Orbital migration and circularization of tidal debris by Alfvén-wave drag: circumstellar debris and pollution around white dwarfs

Yun Zhang, Shang-Fei Liu, Douglas N. C. Lin

A significant fraction of white dwarfs (WDs) exhibit signs of ongoing accretion of refractory elements at rates $\sim 10^3$--$10^7$ kg s${}^{-1}$, among which, 37 WDs were detected to…