Recent discoveries of compact (sizes $<R_\odot$) debris disks around more than a dozen of metal-rich white dwarfs (WDs) suggest that pollution of these stars with metals may be caused by accretion of high-Z material from the disk. But the mechanism responsible for efficient transfer of mass from a particulate disk to the WD atmosphere has not yet been identified. Here we demonstrate that radiation of the WD can effectively drive accretion of matter through the disk towards the sublimation radius (located at several tens of WD radii), where particles evaporate, feeding a disk of metal gas accreting onto the WD. We show that, contrary to some previous claims, Poynting-Robertson (PR) drag on the debris disk is effective at providing metal accretion rate $\dot M_{PR}\sim 10^8$ g/s and higher, scaling quadratically with WD effective temperature. We compare our results with observations and show that, as expected, no WD hosting a particulate debris disk shows evidence of metal accretion rate below that produced by the PR drag. Existence of WDs accreting metals at rates significantly higher than $\dot M_{PR}$ suggests that another mechanism in addition to PR drag drives accretion of high-Z elements in these systems.
Observational estimates of the lifetimes and inferred accretion rates from debris discs around polluted white dwarfs are often inconsistent with the predictions of models of shielded Poynting-Robertson drag on the dust particles in the discs. Moreover, many cool polluted white dwarfs do not show any observational evidence of accompanying discs. This may be explained, in part, if the debris discs had shorter lifetimes and higher accretion rates than predicted by Poynting-Robertson drag alone. We consider the role of a magnetic field on tidally disrupted diamagnetic debris and its subsequent eff…
We analyze the combined effect of Poynting-Robertson and solar wind drag on space debris. We derive a model within Cartesian, Gaussian and Hamiltonian frameworks. We focus on the geosynchronous resonance, although the results can be easily generalized to any resonance. By numerical and analytical techniques, we compute the drift in semi-major axis due to Poynting-Robertson and solar wind drag. After a linear stability analysis of the equilibria, we combine a careful investigation of the regular, resonant, chaotic behavior of the phase space with a long-term propagation of a sample of initial c…
We investigate the combined effect of solar wind, Poynting-Robertson drag, and the frozen-in interplanetary magnetic field on the motion of charged dust grains in our solar system. For this reason we derive a secular theory of motion by the means of averaging method and validate it with numerical simulations of the un-averaged equations of motions. The theory predicts that the secular motion of charged particles is mainly affected by the z-component of the solar magnetic axis, or the normal component of the interplanetary magnetic field. The normal component of the interplanetary magnetic fiel…
Physics of the Poynting-Robertson (P-R) effect is discussed and compared with the statements published in the past thirty years. Relativistically covariant formulation reveals the essence of the P-R effect and points out to nonphysical explanations in scientific papers and monographs. Although the final equation of motion $m$ $d\vec{v} / dt$ $=$ ($S A'\bar{Q'}_{pr}$ $ / $ $c$) ${(1 - \vec{v} \cdot \vec{e} / c) \vec{e} - \vec{v} / c}$ has been usually correctly presented and used, its derivation and explanation of its essence is frequently incorrect. The relativistically covariant form of the e…
We investigate the stability of motion close to the Lagrangian equilibrium points L4 and L5 in the framework of the spatial, elliptic, restricted three- body problem, subject to the radial component of Poynting-Robertson drag. For this reason we develop a simplified resonant model, that is based on averaging theory, i.e. averaged over the mean anomaly of the perturbing planet. We find temporary stability of particles displaying a tadpole motion in the 1:1 resonance. From the linear stability study of the averaged simplified resonant model, we find that the time of temporary stability is propor…
Properties of the solar wind are discussed and applied to the effect of the wind on motion of bodies in the Solar System. The velocity density function for the solar wind constituents is given by the $κ-$distribution. The relevant contributions to the solar wind action contain also the sputtering and reflection components in addition to direct impact. The solar wind effect is more important than the action of the solar electromagnetic radiation, as for the secular orbital evolution. The effect of the solar corpuscular radiation is more important than the Poynting-Robertson effect even when mas…
The debris disk around the Vega-type star HD 34700 is detected in dust thermal emission from the near infrared (IR) to millimeter (mm) and submm wavelength range. Also detected is a distinct set of emission features at 3.3, 6.2, 7.7, 8.6, 11.3 and 12.7 $μ$m, which are commonly attributed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules. We model the observed dust IR spectral energy distribution (SED) and PAH emission features of the HD 34700 disk in terms of porous dust and astronomical-PAHs. Porous dust together with a mixture of neutral and ionized PAHs closely explains the dust IR SED and…
