Carbon and oxygen abundances in FGK stars

We find that planet-bearing systems are enriched in these elements. We self-consistently measure N_C_/N_O_, which is thought to play a key role in planet formation.

We identify 46 stars with N_C_/N_O_>=1.00 as potential hosts of carbon-dominated exoplanets. We measure a downward trend in [O/Fe] versus [Fe/H] and find distinct trends in the thin and thick disks, supporting the work of Bensby et al. Finally, we measure sub-solar N_C_/N_O_=0.40^+0.11^_-0.07_, for WASP-12, a surprising result as this star is host to a transiting hot Jupiter whose dayside atmosphere was recently reported to have N_C_/N_O_>=1 by Madhusudhan et al. Our measurements are based on 15,000 high signal-to-noise spectra taken with the Keck 1 telescope as part of the California Planet Search.