In a new research published today in the magazine ScienceAn international team led by a researcher from the Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences (he is) Vardan Adibekyan was able, for the first time, to establish a relationship between the formation of rocky exoplanets and the formation of their parent stars. The team also showed that, contrary to what had been assumed, this relationship is not direct.

Newly formed stars are surrounded by a protoplanetary disk, with a fraction of the matter in this disk condensing into clumps of planetary formation and the rest eventually falling into the star. Because of this common origin, the composition of these “brick” planets and low-mass rocky planets was assumed to be similar to that of the parent star.

However, the only reference that was available so far was our solar system and, for this purpose, the formation of the main rock formation elements on telluric planets. (except for Mercury), such as magnesium, silicon or iron, is similar in composition to the Sun.

Vardan Adibekian (IA & Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science, University of Porto), commented, in a note sent to the editorial board, that the team determined that the formation of telluric planets is closely related to that of their star.

“Our study also shows that the amount of iron on these telluric planets is greater than would be expected, if it were inferred from the formation of the protoplanetary disk where they formed. Our interpretation of this iron enrichment is that it will result from reactions in the protoplanetary disk and the peculiarities of planetary formation.”