19 Mar 2024 | Fan Liu, Yuan-Sen Ting, David Yong, Bertram Bitsch, Amanda Karakas, Michael T. Murphy, Meridith Joyce, Aaron Dotter, Fei Dai
The study investigates the presence of planetary ingestion in a sample of co-moving star pairs, aiming to identify stars that have been ingested by planets. The research utilizes high-precision spectroscopy to analyze the elemental abundances of 125 co-moving pairs, with a focus on 91 pairs that are assumed to be co-natal (born together). By comparing the observed abundance differences with models of planetary ingestion and atomic diffusion, the authors develop a Bayesian analysis to determine the mass of bulk Earth material required to match the abundance patterns. The results identify 11 pairs with strong evidence of planetary ingestion, leading to an occurrence rate of 8% for such events. This rate is comparable to previous estimates based on solar twins and theoretical predictions from N-body simulations. The study also discusses the implications for planet formation and engulfment scenarios, suggesting that late accretion events and the slow erosion of inner planets' atmospheres may be responsible for the observed chemical signatures.The study investigates the presence of planetary ingestion in a sample of co-moving star pairs, aiming to identify stars that have been ingested by planets. The research utilizes high-precision spectroscopy to analyze the elemental abundances of 125 co-moving pairs, with a focus on 91 pairs that are assumed to be co-natal (born together). By comparing the observed abundance differences with models of planetary ingestion and atomic diffusion, the authors develop a Bayesian analysis to determine the mass of bulk Earth material required to match the abundance patterns. The results identify 11 pairs with strong evidence of planetary ingestion, leading to an occurrence rate of 8% for such events. This rate is comparable to previous estimates based on solar twins and theoretical predictions from N-body simulations. The study also discusses the implications for planet formation and engulfment scenarios, suggesting that late accretion events and the slow erosion of inner planets' atmospheres may be responsible for the observed chemical signatures.