High precision spectroscopy: impact in the study of planets, stars, the galaxy and cosmology

• Grant number: 12/24392-2
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2013
• End date: April 30, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Astronomy - Stellar Astrophysics
• Principal Investigator: Jorge Luis Melendez Moreno
• Grantee: Jorge Luis Melendez Moreno
• Host Institution: Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas (IAG). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: São Paulo
• Associated researchers: TalaWanda Rose Monroe
• Associated scholarship(s): 14/26908-1 - How common is our sun in its period of rotation?, BP.MS; 14/15706-9 - Differential abundances in solar-type stars: implications for planets formation and stellar nucleosynthesis, BP.PD; 13/25008-4 - Chemical composition of solar-type stars, BP.IC

Abstract

This project intends to determine stellar parameters and chemical abundances in F and G stars at unparalleled precision, aiming to study at unprecedented detail planet formation, stellar evolution processes, Galactic chemical evolution and primordial Big Bang nucleosynthesis. We will use differential analysis techniques, successfully applied to solar twin stars, to study groups of stars with similar stellar parameters, minimizing thus systematic errors and allowing to achieve a precision in chemical abundances of about 0.01 dex, which is much lower than typical errors (0.05 - 0.1 dex) found in the literature. Furthermore, our techniques will provide high precision stellar parameters, important to minimize the errors in chemical abundances and also for the determination of precise differential masses and ages. As part of our project, we will search for planets at high precision in radial velocity (1 m s-1). The synergy of high precision radial velocities and high precision chemical abundances will permit a detailed study of the connection between stars and planets. Different groups of stars with and without planets will be studied in order to explore planet formation in different regimes. Our high precision techniques will also be useful to characterize the stellar populations of the two halos in our Galaxy and to study their chemical evolution. Finally, the study of both lithium and beryllium in metal-poor stars will be important to solve the cosmological lithium problem, i.e., to ascertain if the low Li abundance in metal-poor stars is due to stellar depletion processes during their evolution or if new physics beyond the standard model of Big Bang nucleosynthesis is required. (AU)

Scientific publications

(48)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MELENDEZ, JORGE; SCHIRBEL, LUCAS; MONROE, TALAWANDA R.; YONG, DAVID; RAMIREZ, IVAN; ASPLUND, MARTIN. HIP 114328: a new refractory-poor and Li-poor solar twin. Astronomy & Astrophysics, v. 567, JUL 2014. (13/25008-4, 12/24392-2, 10/19810-4)

GALARZA, JHON YANA; MELENDEZ, JORGE; RAMIREZ, IVAN; YONG, DAVID; KARAKAS, AMANDA I.; ASPLUND, MARTIN; LIU, FAN. High-precision analysis of the solar twin HIP 100963. Astronomy & Astrophysics, v. 589, MAY 2016. (12/24392-2)

REGGIANI, HENRIQUE; MELENDEZ, JORGE; KOBAYASHI, CHIAKI; KARAKAS, AMANDA; PLACCO, VINICIUS. Constraining cosmic scatter in the Galactic halo through a differential analysis of metal-poor stars. Astronomy & Astrophysics, v. 608, DEC 5 2017. (12/24392-2, 14/18100-4)

MELENDEZ, JORGE; PLACCO, VINICIUS M.; TUCCI-MAIA, MARCELO; RAMIREZ, IVAN; LI, TING S.; PEREZ, GABRIEL. 2MASS J18082002-5104378: The brightest (V=11.9) ultra metal-poor star. Astronomy & Astrophysics, v. 585, JAN 2016. (10/50930-6, 12/24392-2)

LORENZO-OLIVEIRA, DIEGO; FREITAS, FABRICIO C.; MELENDEZ, JORGE; BEDELL, MEGAN; RAMIREZ, IVAN; BEAN, JACOB L.; ASPLUND, MARTIN; SPINA, LORENZO; DREIZLER, STEFAN; ALVES-BRITO, ALAN; et al. The Solar Twin Planet Search The age-chromospheric activity relation. Astronomy & Astrophysics, v. 619, NOV 8 2018. (12/24392-2, 16/20667-8)

