We present evidence that stars with planets exhibit statistically significant silicon and nickel
enrichment over the general metal-rich population. We also present simulations that predict …

The positive correlation between planet detection rate and host star iron abundance lends
strong support to the core accretion theory of planet formation. However, iron is not the most …

Theoretical studies of giant planet formation suggest that substantial quantities of metals—
elements heavier than hydrogen and helium—can be delivered by solid accretion during the …

The apparent dependence of detection frequency of extrasolar planets on the metallicity of
their host stars is investigated with Monte Carlo simulations using a deterministic core …

Relating planet formation to atmospheric composition has been a long-standing goal of the
planetary science community. So far, most modeling studies have focused on predicting the …

Massive exoplanets are observed preferentially around high metallicity ([Fe/H]) stars while
low-mass exoplanets do not show such an effect. This so-called planet–metallicity …

Kepler has identified over 600 multiplanet systems, many of which have several planets with
orbital distances smaller than that of Mercury. Because these systems may be difficult to …

We have recently carried out spectral synthesis modeling to determine T eff, log g, v sin i,
and [Fe/H] for 1040 FGK-type stars on the Keck, Lick, and Anglo-Australian Telescope planet …

Exoplanet discoveries of recent years have provided a great deal of new data for studying
the bulk compositions of giant planets. Here we identify 47 transiting giant planets (20 M⊕< …

The relationship between the compositions of giant planets and their host stars is of
fundamental interest in understanding planet formation. The solar system giant planets are …