Detailed bulk composition analysis of extrasolar objects accreted at the surface of white dwarf stars

白矮星表面吸积的太阳系外物体的详细整体成分分析

• 批准号: RGPIN-2020-05019
• 负责人: Dufour, Patrick
• 金额: $ 2.48万
• 依托单位: Université de Montréal
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=740351
• 关键词: Detailed; bulk; composition; analysis; extrasolar

Since the Nobel prize-winning discovery of the first planet orbiting another star has been announced in 1995, thousands of exoplanets have been found. Ever since, thousands of researchers across the world have been working relentlessly to understand and characterize planets' architecture, structure and formation mechanisms. Yet, very little is known about what they are made of as basically only masses and radii are available, providing no information about their internal structures. While surface composition, through transit spectroscopy studies, can inform us about the atmosphere of gas giants, the bulk compositions of rocky objects are ill-constrained and only limits on their internal structures can be set at best. Fortunately, a new method for probing the composition of solid extrasolar planetary system material has emerged in the last decade through the examination of the accreted remains of exo-material (planetesimals, asteroids, planets) in the atmosphere of white dwarf stars. Building on my previous work, the goal of this proposal is to bring the characterization of exo-rocky material to the next level by performing a detailed homogeneous analysis of the largest sample of contaminated white dwarf atmospheres ever assembled.

自1995年诺贝尔奖宣布发现第一颗围绕另一颗星星运行的行星以来，已经发现了数千颗系外行星。自那时以来，全世界成千上万的研究人员一直在不懈地努力了解和描述行星的构造、结构和形成机制。然而，人们对它们的组成知之甚少，因为基本上只有质量和半径，没有提供关于它们内部结构的信息。虽然通过凌日光谱研究，表面成分可以告诉我们气体巨星的大气，但岩石物体的整体成分受到不良约束，只能对它们的内部结构进行限制。幸运的是，通过检查白色矮星大气中的外来物质（微行星、小行星、行星）的吸积残余物，在过去十年中出现了一种探测太阳系外行星系统固体物质组成的新方法。在我以前工作的基础上，这个建议的目标是通过对有史以来最大的受污染白色矮星大气样本进行详细的均匀分析，将外岩石材料的表征提高到一个新的水平。