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Enhanced lithium depletion in Sun-like stars with orbiting planets
Garik Israelian1, Elisa Delgado Mena, Nuno C Santos
1Instituto de Astrofisíca de Canarias, Via Láctea s/n, E-38200 La Laguna, Spain. gil@iac.es
Planet-hosting stars show significantly depleted lithium (Li) abundances compared to stars without planets. This suggests that planets may influence stellar interiors, promoting lithium burning and depletion.
Area of Science:
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Stellar Evolution
- Exoplanetary Science
Background:
- The Sun exhibits a lithium (Li) surface abundance significantly lower than its protosolar value.
- Observed Li abundance variations in solar-type stars are difficult to explain theoretically.
- Previous studies suggested a link between planets and Li depletion but lacked robust comparison groups.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between the presence of planets and lithium surface abundances in solar-analogue stars.
- To determine if planet-bearing stars exhibit different Li depletion levels compared to stars without planets.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed lithium abundances in an unbiased sample of solar-analogue stars.
- Compared Li abundances between stars with and without detected planets.
- Utilized spectroscopic analysis to measure surface Li content.
Main Results:
- Stars with detected planets show extremely low Li abundances, less than 1% of primordial levels.
- Approximately 50% of stars without detected planets retain significantly higher Li abundances (around 10 times the depleted value).
- A clear distinction in Li depletion is observed between planet-hosting and non-planet-hosting solar analogues.
Conclusions:
- The presence of planets appears to be strongly correlated with enhanced lithium depletion in stars.
- Planetary influence may deepen stellar convective zones, facilitating the burning and depletion of lithium.
- This finding offers a potential explanation for the observed range of Li abundances in solar-type stars.
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