BEDELL, MEGAN; BEAN, JACOB L.; MELENDEZ, JORGE; SPINA, LORENZO; RAMIREZ, IVAN; ASPLUND, MARTIN; ALVES-BRITO, ALAN; DOS SANTOS, LEONARDO; DREIZLER, STEFAN; YONG, DAVID; et al. The Chemical Homogeneity of Sun-like Stars in the Solar Neighborhood. ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL, v. 865, n. 1, SEP 20 2018. (14/15706-9, 12/24392-2)

SPINA, LORENZO; MELENDEZ, JORGE; CASEY, ANDREW R.; KARAKAS, AMANDA I.; TUCCI-MAIA, MARCELO. Chemical Inhomogeneities in the Pleiades: Signatures of Rocky-forming Material in Stellar Atmospheres. ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL, v. 863, n. 2, AUG 20 2018. (14/15706-9, 12/24392-2)

CAIN, MADELYN; FREBEL, ANNA; GULL, MAUDE; JI, ALEXANDER P.; PLACCO, VINICIUS M.; BEERS, TIMOTHY C.; MELENDEZ, JORGE; EZZEDDINE, RANA; CASEY, ANDREW R.; HANSEN, TERESE T.; et al. The R-Process Alliance: Chemical Abundances for a Trio of r-process-enhanced Stars-One Strong, One Moderate, and One Mild. ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL, v. 864, n. 1, SEP 1 2018. (14/18100-4, 12/24392-2)

CARLOS, MARILIA; KARAKAS, AMANDA I.; COHEN, JUDITH G.; KOBAYASHI, CHIAKI; MELENDEZ, JORGE. A Formation Timescale of the Galactic Halo from Mg Isotopes in Dwarf Stars. ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL, v. 856, n. 2, APR 1 2018. (12/24392-2, 14/18100-4)

SPINA, LORENZO; MELENDEZ, JORGE; KARAKAS, AMANDA I.; DOS SANTOS, LEONARDO; BEDELL, MEGAN; ASPLUND, MARTIN; RAMIREZ, IVAN; YONG, DAVID; ALVES-BRITO, ALAN; BEAN, JACOB L.; et al. The temporal evolution of neutron-capture elements in the Galactic discs. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, v. 474, n. 2, p. 2580-2593, FEB 2018. (14/15706-9, 12/24392-2)

REGGIANI, HENRIQUE; MELENDEZ, JORGE; YONG, DAVID; RAMIREZ, IVAN; ASPLUND, MARTIN. First high-precision differential abundance analysis of extremely metal-poor stars. Astronomy & Astrophysics, v. 586, FEB 2016. (10/50930-6, 12/24392-2)

MELENDEZ, JORGE; BEDELL, MEGAN; BEAN, JACOB L.; RAMIREZ, IVAN; ASPLUND, MARTIN; DREIZLER, STEFAN; YAN, HONG-LIANG; SHI, JIAN-RONG; LIND, KARIN; FERRAZ-MELLO, SYLVIO; et al. The Solar Twin Planet Search. Astronomy & Astrophysics, v. 597, JAN 2017. (12/24392-2)

LIU, F.; ASPLUND, M.; YONG, D.; MELENDEZ, J.; RAMIREZ, I.; KARAKAS, A. I.; CARLOS, M.; MARINO, A. F.. The chemical compositions of solar twins in the open cluster M67. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, v. 463, n. 1, p. 696-704, NOV 21 2016. (12/24392-2)

PLACCO, VINICIUS M.; BEERS, TIMOTHY C.; REGGIANI, HENRIQUE; MELENDEZ, JORGE. G64-12 AND G64-37 ARE CARBON-ENHANCED METAL-POOR STARS. Astrophysical Journal Letters, v. 829, n. 2, OCT 1 2016. (12/24392-2)

RAMIREZ, I.; MELENDEZ, J.; BEAN, J.; ASPLUND, M.; BEDELL, M.; MONROE, T.; CASAGRANDE, L.; SCHIRBEL, L.; DREIZLER, S.; TESKE, J.; et al. The Solar Twin Planet Search I. Fundamental parameters of the stellar sample. Astronomy & Astrophysics, v. 572, DEC 2014. (13/25008-4, 12/24392-2)

TUCCI MAIA, M.; RAMIREZ, I.; MELENDEZ, J.; BEDELL, M.; BEAN, J. L.; ASPLUND, M.. The Solar Twin Planet Search. Astronomy & Astrophysics, v. 590, JUN 2016. (12/24392-2)

