Extrasolar Cosmochemistry

Abstract

Evidence is now compelling that elements heavier than helium in many white dwarf atmospheres have accumulated by accretion from orbiting rocky bodies, often larger than 100 km in diameter, such as asteroids. Consequently, we now possess a powerful tool to measure the elemental constituents of extrasolar minor planets. To zeroth order, the accreted extrasolar parent bodies resemble bulk Earth: They are at least 85% by mass composed of oxygen, magnesium, silicon, and iron; carbon and ice are only trace constituents. Assembled data for white dwarf pollutions suggest that differentiation of extrasolar planetesimals, leading to iron-rich cores and aluminum-rich crusts, is common. Except for instances of unexpectedly high calcium abundances, the compositions of extrasolar planetesimals can be understood as resulting from processes similar to those controlling the formation and evolution of objects in the inner Solar System.