A Jovian analogue orbiting a white dwarf star

Area of Science:

• Exoplanetary Science
• Stellar Evolution
• White Dwarf Systems

Background:

• Planetary remnants can survive stellar evolution into white dwarfs, but intact planets are rarely detected.
• Simulations suggest Jupiter-like planets can survive close orbits around stars up to 8 solar masses.
• Observational confirmation of surviving planets around white dwarfs has been lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To search for and characterize planetary bodies around white dwarf stars.
• To provide observational evidence for the survival of planets through stellar evolution.
• To test predictions about the prevalence of planetary companions around white dwarfs.

Main Methods:

• Utilized near-infrared observations from the Keck Observatory for the MOA-2010-BLG-477Lb microlensing event.
• Analyzed microlensing data to detect and characterize celestial bodies in the system.
• Determined the mass and orbital parameters of the white dwarf host and its planet.

Main Results:

• A white dwarf host star (0.53 ± 0.11 solar masses) was identified.
• A Jupiter-mass planet (1.4 ± 0.3 Jupiter masses) was detected orbiting the white dwarf.
• The planet has a wide separation (2.8 ± 0.5 astronomical units on the plane of the sky), implying a large semi-major axis.

Conclusions:

• This system provides the first observational evidence of a planet surviving the giant and asymptotic giant phases of its host star's evolution.
• The findings support theoretical predictions that over half of all white dwarfs may possess Jovian planetary companions.
• The discovered system serves as an analogue for the future state of the Sun and Jupiter in our Solar System.