TUCCI MAIA, M.; MELENDEZ, J.; CASTRO, M.; ASPLUND, M.; RAMIREZ, I.; MONROE, T. R.; DO NASCIMENTO, JR., J. D.; YONG, D.. Shallow extra mixing in solar twins inferred from Be abundances. Astronomy & Astrophysics, v. 576, APR 2015. (12/24392-2)

RAMIREZ, I.; KHANAL, S.; ALEO, P.; SOBOTKA, A.; LIU, F.; CASAGRANDE, L.; MELENDEZ, J.; YONG, D.; LAMBERT, D. L.; ASPLUND, M.. THE DISSIMILAR CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF THE PLANET-HOSTING STARS OF THE XO-2 BINARY SYSTEM. ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL, v. 808, n. 1, JUL 20 2015. (12/24392-2)

MELENDEZ, JORGE; RAMIREZ, IVAN; KARAKAS, AMANDA I.; YONG, DAVID; MONROE, TALAWANDA R.; BEDELL, MEGAN; BERGEMANN, MARIA; ASPLUND, MARTIN; MAIA, MARCELO TUCCI; BEAN, JACOB; et al. 18 Sco: A SOLAR TWIN RICH IN REFRACTORY AND NEUTRON-CAPTURE ELEMENTS. IMPLICATIONS FOR CHEMICAL TAGGING. ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL, v. 791, n. 1, AUG 10 2014. (12/24392-2, 10/19810-4)

MONROE, TALAWANDA R.; MELENDEZ, JORGE; RAMIREZ, IVAN; YONG, DAVID; BERGEMANN, MARIA; ASPLUND, MARTIN; BEDELL, MEGAN; MAIA, MARCELO TUCCI; BEAN, JACOB; LIND, KARIN; et al. HIGH PRECISION ABUNDANCES OF THE OLD SOLAR TWIN HIP 102152: INSIGHTS ON Li DEPLETION FROM THE OLDEST SUN. Astrophysical Journal Letters, v. 774, n. 2, SEP 10 2013. (12/24392-2, 10/19810-4)

REGGIANI, HENRIQUE; MELENDEZ, JORGE; KOBAYASHI, CHIAKI; KARAKAS, AMANDA; PLACCO, VINICIUS. Constraining cosmic scatter in the Galactic halo through a differential analysis of metal-poor stars. ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS, v. 608, p. 26-pg., 2017-12-05. (12/24392-2, 14/18100-4)

GALARZA, JHON YANA; MELENDEZ, JORGE; RAMIREZ, IVAN; YONG, DAVID; KARAKAS, AMANDA I.; ASPLUND, MARTIN; LIU, FAN. High-precision analysis of the solar twin HIP 100963. ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS, v. 589, p. 8-pg., 2016-05-01. (12/24392-2)

BEDELL, M.; MELENDEZ, J.; BEAN, J. L.; RAMIREZ, I.; ASPLUND, M.; ALVES-BRITO, A.; CASAGRANDE, L.; DREIZLER, S.; MONROE, T.; SPINA, L.; et al. The Solar Twin Planet Search II. A Jupiter twin around a solar twin. ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS, v. 581, p. 8-pg., 2015-09-01. (12/24392-2)

SCHIRBEL, LUCAS; MELENDEZ, JORGE; KARAKAS, AMANDA I.; RAMIREZ, IVAN; CASTRO, MATTHIEU; FARIA, MARCOS A.; LUGARO, MARIA; ASPLUND, MARTIN; MAIA, MARCELO TUCCI; YONG, DAVID; et al. HIP 10725: The first solar twin/analogue field blue straggler. ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS, v. 584, p. 6-pg., 2015-12-01. (12/24392-2, 13/25008-4)

SPINA, LORENZO; MELENDEZ, JORGE; RAMIREZ, IVAN. Planet signatures and effect of the chemical evolution of the Galactic thin-disk stars. ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS, v. 585, p. 15-pg., 2016-01-01. (12/24392-2, 14/15706-9)

LIU, F.; YONG, D.; ASPLUND, M.; FELTZING, S.; MUSTILL, A. J.; MELENDEZ, J.; RAMIREZ, I.; LIN, J.. Detailed chemical compositions of the wide binary HD 80606/80607: revised stellar properties and constraints on planet formation. ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS, v. 614, p. 11-pg., 2018-07-03. (12/24392-2)

