Revisiting the pre-main-sequence evolution of stars I. Importance of accretion efficiency and deuterium abundance

Recent theoretical work has shown that the pre-main-sequence (PMS) evolution of stars is much more complex than previously envisioned. Instead of the traditional steady, one-dimensional solution, accretion may be episodic and not necessarily symmetrical, thereby affecting the energy deposited inside the star and its interior structure. Given this new framework, we want to understand what controls the evolution of accreting stars. We use the MESA stellar evolution code with various sets of conditions. In particular, we account for the (unknown) efficiency of accretion in burying gravitational energy into the protostar through a parameter, $\xi$, and we vary the amount of deuterium present. We confirm the findings of previous works that the evolution changes significantly with the amount of energy that is lost during accretion. We find that deuterium burning also regulates the PMS evolution. In the low-entropy accretion scenario, the evolutionary tracks in the H-R diagram are significantly different from the classical tracks and are sensitive to the deuterium content. A comparison of theoretical evolutionary tracks and observations allows us to exclude some cold accretion models ($\xi\sim 0$) with low deuterium abundances. We confirm that the luminosity spread seen in clusters can be explained by models with a somewhat inefficient injection of accretion heat. The resulting evolutionary tracks then become sensitive to the accretion heat efficiency, initial core entropy, and deuterium content. In this context, we predict that clusters with a higher D/H ratio should have less scatter in luminosity than clusters with a smaller D/H. Future work on this issue should include radiation-hydrodynamic simulations to determine the efficiency of accretion heating and further observations to investigate the deuterium content in star-forming regions. (abbrev.)Comment: Published in A&A. 16 pages, 14 figure

Revisiting the pre-main-sequence evolution of stars II. Consequences of planet formation on stellar surface composition

We want to investigate how planet formation is imprinted on stellar surface composition using up-to-date stellar evolution models. We simulate the evolution of pre-main-sequence stars as a function of the efficiency of heat injection during accretion, the deuterium mass fraction, and the stellar mass. For simplicity, we assume that planet formation leads to the late accretion of zero-metallicity gas, diluting the surface stellar composition as a function of the mass of the stellar outer convective zone. We adopt $150\,{\mathrm{M}_\oplus}(M_\star/\mathrm{M}_\odot)(Z/\mathrm{Z}_\odot)$ as an uncertain but plausible estimate of the mass of heavy elements that is not accreted by stars with giant planets, including our Sun. By combining our stellar evolution models to these estimates, we evaluate the consequences of planet formation on stellar surface composition. We show that after the first $\sim0.1$ Myr, the evolution of the convective zone follows classical evolutionary tracks within a factor of two in age. We find that planet formation should lead to a scatter in stellar surface composition that is larger for high-mass stars than for low-mass stars. We predict a spread in [Fe/H] of approximately $0.02$ dex for stars with $T_\mathrm{eff}\sim 5500\,$K, marginally compatible with differences in metallicities observed in some binary stars with planets. Stars with $T_\mathrm{eff}\geq 7000\,$K may show much larger [Fe/H] deficits, by 0.6 dex or more, compatible with the existence of refractory-poor $\lambda$ Boo stars. We also find that planet formation may explain the lack of refractory elements seen in the Sun as compared to solar twins, but only if the ice-to-rock ratio in the solar-system planets is less than $\approx0.4$ and planet formation began less than $\approx1.3$ Myr after the beginning of the formation of the Sun. (abbreviated)Comment: Accepted for publicatoin in A&A. 18 pages, 14 figure

Quantitative and qualitative characteristics of greenery in suburban residential districts of Metro Manila

This case study was conducted to better understand the present situation of urban greenery in Marikina City, in the suburbs of metropolitan Manila, a typical large Asian city. A vegetation survey was conducted in residential districts of Marikina City, and the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of trees were analyzed. Lot size had some influence on the quantity of greenery in residential lots. In smaller lots, however, quantity did not increase in proportion to lot size. It appears, then, that the land-use controls for individual lots did not function effectively. Quantitative differences of greenery were related to qualitative differences, depending on the year or period of development of the residential area. In the newly developed residential lots, the greenery is comprised mostly of ornamental trees. Under the present circumstances, there is no assurance of sustaining the desired quantity of greenery in smaller residential lots. From these results, we proposed that regulations on lot size/coverage and promotion of tree planting involving local residents are needed to sustain urban greenery in residential districts

Formation of a disc gap induced by a planet: Effect of the deviation from Keplerian disc rotation

The gap formation induced by a giant planet is important in the evolution of the planet and the protoplanetary disc. We examine the gap formation by a planet with a new formulation of one-dimensional viscous discs which takes into account the deviation from Keplerian disc rotation due to the steep gradient of the surface density. This formulation enables us to naturally include the Rayleigh stable condition for the disc rotation. It is found that the derivation from Keplerian disc rotation promotes the radial angular momentum transfer and makes the gap shallower than in the Keplerian case. For deep gaps, this shallowing effect becomes significant due to the Rayleigh condition. In our model, we also take into account the propagation of the density waves excited by the planet, which widens the range of the angular momentum deposition to the disc. The effect of the wave propagation makes the gap wider and shallower than the case with instantaneous wave damping. With these shallowing effects, our one-dimensional gap model is consistent with the recent hydrodynamic simulations.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA