Are Stars Really Ingesting Their Planets? Examining an Alternative Explanation
Numerous stars exhibit surprisingly large variations in their refractory element abundances, often interpreted as signatures of planetary ingestion events. In this study, we propose that differences in the dust-to-gas ratio near stars during their formation can produce similar observational signals....
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ada1d5 |
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| author | Nadine H. Soliman Philip F. Hopkins |
| author_facet | Nadine H. Soliman Philip F. Hopkins |
| author_sort | Nadine H. Soliman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Numerous stars exhibit surprisingly large variations in their refractory element abundances, often interpreted as signatures of planetary ingestion events. In this study, we propose that differences in the dust-to-gas ratio near stars during their formation can produce similar observational signals. We investigate this hypothesis using a suite of radiation-dust-magnetohydrodynamic STAR FORmation in Gaseous Environments (or STARFORGE) simulations of star formation. Our results show that the distribution of refractory abundance variations (Δ[X/H]) has extended tails, with about 10%–30% of all stars displaying variations around ∼0.1 dex. These variations are comparable to the accretion of 2–5 M _⊕ of planetary material into the convective zones of Sun-like stars. The width of the distributions increases with the incorporation of more detailed dust physics, such as radiation pressure and back-reaction forces, as well as with larger dust grain sizes and finer resolutions. Furthermore, our simulations reveal no correlation between Δ[X/H] and stellar separations, suggesting that dust-to-gas fluctuations likely occur on scales smaller than those of wide binaries. These findings highlight the importance of considering dust dynamics as a potential source of the observed chemical enrichment in stars. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8ccd506b985849a18466f13e092fe2ac |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
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| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-8ccd506b985849a18466f13e092fe2ac2025-01-21T09:17:41ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572025-01-0197929810.3847/1538-4357/ada1d5Are Stars Really Ingesting Their Planets? Examining an Alternative ExplanationNadine H. Soliman0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6810-1110Philip F. Hopkins1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3729-1684TAPIR, Mailcode 350-17, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA ; nsoliman@caltech.eduTAPIR, Mailcode 350-17, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA ; nsoliman@caltech.eduNumerous stars exhibit surprisingly large variations in their refractory element abundances, often interpreted as signatures of planetary ingestion events. In this study, we propose that differences in the dust-to-gas ratio near stars during their formation can produce similar observational signals. We investigate this hypothesis using a suite of radiation-dust-magnetohydrodynamic STAR FORmation in Gaseous Environments (or STARFORGE) simulations of star formation. Our results show that the distribution of refractory abundance variations (Δ[X/H]) has extended tails, with about 10%–30% of all stars displaying variations around ∼0.1 dex. These variations are comparable to the accretion of 2–5 M _⊕ of planetary material into the convective zones of Sun-like stars. The width of the distributions increases with the incorporation of more detailed dust physics, such as radiation pressure and back-reaction forces, as well as with larger dust grain sizes and finer resolutions. Furthermore, our simulations reveal no correlation between Δ[X/H] and stellar separations, suggesting that dust-to-gas fluctuations likely occur on scales smaller than those of wide binaries. These findings highlight the importance of considering dust dynamics as a potential source of the observed chemical enrichment in stars.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ada1d5Chemical abundancesInterstellar dustInterstellar dust processesStellar abundancesChemically peculiar starsStar formation |
| spellingShingle | Nadine H. Soliman Philip F. Hopkins Are Stars Really Ingesting Their Planets? Examining an Alternative Explanation The Astrophysical Journal Chemical abundances Interstellar dust Interstellar dust processes Stellar abundances Chemically peculiar stars Star formation |
| title | Are Stars Really Ingesting Their Planets? Examining an Alternative Explanation |
| title_full | Are Stars Really Ingesting Their Planets? Examining an Alternative Explanation |
| title_fullStr | Are Stars Really Ingesting Their Planets? Examining an Alternative Explanation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Are Stars Really Ingesting Their Planets? Examining an Alternative Explanation |
| title_short | Are Stars Really Ingesting Their Planets? Examining an Alternative Explanation |
| title_sort | are stars really ingesting their planets examining an alternative explanation |
| topic | Chemical abundances Interstellar dust Interstellar dust processes Stellar abundances Chemically peculiar stars Star formation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ada1d5 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nadinehsoliman arestarsreallyingestingtheirplanetsexamininganalternativeexplanation AT philipfhopkins arestarsreallyingestingtheirplanetsexamininganalternativeexplanation |