Planetary Accretion Is Less Frequent in Wide Binaries: Evidence from Metal-enriched White Dwarfs in DESI DR1

Abstract Binary stars are common in the Galaxy, and understanding how stellar binarity influences the formation and evolution of planetary systems is an active area of research. In this study, we use metal-enriched white dwarfs in wide binaries as tracers of long-lived planetary systems. With Data Release 1 from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), we find that the fraction of cool metal-enriched white dwarfs in wide binaries is 9.8% ± 2.1%, significantly lower (4.7 σ ) than the 20.5% ± 0.9% in a control sample of single systems. Furthermore, we identify a tentative dependence of metal enrichment on projected separation and white dwarf effective temperature, where enrichment fraction decreases at smaller separations and lower temperatures. These findings indicate that, compared to single stars, binary systems either start with smaller initial planetary reservoirs due to suppressed planetesimal formation or undergo more rapid depletion of planetary material during the initial part of the white dwarf stage.

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Journal
The Astrophysical Journal
Published
2026-10-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aea994
Primary Topic
Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Planetary Accretion Is Less Frequent in Wide Binaries: Evidence from Metal-enriched White Dwarfs in DESI DR1

Will J. Percival, Christopher J. Manser, R. R. Joyce, D. Brooks et al.
1 links
The Astrophysical Journal
Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
article

Planetary Accretion Is Less Frequent in Wide Binaries: Evidence from Metal-enriched White Dwarfs in DESI DR1

Will J. Percival, Christopher J. Manser, R. R. Joyce, D. Brooks, Rongpu Zhou, Gregory Tarlé, Andrew Swan, Benjamin Alan Weaver, Laurent Le Guillou, D. Bianchi, David J. Schlegel, Ignasi Pérez-Ràfols, Axel de la Macorra, Martin Landriau, Laura K. Rogers, Gaston Gutierrez, J. Aguilar, Eusebio Sanchez, Satya Gontcho A Gontcho, Joseph Harry Silber, Nathan R. Sandford, Joan Najita, J. E. Forero-Romero, Steven P. Ahlen, Aaron Meisner, Sergey E. Koposov, R. Miquel, Siyi Xu, Wenting Wang, Paula Izquierdo, Carlos Allende Prieto, T. Claybaugh, Graziano Rossi, Boris T. Gänsicke, Francisco Prada
article en

Abstract

Abstract Binary stars are common in the Galaxy, and understanding how stellar binarity influences the formation and evolution of planetary systems is an active area of research. In this study, we use metal-enriched white dwarfs in wide binaries as tracers of long-lived planetary systems. With Data Release 1 from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), we find that the fraction of cool metal-enriched white dwarfs in wide binaries is 9.8% ± 2.1%, significantly lower (4.7 σ ) than the 20.5% ± 0.9% in a control sample of single systems. Furthermore, we identify a tentative dependence of metal enrichment on projected separation and white dwarf effective temperature, where enrichment fraction decreases at smaller separations and lower temperatures. These findings indicate that, compared to single stars, binary systems either start with smaller initial planetary reservoirs due to suppressed planetesimal formation or undergo more rapid depletion of planetary material during the initial part of the white dwarf stage.

The Astrophysical JournalVol. 1011(1)
Boston University (US), Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ES), Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (US), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ES), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (US), University of Waterloo (CA), Universidad de La Laguna (ES), Universidad de Los Andes (CO), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN), Perimeter Institute (CA), University of Toronto (CA), Institute for High Energy Physics (ES), University of Milan (IT), University of Cambridge (GB), University of Michigan (US), Brera Astronomical Observatory (IT), Sejong University (KR), University of Warwick (GB), Sorbonne Université (FR), Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (ES), NSF NOIRLab (US), Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (ES), Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (ES), International Gemini Observatory (US), University College London (GB), Imperial College London (GB), University of Virginia (US), National Institute for Astrophysics (IT), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MX), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (ES), University of Edinburgh (GB)
National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Space Telescope Science Institute, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, European Commission, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Office of Science, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Division of Astronomical Sciences
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Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
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