Planetary engulfment events have long been proposed as a lithium (Li) enrichment mechanism contributing to the population of Li-rich giants (A(Li) >= 1.5 dex). Using MESA stellar models and A(Li) abundance measurements obtained by the GALAH survey, we calculate the strength and observability of the surface Li enrichment signature produced by the engulfment of a hot Jupiter (HJ). We consider solar-metallicity stars in the mass range of 1-2 $\mathrm{M_\odot}$ and the Li supplied by a HJ of 1.0 $\mathrm{M_J}$. We explore engulfment events that occur near the main sequence turn-off (MSTO) and out to orbital separations of 0.1 AU. We map our results onto the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram, revealing the statistical significance and survival time of lithium enrichment. We identify the parameter space of masses and evolutionary phases where the engulfment of a HJ can lead to Li enrichment signatures at a $5σ$ confidence level and with meteoritic abundance strengths. The most compelling strengths and survival times of engulfment-derived Li enrichment are found among host stars of 1.4 $\mathrm{M_\odot}$ near the MSTO. Our calculations indicate that planetary engulfment is not a viable enrichment pathway for stars that have evolved beyond the subgiant branch. For these sources, observed Li enhancements are likely to be produced by other mechanisms, such as the Cameron-Fowler process or the accretion of material from an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) companion. Our results do not account for second-order effects, such as extra mixing processes, which can further dilute Li enrichment signatures.
Planetary engulfment events can occur while host stars are on the main sequence. The addition of rocky planetary material during engulfment will lead to refractory abundance enhancements in the host star photosphere, but the level of enrichment and its duration will depend on mixing processes that occur within the stellar interior, such as convection, diffusion, and thermohaline mixing. We examine engulfment signatures by modeling the evolution of photospheric lithium abundances. Because lithium can be burned before or after the engulfment event, it produces unique signatures that vary with ti…
Lithium Enrichment in a Subgiant Star with a Brown Dwarf Companion: A Planetary Engulfment Candidate
University of Michigan（密歇根大学）；University of Wisconsin–Madison（威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校）；Massachusetts Institute of Technology（麻省理工学院）；University of California, Santa Cruz（加州大学圣克鲁兹分校）；Texas Advanced Computing Center, University of Texas, Austin（德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校高级计算中心）；University of Wisconsin-Whitewater（威斯康星大学惠特沃分校）
Metal-Poor Stars as Metal-Rich Impostors via Planet Engulfment
Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院云南天文台）；University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学）；International Centre of Supernovae, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Supernova Research, Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院云南天文台超新星研究中心（国际超新星中心、云南省超新星研究重点实验室））；School of Physics and Astronomy, Sun Yat-sen University（中山大学物理学院）
In this work, we study whether the engulfment of a brown dwarf (BD) by a solar-like main-sequence (MS) star can significantly alter the structure of the star and the Li content on its surface. We perform 3D Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics simulations of the engulfment of a BD with masses 0.01 and 0.019 Msun, onto an MS star of 1 Msun and solar composition, in three different scenarios: a head-on collision, a grazing collision, and a merger. We study the dynamics of the interaction in detail, and the relevance of the type of interaction and the mass of the BD on the final fate of the sub-stella…
High lithium-7 ($\mathrm{^7Li}$) abundances in giants are indicative of non-standard physical processes affecting the star. Mechanisms that could produce this signature include contamination from an external source, such as planets, or internal production and subsequent mixing to the stellar surface. However, distinguishing between different families of solutions has proven challenging, and there is no current consensus model that explains all the data. The lithium-6 ($\mathrm{^6Li}$) abundance may be a potentially important discriminant, as the relative $\mathrm{^6Li}$ and $\mathrm{^7Li}$ abu…
The Gaia-ESO survey recently reported on a large sample of lithium (Li) abundance determinations for evolved stars in the rich open cluster Trumpler 20. They argue for a scenario where virtually all stars experience post main sequence mixing and Li is preserved in only two objects. We present an alternate explanation, where Li is normal in the vast majority of cluster stars and anomalously high in these two cases. We demonstrate that the Li upper limits in the red giants can be explained with a combination of main sequence depletion and standard dredge-up, and that they are close to the detect…
