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At least 145 records · Page 8

Analysis of Spectral Lines in Large Databases of Synthetic Spectra for Massive Stars

In this paper, we describe a program that identifies in the optical spectrum the main parameters of a spectral line, namely the initial and final wavelengths, and the line depth. Moreover, using numerical calculations, it identifies and removes adjacent lines. Next, the program calculates the equivalent width and the FWHM. The software was tested in a sample of 300 lines in two databases of synthetic spectra generated by the CMFGEN and PoWR codes, and 300 lines in observed spectra from the IACOB database, showing a Gaussian distribution of relative errors, from which it is inferred that 80% of the measured lines have errors less than 17% and only 5% of the lines have errors greater than 26%. The program was also run on the entire database of 45,000 CMFGEN and 202 POWR synthetic spectra, generating a library of H i, He i, and He ii lines necessary to feed the FITspec code for the derivation of stellar parameters: effective temperature, surface gravity, and luminosity.

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Neutral Metals in the Atmosphere of HD 149026b

Recent progress in high-dispersion spectroscopy has revealed the presence of vaporized heavy metals and ions in the atmosphere of hot Jupiters whose dayside temperature is larger than 2000 K, categorized as ultrahot Jupiters (UHJs). Using the archival data of high-resolution transmission spectroscopy obtained with the Subaru telescope, we searched for neutral metals in HD 149026b, a hot Jupiter cooler than UHJs. By removing stellar and telluric absorption and using a cross-correlation technique, we report a tentative detection of neutral titanium with 4.4σ and a marginal signal of neutral iron with 2.8σ in the atmosphere. This is the first detection of neutral titanium in an exoplanetary atmosphere. In this temperature range, titanium tends to form titanium oxide (TiO). The fact that we did not detect any signal from TiO suggests that the C/O ratio in the atmosphere is higher than the solar value. The detection of metals in the atmosphere of hot Jupiters cooler than UHJs will be useful for understanding the atmospheric structure and formation history of hot Jupiters.

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Constraining the Nature of the PDS 70 Protoplanets with VLTI/GRAVITY

We present K-band interferometric observations of the PDS 70 protoplanets along with their host star using VLTI/GRAVITY. We obtained K-band spectra and 100 μas precision astrometry of both PDS 70 b and c in two epochs, as well as spatially resolving the hot inner disk around the star. Rejecting unstable orbits, we found a nonzero eccentricity for PDS 70 b of 0.17 ± 0.06, a near-circular orbit for PDS 70 c, and an orbital configuration that is consistent with the planets migrating into a 2:1 mean motion resonance. Enforcing dynamical stability, we obtained a 95% upper limit on the mass of PDS 70 b of 10 M {sub Jup}, while the mass of PDS 70 c was unconstrained. The GRAVITY K-band spectra rules out pure blackbody models for the photospheres of both planets. Instead, the models with the most support from the data are planetary atmospheres that are dusty, but the nature of the dust is unclear. Any circumplanetary dust around these planets is not well constrained by the planets’ 1–5 μm spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and requires longer wavelength data to probe with SED analysis. However with VLTI/GRAVITY, we made the first observations of a circumplanetary environment with sub-astronomical-unit spatial resolution, placing an upper limit of 0.3 au on the size of a bright disk around PDS 70 b.

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A Multiwavelength Look at the GJ 9827 System: No Evidence of Extended Atmospheres in GJ 9827b and d from HST and CARMENES Data

