Metallicities of M Dwarf Planet Host Stars from Kepler, K2, and TESS observed by APOGEE: Trends with Exoplanetary Radii and Orbital Periods

TL;DR

This study investigates the metallicities of M dwarf stars hosting exoplanets using APOGEE spectra, revealing correlations between stellar metallicity, planet size, and orbital period, and highlighting differences between single and multi-planet systems.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed metallicity and oxygen abundance measurements for M dwarf planet hosts from APOGEE, and analyzes how these properties relate to exoplanet characteristics and system architectures.

Findings

Larger planets (>4 R⊕) orbit only stars with [M/H] ≥ 0.0.

Small planets (<3 R⊕) found around stars with a wide metallicity range.

Planets with P<4.3 days orbit more metal-rich stars, a shorter threshold than for FGK stars.

Abstract

One important property in studying the exoplanet population is the host star metallicity ([M/H]). In this study, we derived stellar metallicities and oxygen abundances for 48 M dwarf stars using the near-infrared high-resolution spectra from the SDSS APOGEE survey and synthetic spectra computed in LTE. We also derived and investigated the exoplanetary radii distribution for a larger sample of 246 exoplanets orbiting 188 M dwarf stars. The [M/H] versus [O/M] distribution obtained indicates that our sample is composed mainly of thin disk stars, which follow the behavior of the low-alpha sequence in the Milky Way thin disk. Small planets with radii smaller than 3R$_{\oplus}$ were found around stars with a range of metallicities (-0.6$<$[M/H]$<$+0.3), while larger planets of the sample orbit only stars with [M/H]$\geq0.0$. These results indicate that while small planets can form in different environments, larger planets preferentially form in metal-rich protoplanetary disks. Exoplanets with P$_{\rm orb}<$4.3 days orbit on average more metal-rich stars than planets with longer periods. This threshold is smaller than that found for FGK stars (8--10 days) and might be related to M dwarfs having a smaller dust sublimation radius. The distribution of exoplanets with R$_{\rm p}>$4R$_{\oplus}$ shows a concentration at orbital periods between 2 and 5 days, which may result from inward orbital migration. There is also a different behavior between single-detected exoplanets and planets from multiplanetary systems, with the latter being found on average around more metal-poor stars, and with planetary radii roughly up to 3 R$_{\oplus}$.