Simultaneous infrared and optical observations of the transiting debris cloud around WD 1145+017
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Date
21/12/2016Author
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Abstract
We present multi-wavelength photometric monitoring of WD 1145+017, a white dwarf exhibiting periodic dimming events interpreted to be the transits of orbiting, disintegrating planetesimals. Our observations include the first set of near-infrared light curves for the object, obtained on multiple nights over the span of one month, and recorded multiple transit events with depths varying between ~20 to 50 per cent. Simultaneous near-infrared and optical observations of the deepest and longest duration transit event were obtained on two epochs with the Anglo-Australian Telescope and three optical facilities, over the wavelength range of 0.5 to 1.2 microns. These observations revealed no measurable difference in transit depths for multiple photometric pass bands, allowing us to place a 2 sigma lower limit of 0.8 microns on the grain size in the putative transiting debris cloud. This conclusion is consistent with the spectral energy distribution of the system, which can be fit with an optically thin debris disc with minimum particle sizes of 10 +5/-3 microns.
Citation
Zhou , G , Kedziora-Chudczer , L , Bailey , J , Marshall , J P , Bayliss , D D R , Stockdale , C , Nelson , P , Tan , T G , Rodriguez , J E , Tinney , C G , Dragomir , D , Colon , K , Shporer , A , Bento , J , Sefako , R , Horne , K & Cochran , W 2016 , ' Simultaneous infrared and optical observations of the transiting debris cloud around WD 1145+017 ' , Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society , vol. 463 , no. 4 , pp. 4422-4432 . https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stw2286
Publication
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0035-8711Type
Journal article
Rights
© 2016, the Author(s). This work has been made available online in accordance with the publisher’s policies. This is the final published version of the work, which was originally published at mnras.oxfordjournals.org / https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stw2286
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