The Star–Planet Composition Connection

Abstract

The mantra “know thy star, know thy planet” has proven to be very important for many aspects of exoplanet science. Here I review how stellar abundances inform our understanding of planet composition and, thus, formation and evolution. In particular, I discuss how: ▪ The strongest star–planet connection is still the giant planet–metallicity correlation, the strength of which may indicate a break point between the formation of planets versus brown dwarfs. ▪ We do not have very good constraints on the lower metallicity limit for planet formation, although new statistics from TESS are helping, and it appears that, at low [Fe/H], α elements can substitute for iron as seeds for planet formation. ▪ The depletion of refractory versus volatile elements in stellar photospheres (particularly the Sun) was initially suggested as a sign of small planet formation but is challenging to interpret, and small differences in binary star compositions can be attributed mostly to processes other than planet formation. ▪ We can and should go beyond comparisons of the carbon-to-oxygen ratio in giant planets and their host stars, incorporating other volatile and refractory species to better constrain planet formation pathways. ▪ There appears to be a positive correlation between small planet bulk density and host star metallicity, but exactly how closely small planet refractory compositions match those of their host stars—and their true diversity—is still uncertain.