Rapid destruction of planetary debris around white dwarfs through aeolian erosion

ABSTRACT The discovery of numerous debris discs around white dwarfs (WDs) gave rise to extensive study such and their role in polluting WDs, but the formation evolution these is not yet well understood. Here, we aeolian (wind) erosion solids WD discs. Aeolian a destructive process that plays key shaping properties size distribution planetesimals, boulders, pebbles gaseous protoplanetary Our analysis shows it can also play an important environments. We effects under different conditions disc its erosive effect on planetesimals boulders sizes. find solid bodies smaller than $\sim \! 5 \, \rm {km}$ will be eroded within short lifetime. compare respect other processes as collisional fragmentation thermal ablation. dominant for objects with radius $\lesssim 10^3 {cm}$ at distances 0.6 \mathrm{R}_\odot$ from WD. Thereby, constitutes main pathway linking fragmentational collisions operating large sublimation smallest Poynting–Robertson drag, which leads accretion particles photosphere production polluted WDs.