A study of extreme extra-solar planetary systems

检查具有金属污染大气的白色矮星是测量系外行星体的整体组成的一种途径，为我们理解行星形成提供了重要的投入。来自盖亚空间使命的数据将是将已知白色矮星数量增加一个数量级的关键，计划于2018年4月发布第一次主要数据，从而可以推导出大样本统计数据。该项目的重点是识别和分析受污染的白色矮星，以研究太阳系外系统中岩石体的化学成分。我们将对69颗白色矮星使用紫外光谱，作为HST快照计划的一部分，然后将该项目扩展到包括盖亚DR 2目标。还将分析使用下一代仪器WEAVE和DESI收集的地基光谱。随后，我们将研究丰度的趋势，作为白色矮质量（因此，祖行星主机的质量）和冷却/系统年龄的函数-目前的工作可能受到有限数量的可用目标-调查星系演化对系外行星系统形成的影响。

Examining white dwarfs with metal-polluted atmospheres is a route to measuring the bulk composition of exo-planetesimals, providing important input into our understanding of planet formation. Data from the Gaia space mission will be the key to increase the number of known white dwarfs by an order of magnitude, with the first major data release planned for April 2018, allowing large-sample statistics to be derived. This project is focussed on identifying and analysing polluted white dwarfs to investigate the chemical composition of rocky bodies in extrasolar systems. We will use ultraviolet spectroscopy for 69 white dwarfs, recorded as part of a HST Snapshot program, before expanding the project to include Gaia DR2 targets. Ground-based spectroscopy collected using the next-generation instruments WEAVE and DESI will also be analysed. We will subsequently examine trends in abundances as a function of white dwarf mass (and hence mass of the progenitor planet host) and cooling/system age - current works may have been limited by small numbers of available targets - to investigate the effects of galactic evolution on the formation of exo-planetary systems.