Discovery of Beryllium in White Dwarfs Polluted by Planetesimal Accretion

Abstract The element beryllium is detected for the first time in white dwarf stars. This discovery in the spectra of two helium-atmosphere white dwarfs was made possible only because of the remarkable overabundance of Be relative to all other elements, heavier than He, observed in these stars. The m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Astrophysical journal 2021-06, Vol.914 (1), p.61
Main Authors: Klein, Beth L., Doyle, Alexandra E., Zuckerman, B., Dufour, P., Blouin, Simon, Melis, Carl, Weinberger, Alycia J., Young, Edward D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abundance ratios
Accretion
ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
Astrophysics
Beryllium
Celestial bodies
Deposition
Dwarf stars
Extrasolar rocky planets
Fluence
Helium
High resolution spectroscopy
Overabundances
Planetesimals
Planets
Spallation
Stellar accretion
Stellar spectral lines
White dwarf stars
White dwarfs
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Summary:Abstract The element beryllium is detected for the first time in white dwarf stars. This discovery in the spectra of two helium-atmosphere white dwarfs was made possible only because of the remarkable overabundance of Be relative to all other elements, heavier than He, observed in these stars. The measured Be abundances, relative to chondritic, are by far the largest ever seen in any astronomical object. We anticipate that the Be in these accreted planetary bodies was produced by spallation of one or more of O, C, and N in a region of high fluence of particles of MeV or greater energy.
ISSN:0004-637X
1538-4357
DOI:10.3847/1538-4357/abe40b