GJ 9827 is a bright star hosting a planetary system with three transiting planets. As a multiplanet system with planets that sprawl within the boundaries of the radius gap between terrestrial and gaseous planets, GJ 9827 is an optimal target to study the evolution of the atmospheres of close-in planets with a common evolutionary history and their dependence from stellar irradiation. Here we report on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and CARMENES transit observations of GJ 9827 planets b and d. We performed a stellar and ISM characterization from the ultraviolet HST spectra, obtaining fluxes for Lyα and Mg ii of F(Lyα) = (5.42{sub −0.75}{sup +0.96}) × 10{sup −13} erg cm{sup −2} s{sup −1} and F(Mgii) = (5.64 ± 0.24) × 10{sup −14} erg cm{sup −2} s{sup −1}. We also investigated a possible absorption signature in Lyα in the atmosphere of GJ 9827b during a transit event from HST spectra, as well as Hα and He i signature for the atmosphere of GJ 9827b and d from CARMENES spectra. We found no evidence of an extended atmosphere in either of the planets. This result is also supported by our analytical estimations of mass loss based on the measured radiation fields for all three planets of this system, which led to a mass-loss rate of 0.4, 0.3, and 0.1 planetary masses per Gyr for GJ 9827b, c, and d, respectively. These values indicate that the planets could have lost their volatiles quickly in their evolution and probably do not retain an atmosphere at the current stage.

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The Pre-He White Dwarfs in Eclipsing Binaries. II. WASP 0843–11

We present the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) photometry and our high-resolution spectra of the EL CVn–type star 1SWASP J084356.46–113327.5 (WASP 0843–11), which consists of an F-type main-sequence (MS) star and a hotter low-mass helium white dwarf precursor (pre-He WD). In a spectral analysis, double-lined radial velocities (RVs) were obtained for the first time. From a simultaneous analysis of the TESS light and RV curves, the masses, radii, and temperatures of each component were determined to be M {sub 1} = 1.733 ± 0.031 M {sub ⊙}, M {sub 2} = 0.220 ± 0.008 M {sub ⊙}, R {sub 1} = 2.094 ± 0.013 R {sub ⊙}, R {sub 2} = 0.331 ± 0.003 R {sub ⊙}, T {sub 1} = 6960 ± 120 K, and T {sub 2} =9870 ± 310 K, respectively. According to their physical properties, the primary and secondary stars are located on the instability strips of δ Sct/γ Dor hybrids and extremely low-mass WDs, respectively. We applied multiple frequency analyses to the residual light curve after subtracting the binarity effects and detected a total of four independent frequencies. A frequency of f {sub 3} = 1.6356 day{sup −1} in the low-frequency region was reminiscent of γ Dor stars, while the other three frequencies of f {sub 2}, f {sub 15}, and f {sub 18} in the high-frequency region (150–196 day{sup −1}) are probably related to pre-He WD components. Our results demonstrate that the more massive MS primary star of WASP 0843–11 is a γ Dor pulsator, whereas the hotter secondary component is a pre-He WD with high-frequency pulsations.

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Interstellar Extinction, Polarization, and Grain Alignment in the Sh 2-185 (IC 59 and IC 63) Region

Optical and infrared continuum polarization from the interstellar medium is driven by radiative processes aligning the grains with the magnetic field. While a quantitative, predictive theory of radiative alignment torques (RATs) exists and has been extensively tested, several parameters of the theory remain to be fully constrained. In a recent paper, Medan & Andersson showed that the polarization efficiency (and therefore grain alignment efficiency) at different locations in the wall of the Local Bubble (LB) could be modeled as proportional to the integrated light intensity from the surrounding stars and OB associations. Here we probe that relationship at high radiation field intensities by studying the extinction and polarization in the two reflection nebulae IC 59 and IC 63 in the Sh 2-185 H ii region, illuminated by the B0 IV star γ Cassiopeia. We combine archival visual polarimetry with new seven-band photometry in the Vilnius system, to derive the polarization efficiency from the material. We find that the same linear relationship seen in the LB wall also applies to the Sh 2-185 region, strengthening the conclusion from the earlier study.

