It has been suggested that β Pic b has a supersolar metallicity and subsolar C/O ratio. Assuming solar carbon and oxygen abundances for the star β Pic and therefore the planet’s parent protoplanetary disk, β Pic b’s C/O ratio suggests that it formed via core accretion between its parent protoplanetary disk’s H2O and CO2 ice lines. However, β Pic b’s high metallicity is difficult to reconcile with its mass Mp = 11.7 MJup. Massive stars can present peculiar photospheric abundances that are unlikely to record the abundances of their former protoplanetary disks. This issue can be…
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News Source: iopscience.iop.org