Open AccessStars with planets and the thick disc
Author(s) -
Gonzalez Guillermo
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society: letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.067
H-Index - 122
eISSN - 1745-3933
pISSN - 1745-3925
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-3933.2009.00734.x
Subject(s) - planet , stars , physics , astrophysics , k type main sequence star , habitability of orange dwarf systems , astronomy , t tauri star
We employ three samples of nearby stars that include stars hosting Doppler‐detected planets to test a recent finding by Haywood that the incidence of planets is greater among transition and thick disc stars than it is among thin disc stars in the range [Fe/H] ≤−0.20 dex; this implies that distance from the Galactic Centre is the causative factor for planet formation, not [Fe/H]. Thick disc stars with planets do have a smaller mean [Fe/H] value than thin disc stars over this range in [Fe/H], and the most [Fe/H]‐poor stars with planets tend to have more negative V lsr values. However, if we compare stars with planets according to mass abundance of the refractory elements important for planet formation (Mg, Si, Fe), then thick disc and [Fe/H]‐poor thin disc stars with planets have similar distributions. There is no need to invoke a new mechanism for giant planet formation to account for the distributions of stars with planets among dwarf stars.