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Lithium Isotopic Abundances in Metal-poor Halo Stars
Very high quality spectra of 24 metal-poor halo dwarfs and subgiantshave been acquired with ESO's VLT/UVES for the purpose of determining Liisotopic abundances. The derived one-dimensional, non-LTE 7Li abundances from the Li I 670.8 nm line reveal a pronounceddependence on metallicity but with negligible scatter around this trend.Very good agreement is found between the abundances from the Li I 670.8nm line and the Li I 610.4 nm line. The estimated primordial 7Li abundance is7Li/H=(1.1-1.5)×10-10, which is a factor of3-4 lower than predicted from standard big bang nucleosynthesis with thebaryon density inferred from the cosmic microwave background.Interestingly, 6Li is detected in 9 of our 24 stars at the>=2 σ significance level. Our observations suggest theexistence of a 6Li plateau at the level oflogε6Li~0.8 however, taking into accountpredictions for 6Li destruction during the pre-main-sequenceevolution tilts the plateau such that the 6Li abundancesapparently increase with metallicity. Our most noteworthy result is thedetection of 6Li in the very metal-poor star LP 815-43. Sucha high 6Li abundance during these early Galactic epochs isvery difficult to achieve by Galactic cosmic-ray spallation andα-fusion reactions. It is concluded that both Li isotopes have apre-Galactic origin. Possible 6Li production channels includeprotogalactic shocks and late-decaying or annihilating supersymmetricparticles during the era of big bang nucleosynthesis. The presence of6Li limits the possible degree of stellar 7Lidepletion and thus sharpens the discrepancy with standard big bangnucleosynthesis.Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory,Paranal, Chile (observing programs 65.L-0131, 68.D-0091, and273.D-5043).
| Na, Mg and Al abundances as a population discriminant for nearby metal-poor stars
Aims.Parameters for 55 nearby metal-poor stars are determined usinghigh-resolution spectroscopy. Together with similar data taken from arecent analysis, they are used to show trends of their Galacticevolution with stellar [Fe/H] or [Mg/H] abundances. The separation ofabundance ratios between disk and halo stars is used as a basiccriterion for population membership. Methods.After carefulselection of a clean subsample free of suspected or known binaries andpeculiar stars, abundances of Mg, Na and Al are based on NLTE kineticequilibrium calculations applied to spectrum synthesis methods. Results.The relation between [Na/Mg] and [Fe/H] is a continuousenrichment through all three Galactic populations spanning a range ofvalues between a metal-poor plateau at [ Na/Mg] = -0.7 and solar values.[Al/Mg] displays a step-like difference between stars of the Galactichalo with overline[Al/Mg] -0.45 and the two disk populations withoverline[Al/Mg] +0.10. [Al/Mg] ratios, together with the [Mg/Fe]ratios, asymmetric drift velocities V, and stellar evolutionary ages,make possible the individual discrimination between stars of the thickdisk and the halo. At present, this evidence is limited by the smallnumber of stars, and by the theoretical and empirical uncertainties ofstellar age determinations, but it achieves a high significance. Conclusions.While the stellar sample is not complete with respect tospace volume, the resulting abundances indicate the necessity to revisecurrent models of chemical evolution to allow for an adequate productionof Al in early stellar generations.
| Chemical abundances of very metal-poor stars
High-resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio spectra of 32 verymetal-poor stars were obtained with the Coudé echellespectrograph mounted on the 2.16-m telescope at the NationalAstronomical Observatories (Xinglong, China). Equivalent widths of FeI,FeII, OI, NaI, MgI, AlI, SiI, SiII, KI, CaI, ScII, TiI, VI, CrI, MnI,NiI, CuI and BaII lines were measured. Stellar effective temperatureswere determined by colour indices. Stellar surface gravities werecalculated from Hipparcos parallaxes and stellar evolutionary tracks.Photospheric abundances of 16 elements were derived by localthermodynamical equilibrium analysis. Stellar space motions (U, V, W)and Galactic orbital parameters were calculated. Based on kinematics,sample stars were separated into dissipative collapse and accretioncomponents of halo population. The global kinematics of the twocomponents were analysed. Element abundances were discussed as functionsof metallicities. The results of oxygen and α-elements abundanceconfirmed the previous works. The [K/Fe] shows a gradual systematicincrease toward a lower metallicity, such as in the case ofα-elements. The [Ba/Fe] trend suggests that the s-processdominated Ba production at least for the metal-poor stars with[Fe/H]> -2.0.
