Transit surveys for Earths in the habitable zones of white dwarfs
Eric Agol (University of Washington)

TL;DR
This paper proposes expanding the search for habitable Earth-like planets to white dwarfs, highlighting their potential for detection via transits and outlining a survey strategy using ground-based and LSST telescopes.
Contribution
It introduces the concept of habitable zones around white dwarfs and suggests a feasible survey method for detecting Earth-like planets in these zones.
Findings
White dwarf habitable zones extend from ~0.005 to 0.02 AU.
White dwarf transits by terrestrial planets are detectable with ground-based telescopes.
A survey could constrain the frequency of habitable Earths around white dwarfs.
Abstract
To date the search for habitable Earth-like planets has primarily focused on nuclear burning stars. I propose that this search should be expanded to cool white dwarf stars that have expended their nuclear fuel. I define the continuously habitable zone of white dwarfs, and show that it extends from ~0.005 to 0.02 AU for white dwarfs with masses from 0.4 to 0.9 solar masses, temperatures less than 10,000 K, and habitable durations of at least 3 Gyr. As they are similar in size to Earth, white dwarfs may be deeply eclipsed by terrestrial planets that orbit edge-on, which can easily be detected with ground-based telescopes. If planets can migrate inward or reform near white dwarfs, I show that a global robotic telescope network could carry out a transit survey of nearby white dwarfs placing interesting constraints on the presence of habitable Earths. If planets were detected, I show that…
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