{
  "abstract": "Remnant planetary systems around massive white dwarfs ( M WD > 0.8 M ⊙ ) are intrinsically rare and remain poorly characterized. As the evolutionary endpoints of intermediate-mass B- and A-type stars, these white dwarfs provide valuable constraints on the formation and survival of planetary systems around higher-mass progenitors. In the absence of large, dedicated spectroscopic surveys, extremely low-resolution Gaia XP spectra provide a powerful means of identifying candidate metal-polluted white dwarfs. We obtained follow-up observations with low-resolution optical spectroscopy ( R = 500–4000) to search primarily for Ca ii H&K absorption in massive, metal-polluted white dwarf candidates selected from Gaia XP spectra to increase the sample of massive remnant planetary system hosts among objects with effective temperatures below ∼15,000 K. We find that Gaia XP spectra recover metal-polluted white dwarfs efficiently, confirming 82% ± 5% recovery of photospheric metals (59 of 72 targets) in high-confidence candidates of our sample (with classifier probability P DZ > 0.65). However, Gaia photometric masses derived from G , G BP , and G RP broadband photometry are not sufficient to identify the most massive systems, as reliable mass determinations require detailed metal-enriched atmospheric fits. We present a selection of cool white dwarfs confirmed to be both massive and metal-polluted, demonstrating that Gaia XP spectra can substantially expand the sample of white dwarf exoplanet hosts. Our search led to the discovery of a new transiting debris system, SDSS J1624+5404, the 21st published system to date and eighth to show periodic transits.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Astronomy & Institute for Astrophysical Research Boston University Boston",
    "Université de Montréal",
    "University of Victoria",
    "Center for Astrophysics—Harvard & Smithsonian"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Lou Baya Ould Rouis",
      "orcid": "0009-0002-6065-3292"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "J. J. Hermes",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5941-2286"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Pierre Bergeron",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-2368-345X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Simon Blouin",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9632-1436"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Stefan Arseneau",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6270-8624"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Tim Cunningham",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-7296-3533"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Joseph A. Guidry",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9632-7347"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ciarra Coston",
      "orcid": "0009-0000-8806-5623"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/af1dk2asmdrm8.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3847/1538-4357/aeaa35",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "af1dk2asmdrm8",
  "issns": [
    "1538-4357",
    "0004-637X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aeaa35",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "feed-journal",
      "astronomy/general"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aeaa35/pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-11-05",
  "publisher": "American Astronomical Society",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/af1dk2asmdrm8.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-05T12:20:12Z",
      "native_id": "10.3847/1538-4357/aeaa35",
      "source": "feed-iop",
      "url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aeaa35"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-05T12:20:35Z",
      "native_id": "10.3847/1538-4357/aeaa35",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aeaa35"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "journal-openalex:3103|Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies",
      "subfield": "stellar"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Searching for Massive Remnant Planetary System Hosts with White Dwarf Gaia XP Spectra",
  "title_text": "Searching for Massive Remnant Planetary System Hosts with White Dwarf Gaia XP Spectra",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-07T00:20:58Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/af1dk2asmdrm8",
  "venue": "The Astrophysical Journal",
  "versions": []
}