The MIRI Exoplanets Orbiting White Dwarfs (MEOW) Survey: Mid-Infrared Excess Reveals a Giant Planet Candidate around a Nearby White Dwarf

Abstract

The MIRI Exoplanets Orbiting White dwarfs (MEOW) Survey is a cycle 2 JWST program to search for exoplanets around dozens of nearby white dwarfs via infrared excess and direct imaging. In this paper, we present the detection of mid-infrared excess at 18 and 21 microns towards the bright (V = 11.4) metal-polluted white dwarf WD 0310-688. The source of the IR excess is almost certainly within the system; the probability of background contamination is \(<0.1\%\). While the IR excess could be due to an unprecedentedly small and cold debris disk, it is best explained by a \(3.0^{+5.5}_{-1.9}\) M\(_{\rm Jup}\) cold (248\(^{+84}_{-61}\) K) giant planet orbiting the white dwarf within the forbidden zone (the region where planets are expected to be destroyed during the star's red giant phase). We constrain the source of the IR excess to an orbital separation of 0.1-2 AU, marking the first discovery of a white dwarf planet candidate within this range of separations. WD 0310-688 is a young remnant of an A or late B-type star, and at just 10.4 pc it is now the closest white dwarf with a known planet candidate. Future JWST observations could distinguish the two scenarios by either detecting or ruling out spectral features indicative of a planet atmosphere.