| 6Li in the Atmosphere of GJ 117
We present high-resolution VLT UVES observations of the active K dwarfGJ 117. 6Li enhancement has been shown for energetic solarevents, one chromospherically active binary, and several dwarf halostars. Our analysis reveals the detection of 6Li on thissource with 6Li/7Li = 0.030 +/- 0.010. We found nosignificant contribution from other lines, including Ti I, in the Liprofile of GJ 117 and a template star of similar spectral type andmetallicity. We discuss the possibility for 6Li production byspallation and find it to be consistent with the activity levels of theobject.
| Implications of WMAP Observations on Li Abundance and Stellar Evolution Models
The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) determination of thebaryon-to-photon ratio implies, through big bang nucleosynthesis, acosmological Li abundance larger, by a factor of 2-3, than the Liabundance plateau observed in the oldest Population II stars. It is,however, inescapable that there be a reduction by a factor of at least1.6-2.0 of the surface Li abundance during the evolution of PopulationII field stars with [Fe/H]<=-1.5. That the observed Li should belower than cosmologically produced Li is expected from stellar evolutionmodels. Since at turnoff most of the Li abundance reduction is caused bygravitational settling, the presence of 6Li insome turnoff stars is also understood. Given that the WMAP implicationsfor Li cosmological abundance and the Li Spite plateau can be naturallyexplained by gravitational settling in the presence of weak turbulence,there appears little need for exotic physics as suggested by someauthors. Instead, there is a need for a better understanding ofturbulent transport in the radiative zones of stars. This requiressimulations from first principles. Rather strict upper limits toturbulent transport are determined for the Sun and Population II stars.
| The lithium content of the Galactic Halo stars
Thanks to the accurate determination of the baryon density of theuniverse by the recent cosmic microwave background experiments, updatedpredictions of the standard model of Big Bang nucleosynthesis now yieldthe initial abundance of the primordial light elements withunprecedented precision. In the case of ^7Li, the CMB+SBBN value issignificantly higher than the generally reported abundances for Pop IIstars along the so-called Spite plateau. In view of the crucialimportance of this disagreement, which has cosmological, galactic andstellar implications, we decided to tackle the most critical issues ofthe problem by revisiting a large sample of literature Li data in halostars that we assembled following some strict selection criteria on thequality of the original analyses. In the first part of the paper wefocus on the systematic uncertainties affecting the determination of theLi abundances, one of our main goal being to look for the "highestobservational accuracy achievable" for one of the largest sets of Liabundances ever assembled. We explore in great detail the temperaturescale issue with a special emphasis on reddening. We derive four sets ofeffective temperatures by applying the same colour {T}_eff calibrationbut making four different assumptions about reddening and determine theLTE lithium values for each of them. We compute the NLTE corrections andapply them to the LTE lithium abundances. We then focus on our "best"(i.e. most consistent) set of temperatures in order to discuss theinferred mean Li value and dispersion in several {T}_eff and metallicityintervals. The resulting mean Li values along the plateau for [Fe/H]≤ 1.5 are A(Li)_NLTE = 2.214±0.093 and 2.224±0.075when the lowest effective temperature considered is taken equal to 5700K and 6000 K respectively. This is a factor of 2.48 to 2.81 (dependingon the adopted SBBN model and on the effective temperature range chosento delimit the plateau) lower than the CMB+SBBN determination. We findno evidence of intrinsic dispersion. Assuming the correctness of theCMB+SBBN prediction, we are then left with the conclusion that the Liabundance along the plateau is not the pristine one, but that halo starshave undergone surface depletion during their evolution. In the secondpart of the paper we further dissect our sample in search of newconstraints on Li depletion in halo stars. By means of the Hipparcosparallaxes, we derive the evolutionary status of each of our samplestars, and re-discuss our derived Li abundances. A very surprisingresult emerges for the first time from this examination. Namely, themean Li value as well as the dispersion appear to be lower (althoughfully compatible within the errors) for the dwarfs than for the turnoffand subgiant stars. For our most homogeneous dwarfs-only sample with[Fe/H] ≤ 1.5, the mean Li abundances are A(L)_NLTE = 2.177±0.071 and 2.215±0.074 when the lowest effective temperatureconsidered is taken equal to 5700 K and 6000 K respectively. This is afactor of 2.52 to 3.06 (depending on the selected range in {T}_eff forthe plateau and on the SBBN predictions we compare to) lower than theCMB+SBBN primordial value. Instead, for the post-main sequence stars thecorresponding values are 2.260±0.1 and 2.235±0.077, whichcorrespond to a depletion factor of 2.28 to 2.52. These results,together with the finding that all the stars with Li abnormalities(strong deficiency or high content) lie on or originate from the hotside of the plateau, lead us to suggest that the most massive of thehalo stars have had a slightly different Li history than their lessmassive contemporaries. In turn, this puts strong new constraints on thepossible depletion mechanisms and reinforces Li as a stellartomographer.
