Lithium depletion in solar-like stars: no planet connection

By P. Baumann, I. Ram'irez, J. Mel'endez, Martin Asplund, K. Lind. 2010

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We have determined precise stellar parameters and lithium abundances in a sample of 117 stars with basic properties very similar to the Sun. This sample selection reduces biasing effects and systematic errors in the analysis. We estimate the ages of our sample stars mainly from isochrone fitting but also from measurements of rotation period and X-ray luminosity and test the connection between lithium abundance, age, and stellar parameters. We find strong evidence for increasing lithium depletion with age. Our sample includes 14 stars that are known to host planets and it does not support recent claims that planet-host stars have experienced more lithium depletion than stars without planets. We find the solar lithium abundance normal for a star of its age, mass, and metallicity. Furthermore, we analyze published data for 82 stars that were reported to support an enhanced lithium depletion in planet hosts. We show that those stars in fact follow an age trend very similar to that found with our sample and that the presence of giant planets is not related to low lithium abundances. Finally, we discuss the systematic biases that led to the incorrect conclusion of an enhanced lithium depletion in planet-host stars.

Subfields: Astronomy and Astrophysics, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics, Instrumentation

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/7bbeb26000662ebbcaa6aa32974723a1ca3e6f42

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Citations in the corpus

SWEET-Cat: A catalogue of parameters for Stars With ExoplanETs - I. New atmospheric parameters and masses for 48 stars with planets (2013, background): “…2012a),with some curious trends being a strong matter of debate, concerning e.g. the abundances of the light element lithium (Israelian et al. 2009; Baumann et al. 2010; Sousa et al. 2010; Ghezzi et al. 2010b) or specific trends including other elemental abundances (e.g. Ramírez et al. 2010;…”
Extrasolar planet population synthesis - IV. Correlations with disk metallicity, mass, and lifetime (2012, background): “A recently discussed correlation that could partially change this is the possible enhanced lithium depletion measured in Sunlike stars hosting planets (Israelian et al. 2009, but see Baumann et al. (2010) for an opposed view).”
The Solar Twin Planet Search. I. Fundamental parameters of the stellar sample (2014, methodology): “We also added more targets from our spectroscopic analysis of solar twins fromthe S4N database (Allende Prieto et al. 2004) and the HARPS/ESO archive, as reported in Baumann et al. (2010).”
OXYGEN ABUNDANCES IN NEARBY FGK STARS AND THE GALACTIC CHEMICAL EVOLUTION OF THE LOCAL DISK AND HALO (2013, methodology): “…most likely parameter x given a set of observed quantities (Teff , MV , [Fe/H]) and their associated errors (∆Teff , ∆MV , ∆[Fe/H]), we use a probabilistic approach (see also, e.g., Reddy et al. 2003; Allende Prieto et al. 2004; Baumann et al. 2010; Chanamé & Ramı́rez 2012; Meléndez et al. 2012).”