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

TL;DR

This study uses N-body simulations to constrain the mass and eccentricity of debris orbiting white dwarf WD 1145+017, finding that higher masses or eccentricities lead to system instability inconsistent with observations.

Contribution

The paper introduces constraints on debris mass and eccentricity around WD 1145+017 using simulations, providing insights into the system's stability.

Findings

Debris mass > 10^{20} kg causes instability within two years.

Eccentricity > 10^{-3} increases instability risk.

Simulation results align with observed transit phase shifts.

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 $10^{20}$ kg (a tenth of the mass of Ceres) or orbits that are not nearly circular ($\mathrm{eccentricity}>10^{-3}$) 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.