| Early star formation in the Galaxy from beryllium and oxygen abundances
We investigate the evolution of the star formation rate in the earlyGalaxy using beryllium and oxygen abundances in metal poor stars.Specifically, we show that stars belonging to two previously identifiedkinematical classes (the so-called "accretion" and "dissipative"populations) are neatly separated in the [O/Fe] vs. log (Be/H) diagram.The dissipative population follows the predictions of our model ofGalactic evolution for the thick disk component, suggesting that theformation of this stellar population occurred on a timescalesignificantly longer (by a factor 5-10) than the accretioncomponent. The latter shows a large scatter in the [O/Fe] vs. log (Be/H)diagram, probably resulting from the inhomogeneous enrichment in oxygenand iron of the protogalactic gas. Despite the limitation of the sample,the data suggest that the combined use of products of spallationreactions (like beryllium) and elemental ratios of stellarnucleosynthesis products (like [O/Fe]) can constrain theoretical modelsfor the formation and early evolution of our Galaxy.
| Mg abundances in metal-poor halo stars as a tracer of early Galactic mixing
We present results of a detailed chemical analysis performed on 23main-sequence turnoff stars having -3.4 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ -2.2, asample selected to be highly homogeneous in Teff and log(g).We investigate the efficiency of mixing in the early Galaxy by means ofthe [Mg/Fe] ratio, and find that all values lie within a total range of0.2 dex, with a standard deviation about the mean of 0.06 dex,consistent with measurement errors. This implies there is little or nointrinsic scatter in the early ISM, as suggested also by the most recentresults from high-quality VLT observations. These results are incontrast with inhomogeneous Galactic chemical evolution (iGCE) modelsadopting present supernova (SN) II yields, which predict a peak-to-peakscatter in [Mg/Fe] as high as 1 dex at very low metallicity, with acorresponding standard deviation of about 0.4 dex. We propose thatcooling and mixing timescales should be investigated in iGCE models toaccount for the apparent disagreement with present observations. Thecontrast between the constancy and small dispersion of [Mg/Fe] reportedhere and the quite different behaviour of [Ba/Fe] indicates, accordingto this interpretation, that Mg and Ba are predominantly synthesised indifferent progenitor mass ranges.Table \ref{gftable} is only available in electronic form athttp://www.edpsciences.org
| The Indo-US Library of Coudé Feed Stellar Spectra
We have obtained spectra for 1273 stars using the 0.9 m coudéfeed telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. This telescope feedsthe coudé spectrograph of the 2.1 m telescope. The spectra havebeen obtained with the no. 5 camera of the coudé spectrograph anda Loral 3K×1K CCD. Two gratings have been used to provide spectralcoverage from 3460 to 9464 Å, at a resolution of ~1 Å FWHMand at an original dispersion of 0.44 Å pixel-1. For885 stars we have complete spectra over the entire 3460 to 9464 Åwavelength region (neglecting small gaps of less than 50 Å), andpartial spectral coverage for the remaining stars. The 1273 stars havebeen selected to provide broad coverage of the atmospheric parametersTeff, logg, and [Fe/H], as well as spectral type. The goal ofthe project is to provide a comprehensive library of stellar spectra foruse in the automated classification of stellar and galaxy spectra and ingalaxy population synthesis. In this paper we discuss thecharacteristics of the spectral library, viz., details of theobservations, data reduction procedures, and selection of stars. We alsopresent a few illustrations of the quality and information available inthe spectra. The first version of the complete spectral library is nowpublicly available from the National Optical Astronomy Observatory(NOAO) via ftp and http.
