XMM-Newton Detection of X-Ray Emission from the Metal-polluted White Dwarf G 29-38

A recent analysis of Chandra X-ray data of the metal-polluted white dwarf G 29-38 has revealed X-ray emission that can be attributed to the accretion of debris from a planetary body. In the light of this detection we revisit here archival XMM-Newton observations of G 29-38 from which only an upper limit was derived in the past due to the presence of a relatively bright nearby X-ray source. An analysis of these data in multiple energy bands allows disentangling of the X-ray emission at the location of G 29-38 from that of the nearby source. The similar spectral properties of the source in the XMM-Newton and Chandra observations and their spatial shift, consistent with the proper motion of G 29-38 between these observations, strengthen the origin of the X-ray emission from G 29-38. The X-ray luminosities from both observations are consistent within the 1σ uncertainties, so too are the best-fit plasma temperatures. Although the count number is small, there is tantalizing evidence for line emission in the 0.7-0.8 keV energy band from an optically thin hot plasma. The most likely candidate for this line emission would be the Fe complex at 16 Å.