First planetesimals from DESI DR1: 12 highly metal-rich white dwarfs

@article{izquierdo2026first,
  title = {{First planetesimals from DESI DR1: 12 highly metal-rich white dwarfs}},
  author = {Paula Izquierdo and Andrew Swan and Boris T Gänsicke and Jamie T Williams and Detlev Koester and Nicola P Gentile-Fusillo and Christopher J Manser and Laura K Rogers and D Aguado and J Aguilar and S Ahlen and C.Allende Prieto and D Bianchi and D Brooks and T Claybaugh and A de la Macorra and A Dey and P Doel and J.E Forero-Romero and E Gaztañaga and S.Gontcho A Gontcho and G Gutiérrez and D Joyce and T Kisner and S.E Koposov and A Kremin and M Landriau and L Le Guillou and T.S Li and M Manera and A Meisner and R Miquel and J Moustakas and J Najita and W.J Percival and F Prada and I Pérez-Ràfols and G Rossi and E Sanchez and D Schlegel and M Schubnell and D Sprayberry and G Tarlé and B.A Weaver and R Zhou and H Zou},
  journal = {Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1093/mnras/stag1353},
  eprint = {2607.14251},
  archivePrefix = {arXiv},
  url = {https://hal.science/hal-05737070v1},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - First planetesimals from DESI DR1: 12 highly metal-rich white dwarfs
AU  - Paula Izquierdo
AU  - Andrew Swan
AU  - Boris T Gänsicke
AU  - Jamie T Williams
AU  - Detlev Koester
AU  - Nicola P Gentile-Fusillo
AU  - Christopher J Manser
AU  - Laura K Rogers
AU  - D Aguado
AU  - J Aguilar
AU  - S Ahlen
AU  - C.Allende Prieto
AU  - D Bianchi
AU  - D Brooks
AU  - T Claybaugh
AU  - A de la Macorra
AU  - A Dey
AU  - P Doel
AU  - J.E Forero-Romero
AU  - E Gaztañaga
AU  - S.Gontcho A Gontcho
AU  - G Gutiérrez
AU  - D Joyce
AU  - T Kisner
AU  - S.E Koposov
AU  - A Kremin
AU  - M Landriau
AU  - L Le Guillou
AU  - T.S Li
AU  - M Manera
AU  - A Meisner
AU  - R Miquel
AU  - J Moustakas
AU  - J Najita
AU  - W.J Percival
AU  - F Prada
AU  - I Pérez-Ràfols
AU  - G Rossi
AU  - E Sanchez
AU  - D Schlegel
AU  - M Schubnell
AU  - D Sprayberry
AU  - G Tarlé
AU  - B.A Weaver
AU  - R Zhou
AU  - H Zou
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/03
JO  - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
DO  - 10.1093/mnras/stag1353
UR  - https://hal.science/hal-05737070v1
AB  - Metal-enriched white dwarfs provide a unique insight into the composition of exoplanet interiors. These stars accrete the debris of disrupted planetary bodies, and hence, measuring the stellar parameters and photospheric abundances yields the bulk compositions of the parent bodies. At present, over 1750 debris-accreting white dwarfs are known, but just a few dozen are sufficiently enriched to allow a detailed abundance study. Here we report the analysis of 12 highly metal-enriched white dwarfs observed within the Data Release~1 of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). We characterised their stellar parameters and photospheric metal abundances and we identified between three and ten different elements in their optical spectra, including most of the rock-forming species: O, Mg, Si, Ca and Fe. We conclude that the accreted bodies broadly resemble compositions found within the inner Solar System such as primitive meteorites, processed material or planetary cores. Six of the systems allowed a more thorough analysis: four of the parent bodies are composed of dry rock-forming elements; and two of them of something akin to a water-rich planetesimal. Thus, this study establishes DESI as a potent survey for identifying metal-rich targets, yielding reliable compositions of accreted exoplanetary material.
SN  - 0035-8711
SN  - 1365-2966
ER  -