How dust particles orbiting white dwarfs can reveal undetected co-orbiting exoplanets
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Physics, Democritus University of Thrace
- 2Department of Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
- 3Centre for Exoplanets and Habitability, University of Warwick
- 4Centre for Space Domain Awareness, University of Warwick
- 5Department of Physics, University of Warwick
Abstract
Context. The time evolution of the observed periodicities of transiting rocky debris around white dwarfs (WDs) potentially signposts ongoing dynamical interactions between the debris and co-orbital asteroids or planets with similar orbital periods (1/1 mean-motion resonance). In Paper I, we analysed these WD-secondary-dust particle systems within the framework of the circular restricted three-body problem (CRTBP).
Aims. We aim to extend Paper I to the eccentric secondary orbit case and now analyse the elliptic restricted three-body problem (ERTBP). Our secondary masses include Ceres, Mercury, Earth, and Neptune so that we can help infer the presence of both large asteroids and planets through our analysis. We study dust particles on both planar (2D-ERTBP) and non-coplanar (3D-ERTBP) orbits.
Methods. We computed families of 1/1 resonant symmetric and asymmetric periodic orbits in the 2D-ERTBP and 3D-ERTBP. Doing so produces novel results in their own right and diagnostic tools for precise guidance for our next steps. Based on them, we generated detailed phase portraits. Finally, we run suitably seeded N -body simulations to compare with the periodic orbits, and to provide observational links with debris close to WDs.
Results. New families of asymmetric periodic orbits, called E ₄₁ A , E ₄₂ A , and E ₄₃ A in the high-eccentricity 2D-ERTBP regime were discovered. They are generated by the new bifurcation point, B T ⁴ , along the new A ₂ family, showcased in Paper I. Moreover, new isolated families of asymmetric periodic orbits, namely E ₄₄ A , E ₄₅ A , and E ₄₆ A were discovered. Families of short- and long- period asymmetric orbits starting from L ₄ , called E S A and E L A , were also computed.
Conclusions. In both the 2D- and 3D-ERTBP regimes, highly eccentric motion is exhibited for the dust particles in the majority of the families of either symmetric or asymmetric periodic orbits. The portraits reveal stability domains as a function of the dust’s eccentricity, argument of pericentre, mean anomaly and longitude of ascending node with slight semi-major axis deviations from the 1/1 MMR. The N -body simulations reveal that over ten years, the orbital period deviations of the dust are higher than in the CRTBP; in some architectures, Mercury-mass planets can regularly generate deviations exceeding ∼100 s, which potentially aids observational inferences of hidden asteroids or planets orbiting WDs.
Versions
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BibTeX
@article{antoniadou2026dust,
title = {{How dust particles orbiting white dwarfs can reveal undetected co-orbiting exoplanets}},
author = {Kyriaki I. Antoniadou and Dimitri Veras},
journal = {Astronomy \& Astrophysics},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/202661509},
url = {https://www.aanda.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202661509},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - How dust particles orbiting white dwarfs can reveal undetected co-orbiting exoplanets
AU - Kyriaki I. Antoniadou
AU - Dimitri Veras
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/04
JO - Astronomy & Astrophysics
DO - 10.1051/0004-6361/202661509
UR - https://www.aanda.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202661509
AB - Context. The time evolution of the observed periodicities of transiting rocky debris around white dwarfs (WDs) potentially signposts ongoing dynamical interactions between the debris and co-orbital asteroids or planets with similar orbital periods (1/1 mean-motion resonance). In Paper I, we analysed these WD-secondary-dust particle systems within the framework of the circular restricted three-body problem (CRTBP). Aims. We aim to extend Paper I to the eccentric secondary orbit case and now analyse the elliptic restricted three-body problem (ERTBP). Our secondary masses include Ceres, Mercury, Earth, and Neptune so that we can help infer the presence of both large asteroids and planets through our analysis. We study dust particles on both planar (2D-ERTBP) and non-coplanar (3D-ERTBP) orbits. Methods. We computed families of 1/1 resonant symmetric and asymmetric periodic orbits in the 2D-ERTBP and 3D-ERTBP. Doing so produces novel results in their own right and diagnostic tools for precise guidance for our next steps. Based on them, we generated detailed phase portraits. Finally, we run suitably seeded N -body simulations to compare with the periodic orbits, and to provide observational links with debris close to WDs. Results. New families of asymmetric periodic orbits, called E ₄₁ A , E ₄₂ A , and E ₄₃ A in the high-eccentricity 2D-ERTBP regime were discovered. They are generated by the new bifurcation point, B T ⁴ , along the new A ₂ family, showcased in Paper I. Moreover, new isolated families of asymmetric periodic orbits, namely E ₄₄ A , E ₄₅ A , and E ₄₆ A were discovered. Families of short- and long- period asymmetric orbits starting from L ₄ , called E S A and E L A , were also computed. Conclusions. In both the 2D- and 3D-ERTBP regimes, highly eccentric motion is exhibited for the dust particles in the majority of the families of either symmetric or asymmetric periodic orbits. The portraits reveal stability domains as a function of the dust’s eccentricity, argument of pericentre, mean anomaly and longitude of ascending node with slight semi-major axis deviations from the 1/1 MMR. The N -body simulations reveal that over ten years, the orbital period deviations of the dust are higher than in the CRTBP; in some architectures, Mercury-mass planets can regularly generate deviations exceeding ∼100 s, which potentially aids observational inferences of hidden asteroids or planets orbiting WDs.
SN - 0004-6361
SN - 1432-0746
ER -