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The Binary INformation from Open Clusters Using SEDs (BINOCS) Project: Reliable Photometric Mass Determinations of Binary Star Systems in Clusters

We introduce a new binary detection technique, Binary INformation from Open Clusters using SEDs (binocs), which we show is able to determine reliable stellar multiplicity and masses over a much larger mass range than current approaches. This new technique determines accurate component masses of binary and single systems of the open clusters’ main sequence by comparing observed magnitudes from multiple photometric filters to synthetic star spectral energy distributions (SEDs), allowing us to systematically probe the binary population for low-mass stars in clusters for eight well-studied open clusters. We provide new deep, infrared photometric catalogs (1.2–8.0 μm) for the key open clusters NGC 1960 (M36), NGC 2099 (M37), NGC 2420, and NGC 2682 (M67), using observations from NOAO/NEWFIRM and Spitzer/IRAC. Using these deep multiwavelength catalogs, the binocs method is applied to these clusters to determine accurate component masses for unresolved cluster binaries. We explore binary fractions as a function of cluster age, Galactic location, and metallicity.

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Fundamental Parameters of the Eclipsing Binary DD CMa and Evidence for Mass Exchange

We present a detailed photometric and spectroscopic analysis of DD CMa, based on published survey photometry and new spectroscopic data. We find an improved orbital period of P {sub o} = 2.0084530(6) days. Our spectra reveal Hβ and Hα absorptions with weak emission shoulders, and we also find a color excess in the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer multiband photometry, interpreted as signatures of circumstellar matter. We model the V-band orbital light curve derived from the ASAS and ASAS-SN surveys, assuming a semidetached configuration and using the mass ratio and temperature of the hotter star derived from our spectroscopic analysis. Our model indicates that the system consists of a B2.5 dwarf and a B9 giant of radii 3.2 and 3.7 R {sub ⊙}, respectively, orbiting in a circular orbit of radius 6.75 R {sub ⊙}. We also found M {sub c} = 1.7 ± 0.1 M {sub ⊙}, T {sub c} = 11,350 ± 100 K, and M {sub h} = 6.4 ± 0.1 M {sub ⊙}, T {sub h} = 20,000 ± 500 K, for the cooler and hotter star, respectively. We find broad single emission peaks in Hα and Hβ after subtracting the synthetic stellar spectra. Our results are consistent with mass exchange between the stars and suggest the existence of a stream of gas being accreted onto the early B-type star.

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Terminus: A Versatile Simulator for Space-based Telescopes

Space-based telescopes offer unparalleled opportunities for characterizing exoplanets, solar system bodies, and stellar objects. However, observatories in low-Earth orbits (e.g., Hubble, CHaracterising ExOPlanets Satellite, Twinkle, and an ever-increasing number of cubesats) cannot always be continuously pointed at a target due to Earth obscuration. For exoplanet observations consisting of transit, or eclipse, spectroscopy, this causes gaps in the light curve, which reduces the information content and can diminish the science return of the observation. Terminus, a time-domain simulator, has been developed to model the occurrence of these gaps to predict the potential impact on future observations. The simulator is capable of radiometrically modeling exoplanet observations as well as producing light curves and spectra. Here, Terminus is baselined on the Twinkle mission, but the model can be adapted for any space-based telescope and is especially applicable to those in a low-Earth orbit. Terminus also has the capability to model observations of other targets such as asteroids or brown dwarfs.

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TESS Hunt for Young and Maturing Exoplanets (THYME). V. A Sub-Neptune Transiting a Young Star in a Newly Discovered 250 Myr Association

The detection and characterization of young planetary systems offer a direct path to study the processes that shape planet evolution. We report on the discovery of a sub-Neptune-sized planet orbiting the young star HD 110082 (TOI-1098). Transit events we initially detected during TESS Cycle 1 are validated with time-series photometry from Spitzer. High-contrast imaging and high-resolution, optical spectra are also obtained to characterize the stellar host and confirm the planetary nature of the transits. The host star is a late-F dwarf (M {sub ⋆} = 1.2M {sub ⊙}) with a low-mass, M dwarf binary companion (M {sub ⋆} = 0.26M {sub ⊙}) separated by nearly one arcminute (∼6200 au). Based on its rapid rotation and Lithium absorption, HD 110082 is young, but is not a member of any known group of young stars (despite proximity to the Octans association). To measure the age of the system, we search for coeval, phase-space neighbors and compile a sample of candidate siblings to compare with the empirical sequences of young clusters and to apply quantitative age-dating techniques. In doing so, we find that HD 110082 resides in a new young stellar association we designate MELANGE-1, with an age of 250{sub −70}{sup +50} Myr. Jointly modeling the TESS and Spitzer light curves, we measure a planetary orbital period of 10.1827 days and radius of R {sub p} = 3.2 ± 0.1R {sub ⊕}. HD 110082 b’s radius falls in the largest 12% of field-age systems with similar host-star mass and orbital period. This finding supports previous studies indicating that young planets have larger radii than their field-age counterparts.