A small fraction of red giants are known to be lithium (Li) rich, in contradiction with expectations from stellar evolutionary theory. A possible explanation for these atypical giants is the engulfment of a Li-rich planet or brown dwarf by the star. In this work, we model the evolution of Li abundance in canonical red giants including the accretion of a sub-stellar mass companion. We consider a wide range of stellar and companion masses, Li abundances, stellar metallicities, and planetary orbital periods. Based on our calculations, companions with masses lower than 15 M_J dissolve in the conve…
Context. Fast rotating red giants in the upper part of the red giant branch have surface velocities that cannot be explained by single star evolution. Aims. We check whether tides between a star and a planet followed by planet engulfment can indeed accelerate the surface rotation of red giants for a sufficient long time in order to produce these fast rotating red giants. Methods. Using rotating stellar models, accounting for the redistribution of the angular momentum inside the star by different transport mechanisms, for the exchanges of angular momentum between the planet orbit and the star b…
Planet engulfment can be inferred from enhancement of refractory elements in the photosphere of the engulfing star following accretion of rocky planetary material. Such refractory enrichments are subject to stellar interior mixing processes, namely thermohaline mixing induced by an inverse mean-molecular-weight gradient between the convective envelope and radiative core. Using MESA stellar models, we quantified the strength and duration of engulfment signatures following planet engulfment. We found that thermohaline mixing dominates during the first $\sim$5$-$45 Myr post-engulfment, weakening …
Dynamical evolution within planetary systems can cause planets to be engulfed by their host stars. Following engulfment, the stellar photosphere abundance pattern will reflect accretion of rocky material from planets. Multi-star systems are excellent environments to search for such abundance trends because stellar companions form from the same natal gas cloud and are thus expected to share primordial chemical compositions to within 0.03$-$0.05 dex. Abundance measurements have occasionally yielded rocky enhancements, but few observations targeted known planetary systems. To address this gap, we…
Binary stars are supposed to be chemically homogeneous, as they are born from the same molecular cloud. However, high precision chemical abundances show that some binary systems display chemical differences between the components, which could be due to planet engulfment. In this work, we determine precise fundamental parameters and chemical abundances for the binary system HIP 71726/ HIP 71737. Our results show that the pair is truly conatal, coeval and comoving. We also find that the component HIP 71726 is more metal-rich than HIP 71737 in the refractory elements such as iron, with $Δ$[Fe/H] …
We report the discovery of a unique object, BD+48 740, a lithium overabundant giant with A(Li)=2.33 +/- 0.04 (where A(Li) = log(n_Li/n_H) + 12), that exhibits radial velocity (RV) variations consistent with a 1.6 M_J companion in a highly eccentric, e = 0.67 +/- 0.17 and extended, a=1.89 AU (P=771 d), orbit. The high eccentricity of the planet is uncommon among planetary systems orbiting evolved stars and so is the high lithium abundance in a giant star. The ingestion by the star of a putative second planet in the system originally in a closer orbit, could possibly allow for a single explanati…
Aims. To explore the possible chemical signature of planet formation in the binary system HAT-P-4, by studying abundance vs condensation temperature Tc trends. The star HAT-P-4 hosts a planet detected by transits while its stellar companion does not have any detected planet. We also study the Lithium content, which could shed light on the problem of Li depletion in exoplanet host stars. Conclusions. The exoplanet host star HAT-P-4 is found to be ~0.1 dex more metal rich than its companion, which is one of the highest differences in metallicity observed in similar systems. This could have impor…
We investigate the surface spot activity of the rapidly rotating, lithium-rich active single K-giant DI Psc to measure the surface differential rotation and understand the mechanisms behind the Li-enrichment. Doppler imaging was applied to recover the surface temperature distribution of DI Psc in two subsequent rotational cycles using the individual mapping lines Ca I 6439, Fe I 6430, Fe I 6421 and Li I 6708. Surface differential rotation was derived by cross-correlation of the subsequent maps. Difference maps are produced to study the uniformity of Li-enrichment on the surface. These maps are…
