Stellar chemistry and planet size: insights from GALAH DR4

TL;DR

This study analyzes stellar elemental abundances from GALAH DR4 to understand how chemical compositions relate to planet sizes, revealing distinct elemental signatures for small and large planet hosts and refining the planet-metallicity correlation.

Contribution

It provides new insights into how detailed stellar elemental patterns beyond [Fe/H] influence planet formation, especially distinguishing signatures for small and large planets.

Findings

Large-planet hosts are enriched in iron and volatile elements.

Small-planet hosts show an enhanced contribution of rock-forming elements.

Chemical signatures are linked to planetary characteristics and are statistically significant.

Abstract

The well-known correlation between stellar metallicity and planet occurrence is strongest for giant planets, but weaker for smaller planets, suggesting that detailed elemental patterns beyond [Fe/H] may be relevant. Using abundances from the fourth data release of the GALAH spectroscopic survey, we analyzed 104 host stars with 141 confirmed transiting planets. We divide planets at 2.6 Earth radii, the theoretical threshold radius above which planets are unlikely to be pure-water worlds. We find that large-planet hosts are enriched by approximately 0.2 dex in iron and show a possible excess of highly volatile elements (C, N, O), though these measurements are affected by observational limitations, whereas small-planet hosts exhibit an enhanced contribution of the classical rock-forming elements (Mg, Si, Ca, Ti) relative to iron, corresponding to a modest [Rock/Fe] offset of 0.06 dex, which is statistically significant, with a p value of 10^{-4}. These offsets remain significant for alternative radius cuts. A matched control sample of non-planet-host stars shows only weak and mostly statistically insignificant similar trends, confirming that the stronger chemical signatures are linked to the planetary characteristics. As our study relies on transiting planets, it mainly probes short-period systems (periods shorter than 100 days). These results refine the planet-metallicity relation, highlighting the role of the relative balance between iron, volatiles, and rock-forming elements in planet formation.