Signatures of Exoplanet Formation: Elemental Abundances of Stars with Planets

Presented by Simon Schuler, National Optical Astronomy Observatory

The discovery and characterization of exoplanetary systems is one of the most exciting
fields of modern astrophysics. Nearly 700 planets outside of the Solar System are now
known, and new planets are being discovered at an ever increasing rate thanks to
dedicated ground-based and space-based planet surveys. How planetary systems form
and evolve, though, is not yet fully understood, but observations of the compositions of
planet host stars are revealing critical details of the planet formation process and how the
circumstellar environment influences planet formation. There is also reason to believe
that the formation of planets may leave an imprint on the elemental abundance patterns of
host stars. In this talk, I will provide an overview of the compositions of stars with
planets, what those compositions are telling us about how planets form, and the prospects
of using elemental abundance patterns of stars to predict the presence of planets.