Yale University | 2016 Aug 24
A new method for analyzing the chemical composition of stars may help scientists winnow the search for Earth 2.0.
[img3="Illustration by Michael S. Helfenbein / Yale University"]http://news.yale.edu/sites/default/file ... 1472061635[/img3][hr][/hr]Yale University researchers Debra Fischer and John Michael Brewer ... describe a computational modeling technique that gives a clearer sense of the chemistry of stars, revealing the conditions present when their planets formed. The system creates a new way to assess the habitability and biological evolution possibilities of planets outside our solar system. ...
Brewer ... has used the technique previously to determine temperature, surface gravity, rotational speed, and chemical composition information for 1,600 stars, based on 15 elements found within those stars. The new study looks at roughly 800 stars, focusing on their ratio of carbon to oxygen, and magnesium to silicon. ...
the new study shows that in many cases, carbon isn’t the driving force in planetary composition. Brewer found that if a star has a carbon/oxygen ratio similar to or lower than that of our own Sun, its planets have mineralogy dominated by the magnesium/silicon ratio. About 60% of the stars in the study have magnesium/silicon ratios that would produce Earth-like compositions; 40% of the stars have silicate-heavy interiors. ...
C/O and Mg/Si Ratios of Stars in the Solar Neighborhood - John M. Brewer, Debra A. Fischer
- arXiv.org > astro-ph > arXiv:1608.06286 > 22 Aug 2016