It was recently proposed that metal-rich white dwarfs (WDs) accrete their metals from compact debris disks found to exist around more than a dozen of them. At the same time, elemental abundances measured in atmospheres of some WDs imply vigorous metal accretion at rates up to $10^{11}$ g/s, far in excess of what can be supplied solely by Poynting-Robertson drag acting on such debris disks. To explain this observation we propose a model, in which rapid transport of metals from the disk onto the WD naturally results from interaction between this particulate disk and spatially coexisting disk of …
The discovery of numerous debris disks around white dwarfs (WDs), gave rise to extensive study of such disks and their role in polluting WDs, but the formation and evolution of these disks is not yet well understood. Here we study the role of aeolian (wind) erosion in the evolution of solids in WD debris disks. Aeolian erosion is a destructive process that plays a key role in shaping the properties and size-distribution of planetesimals, boulders and pebbles in gaseous protoplanetary disks. Our analysis of aeolian erosion in WD debris disks shows it can also play an important role in these env…
Recent infrared observations have revealed presence of compact (radii < R_Sun) debris disks around more than a dozen of metal-rich white dwarfs (WD), likely produced by tidal disruption of asteroids. Accretion of high-Z material from these disks may account for the metal contamination of these WDs. It was previously shown using local calculations that the Poynting-Robertson (PR) drag acting on the dense, optically thick disk naturally drives metal accretion onto the WD at the typical rate \dot M_{PR} \approx 10^8 g/s. Here we extend this local analysis by exploring global evolution of the debr…
We study the dynamics of co-orbital dust in the inner solar system, i.e. the role of the solar radiation pressure, Poynting-Robertson effect, solar wind, and the interplanetary magnetic field on the location, width and stability of resonant motion of charged, and micron sized dust grains situated in the 1:1 mean motion resonance with planet Venus. We find deviations and asymmetry between $L_4$ and $L_5$ in locations of libration centers and libration width under the influence of non-gravitational effects via both analytical and numerical methods. The triangular Lagrangian points become unstabl…
Lambda Boo stars are predominately A-type stars with solar abundant C, N, O, and S, but up to 2 dex underabundances of refractory elements. The stars' unusual surface abundances could be due to a selective accretion of volatile gas over dust. It has been proposed that there is a correlation between the Lambda Boo phenomenon and IR-excesses which are the result of a debris disk or interstellar medium (ISM) interaction providing the accreting material. We observe 70 or 100 and 160 $μ$m excess emission around 9 confirmed Lambda Boo stars with the Herschel Space Observatory, to differentiate wheth…
The discovery of over 50 planets around evolved stars and more than 35 debris discs orbiting white dwarfs highlight the increasing need to understand small body evolution around both early and asymptotic giant branch (GB) stars. Pebbles and asteroids are susceptible to strong accelerations from the intense luminosity and winds of GB stars. Here, we establish equations that can model time-varying GB stellar radiation, wind drag and mass loss. We derive the complete three-dimensional equations of motion in orbital elements due to (1) the Epstein and Stokes regimes of stellar wind drag, (2) Poynt…
We aim to explore two exozodiacal dust production mechanisms, first re-investigating the Poynting-Robertson drag pile-up scenario, and then elaborating on the less explored, but promising exocometary dust delivery scenario. We developped a new versatile, numerical model that calculates the dust dynamics, with non orbit-averaged equations for the grains close to the star. The model includes dust sublimation and incorporates a radiative transfer code for direct comparison to the observations. We consider in this study four stellar types, three dust compositions, and we assume a parent belt at 50…
We report a Spitzer/IRAC search for infrared excesses around white dwarfs, including 14 newly-observed targets and 16 unpublished archived stars. We find a substantial infrared excess around two warm white dwarfs --- J220934.84+122336.5 and WD 0843+516, the latter apparently being the hottest white dwarf known to display a close-in dust disk. Extending previous studies, we find that the fraction of white dwarfs with dust disks increases as the star's temperature increases; for stars cooler than 10,000 K, even the most heavily polluted ones do not have ~1000 K dust. There is tentative evidence …
