Celestial bodies rotating around twin white dwarf stars might be widespread throughout the cosmos
In a groundbreaking study published in the July 2023 issue, available online at arxiv.org/abs/2305.07057, Gabriele Columba, a PhD student at the University of Padua, and a team of researchers have shed new light on the potential existence of 'Magrathea' exoplanets. These are planets orbiting a binary pair of white dwarfs.
The research, titled "Statistics of Magrathea Exoplanets beyond the Main Sequence", is significant in preparation for the upcoming Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission. The study simulated over 20,000 different systems, varying the initial masses of the binary stars and the orbital distance of the planet, to understand the formation of Magrathea worlds.
The results are promising. The study shows that the formation of Magrathea worlds should be relatively common, with 20-30% of the simulated systems ending up with a surviving planet around a double white dwarf. LISA, expected to discover tens of thousands of white dwarf binaries, could potentially lead to the first discovery of a 'Magrathea' exoplanet orbiting them.
However, the difficulty in detecting such exoplanets might be a factor in why no Magrathea worlds have been found yet. Magrathea worlds might be rare or difficult to detect, and most of the surviving planets in the simulations were on a wide orbit.
The research was based on the study of gas giant planets orbiting binary stars. The team is interested in gas giants as Magrathea worlds, not terrestrial planets. This study suggests that evolving binary star systems may be a major source of free-floating planets in the Galaxy.
While there is one confirmed planet orbiting a solitary white dwarf, no planet orbiting a binary pair of white dwarfs has been found yet. The probability of Magrathea-like worlds in our galaxy is currently unknown but plausible. White dwarfs frequently occur in binary or multiple star systems, and some double white dwarf systems exist. However, no confirmed planets orbiting such double white dwarf binaries have yet been observed.
The planet Magrathea, famously known for being in the Horsehead Nebula, is an ancient planet orbiting around twin suns. This research could open up a new frontier in astronomy, potentially leading to the discovery of more Magrathea worlds in the future.
The team's findings underscore the importance of continued research in this area, as the understanding of Magrathea worlds could provide valuable insights into the evolution of binary star systems and the formation of exoplanets.
