Program: GN-2009B-DD-8

Title:Is there a Debris Disk Around the Most Metal-rich White Dwarf?
PI:Mukremin Kilic
Co-I(s): Patrick Dufour, Sandy Leggett

Abstract

We recently discovered the most metal-rich white dwarf currently known. Our MMT spectroscopy shows that SDSS J0738+18 has a helium dominated atmosphere polluted with significant amounts of Ca, Mg, Si, Fe, and Oxygen. Our model atmosphere analysis shows that SDSS J0738+18 is even more metal-rich than the Sun. Our data are best explained by accretion of rocky planetary material from a debris disk. Here we propose to confirm the presence of such a disk by obtaining JHK observations of J0738+18 with NIRI. A debris disk will be visible as an infrared excess in the K-band, and possibly even in the H-band. Confirmation of such a disk will reveal the source of the material. If there is a dust disk, our abundance analysis can be used to study the composition of the accreted matter and therefore the dust disk itself. The large amounts of oxygen present in the photosphere of this star indicates that the accreted object was similar to earth.

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