Effect of Metallicity on the Evolution of the Habitable Zone from the Pre-Main Sequence to the Asymptotic Giant Branch and the Search for Life

Abstract

During the course of stellar evolution, the location and width of the habitable zone changes as the luminosity and radius of the star evolves. The duration of habitability for a planet located at a given distance from a star is greatly affected by the characteristics of the host star. A quantification of these effects can be used observationally in the search for life around nearby stars. The longer the duration of habitability, the more likely it is that life has evolved. The preparation of observational techniques aimed at detecting life would benefit from the scientific requirements deduced from the evolution of the habitable zone. We present a study of the evolution of the habitable zone around stars of 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 M${}_{\odot }$ for metallicities ranging from Z=0.0001 to Z=0.070. We also consider the evolution of the habitable zone from the pre-main sequence until the asymptotic giant branch is reached. We find that metallicity strongly affects the duration of the habitable zone for a planet as well as the distance from the host star where the duration is maximized. For a 1.0 M${}_{\odot }$ star with near Solar metallicity, Z=0.017, the duration of the habitable zone is $>$10 Gyr at distances 1.2 to 2.0 AU from the star, whereas the duration is $>$20 Gyr for high metallicity stars (Z=0.070) at distances of 0.7 to 1.8 AU, and $\sim$4 Gyr at distances of 1.8 to 3.3 AU for low metallicity stars (Z=0.0001). Corresponding results have been obtained for stars of 1.5 and 2.0 solar masses.

Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

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