Discovery of Beryllium in White Dwarfs Polluted by Planetesimal Accretion

• Published in: The Astrophysical journal Vol. 914; no. 1; pp. 61 - 77
• Main Authors: Klein, Beth L., Doyle, Alexandra E., Zuckerman, B., Dufour, P., Blouin, Simon, Melis, Carl, Weinberger, Alycia J., Young, Edward D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia The American Astronomical Society 01.06.2021; IOP Publishing
• Subjects: Abundance ratios; Accretion; ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS; Astrophysics; Beryllium; Celestial bodies; Deposition; Dwarf stars; Extrasolar rocky planets; Fluence; Helium; High resolution spectroscopy; Overabundances; Planetesimals; Planets; Spallation; Stellar accretion; Stellar spectral lines; White dwarf stars; White dwarfs
• ISSN: 0004-637X; 1538-4357
• DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/abe40b

Abstract The element beryllium is detected for the first time in white dwarf stars. This discovery in the spectra of two helium-atmosphere white dwarfs was made possible only because of the remarkable overabundance of Be relative to all other elements, heavier than He, observed in these stars. The measured Be abundances, relative to chondritic, are by far the largest ever seen in any astronomical object. We anticipate that the Be in these accreted planetary bodies was produced by spallation of one or more of O, C, and N in a region of high fluence of particles of MeV or greater energy.