Welcome to the new version of CaltechAUTHORS. Login is currently restricted to library staff. If you notice any issues, please email coda@library.caltech.edu
Published July 11, 2016 | Submitted + Published
Journal Article Open

The detection of dust around NN Ser

Abstract

Eclipse timing variations observed from the post-common-envelope binary (PCEB) NN Ser offer strong evidence in favour of circumbinary planets existing around PCEBs. If real, these planets may be accompanied by a disc of dust. We here present the ALMA detection of flux at 1.3 mm from NN Ser, which is likely due to thermal emission from a dust disc of mass ∼0.8 ± 0.2 M_⊕. We performed simulations of the history of NN Ser to determine possible origins of this dust, and conclude that the most likely origin is, in fact, common-envelope material which was not expelled from the system and instead formed a circumbinary disc. These discs have been predicted by theory but previously remained undetected. While the presence of this dust does not prove the existence of planets around NN Ser, it adds credibility to the possibility of planets forming from common-envelope material in a 'second-generation' scenario.

Additional Information

© 2016 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. Accepted 2016 April 20. Received 2016 April 19; in original form 2016 March 16. First published online April 23, 2016. We would like to thank the anonymous referee for their time and helpful comments. In addition, AH, MRS, CC and LC acknowledge support from the Millennium Nucleus RC130007 (Chilean Ministry of Economy). MRS, CC, SP and LC also acknowledge support from FONDECYT (grants 1141269, 3140592, 3140585 and 1140109). DV and BTG have received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013)/ERC Grant Agreement n. 320964 (WDTracer). TRM was supported by STFC grant #ST/L000733. This work is based on observations made with ESO Telescopes at the La Silla Paranal Observatory under programme ID 085.D-0541. This work is also based, in part, on observations made with the Spitzer Space Telescope, which is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology under a contract with NASA. This paper makes use of the following ALMA data: ADS/JAO.ALMA#2013.1.01342.S. ALMA is a partnership of ESO (representing its member states), NSF (USA) and NINS (Japan), together with NRC (Canada) and NSC and ASIAA (Taiwan) and KASI (Republic of Korea), in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. The Joint ALMA Observatory is operated by ESO, AUI/NRAO and NAOJ.

Attached Files

Published - MNRAS-2016-Hardy-4518-26.pdf

Submitted - 1604.05808v1.pdf

Files

1604.05808v1.pdf
Files (2.7 MB)
Name Size Download all
md5:055143dbd2da9862c8642d60a8c9f540
1.2 MB Preview Download
md5:f3db81df33328baeeb12db6277efc30a
1.5 MB Preview Download

Additional details

Created:
August 20, 2023
Modified:
October 20, 2023