BEDELL, M.; MELENDEZ, J.; BEAN, J. L.; RAMIREZ, I.; ASPLUND, M.; ALVES-BRITO, A.; CASAGRANDE, L.; DREIZLER, S.; MONROE, T.; SPINA, L.; et al. The Solar Twin Planet Search II. A Jupiter twin around a solar twin. Astronomy & Astrophysics, v. 581, SEP 2015. (12/24392-2)

LIU, F.; YONG, D.; ASPLUND, M.; FELTZING, S.; MUSTILL, A. J.; MELENDEZ, J.; RAMIREZ, I.; LIN, J.. Detailed chemical compositions of the wide binary HD 80606/80607: revised stellar properties and constraints on planet formation. Astronomy & Astrophysics, v. 614, JUL 3 2018. (12/24392-2)

SPINA, LORENZO; MELENDEZ, JORGE; RAMIREZ, IVAN. Planet signatures and effect of the chemical evolution of the Galactic thin-disk stars. Astronomy & Astrophysics, v. 585, JAN 2016. (14/15706-9, 12/24392-2)

SCHIRBEL, LUCAS; MELENDEZ, JORGE; KARAKAS, AMANDA I.; RAMIREZ, IVAN; CASTRO, MATTHIEU; FARIA, MARCOS A.; LUGARO, MARIA; ASPLUND, MARTIN; MAIA, MARCELO TUCCI; YONG, DAVID; et al. HIP 10725: The first solar twin/analogue field blue straggler. Astronomy & Astrophysics, v. 584, DEC 2015. (13/25008-4, 12/24392-2)

RAMIREZ, I.; MELENDEZ, J.; ASPLUND, M.. Chemical signatures of planets: beyond solar-twins. Astronomy & Astrophysics, v. 561, JAN 2014. (12/24392-2)

REGGIANI, HENRIQUE; MELENDEZ, JORGE. Evidences of extragalactic origin and planet engulfment in the metal-poor twin pair HD 134439/HD 134440. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, v. 475, n. 3, p. 3502-3510, APR 2018. (12/24392-2, 14/18100-4)

DOS SANTOS, LEONARDO A.; MELENDEZ, JORGE; DO NASCIMENTO, JR., JOSE-DIAS; BEDELL, MEGAN; RAMIREZ, IVAN; BEAN, JACOB L.; ASPLUND, MARTIN; SPINA, LORENZO; DREIZLER, STEFAN; ALVES-BRITO, ALAN; et al. The Solar Twin Planet Search IV. The Sun as a typical rotator and evidence for a new rotational braking law for Sun-like stars. Astronomy & Astrophysics, v. 592, AUG 2016. (14/15706-9, 16/01684-9, 12/24392-2, 14/26908-1)

BOTELHO, R. B.; MILONE, A. DE C.; MELENDEZ, J.; BEDELL, M.; SPINA, L.; ASPLUND, M.; DOS SANTOS, L.; BEAN, J. L.; RAMIREZ, I.; YONG, D.; et al. Thorium in solar twins: implications for habitability in rocky planets. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, v. 482, n. 2, p. 1690-1700, JAN 2019. (12/24392-2)

MAIA, MARCELO TUCCI; MELENDEZ, JORGE; RAMIREZ, IVAN. HIGH PRECISION ABUNDANCES IN THE 16 Cyg BINARY SYSTEM: A SIGNATURE OF THE ROCKY CORE IN THE GIANT PLANET. Astrophysical Journal Letters, v. 790, n. 2, AUG 1 2014. (12/24392-2)

BEDELL, MEGAN; BEAN, JACOB L.; MELENDEZ, JORGE; MILLS, SEAN M.; FABRYCKY, DANIEL C.; FREITAS, FABRCIO C.; RAMIREZ, IVAN; ASPLUND, MARTIN; LIU, FAN; YONG, DAVID. Kepler-11 is a Solar Twin: Revising the Masses and Radii of Benchmark Planets via Precise Stellar Characterization. ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL, v. 839, n. 2, APR 20 2017. (12/24392-2)

FISHLOCK, C. K.; YONG, D.; KARAKAS, A. I.; ALVES-BRITO, A.; MELENDEZ, J.; NISSEN, P. E.; KOBAYASHI, C.; CASEY, A. R.. Sc and neutron-capture abundances in Galactic low- and high-alpha field halo stars. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, v. 466, n. 4, p. 4672-4682, MAY 2017. (12/24392-2, 14/18100-4)