In this letter we characterise IRAS12556-7731 as the first lithium-rich M-type giant. Based on its late spectral type and high lithium content, and because of its proximity in angular distance to the ChamaeleonII star-forming region, the star was misclassified as a young low-mass star in a previous work. Based on HARPS data, synthetic spectral modelling, and proper motions, we derive the astrophysical parameters and kinematics of the star and discuss its evolutionary status. This solar-mass red giant (Teff=3460+/-60K and log(g)=0.6+/-0.2) is characterised by a relatively fast rotation (v sin(i…
In this Letter, we report on a low-resolution spectroscopic survey for Li-rich K giants among 2000 low mass (M <= 3 Msun) giants spanning the luminosity range from below to above the luminosity of the clump. Fifteen new Li-rich giants including four super Li-rich K giants (A(Li) >= 3.2) were discovered. A significant finding is that there is a concentration of Li-rich K giants at the luminosity of the clump or red horizontal branch. This new finding is partly a consequence of the fact that our low-resolution survey is the first large survey to include giants well below and above the RGB bump a…
There are two possible mechanisms to imprint planet signatures in the chemical composition of Sun-like stars: i) dust condensation at the early stages of planet formation, causing a depletion of refractory elements in the gas accreted by the star in the late stages of its formation; ii) planet engulfment, enriching the host star in lithium and refractory elements. We discuss both planet signatures, the influence of galactic chemical evolution, and the importance of binaries composed of stellar twins as laboratories to verify abundance anomalies imprinted by planets.
Context: Stars with about 1$-$2 solar masses at the red giant branch (RGB) represent an intriguing period of stellar evolution, i.e. when the convective envelope interacts with the fast-rotating core. During these mixing episodes freshly synthesized lithium can come up to the stellar surface along with high angular momentum material. This high angular momentum may alter the surface rotation pattern. Aims: The single rapidly rotating K-giant V1192 Ori is revisited to determine its surface differential rotation, lithium abundance, and basic stellar properties such as a precise rotation period. T…
We want to determine the lithium abundances of solar twin stars as a function of stellar age to provide constraints for stellar evolutions models and to investigate whether there is a connection between low Li abundance and the occurrence of planets. For a sample of 21 solar twins observed with the HARPS spectrograph at high spectral resolution (R~115.000) and very high signal-to-noise ratio (600 < S/N < 2400), precise lithium abundances were obtained by spectral synthesis of the LiI 6707.8 A line and compared to stellar ages, masses, and metallicities determined from a spectroscopic analysis …
Lithium in Wide Binaries: Effective Temperature Governs Depletion while Rotation Plays a Minor Role
School of Sciences, HangZhou Dianzi University（杭州电子科技大学理学院）；Zhejiang Branch of National Astronomical Data Center（国家天文台浙江分中心）；National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院国家天文台）；University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学）
Context. The existence of lithium-rich low-mass red giant stars still represents a challenge for stellar evolution models. Stellar clusters are privileged environments for this kind of investigation. Aims. To investigate the chemical abundance pattern of the old open cluster Trumpler\,5, we observed a sample of four red-clump stars with high-resolution optical spectrographs. One of them (#3416) reveals extremely strong lithium lines in its spectrum. Methods. One-dimensional, local thermodynamic equilibrium analysis was performed on the spectra of the observed stars. A 3D-NLTE analysis was perf…
We investigate the properties of 1262 red giant stars with high photospheric abundances of lithium observed by the GALAH and \Ktwo-HERMES surveys, and discuss them in the context of proposed mechanisms for lithium enrichment and re-depletion in giant stars. We confirm that Li-rich giants are rare, making up only 1.2 per cent of our giant star sample. We use stellar parameters from the third public data release from the GALAH survey and a Bayesian isochrone analysis to divide the sample into first-ascent red giant branch and red clump stars, and confirm these classifications using asteroseismic…
