Welcome to the new version of CaltechAUTHORS. Login is currently restricted to library staff. If you notice any issues, please email coda@library.caltech.edu
Published December 1, 2016 | Published + Submitted
Journal Article Open

Dependence of Small Planet Frequency on Stellar Metallicity Hidden by Their Prevalence

Abstract

The dependence of gas giant planet occurrence rate on stellar metallicity has been firmly established. We extend this so-called planet–metallicity correlation to broader ranges of metallicities and planet masses/radii. In particular, we assume that the planet–metallicity correlation is a power law below some critical saturation threshold, and that the probability of hosting at least one planet is unity for stars with metallicity above the threshold. We then are able to explain the discrepancy between the tentative detection and null detection in previous studies regarding the planet–metallicity correlation for small planets. In particular, we find that the null detection of this correlation can be attributed to the combination of high planet occurrence rate and low detection efficiency. Therefore, a planet–metallicity correlation for small planets cannot be ruled out. We propose that stars with metallicities lower than the solar value are better targets for testing the planet–metallicity correlation for small planets.

Additional Information

© 2016 The American Astronomical Society. Received 2016 May 12; revised 2016 August 15; accepted 2016 September 13; published 2016 December 1. We would like to thank Yanqing Wu, Norm Murray, and especially Scott Gaudi for stimulating discussions. We thank Andy Gould and Scott Gaudi for comments on the manuscript. WZ would like to thank the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Toronto for its hospitality. The Dunlap Institute is funded through an endowment established by the David Dunlap family and the University of Toronto. We offer our thanks and praise to the extraordinary scientists, engineers and individuals who have made the Kepler Mission possible. WZ acknowledges the support from NSF grant AST-1516842. JW acknowledges the support from JPL RSA No.1533314.

Attached Files

Published - Zhu_2016_ApJ_832_196.pdf

Submitted - 1605.04310v2.pdf

Files

1605.04310v2.pdf
Files (1.2 MB)
Name Size Download all
md5:3d26787c706bb3f0f5f0629d8cfe40f3
613.9 kB Preview Download
md5:5eff0e9ed0ab2bcaa9b77c772b61cb46
542.6 kB Preview Download

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
October 24, 2023