V.} and Mann, {Andrew W.} and Hannu Parviainen and Pearce, {Logan A.} and Newton, {Elisabeth R.} and Andreia Carrillo and Ben Zuckerman and Lorne Nelson and Greg Zeimann and Brown, {Warren R.} and Ren{\'e} Tronsgaard and Beth Klein and Ricker, {George R.} and Vanderspek, {Roland K.} and Latham, {David W.} and Sara Seager and Winn, {Joshua N.} and Jenkins, {Jon M.} and Adams, {Fred C.} and Bj{\"o}rn Benneke and David Berardo and Buchhave, {Lars A.} and Caldwell, {Douglas A.} and Christiansen, {Jessie L.} and Collins, {Karen A.} and Col{\'o}n, {Knicole D.} and Tansu Daylan and John Doty and Doyle, {Alexandra E.} and Diana Dragomir and Courtney Dressing and Patrick Dufour and Akihiko Fukui and Ana Glidden and Guerrero, {Natalia M.} and Xueying Guo and Kevin Heng and Henriksen, {Andreea I.} and Huang, {Chelsea X.} and Lisa Kaltenegger and Kane, {Stephen R.} and Lewis, {John A.} and Lissauer, {Jack J.} and Farisa Morales and Norio Narita and Joshua Pepper and Rose, {Mark E.} and Smith, {Jeffrey C.} and Stassun, {Keivan G.} and Liang Yu",

year = "2020",

doi = "10.1038/s41586-020-2713-y",

language = "English",

volume = "585",

pages = "363--367",

journal = "Nature",

issn = "1476-4687",

publisher = "Nature Publishing Group",

}

Vanderburg, A, Rappaport, SA, Xu, S, Crossfield, IJM, Becker, JC, Gary, B, Murgas, F, Blouin, S, Kaye, TG, Palle, E, Melis, C, Morris, BM, Kreidberg, L, Gorjian, V, Morley, CV, Mann, AW, Parviainen, H, Pearce, LA, Newton, ER, Carrillo, A, Zuckerman, B, Nelson, L, Zeimann, G, Brown, WR, Tronsgaard, R, Klein, B, Ricker, GR, Vanderspek, RK, Latham, DW, Seager, S, Winn, JN, Jenkins, JM, Adams, FC, Benneke, B, Berardo, D, Buchhave, LA, Caldwell, DA, Christiansen, JL, Collins, KA, Colón, KD, Daylan, T, Doty, J, Doyle, AE, Dragomir, D, Dressing, C, Dufour, P, Fukui, A, Glidden, A, Guerrero, NM, Guo, X, Heng, K, Henriksen, AI, Huang, CX, Kaltenegger, L, Kane, SR, Lewis, JA, Lissauer, JJ, Morales, F, Narita, N, Pepper, J, Rose, ME, Smith, JC, Stassun, KG & Yu, L 2020, 'A giant planet candidate transiting a white dwarf', Nature, vol. 585, pp. 363-367. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2713-y

TY - JOUR

T1 - A giant planet candidate transiting a white dwarf

AU - Vanderburg, Andrew

AU - Rappaport, Saul A.

AU - Xu, Siyi

AU - Crossfield, Ian J. M.

AU - Becker, Juliette C.

AU - Gary, Bruce

AU - Murgas, Felipe

AU - Blouin, Simon

AU - Kaye, Thomas G.

AU - Palle, Enric

AU - Melis, Carl

AU - Morris, Brett M.

AU - Kreidberg, Laura

AU - Gorjian, Varoujan

AU - Morley, Caroline V.

AU - Mann, Andrew W.

AU - Parviainen, Hannu

AU - Pearce, Logan A.

AU - Newton, Elisabeth R.

AU - Carrillo, Andreia

AU - Zuckerman, Ben

AU - Nelson, Lorne

AU - Zeimann, Greg

AU - Brown, Warren R.

AU - Tronsgaard, René

AU - Klein, Beth

AU - Ricker, George R.

AU - Vanderspek, Roland K.

AU - Latham, David W.

AU - Seager, Sara

AU - Winn, Joshua N.

AU - Jenkins, Jon M.

AU - Adams, Fred C.

AU - Benneke, Björn

AU - Berardo, David

AU - Buchhave, Lars A.

AU - Caldwell, Douglas A.

AU - Christiansen, Jessie L.

AU - Collins, Karen A.

