title: A gaseous metal disk around a white dwarf.
abstract: The destiny of planetary systems through the late evolution of their host stars is very uncertain. We report a metal-rich gas disk around a moderately hot and young white dwarf. A dynamical model of the double-peaked emission lines constrains the outer disk radius to just 1.2 solar radii. The likely origin of the disk is a tidally disrupted asteroid, which has been destabilized from its initial orbit at a distance of more than 1000 solar radii by the interaction with a relatively massive planetesimal object or a planet. The white dwarf mass of 0.77 solar mass implies that planetary systems may form around high-mass stars.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK. boris.gaensicke@warwick.ac.uk
authors.forename: B T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Gänsicke
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Marsh
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Southworth
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rebassa-Mansergas