Host-star and exoplanet composition: Polluted white dwarf reveals depletion of moderately refractory elements in planetary material

TL;DR

This study uses spectroscopic analysis of a white dwarf and its binary companion to compare planetary and stellar compositions, revealing depletion of moderate refractory elements in planetary material, which informs planet formation processes.

Contribution

It demonstrates that planetary material can be depleted in moderate refractories relative to host stars, linking stellar and planetary compositions through condensation temperature analysis.

Findings

Planetary material is depleted in Mg, Si, Fe compared to host star.

Depletion likely results from fractionation during planet formation or evolution.

Signature similar to bulk Earth may be common in exoplanets.

Abstract

Planets form from the same cloud of molecular gas and dust as their host stars. Confirming if planetary bodies acquire the same refractory element composition as their natal disc during formation, and how efficiently volatile elements are incorporated into growing planets, is key to linking the poorly constrained interior composition of rocky exoplanets to the observationally-constrained composition of their host star. Such comparisons also afford insight into the planet formation process. This work compares planetary composition with host-star composition using observations of a white dwarf that has accreted planetary material and its F-type star wide binary companion as a reference for the composition of the natal molecular gas and dust. Spectroscopic analysis reveals abundances of Fe, Mg, Si, Ca, and Ti in both stars. We use the white dwarf measurements to estimate the composition of the exoplanetary material and the F-type companion to constrain the composition of the material the planet formed from. Comparing planetary material to the composition of its natal cloud, our results reveal that the planetary material is depleted in moderate refractories (Mg, Si, Fe) relative to the refractory material (Ca, Ti). Grouping elements based on their condensation temperatures is key to linking stellar and planetary compositions. Fractionation during formation or subsequent planetary evolution leads to the depletion of moderate refractories from the planetary material accreted by the white dwarf. This signature, as seen for bulk Earth, will likely be present in the composition of many exoplanets relative to their host-stars.