AU - Colón, Knicole D.

AU - Daylan, Tansu

AU - Doty, John

AU - Doyle, Alexandra E.

AU - Dragomir, Diana

AU - Dressing, Courtney

AU - Dufour, Patrick

AU - Fukui, Akihiko

AU - Glidden, Ana

AU - Guerrero, Natalia M.

AU - Guo, Xueying

AU - Heng, Kevin

AU - Henriksen, Andreea I.

AU - Huang, Chelsea X.

AU - Kaltenegger, Lisa

AU - Kane, Stephen R.

AU - Lewis, John A.

AU - Lissauer, Jack J.

AU - Morales, Farisa

AU - Narita, Norio

AU - Pepper, Joshua

AU - Rose, Mark E.

AU - Smith, Jeffrey C.

AU - Stassun, Keivan G.

AU - Yu, Liang

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - Astronomers have discovered thousands of planets outside the Solar System1, most of which orbit stars that will eventually evolve into red giants and then into white dwarfs. During the red giant phase, any close-orbiting planets will be engulfed by the star2, but more distant planets can survive this phase and remain in orbit around the white dwarf3,4. Some white dwarfs show evidence for rocky material floating in their atmospheres5, in warm debris disks6–9 or orbiting very closely10–12, which has been interpreted as the debris of rocky planets that were scattered inwards and tidally disrupted13. Recently, the discovery of a gaseous debris disk with a composition similar to that of ice giant planets14 demonstrated that massive planets might also find their way into tight orbits around white dwarfs, but it is unclear whether these planets can survive the journey. So far, no intact planets have been detected in close orbits around white dwarfs. Here we report the observation of a giant planet candidate transiting the white dwarf WD 1856+534 (TIC 267574918) every 1.4 days. We observed and modelled the periodic dimming of the white dwarf caused by the planet candidate passing in front of the star in its orbit. The planet candidate is roughly the same size as Jupiter and is no more than 14 times as massive (with 95 per cent confidence). Other cases of white dwarfs with close brown dwarf or stellar companions are explained as the consequence of common-envelope evolution, wherein the original orbit is enveloped during the red giant phase and shrinks owing to friction. In this case, however, the long orbital period (compared with other white dwarfs with close brown dwarf or stellar companions) and low mass of the planet candidate make common-envelope evolution less likely. Instead, our findings for the WD 1856+534 system indicate that giant planets can be scattered into tight orbits without being tidally disrupted, motivating the search for smaller transiting planets around white dwarfs.

AB - Astronomers have discovered thousands of planets outside the Solar System1, most of which orbit stars that will eventually evolve into red giants and then into white dwarfs. During the red giant phase, any close-orbiting planets will be engulfed by the star2, but more distant planets can survive this phase and remain in orbit around the white dwarf3,4. Some white dwarfs show evidence for rocky material floating in their atmospheres5, in warm debris disks6–9 or orbiting very closely10–12, which has been interpreted as the debris of rocky planets that were scattered inwards and tidally disrupted13. Recently, the discovery of a gaseous debris disk with a composition similar to that of ice giant planets14 demonstrated that massive planets might also find their way into tight orbits around white dwarfs, but it is unclear whether these planets can survive the journey. So far, no intact planets have been detected in close orbits around white dwarfs. Here we report the observation of a giant planet candidate transiting the white dwarf WD 1856+534 (TIC 267574918) every 1.4 days. We observed and modelled the periodic dimming of the white dwarf caused by the planet candidate passing in front of the star in its orbit. The planet candidate is roughly the same size as Jupiter and is no more than 14 times as massive (with 95 per cent confidence). Other cases of white dwarfs with close brown dwarf or stellar companions are explained as the consequence of common-envelope evolution, wherein the original orbit is enveloped during the red giant phase and shrinks owing to friction. In this case, however, the long orbital period (compared with other white dwarfs with close brown dwarf or stellar companions) and low mass of the planet candidate make common-envelope evolution less likely. Instead, our findings for the WD 1856+534 system indicate that giant planets can be scattered into tight orbits without being tidally disrupted, motivating the search for smaller transiting planets around white dwarfs.

U2 - 10.1038/s41586-020-2713-y

DO - 10.1038/s41586-020-2713-y

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 32939071

SN - 1476-4687

VL - 585

SP - 363

EP - 367

JO - Nature

JF - Nature

ER -

A giant planet candidate transiting a white dwarf

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