2014ApJ...790L..25M

We study the stars of the binary system 16 Cygni to determine with high precision their chemical composition. Knowing that the component B has a detected planet of at least 1.5 Jupiter masses, we investigate if there are chemical peculiarities that could be attributed to planet formation around this star. We perform a differential abundance analysis using high resolution (R = 81,000) and high S/N (∼700) CFHT/ESPaDOnS spectra of the 16 Cygni stars and the Sun; the latter was obtained from light reflected of asteroids. We determine differential abundances of the binary components relative to the Sun and between components A and B as well. We achieve a precision of σ ≲ 0.005 dex and a total error ∼0.01 dex for most elements. The effective temperatures and surface gravities found for 16 Cyg A and B are T_eff= 5830±7 K, log g = 4.30±0.02 dex, and T_eff= 5751±6 K, log g = 4.35±0.02 dex, respectively. The component 16 Cyg A has a metallicity ([Fe/H]) higher by 0.047±0.005 dex than 16 Cyg B, as well as a microturbulence velocity higher by 0.08 km/s. All elements show abundance differences between the binary components, but while the volatile difference is about 0.03 dex, the refractories differ by more and show a trend with condensation temperature, which could be interpreted as the signature of the rocky accretion core of the giant planet 16 Cyg Bb. We estimate a mass of about 1.5-6 M_⊕ for this rocky core, in good agreement with estimates of Jupiter's core.