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Detecting Atmospheric Molecules of Nontransiting Temperate Terrestrial Exoplanets Using High-resolution Spectroscopy in the Mid-infrared Domain

Motivated by the development of high-dispersion spectrographs in the mid-infrared (MIR) range, we study their application to the atmospheric characterization of nearby nontransiting temperate terrestrial planets around M-type stars. We examine the detectability of CO{sub 2}, H{sub 2}O, N{sub 2}O, and O{sub 3 }features in high-resolution planetary thermal emission spectra at 12–18 μm assuming an Earth-like profile and a simplified thermal structure. The molecular line width of such planets can be comparable to or broader than the Doppler shift due to the planetary orbital motion. Given the likely difficulty in knowing the high-resolution MIR spectrum of the host star with sufficient accuracy, we propose observing the target system at two quadrature phases and extracting the differential spectra as the planetary signal. In this case, the signals can be substantially suppressed compared with the case where the host star spectrum is perfectly known, as some parts of the spectral features do not remain in the differential spectra. Despite this self-subtraction, the CO{sub 2} and H{sub 2}O features of nearby (≲5 pc) systems with mid-/late-M host stars would be feasible with a 6.5 m class cryogenic space telescope, and orbital inclination could also be constrained for some of them. For CO{sub 2} and N{sub 2}O in a 1 bar Earth-like atmosphere, this method would be sensitive when the mixing ratio is 1–10{sup 3} ppm. The detectability of molecules except O{sub 3} is not significantly improved when the spectral resolution is higher than R≳10,000, although the constraint on the orbital inclination is improved. This study provides some benchmark cases useful for assessing the value of MIR high-resolution spectroscopy in terms of characterization of potentially habitable planets.

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The White Dwarfs of the Old, Solar-metallicity Open Star Cluster Messier 67: Properties and Progenitors

The old, solar-metallicity open cluster Messier 67 has long been considered a lynchpin in the study and understanding of the structure and evolution of solar-type stars. The same is arguably true for stellar remnants; the white dwarf population of M67 provides crucial observational data for understanding and interpreting white dwarf populations and evolution. In this work, we determine the white dwarf masses and derive their progenitor star masses using high signal-to-noise spectroscopy of warm (≳10,000 K) DA white dwarfs in the cluster. From this, we are able to derive each white dwarf’s position on the initial–final mass relation (IFMR), with an average M {sub WD} = 0.60 ± 0.01 M {sub ⊙} and progenitor mass M {sub i} = 1.52 ± 0.04 M {sub ⊙}. These values are fully consistent with recently published linear and piecewise linear fits to the semiempirical IFMR and provide a crucial, precise anchor point for the IFMR for solar-metallicity, low-mass stars. The mean mass of M67 white dwarfs is also consistent with the sharp narrow peak in the local field white dwarf mass distribution, indicating that a majority of recently formed field white dwarfs come from stars with progenitor masses of ≈1.5 M {sub ⊙}. Our results enable more precise modeling of the Galactic star formation rate encoded in the field white dwarf mass distribution.

