1305.5197 (Stuart F. Taylor)

Iron abundance correlations and an occurrence distribution discrepancy from ongoing planet migration    [PDF]

Stuart F. Taylor

We show a newly found correlation of higher iron abundance in stars with planets (SWPs) that have binary companions that varies with period and eccentricity. We also present new period dependencies of the recently discovered correlation of stellar [Fe/H] with orbital eccentricity, which was found while searching for signatures of planets sent into the star by inwardly migrating planets. We argue that the period-dependent nature of these correlations are best explained by including pollution by infall of planets. The hypothesis that higher iron abundances in SWPs is from pollution could be complementary to the hypothesis that high [Fe/H] is associated with greater primordial planet formation, if more crowded giant planet formation leads to more scattering of planets into the star. We revisit evidence from the planet occurrence distribution showing that there unless there is a discrepancy in the stellar tidal migration strength for giant and medium planets, that there is a flow of giant planets into the star. The anti-correlation of hot Jupiters with additional planets shows that the scattering and inward migration of giant planets will have inevitably polluted the star. Planet migration into the star is certain to be an important part of planetary system evolution.

View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1305.5197