English

Lithium in Wide Binaries: Effective Temperature Governs Depletion while Rotation Plays a Minor Role

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics 2026-03-20 v1

Abstract

Using a sample of 116 wide binary systems as coeval and chemically homogeneous stellar pairs, we investigate the factors governing lithium depletion in main-sequence stars. We recover the well-established morphology of the lithium--effective temperature (TeffT_{\mathrm{eff}}) relation, including the Li dip (6200--6600\,K), the Li plateau (6000--6200\,K), and a linear trend for cooler stars (TeffT_{\mathrm{eff}} << 6000\,K), where lithium abundance increases by \sim0.15\,dex per 100\,K. We demonstrate that the apparent correlation between projected rotational velocity (vsiniv\sin i) and lithium abundance is secondary to the underlying TeffT_{\mathrm{eff}} dependence; vsiniv\sin i is not an independent driver of lithium depletion in our sample. Notably, we identify an anomalous system within the Li dip where the primary star exhibits a \sim1.4\,dex lithium excess compared to its secondary companion at nearly identical TeffT_{\mathrm{eff}}. We discuss two plausible origins for this anomaly: external enrichment via planetesimal accretion or planetary engulfment, and binary interactions with an unresolved tertiary companion. Our results confirm TeffT_{\mathrm{eff}} as the dominant parameter controlling lithium depletion, while highlighting that additional, non-standard processes can occasionally produce significant lithium enrichment.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2603.18603,
  title  = {Lithium in Wide Binaries: Effective Temperature Governs Depletion while Rotation Plays a Minor Role},
  author = {Cheng-Cheng Xie and Hai-Jun Tian and Jian-Rong Shi and Ze-Ming Zhou},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2603.18603},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

19 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in ApJ