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Spitzer IRAC Photometry of JWST Calibration Stars

We present infrared photometry of all 36 potential JWST calibrators for which there is archival Spitzer IRAC data. This photometry can then be used to inform the stellar models necessary to provide absolute calibration for all JWST instruments. We describe in detail the steps necessary to measure IRAC photometry from archive retrieval to photometric corrections. To validate our photometry, we examine the distribution of uncertainties from all detections in all four IRAC channels as well as compare the photometry and its uncertainties to those from models, ALLWISE, and the literature. Seventy-five percent of our detections have standard deviations per star of all observations within each channel of less than 3%. The median standard deviations are 1.2%, 1.3%, 1.1%, and 1.9% in [3.6]–[8.0], respectively. We find less than 8% standard deviations in differences of our photometry with ALLWISE and excellent agreement with literature values (less than 3% difference), lending credence to our measured fluxes. JWST is poised to do groundbreaking science, and accurate calibration and cross-calibration with other missions will be part of the underpinnings of that science.

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The HOSTS Survey: Evidence for an Extended Dust Disk and Constraints on the Presence of Giant Planets in the Habitable Zone of β Leo

The young (50–400 Myr) A3V star β Leo is a primary target to study the formation history and evolution of extrasolar planetary systems as one of the few stars with known hot (∼1600 K), warm (∼600 K), and cold (∼120 K) dust belt components. In this paper, we present deep mid-infrared measurements of the warm dust brightness obtained with the Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) as part of its exozodiacal dust survey (HOSTS). The measured excess is 0.47% ± 0.050% within the central 1.5 au, rising to 0.81% ± 0.026% within 4.5 au, outside the habitable zone of β Leo. This dust level is 50 ± 10 times greater than in the solar system’s zodiacal cloud. Poynting–Robertson drag on the cold dust detected by Spitzer, and Herschel underpredicts the dust present in the habitable zone of β Leo, suggesting an additional delivery mechanism (e.g., comets) or an additional belt at ∼5.5 au. A model of these dust components is provided that implies the absence of planets more than a few Saturn masses between ∼5 au and the outer belt at ∼40 au. We also observationally constrain giant planets with the LBTI imaging channel at 3.8 μm wavelength. Assuming an age of 50 Myr, any planet in the system between approximately 5–50 au must be less than a few Jupiter masses, consistent with our dust model. Taken together, these observations showcase the deep contrasts and detection capabilities attainable by the LBTI for both warm exozodiacal dust and giant exoplanets in or near the habitable zone of nearby stars.

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AX UMa, an ab-type RR Lyrae Star with a Rapidly Decreasing Pulsation Period, and Its Binarity

The pulsation periods of RR Lyrae stars usually vary with time, and they are often used as probes to study the mechanism behind the variation. After the early discovery that the pulsation period of the RR Lyrae star AX UMa decreased rapidly, in further research, we made multiband photometric observations of this star using the Sino-Thai 70 cm telescope and the 60 cm telescope at Yunnan Observatories, and collected its light-curve data from several photometry sky surveys. The O–C diagram confirmed that AX UMa has a rapid period decrease with a rate of −7.752 ± 0.005 days Myr{sup −1}, which indicates that it is the fastest-period decreasing ab-type RR Lyrae star in the Galactic field. Moreover, the O – C residuals contain additional periodic variations. We suppose that the variation with a long period is probably caused by the light-travel time effect as the star orbits in a binary system. The calculation shows that the lower mass limit of the companion is about 1 M {sub ⊙}. Combined with the full amplitudes and color indexes, we suggested that the companion is probably a hot subdwarf star. We compared the light curves of AX UMa and those of another binary evolution pulsator, OGLE-BLG-RRLYR-02792, and found that the former shows the characteristics of ab-type RR Lyrae stars, while the latter is more like an extreme long-period c-type RR Lyrae star. However, the absence of a bump in the light curves implies that the mass loss has occurred in the outer atmosphere of AX UMa. The special features of AX UMa make it worth more attention and further observations.

