Protostars and Planets VI, Heidelberg, July 15-20, 2013

Poster 2B077

ARE THERE CARBON-RICH PLANETESIMALS?

Xu, Siyi (UCLA)
Michael, Jura (UCLA)

Abstract:
Cosmochemically, carbon is the fourth most abundant element after H, He and O. However, it drops to the 10th most abundant element on Earth by mass. In the most carbon-rich meteorite, CI chondrites, the mass fraction of carbon is still down by a factor of 10 compared to the cosmic abundance. Carbon-rich objects are nowhere to be found in the solar system. Spectroscopic studies of externally-polluted white dwarfs provide a unique way to measure the bulk compositions of extrasolar planetesimals. Yet, the same carbon deficiency pattern persists from all available data even though there have been recent predictions for the existence of carbon-rich planets. Where are the carbon-rich planetesimals?

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