The existence of K giant stars with high Li abundance continues to challenge the standard theory of stellar evolution. All recent extensive surveys in the Galaxy show the same result: about 1 % of the mainly normal slow rotating K giants are Li rich. We explore here a model with two scenarios based on the important relation of Li-rich and Li-poor K giants with IR excesses. In this model, all K giant stars suffer a rapid enrichment and depletion of Li inducing the formation and ejection of circumstellar shells. The observational detection of these shells will not only validate this model, but a…
The element boron belongs, together with lithium and beryllium, to a known trio of important elements for the study of evolutionary processes in low mass stars. Because B is the least fragile of this trio to be destroyed in the stellar interiors, it can be used to test if the Li enrichment is of planetary origin. Here, for the first time, boron lines are examined in the UV for four giants with different degrees of large Li enrichment by means of observations with the Hubble telescope. Two main results are found in our study. One is that to first approximation B abundances appear not to be in e…
The "stellar" solution to the cosmological lithium problem proposes that surface depletion of lithium in low-mass, metal-poor stars can reconcile the lower abundances found for Galactic halo stars with the primordial prediction. Globular clusters are ideal environments for studies of the surface evolution of lithium, with large number statistics possible to obtain for main sequence stars as well as giants. We discuss the Li abundances measured for >450 stars in the globular cluster NGC6397, focusing on the evidence for lithium depletion and especially highlighting how the inferred abundances a…
Two Li-rich candidates, TYC 1338-1410-1 and TYC 2825-596-1, were observed with the new high-resolution echelle spectrograph, LAMOST/HRS. Based on the high-resolution and high-signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) spectra, we derived stellar parameters and abundances of 14 important elements for the two candidates. The stellar parameters and lithium abundances indicate that they are Li-rich K-type giants, and they have A(Li)$_\mathrm{NLTE}$ of 1.77 and 2.91 dex, respectively. Our analysis suggests that TYC 1338-1410-1 is likely a red giant branch (RGB) star at the bump stage, while TYC 2825-596-1 is most…
Accurately known stellar lithium abundances may be used to shed light on a variety of astrophysical phenomena such as Big Bang nucleosynthesis, radial migration, ages of stars and stellar clusters, and planet engulfment events. We present a grid of synthetic lithium spectra that are computed in non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) across the STAGGER grid of three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic stellar atmosphere models. This grid covers three Li lines at 610.4 nm, 670.8 nm, and 812.6 nm for stellar parameters representative of FGK-type dwarfs and giants, spanning $T_{\rm{eff}}=4000$-7000 …
Aims: We report the discovery of a young lithium rich giant, HD 16771, in the core-helium burning phase that does not seem to fit existing proposals of Li synthesis near the luminosity function bump or during He-core flash. We aim to understand the nature of Li enrichment in the atmosphere of HD 16771 by exploring various Li enhancement scenarios. Methods: We have collected high-resolution echelle spectra of HD 16771 and derived stellar parameters and chemical abundances for 27 elements by either line equivalent widths or synthetic spectrum analyses. Results: HD 16771 is a Li-rich (log(n(Li))=…
In this study, we explore the evolution of lithium in giant stars based on data assembled from the literature on asteroseismology and Li abundances for giants. Our final sample of 187 giants consists of 44 red giant branch (RGB), 140 core He-burning (CHeB) and three giants with an unclassified evolutionary phase. For all 187 stars, the seismic parameters $ν\rm_{max}$ (frequency of maximum oscillation power) and $Δν$ (large frequency spacing) are available, while $ΔΠ\rm_{1}$ (the asymptotic gravity-mode period spacing) is available for a subset of 64. For some of the CHeB giants, mass estimates…
With an aim to shed light on the origin of Li anomaly observed in a small fraction of red giants, we carried out a spectroscopic study on the observational characteristics of selected 20 bright Li-rich giants, in comparison with a large number of normal late G-early K giants, where special attention was paid to clarifying any difference between two samples with respect to stellar parameters, rotation, activity, kinematic properties, and chemical abundances of Li, Be, C, O, Na, S, and Zn). Our targets are roughly divided into 'bump/clump group' and 'luminous group' according to the position on …
