An intensive study of the planetary debris disk around SDSS J1228+1040

While >200 extrasolar planets orbiting mainsequence stars have beendiscovered, the destiny of planetary systems through the late stages of theevolution of their host stars is very uncertain, and no planet has been foundaround a white dwarf. We have identified a metalrich gas disk around therelatively young white dwarf SDSS 1228+1040. A dynamical model of thedoublepeaked emission lines constrains the outer disk radius to just 1.2Rs. Thelikely origin of the disk is a tidally disrupted asteroid, which has beendestabilised from its initial orbit at a distance of more than 1000 solar radiiby the interaction with a rather massive planetesimal or planet. We propose aVLT and XMM study of the nature of the planetary debris disk around SDSS 1228+1040 and its interaction with the WD truncated!, Please see actual data for full text [truncated!, Please see actual data for full text]