Speaker
Description
I will present our recent work (Mendigutía et al. A&A, submitted) on the surface lithium (Li) content of young intermediate-mass stars surrounded by protoplanetary disks, which constitutes the most complete Li analysis and dataset for “Intermediate-mass T Tauri” and “Herbig” stars to date. The Li content is a direct probe of stellar mixing and empirically constrains the transition from convective to radiative interiors that models predict during the pre-main-sequence evolution of such stars. We find stronger lithium depletion than expected. I will describe the connections between this result and how inner disk material is accreted onto the stellar surface, the mechanisms regulating the stellar rotation, and the possible presence of forming planets.
