An abundance of small exoplanets around stars with a wide range of metallicities
Article
Article Title | An abundance of small exoplanets around stars with a wide range of metallicities |
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ERA Journal ID | 17479 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Buchhave, Lars A. (Author), Latham, David W. (Author), Johansen, Anders (Author), Bizzarro, Martin (Author), Torres, Guillermo (Author), Rowe, Jason F. (Author), Batalha, Natalie M. (Author), Borucki, William J. (Author), Brugamyer, Erik (Author), Caldwell, Caroline (Author), Bryson, Stephen T. (Author), Ciardi, David R. (Author), Cochran, William D. (Author), Endl, Michael (Author), Esquerdo, Gilbert A. (Author), Ford, Eric B. (Author), Geary, John C. (Author), Gilliland, Ronald L. (Author), Hansen, Terese (Author), Isaacson, Howard (Author), Laird, John B. (Author), Lucas, Philip W. (Author), Marcy, Geoffrey W. (Author), Morse, Jon A. (Author), Robertson, Paul (Author), Shporer, Avi (Author), Stefanik, Robert P. (Author), Still, Martin (Author) and Quinn, Samuel N. (Author) |
Journal Title | Nature |
Journal Citation | 486 (7403), pp. 375-377 |
Number of Pages | 3 |
Year | 2012 |
Publisher | Nature Publishing Group |
Place of Publication | United Kingdom |
ISSN | 0028-0836 |
0090-0028 | |
0300-8746 | |
1476-4687 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11121 |
Web Address (URL) | http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v486/n7403/full/nature11121.html |
Abstract | The abundance of heavy elements (metallicity) in the photospheres of stars similar to the Sun provides a fossil record of the chemical composition of the initial protoplanetary disk. Metal-rich stars are much more likely to harbour gas giant planets, supporting the model that planets form by accumulation of dust and ice particles. Recent ground-based surveys suggest that this correlation is weakened for Neptunian-sized planets. However, how the relationship between size and metallicity extends into the regime of terrestrial-sized exoplanets is unknown. Here we report spectroscopic metallicities of the host stars of 226 small exoplanet candidates discovered by NASAs Kepler mission, including objects that are comparable in size to the terrestrial planets in the Solar System. We find that planets with radii less than four Earth radii form around host stars with a wide range of metallicities (but on average a metallicity close to that of the Sun), whereas large planets preferentially form around stars with higher metallicities. This observation suggests that terrestrial planets may be widespread in the disk of the Galaxy, with no special requirement of enhanced metallicity for their formation. |
Keywords | environmental health and pollution control; metallicities |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 519999. Other physical sciences not elsewhere classified |
Public Notes | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
Byline Affiliations | University of Copenhagen, Denmark |
Center for Astrophysics Harvard and Smithsonian, United States | |
Lund University, Sweden | |
SETI Institute, United States | |
San Jose University, United States | |
NASA Ames Research Center, United States | |
University of Texas at Austin, United States | |
California Institute of Technology (Caltech), United States | |
University of Florida, United States | |
Center for Astrophysics Harvard and Smithsonian, United States | |
Space Telescope Science Institute, United States | |
University of California, United States | |
Bowling Green State University, United States | |
University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom | |
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, United States | |
Las Cumbres Observatory, United States | |
Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, United States | |
Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q4324/an-abundance-of-small-exoplanets-around-stars-with-a-wide-range-of-metallicities
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