Transient outburst events from tidally disrupted asteroids near white dwarfs

TL;DR

This paper explores the transient formation of gaseous accretion disks from tidally disrupted asteroids near white dwarfs, predicting observable outbursts across multiple wavelengths lasting about a month.

Contribution

It introduces a model for the initial formation phase of gaseous disks from asteroid disruption, highlighting their similarity to Dwarf Novae and potential observability.

Findings

Formation lasts about a month.

Gaseous disks form with mass and size similar to Dwarf Novae.

Outbursts are detectable from visible to X-ray wavelengths.

Abstract

We discuss the possibility of observing the transient formation event of an accretion disk from the tidal destruction process of an asteroid near a white dwarf (WD). This scenario is commonly proposed as the explanation for dusty disks around WDs. We find that the initial formation phase lasts for about a month and material that ends in a close orbit near the WD forms a gaseous disk rather than a dusty disk. The mass and size of this gaseous accretion disk is very similar to that of Dwarf Novae (DNe) in quiescence. The bolometric luminosity of the event at maximum is estimated to be 0.001-0.1Lsun. Based on the similarity with DNe we expect that transient outburst events such as discussed here will be observed at wavelengths ranging from visible to the X-ray, and be detected by present and future surveys.