(abridged) We aim to constrain the location, composition, and dynamical state of planetesimal populations and dust around the young, sun-like (G2V) star HD 107146}. We consider coronagraphic observations obtained with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (HST/ACS) onboard the HST in broad V and broad I filters, a resolved 1.3mm map obtained with the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-Wave Astronomy (CARMA), Spitzer/IRS low resolution spectra, and the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the object at wavelengths ranging from 3.5micron to 3.1mm. We complement these data with new coronagraphi…
(abridged) We present 24 and 70 micron MIPS observations of 70 A through M-type dwarfs with estimated ages from 8 Myr to 1.1 Gyr, as part of a Spitzer guaranteed time program. Our sample is selected from stars with common youth indicators such as lithium abundance, X-ray activity, chromospheric activity, and rapid rotation. We compare our MIPS observations to empirically derived K-[24] colors as a function of the stellar effective temperature to identify 24 and 70 micron excesses. We confirm the previously published 70 micron excesses for HD 92945, HD 112429, and AU Mic. We present the discove…
The Kepler Mission recently identified 997 systems hosting candidate extrasolar planets, many of which are super-Earths. Realizing these planetary systems are candidates to host extrasolar asteroid belts, we use mid-infrared data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) to search for emission from dust in these systems. We find excesses around eight stars, indicating the presence of warm to hot dust (~100-500 K), corresponding to orbital distances of 0.1-10 AU for these solar-type stars. The strongest detection, KOI 1099, demands ~500 K dust interior to the orbit of its exoplanet ca…
Hot exozodiacal dust is thought to be responsible for excess near-infrared (NIR) emission emanating from the innermost parts of some debris disks. The origin of this dust, however, is still a matter of debate. We test whether hot exozodiacal dust can be supplied from an exterior parent belt by Poynting-Robertson (P-R) drag, paying special attention to the pile-up of dust that occurs due to the interplay of P-R drag and dust sublimation. Specifically, we investigate whether pile-ups still occur when collisions are taken into account, and if they can explain the observed NIR excess. We compute t…
Context: High-resolution images of circumstellar debris discs reveal off-centred rings that indicate past or ongoing perturbation, possibly caused by secular gravitational interaction with unseen stellar or substellar companions. The purely dynamical aspects of this departure from radial symmetry are well understood. However, the observed dust is subject to additional forces and effects, most notably collisions and drag. Aims: To complement the studies of dynamics, we therefore aim to understand how new asymmetries are created by the addition of collisional evolution and drag forces, and exist…
The infrared dust emission from the white dwarf GD 56 is found to rise and fall by 20% peak-to-peak over 11.2 yr, and is consistent with ongoing dust production and depletion. It is hypothesized that the dust is produced via collisions associated with an evolving dust disk, temporarily increasing the emitting surface of warm debris, and is subsequently destroyed or assimilated within a few years. The variations are consistent with debris that does not change temperature, indicating that dust is produced and depleted within a fixed range of orbital radii. Gas produced in collisions may rapidly …
(Abridged) The Edgeworth-Kuiper belt with its presumed dusty debris is a natural reference for extrsolar debris disks. We employ a new algorithm to eliminate the inclination and the distance selection effects in the known TNO populations to derive expected parameters of the "true" EKB. Its estimated mass is M_EKB=0.12 M_earth, which is by a factor of \sim 15 larger than the mass of the EKB objects detected so far. About a half of the total EKB mass is in classical and resonant objects and another half is in scattered ones. Treating the debiased populations of EKB objects as dust parent bodies,…
Several tens of white dwarfs are known to host circumstellar discs of dusty debris, thought to arise from the tidal disruption of rocky bodies originating in the star's remnant planetary system. This paper investigates the evolution of such discs if they are very massive, as may be the case if their progenitor was a terrestrial planet, moon, or dwarf planet. Assuming the discs are physically thin and flat, like Saturn's rings, their evolution is governed by Poynting-Robertson drag or viscous spreading, where the disc's effective viscosity is due to self-gravity wakes. For discs with masses >10…
The flux of ISM neutral atoms surrounding stars and their environment affects the motion of dust particles in debris disks, causing a significant dynamical evolution. Large values of eccentricity and inclination can be excited and strong correlations settle in among the orbital angles. This dynamical behaviour, in particular for bound dust grains, can potentially cause significant asymmetries in dusty disks around solar type stars which might be detected by observations. However, the amount of orbital changes due to this non--gravitational perturbation is strongly limited by the collisional li…