Context: A small number of K-type giants on the red giant branch (RGB) is known to be very rich in lithium (Li). This fact is not accounted for by standard stellar evolution theory. The exact phase and mechanism of Li enrichment is still a matter of debate. Aims: Our goal is to probe the abundance of Li along the RGB, from its base to the tip, to confine Li-rich phases that are supposed to occur on the RGB. Methods: For this end, we obtained medium-resolution spectra with the FLAMES spectrograph at the VLT in GIRAFFE mode for a large sample of 401 low-mass RGB stars located in the Galactic bul…
We derive atmospheric parameters and lithium abundances for 671 stars and include our measurements in a literature compilation of 1381 dwarf and subgiant stars. First, a "lithium desert" in the effective temperature (Teff) versus lithium abundance (A_Li) plane is observed such that no stars with Teff~6075 K and A_Li~1.8 are found. We speculate that most of the stars on the low A_Li side of the desert have experienced a short-lived period of severe surface lithium destruction as main-sequence or subgiant stars. Next, we search for differences in the lithium content of thin-disk and thick-disk s…
Using the sample of 348 stars from the PennState-Torun Centre for Astronomy Planet Search, for which uniformly determined atmospheric parameters are available, with chemical abundances and rotational velocities presented here, we investigate various channels of Li enrichment in giants. Our work is based on the HET/HRS spectra. The A(Li) was determined from the 670.8nm line, while we use a more extended set of lines for alpha-elements abundances. In a series of K-S tests, we compare Li-rich giants with other stars in the sample. We also use available IR photometric and kinematical data in searc…
Of all the light elements, lithium is the most sensitive indicator of stellar evolution. This review discusses current data on the abundance of lithium in the atmospheres of A-, F-, G-, and K-stars of different types, as well as the consistency of these data with theoretical predictions. The variety of observed Li abundances is illustrated by the following objects in different stages of evolution: 1) Old stars in the galactic halo, which have a lithium abundance log e(Li)=2.2 (the "lithium plateau") that appears to be 0.5 dex lower than the primordial abundance predicted by cosmological models…
The temperature distribution of field Li-rich red giants suggests the presence of a population of Li-rich red clump (RC) stars. One proposed explanation for this population is that all stars with masses near 2 $M_\odot$ experience a short-lived phase of Li-richness at the onset of core He-burning. Many of these stars have low 12C/13C, a signature of deep mixing that is presumably associated with the Li regeneration. To test this purported mechanism of Li enrichment, we measured abundances in 38 RC stars and 6 red giant branch (RGB) stars in four open clusters selected to have RC masses near 2 …
Lithium abundances for red giants in the GALAH DR3 survey are studied. The rare examples of Li-enriched stars with abundances A(Li) $\geq 1.5$ are confirmed to be He-core burning stars belonging to or evolved from the red clump with similar masses and metallicity: $M\simeq 1.1\pm0.2{\rm M_\odot}$ and [Fe/H] $\simeq-0.3\pm0.3$. Li enrichment over the Li abundance present in a star's predecessor at the tip of the red giant branch likely occurs in all these red clump stars. Examination of the elemental abundances (C to Eu) in the GALAH catalogue shows no anomalous abundances in red clump giants a…
Although red giants deplete lithium on their surfaces, some giants are Li-rich. Intermediate-mass asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars can generate Li through the Cameron-Fowler conveyor, but the existence of Li-rich, low-mass red giant branch (RGB) stars is puzzling. Globular clusters are the best sites to examine this phenomenon because it is straightforward to determine membership in the cluster and to identify the evolutionary state of each star. In 72 hours of Keck/DEIMOS exposures in 25 clusters, we found four Li-rich RGB and two Li-rich AGB stars. There were 1696 RGB and 125 AGB stars wi…
We report novel observational evidence on the evolutionary status of lithium-rich giant stars by combining asteroseismic and lithium abundance data. Comparing observations and models of the asteroseismic gravity-mode period spacing $ΔΠ_{1}$, we find that super-Li-rich giants (SLR, A(Li)~$> 3.2$~dex) are almost exclusively young red-clump (RC) stars. Depending on the exact phase of evolution, which requires more data to refine, SLR stars are either (i) less than $\sim 2$~Myr or (ii) less than $\sim40$~Myr past the main core helium flash (CHeF). Our observations set a strong upper limit for the …