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Searching for Low-mass Population III Stars Disguised as White Dwarfs

It is uncertain whether or not low-mass Population III stars ever existed. While limits on the number density of Population III stars with M {sub *} ≈ 0.8 M {sub ⊙} have been derived, using Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data, little is known about the occurrence of Population III stars at lower masses. In the absence of reliable parallaxes, the spectra of metal-poor main-sequence (MPMS) stars with M {sub *} ≲ 0.8 M {sub ⊙} can easily be confused with those of cool white dwarfs. To resolve this ambiguity, in this paper we present a classifier that differentiates between MPMS stars and white dwarfs, based on photometry and/or spectroscopy without the use of parallax information. We build and train our classifier using state-of-the-art theoretical spectra, and evaluate it on existing SDSS-based classifications for objects with reliable Gaia DR2 parallaxes. We then apply our classifier to a large catalog of objects with SDSS photometry and spectroscopy to search for MPMS candidates. We discover several previously unknown, extremely metal-poor (EMP) candidate stars, and recover numerous confirmed EMP stars already noted in the literature. We conclude that archival SDSS spectroscopy has already been exhaustively searched for EMP stars. We predict that the lowest-mass stars of primordial composition will have redder optical-to-infrared colors than cool white dwarfs at constant effective temperature, due to surface gravity-dependent collision-induced absorption from molecular hydrogen. We suggest that the application of our classifier to data produced by next-generation spectroscopic surveys will set stronger constraints on the number density of low-mass Population III stars in the Milky Way.

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Resolving the Radio Emission from the Quasar P172+18 at z = 6.82

We present high angular resolution imaging of the quasar PSO J172.3556+18.7734 at z = 6.82 with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). This source currently holds the record of being the highest redshift radio-loud quasar. These observations reveal a dominant radio source with a flux density of 398.4 ± 61.4 μJy at 1.53 GHz, a deconvolved size of 9.9 × 3.5 mas (52.5 × 18.6 pc), and an intrinsic brightness temperature of (4.7 ± 0.7) × 10{sup 7} K. A weak unresolved radio extension from the main source is also detected at the ∼3.1σ level. The total flux density recovered with the VLBA at 1.53 GHz is consistent with that measured with the Very Large Array (VLA) at a similar frequency. The quasar is not detected at 4.67 GHz with the VLBA, suggesting a steep spectral index with a limit of α{sub 4.67}{sup 1.53}<−1.55. The quasar is also not detected with the VLBA at 7.67 GHz. The overall characteristics of the quasar suggest that it is a very young radio source similar to lower redshift gigahertz peaked spectrum radio sources, with an estimated kinematic age of ∼10{sup 3} yr. The VLA observations of this quasar revealed a second radio source in the field 23.″1 away. This radio source, which does not have an optical or IR counterpart, is not detected with the VLBA at any of the observed frequencies. Its nondetection at the lowest observed VLBA frequency suggests that it is resolved out, implying a size larger than ∼0.″17. It is thus likely situated at lower redshift than the quasar.

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Higher Compact Multiple Occurrence around Metal-poor M-dwarfs and Late-K-dwarfs

The planet–metallicity correlation serves as a potential link between exoplanet systems as we observe them today and the effects of bulk composition on the planet formation process. Many observers have noted a tendency for Jovian planets to form around stars with higher metallicities; however, there is no consensus on a trend for smaller planets. Here, we investigate the planet–metallicity correlation for rocky planets in single- and multi-planet systems around Kepler M-dwarf and late-K-dwarf stars. Due to molecular blanketing and the dim nature of these low-mass stars, it is difficult to make direct elemental abundance measurements via spectroscopy. We instead use a combination of accurate and uniformly measured parallaxes and photometry to obtain relative metallicities and validate this method with a subsample of spectroscopically determined metallicities. We use the Kolmogorov–Smirnov (K-S) test, Mann–Whitney U-test, and Anderson–Darling (AD) test to compare the compact multiple planetary systems with single-transiting planet systems and systems with no detected transiting planets. We find that the compact multiple planetary systems are derived from a statistically more metal-poor population, with a p-value of 0.015 in the K-S test, a p-value of 0.005 in the Mann–Whitney U-test, and a value of 2.574 in the AD test statistic, which exceeds the derived threshold for significance by a factor of 25. We conclude that metallicity plays a significant role in determining the architecture of rocky planet systems. Compact multiples either form more readily, or are more likely to survive on gigayear timescales, around metal-poor stars.

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