Serendipitous discovery of the faint solar twin Inti 1

Serendipitous discovery of the faint solar twin Inti 1

Authors:

Galarza et al

Abstract:

Methods.

We determine the atmospheric parameters and differential abundances using high-resolution (R≈50000), high signal-to-noise (S/N ≈ 110 - 240 per pixel) Keck HIRES spectra for our solar twin candidate, the previously known solar twin HD 45184, and the Sun.

Results.

For the bright solar twin HD 45184, we found Teff=5864±9 K, log g=4.45±0.03 dex, vt=1.11±0.02 km s−1, and [Fe/H]=0.04±0.01 dex, which are in good agreement with previous works. The star Inti 1 has atmospheric parameters Teff=5837±11 K, log g=4.42±0.03 dex, vt=1.04±0.02 km s−1, and [Fe/H]=0.07±0.01 dex that are higher than solar. The age and mass of the solar twin HD 45184 (3 Gyr and 1.05 M⊙) and the faint solar twin Inti 1 (4 Gyr and 1.04 M⊙) were estimated using isochrones. The differential analysis shows that HD 45184 presents an abundance pattern that is similar to typical nearby solar twins; this means this star has an enhanced refractory relative to volatile elements, while Inti 1 has an abundance pattern closer to solar, albeit somewhat enhanced in refractories. The abundance pattern of HD 45184 and Inti 1 could be reproduced by adding ≈3.5 M⊕ and ≈1.5 M⊕ of Earth-like material to the convective zone of the Sun.

Conclusions.

The star Inti 1 is a faint solar twin, therefore, it could be used to calibrate the zero points of different photometric systems. The distant solar twin Inti 1 has an abundance pattern similar to the Sun with only a minor enhancement in the refractory elements. It would be important to analyze other distant solar twins to verify whether they share the Sun's abundance pattern or if they are enhanced in refractories, as is the case in the majority of nearby solar twins.