| Reappraising the Spite Lithium Plateau: Extremely Thin and Marginally Consistent with WMAP Data
The lithium abundance in 62 halo dwarfs is determined from accurateequivalent widths reported in the literature and an improved infraredflux method temperature scale. The Li abundance of 41 plateau stars(those with Teff>6000 K) is found to be independent oftemperature and metallicity, with a star-to-star scatter of only 0.06dex over a broad range of temperatures (6000K
| Boron Benchmarks for the Galactic Disk
Sixteen Population I solar-type dwarfs have been selected to ascertainthe baseline B abundance in the Galactic disk for a range of a factor of4 in metallicity: from [Fe/H] of -0.5 to +0.1. All the stars selectedare undepleted in Be, which ensures that they have also retained theirfull initial abundance of B. Evaluation of the trend of B with Feprovides a means to study the evolution of B in the Galactic disk. Weobserved 16 bright stars around the B I 2497 Å line, using theSTIS echelle spectrograph on HST. New observations of Li and Be in somestars were made, and previous abundance studies of Li and Be in thesestars were reevaluated using revised parameters and a modified spectralsynthesis code for consistency with the B measurements. Abundances of Bwere calculated by spectrum synthesis with the revised MOOG code, whichaccounts for the increased opacity in the UV due to metals; the LTE Babundances were then corrected for non-LTE effects. Four additionalstars with undepleted Be have HST B observations, which increase oursample to 20. For these disk stars there is a shallow slope for B versusFe and Be versus Fe, such that as Fe increases by a factor of 4, B andBe increase by 1.7 times. The slope for BLTE versus Fe is0.31+/-0.09, for BNLTE versus Fe 0.40+/-0.12, and for Beversus Fe 0.38+/-0.14. We have estimated the effect of additional UVopacity from Mg and find that an increase of 0.3 dex in Mg results in ahigher B abundances by 0.1 dex for all the disk stars. Individual starsare not consistently above (or below) the mean in both B and Be,implying that the star-to-star differences are not due to variations inthe elemental content of the ``natal'' clouds. We find that the trend ofB abundance with [Fe/H] is consistent with the general trend observed inhalo stars. If we connect the halo and disk stars, then an increase inthe Fe abundance by 103 is accompanied by increases of 100times in B and 550 times in Be. However, fitting two separate relationsfor the disk and the halo stars results in a somewhat steeper slope forBe for the halo stars (1.08+/-0.07) relative to the disk stars(0.38+/-0.14). This is the case for B also in LTE, with Bhalo(0.90+/-0.07) versus Bdisk (0.32+/-0.12). However, the NLTE Babundance increases more slowly for halo stars than the Be abundancedoes; since this is not predicted by light-element synthesis ordepletion, we suggest that a full NLTE analysis would be preferable tomaking the (small) corrections to the LTE abundances. Some of the lowestmetallicity stars are thought to have only upper limits on the Babundance; if that is the case, the NLTE B slope is steeper, nearing1.0. The abundance of B in the disk stars is observed to be a factor of~15+7-5 more than the abundance of Be in thesestars, a result consistent with the predictions of Galactic cosmic-ray(GCR) spallation, B/Be=15+/-5. The upper envelope for Li versus Feyields Li/B and Li/Be ratios that, when coupled with models andpredictions, indicate that 20%-45% of Li might be produced by GCRs.While there is no evidence to support the production of B by neutrinospallation, we cannot rule it out.Based on observations obtained with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope(HST) through the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operatedby the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.,under NASA contract NAS5-26555.
| Stellar Chemical Signatures and Hierarchical Galaxy Formation
To compare the chemistries of stars in the Milky Way dwarf spheroidal(dSph) satellite galaxies with stars in the Galaxy, we have compiled alarge sample of Galactic stellar abundances from the literature. Whenkinematic information is available, we have assigned the stars tostandard Galactic components through Bayesian classification based onGaussian velocity ellipsoids. As found in previous studies, the[α/Fe] ratios of most stars in the dSph galaxies are generallylower than similar metallicity Galactic stars in this extended sample.Our kinematically selected stars confirm this for the Galactic halo,thin-disk, and thick-disk components. There is marginal overlap in thelow [α/Fe] ratios between dSph stars and Galactic halo stars onextreme retrograde orbits (V<-420 km s-1), but this is notsupported by other element ratios. Other element ratios compared in thispaper include r- and s-process abundances, where we find a significantoffset in the [Y/Fe] ratios, which results in a large overabundance in[Ba/Y] in most dSph stars compared with Galactic stars. Thus, thechemical signatures of most of the dSph stars are distinct from thestars in each of the kinematic components of the Galaxy. This resultrules out continuous merging of