10 September 2014 Siyi Xu ESO Fellow (Garching) Elemental Compositions of Extrasolar Planetesimals
10 September 2014 Thanks to all my collaborators… Michael JuraBen Zuckerman Beth KleinDetlev Koester (Poster DD-2)
(i) Nebular Condensation * 94% O, Fe, Si, Mg * % C (ii) Differentiation Is Earth normal? Earth as we know… Fe Si, Mg Mg
Wesemael+1993 Typical white dwarf spectra:
Evidence I: 25-50% WDs show heavy elements in the atmospheres. There must be some external source constantly feeding the WDs! Gaensicke, Koester+2012
Evidence II: ~4% single WDs show infrared excess from an orbiting dust disk.
High-resolution spectroscopic studies of heavy-element-enriched white dwarfs uniquely measure the bulk compositions of extrasolar planetesimals.
Keck/HIRES Spectra Xu+ 2014
HST/COS Spectra Xu PG
Planetesimals Accreted onto WDs: mass g 19 heavy elements detected C, S, O, Na, Cu, Mn, P, Cr, Si, Mg, Fe, Co, Ni, V, Sr, Ca, Ti, Al, Sc
The compositions of extrasolar planetesimals resemble bulk earth. Xu+ 2014
Core/Crust Differentiation and collision is common among extrasolar planetesimals log n(Fe)/n(Si) log n(Mg)/n(Si) Jura & Young 2014
A pilot search for extrasolar plate tectonics Earth’s continental crust is enriched in incompatible elements, e.g. Ba, Sr.. Jura less than 1% material is from continental crust GD 362
Heavy-element-enriched WDs are a powerful tool to study compositions of extrasolar planetesimals Extrasolar planetesimals resemble bulk Earth –Dominated by O,Mg, Si, Fe, very little C –Differentiation and collision is widespread Thank you! Summary
Back Up Slides
GD 362: the best match solar system analog is mesosiderite Condensation Temperature volatilerefractory