The Influence of 10 Unique Chemical Elements in Shaping the Distribution
  of Kepler Planets
  The chemical abundances of planet-hosting stars offer a glimpse into the
composition of planet-forming environments. To further understand this
connection, we make the first ever measurement of the correlation between
planet occurrence and chemical abundances for ten different elements (C, Mg,
Al, Si, S, K, Ca, Mn, Fe, and Ni). Leveraging data from the Apache Point
Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) and Gaia to derive precise
stellar parameters ($\sigma_{R_\star}\approx2.3\%$,
$\sigma_{M_\star}\approx4.5\%$) for a sample of 1,018 Kepler Objects of
Interest, we construct a sample of well-vetted Kepler planets with precisely
measured radii ($\sigma_{R_p}\approx3.4\%$). After controlling for biases in
the Kepler detection pipeline and the selection function of the APOGEE survey,
we characterize the relationship between planet occurrence and chemical
abundance as the number density of nuclei of each element in a star's
photosphere raised to a power, $\beta$. $\beta$ varies by planet type, but is
consistent within our uncertainties across all ten elements. For hot planets
($P$ = 1-10 days), an enhancement in any element of 0.1 dex corresponds to an
increased occurrence of $\approx$20% for Super-Earths ($R_p=1-1.9R_\oplus$) and
$\approx$60% for Sub-Neptunes ($R_p=1.9-4R_\oplus$). Trends are weaker for warm
($P$ = 10-100 days) planets of all sizes and for all elements, with the
potential exception of Sub-Saturns ($R_p=4-8R_\oplus$). Finally, we conclude
this work with a caution to interpreting trends between planet occurrence and
stellar age due to degeneracies caused by Galactic chemical evolution and make
predictions for planet occurrence rates in nearby open clusters to facilitate
demographics studies of young planetary systems.
