Light elements in stars with exoplanets

E. Delgado Mena, M. C. Gálvez-Ortiz, J. I. González Hernández, G. Israelian, N. C. Santos, R. Rebolo López, C. Domínguez Cerdeña

Abstract
Light elements are important tracers of the internal stellar structure and kinematics. Li and Be are both burned in the stellar interiors but Be requires much higher temperatures and thus we can expect to measure Be abundances in stars which have no detectable Li in their atmospheres. The study of these elements can give us information about processes related to the angular momentum history of these stars, since rotation and angular momentum loss are important mechanisms responsible for the depletion of light elements. Additionally, if pollution has played an important role in determining the high-metal content of planet host stars, we would expect to find a similar or even higher increase in the Li and Be contents. We present Be and Li abundances in a sample of 69 stars with planets and 31 stars without known planetary companion, spanning a large range of effective temperatures.

Proceedings of the IAU symposium 265
(Eds.) K. Cunha, M. Spite, B. Barbuy

Cambridge University Press
Vol. 265, Page 430
2010

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