We present a new scheme for determining the shape of the size distribution, and its evolution, for collisional cascades of planetesimals undergoing destructive collisions and loss processes like Poynting-Robertson drag. The scheme treats the steady state portion of the cascade by equating mass loss and gain in each size bin; the smallest particles are expected to reach steady state on their collision timescale, while larger particles retain their primordial distribution. For collision-dominated disks, steady state means that mass loss rates in logarithmic size bins are independent of size. Thi…
A re-evaluation of time-averaged accretion rates at DBZ-type white dwarfs points to historical, time-averaged rates significantly higher than the currently observed episodes at their DAZ counterparts. The difference between the ongoing, instantaneous accretion rates witnessed at DAZ white dwarfs, which often exceed 1e8 g/s, and those inferred over the past 1e5-1e6 yr for the DBZ stars can be a few orders of magnitude, and therefore must result from high-rate episodes of tens to hundreds of years so they remain undetected to date. This paper explores the likelihood that such brief, intense accr…
A widely-held assumption is that each single white dwarf containing observable rocky debris requires the presence of at least one terrestrial or giant planet to have gravitationally perturbed the progenitor of the debris into the star. However, these planets could have been previously been engulfed by the star or escaped the system, leaving behind asteroids, boulders, cobbles, pebbles, sand and dust. These remaining small bodies could then persist throughout the host star's evolution into a white dwarf at ~2-100 au scales, and then be radiatively dragged into the white dwarf without the help o…
Debris disks are thought to be sculptured by neighboring planets. The same is true for the Edgeworth-Kuiper debris disk, yet no direct observational evidence for signatures of giant planets in the Kuiper belt dust distribution has been found so far. Here we model the dust distribution in the outer solar system to reproduce the dust impact rates onto the dust detector onboard the New Horizons spacecraft measured so far and to predict the rates during the Neptune orbit traverse. To this end, we take a realistic distribution of transneptunian objects to launch a sufficient number of dust grains o…
An ice giant planet was recently reported orbiting white dwarf WD J0914+1914 at an approximate distance of 0.07 au. The striking non-detection of rocky pollutants in this white dwarf's photosphere contrasts with the observations of nearly every other known white dwarf planetary system. Here, I analyze the prospects for exterior extant rocky asteroids, boulders, cobbles and pebbles to radiatively drift inward past the planet due to the relatively high luminosity (0.1 L_Sun) of this particularly young (13 Myr) white dwarf. Pebbles and cobbles drift too slowly from Poynting-Robertson drag to bypa…
A significant fraction of white dwarfs show metal lines indicative of pollution with planetary material but the accretion process remains poorly understood. The main aim of this paper is to produce a road-map illustrating several potential routes for white dwarf pollution and to link these paths to observational outcomes. Our proposed main road begins with the tidal disruption of a scattered asteroid and the formation of a highly eccentric tidal disc with a wide range of fragment sizes. Accretion of these fragments by Poynting-Robertson (PR) drag alone is too slow to explain the observed rates…
A growing number of debris discs have been detected around metal-polluted white dwarfs. They are thought to be originated from tidally disrupted exoplanetary bodies and responsible for metal accretion onto host WDs. To explain (1) the observationally inferred accretion rate higher than that induced by Poynting-Robertson drag, $\dot{M}_{\rm PR}$, and (2) refractory-rich photosphere composition indicating the accretion of terrestrial rocky materials, previous studies proposed runaway accretion of silicate particles due to gas drag by the increasing silicate vapor produced by the sublimation of t…
Planetary systems can survive the stellar evolution, as evidenced by the atmospheric metal pollution and dusty disks of single white dwarfs. Recent observations show that 1 to 4 percent of single white dwarfs are accompanied by dusty disks, while the occurrence rate of metal pollution is about 25 to 50 percent . The dusty disks and metal pollution have been associated with accretion of remnant planetary systems around white dwarfs, yet the relation between these two phenomena is still unclear. Here we suggest an evolutionary scenario to link the two observational phenomena. By analyzing a samp…
Accretion of interplanetary dust onto gas giant exoplanets is considered. Poynting-Robertson drag causes dust particles from distant reservoirs to slowly inspiral toward the star. Orbital simulations for the three-body system of the star, planet, and dust particle show that a significant fraction of the dust may accrete onto massive planets in close orbits. The deceleration of the supersonic dust in the planet's atmosphere is modeled, including ablation by thermal evaporation and sputtering. The fraction of the accreted dust mass deposited as gas-phase atoms is found to be large for close-in o…