SPINA, L.; MELENDEZ, J.; KARAKAS, A. I.; RAMIREZ, I.; MONROE, T. R.; ASPLUND, M.; YONG, D.. Nucleosynthetic history of elements in the Galactic disk [X/Fe]-age relations from high-precision spectroscopy. Astronomy & Astrophysics, v. 593, SEP 2016. (12/24392-2, 14/15706-9)

DOS SANTOS, LEONARDO A.; MELENDEZ, JORGE; BEDELL, MEGAN; BEAN, JACOB L.; SPINA, LORENZO; ALVES-BRITO, ALAN; DREIZLER, STEFAN; RAMIREZ, IVAN; ASPLUND, MARTIN. Spectroscopic binaries in the Solar Twin Planet Search program: from substellar-mass to M dwarf companions. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, v. 472, n. 3, p. 3425-3436, DEC 2017. (14/15706-9, 16/01684-9, 12/24392-2, 14/26908-1)

LIU, F.; YONG, D.; ASPLUND, M.; RAMIREZ, I.; MELENDEZ, J.; GUSTAFSSON, B.; HOWES, L. M.; ROEDERER, I. U.; LAMBERT, D. L.; BENSBY, T.. The detailed chemical composition of the terrestrial planet host Kepler-10. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, v. 456, n. 3, p. 2636-2646, MAR 1 2016. (12/24392-2)

CARLOS, MARILIA; NISSEN, POUL E.; MELENDEZ, JORGE. Correlation between lithium abundances and ages of solar twin stars. Astronomy & Astrophysics, v. 587, MAR 2016. (12/24392-2)

LIU, F.; YONG, D.; ASPLUND, M.; RAMIREZ, I.; MELENDEZ, J.. The Hyades open cluster is chemically inhomogeneous. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, v. 457, n. 4, p. 3934-3948, APR 21 2016. (12/24392-2)

YONG, DAVID; MELENDEZ, JORGE; GRUNDAHL, FRANK; ROEDERER, IAN U.; NORRIS, JOHN E.; MILONE, A. P.; MARINO, A. F.; COELHO, P.; MCARTHUR, BARBARA E.; LIND, K.; et al. High precision differential abundance measurements in globular clusters: chemical inhomogeneities in NGC 6752. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, v. 434, n. 4, p. 3542-3565, OCT 2013. (08/58406-4, 12/24392-2, 10/17510-3)

DO NASCIMENTO, JR., J. -D.; TAKEDA, Y.; MELENDEZ, J.; DA COSTA, J. S.; PORTO DE MELLO, G. F.; CASTRO, M.. THE FUTURE OF THE SUN: AN EVOLVED SOLAR TWIN REVEALED BY CoRoT. Astrophysical Journal Letters, v. 771, n. 2, JUL 10 2013. (12/24392-2, 10/17510-3)

RAMIREZ, I.; MELENDEZ, J.; ASPLUND, M.. Chemical signatures of planets: beyond solar-twins. ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS, v. 561, p. 16-pg., 2014-01-01. (12/24392-2)

MELENDEZ, JORGE; FELTZING, S; ZHAO, G; WALTON, NA; WHITELOCK, PA. The Sun. A typical star in the solar neighborhood?. SETTING THE SCENE FOR GAIA AND LAMOST, v. 9, n. 298, p. 12-pg., 2014-01-01. (12/24392-2)

MELENDEZ, JORGE; SCHIRBEL, LUCAS; MONROE, TALAWANDA R.; YONG, DAVID; RAMIREZ, IVAN; ASPLUND, MARTIN. HIP 114328: a new refractory-poor and Li-poor solar twin. ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS, v. 567, p. 5-pg., 2014-07-01. (12/24392-2, 13/25008-4, 10/19810-4)

MELENDEZ, JORGE; PLACCO, VINICIUS M.; TUCCI-MAIA, MARCELO; RAMIREZ, IVAN; LI, TING S.; PEREZ, GABRIEL. 2MASS J18082002-5104378: The brightest (V=11.9) ultra metal-poor star. ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS, v. 585, p. 5-pg., 2016-01-01. (12/24392-2, 10/50930-6)