Evolutions of Planetary Systems and the Role of Planetary Systems to Determine the Metallicity and Habitability of Exoplanets

Abstract

Planetary systems hold crucial clues about the factors dictating the fate of protoplanetary disks evolving into confirmed or unconfirmed exoplanets and serve as invaluable probes for elucidating the metallicity of host stars. While previous studies have indicated a correlation between high metallicity and the formation of gas giant planets, the extent to which stellar metallicity affects the formation of exoplanets remains uncertain. This study investigates 13,296 confirmed and unconfirmed exoplanets from NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program, including those resembling terrestrial bodies in our Solar System. First, based on the planetary attributes, using unsupervised machine learning (ML) techniques for all 13,296 exoplanets, I have devised a method to distinguish between confirmed and unconfirmed exoplanets located lightyears away from us. Second, utilizing modern supervised machine learning (ML) algorithms and statistical models, I have analyzed 5,573 confirmed exoplanets, collected from NASA Exoplanet Archive, to find out the key attributes impacting stellar metallicity and develop a predictive model to estimate the metallicity of any exoplanet. Finally, I have applied the model developed at the second stage to estimate the stellar metallicity of the unconfirmed exoplanets that will guide us about the potential stellar metallicity range to find higher probability of habitability of exoplanets. My research underscores the pivotal role of metallicity in shaping planetary system dynamics, shedding light on the prerequisites for habitable environments beyond our Solar System. My findings also reveal that larger planets tend to form around stars with higher metallicities. Moreover, I've noted a significant mass-radius relation disparity between low and high mass planets, suggesting fundamental density profile differences potentially linked to host star metallicity.

Keywords: Protoplanetary Disks, Planetary System, Exoplanets, Metallicity, Gas Giant Planets, Density Profile, Machine Learning