Modeling Stellar Abundance Patterns Resulting from the Addition of Earth-like Planetary Material

Abstract

We model the observed precision differential abundance patterns of three G-type dwarfs, assuming a mass of planetary or disk material was added to or subtracted from the atmosphere of the star. The two-parameter model is fit by linear regression. The stellar abundance patterns are corrected for Galactic chemical evolution (GCE). The differential abundances can be highly correlated with the elemental condensation temperature. We show how it is possible to match not only the slope, but the quantitative abundance differences, assuming a composition for the added material equal to that of the bulk earth. We also model the wide pair HIP 34407 and HIP 34426, where GCE corrections are assumed unnecessary. An appendix discusses issues of volatility and condensation temperature.