Based on the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) medium-resolution spectroscopic survey (MRS), we report the discovery of nine super Li-rich unevolved stars with A(Li) $>$ 3.8 dex. These objects show unusually high levels of lithium abundances up to three times higher than the meteoritic value of 3.3 dex, which indicates that they must have experienced a history of lithium enrichment. It is found that seven of our program stars are fast rotators with $vsini>9$ km\,s$^{-1}$, which suggests that the accretion of circumstellar matter may be the main contributor to t…
This contribution presents an overview of the evolution of Li abundances in stars of the Galactic thin and thick discs, from the observational point of view. The focus is on Li abundances obtained by recent projects and surveys. To separate thin and thick disc stars, both chemical abundances, kinematics, and ages can be used. For thick disc stars, the Li evolution is uncertain, as differences appear depending on how the stars were separated. Nevertheless, it seems clear that most of the Galactic enrichment in Li takes place in the thin disc. Literature consensus also seems to exist regarding t…
It has recently been suggested that all giant stars with mass below 2 $M_{\odot}$ suffer an episode of surface lithium enrichment between the tip of the red giant branch (RGB) and the red clump (RC). We test if the above result can be confirmed in a sample of RC and RGB stars that are members of open clusters. We discuss Li abundances in six open clusters with ages between 1.5 and 4.9 Gyr (turn-off masses between 1.1 and 1.7 $M_{\odot}$). These observations are compared with the predictions of different models that include rotation-induced mixing, thermohaline instability, mixing induced by th…
Lithium is one of the few elements produced during the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis in the early universe. Moreover, its fragility makes it useful as a proxy for stellar environmental conditions. As such, the lithium abundance in old systems is at the core of different astrophysical problems. Stars in the lower red giant branch allow studying globular clusters where main sequence stars are too faint to be observed. We use these stars to analyze the initial Li content of the clusters and compare it to cosmological predictions, to measure spreads in Li between different stellar populations, and to s…
Lithium depletion and enrichment in the cosmos is not yet well understood. To help tighten constraints on stellar and Galactic evolution models, we present the largest high-resolution analysis of Li abundances A(Li) to date, with results for over 100 000 GALAH field stars spanning effective temperatures $5900\,\mathrm{K} \lesssim \rm{T_{eff}} \lesssim7000\,\mathrm{K}$ and metallicities $-3 \lesssim \rm[Fe/H] \lesssim +0.5$. We separated these stars into two groups, on the warm and cool side of the so-called Li-dip, a localised region of the Kiel diagram wherein lithium is severely depleted. We…
Hydrocarbon organic material, as found in the interstellar medium, exists in complex mixtures of aromatic and aliphatic forms. It is considered to be originated from carbon enriched giant stars during their final stages of evolution, when very strong mass loss occurs in a few thousand years on their way to become planetary nebulae. We show here that the same organic compounds appear to be formed in previous stages of the evolution of giant stars. More specifically, during the first ascending giant branch K-type stars. According to our model this happens only when these stars are being abruptly…
A Systematic NLTE Study of Very Metal-Poor Stars with Metallicity Down to $-4.3$ dex. II. Lithium Abundance and New Insight to the Lithium Plateau
National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院国家天文台）；Institute for Frontiers in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Beijing Normal University（北京师范大学天文与前沿科学研究院）；School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学天文与空间科学学院）；Department of Physics, Hebei Normal University（河北师范大学物理学院）
We present an elemental abundance analysis for four newly discovered ultra metal-poor stars from the Hamburg/ESO survey, with $\mathrm{[Fe/H]}\leq-4$. Based on high-resolution, high signal-to-noise spectra, we derive abundances for 17 elements in the range from Li to Ba. Three of the four stars exhibit moderate to large over-abundances of carbon, but have no enhancements in their neutron-capture elements. The most metal-poor star in the sample, HE~0233$-$0343 ($\mathrm{[Fe/H]} = -4.68$), is a subgiant with a carbon enhancement of $\mathrm{[C/Fe]}= +3.5$, slightly above the carbon-enhancement p…
