A temperature condensation trend in the debris-disk binary system Zet2 Ret

TL;DR

This study investigates the condensation temperature trends in the binary system Zet1 Ret - Zet2 Ret to identify refractory element depletion linked to planet formation, revealing a possible rocky material sequestration in Zet2 Ret's debris disk.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed differential abundance analysis of the binary system Zet1 Ret - Zet2 Ret, linking refractory depletion to debris disk presence and planet formation signatures.

Findings

Zet2 Ret shows a depletion of refractory elements relative to Zet1 Ret.

Refractory element trend suggests possible sequestration in rocky material.

Estimated rocky mass of depleted material is at least 3 Earth masses.

Abstract

We explore condensation temperature Tc trends in the unique binary system Zet1 Ret - Zet2 Ret, to determine whether there is a depletion of refractories, which could be related to the planet formation process. The star Zet2 Ret hosts a debris disk which was detected by an IR excess and confirmed by direct imaging and numerical simulations, while Zet1 Ret does not present IR excess nor planets. We carried out a high-precision abundance determination in both components of the binary system via a line-by-line, strictly differential approach. The stellar parameters Teff , log g, [Fe/H] and vturb were determined by imposing differential ionization and excitation equilibrium of Fe I and Fe II lines, with an updated version of the program FUNDPAR. The star Zet1 Ret resulted slightly more metal rich than Zet2 Ret by 0.02 dex. In the differential calculation of Zet1 Ret using Zet2 Ret as reference, the abundances of the refractory elements resulted higher than the volatile elements, and the trend of the refractory elements with Tc showed a positive slope. These facts together show a lack of refractory elements in Zet2 Ret (a debris-disk host) relative to Zet1 Ret. The Tc trend would be in agreement with the proposed signature of planet formation (Melendez et al. 2009) rather than possible Galactic Chemical Evolution or age effects, which are largely diminished here. Then, following the interpretation of Melendez et al. (2009), we propose an scenario in which the refractory elements depleted in Zet2 Ret are possibly locked-up in the rocky material that orbits this star and produce the debris disk observed around this object. We estimated a lower limit of Mrock = 3 Me for the rocky mass of depleted material, which is compatible with a rough estimation of 3-50 Me of a debris disk mass around a solar-type star (Krivov et al. 2008). (abridged)