low-mass galaxies similar to these dSphsatellites during the formation of the Galaxy. However, we do not ruleout very early merging of low-mass dwarf galaxies, since up to one-halfof the most metal-poor stars ([Fe/H]<=-1.8) have chemistries that arein fair agreement with Galactic halo stars. We also do not rule outmerging with higher mass galaxies, although we note that the LMC and theremnants of the Sgr dwarf galaxy are also chemically distinct from themajority of the Galactic halo stars. Formation of the Galaxy's thickdisk by heating of an old thin disk during a merger is also not ruledout; however, the Galaxy's thick disk itself cannot be comprised of theremnants from a low-mass (dSph) dwarf galaxy, nor of a high-mass dwarfgalaxy like the LMC or Sgr, because of differences in chemistry.The new and independent environments offered by the dSph galaxies alsoallow us to examine fundamental assumptions related to thenucleosynthesis of the elements. The metal-poor stars ([Fe/H]<=-1.8)in the dSph galaxies appear to have lower [Ca/Fe] and [Ti/Fe] than[Mg/Fe] ratios, unlike similar metallicity stars in the Galaxy.Predictions from the α-process (α-rich freeze-out) would beconsistent with this result if there have been a lack of hypernovae indSph galaxies. The α-process could also be responsible for thevery low Y abundances in the metal-poor stars in dSph's; since [La/Eu](and possibly [Ba/Eu]) are consistent with pure r-process results, thelow [Y/Eu] suggests a separate r-process site for this light(first-peak) r-process element. We also discuss SNe II rates and yieldsas other alternatives, however. In stars with higher metallicities([Fe/H]>=-1.8), contributions from the s-process are expected; [(Y,La, and Ba)/Eu] all rise as expected, and yet [Ba/Y] is still muchhigher in the dSph stars than similar metallicity Galactic stars. Thisresult is consistent with s-process contributions from lower metallicityAGB stars in dSph galaxies, and is in good agreement with the slowerchemical evolution expected in the low-mass dSph galaxies relative tothe Galaxy, such that the build-up of metals occurs over much longertimescales. Future investigations of nucleosynthetic constraints (aswell as galaxy formation and evolution) will require an examination ofmany stars within individual dwarf galaxies.Finally, the Na-Ni trend reported in 1997 by Nissen & Schuster isconfirmed in Galactic halo stars, but we discuss this in terms of thegeneral nucleosynthesis of neutron-rich elements. We do not confirm thatthe Na-Ni trend is related to the accretion of dSph galaxies in theGalactic halo.
| Empirically Constrained Color-Temperature Relations. II. uvby
A new grid of theoretical color indices for the Strömgren uvbyphotometric system has been derived from MARCS model atmospheres and SSGsynthetic spectra for cool dwarf and giant stars having-3.0<=[Fe/H]<=+0.5 and 3000<=Teff<=8000 K. Atwarmer temperatures (i.e., 8000-2.0. To overcome thisproblem, the theoretical indices at intermediate and high metallicitieshave been corrected using a set of color calibrations based on fieldstars having well-determined distances from Hipparcos, accurateTeff estimates from the infrared flux method, andspectroscopic [Fe/H] values. In contrast with Paper I, star clustersplayed only a minor role in this analysis in that they provided asupplementary constraint on the color corrections for cool dwarf starswith Teff<=5500 K. They were mainly used to test thecolor-Teff relations and, encouragingly, isochrones thatemploy the transformations derived in this study are able to reproducethe observed CMDs (involving u-v, v-b, and b-y colors) for a number ofopen and globular clusters (including M67, the Hyades, and 47 Tuc)rather well. Moreover, our interpretations of such data are verysimilar, if not identical, with those given in Paper I from aconsideration of BV(RI)C observations for the sameclusters-which provides a compelling argument in support of thecolor-Teff relations that are reported in both studies. Inthe present investigation, we have also analyzed the observedStrömgren photometry for the classic Population II subdwarfs,compared our ``final'' (b-y)-Teff relationship with thosederived empirically in a number of recent studies and examined in somedetail the dependence of the m1 index on [Fe/H].Based, in part, on observations made with the Nordic Optical Telescope,operated jointly on the island of La Palma by Denmark, Finland, Iceland,Norway, and Sweden, in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de losMuchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias.Based, in part, on observations obtained with the Danish 1.54 mtelescope at the European Southern Observatory, La Silla, Chile.
| A low upper-limit on the lithium isotope ratio in HD140283
We have obtained a high-S/N (900-1100), high-resolving-power (R= 95 000)spectrum of the metal-poor subgiant HD 140283 in an effort to measureits 6Li/7Li isotope ratio. From a 1-D atmosphericanalysis, we find a value consistent with zero,6Li/7Li = 0.001, with an upper limit of6Li/7Li < 0.018. This measurement supersedes anearlier detection (0.040 ± 0.015(1σ)) by one of theauthors. HD 140283 provides no support for the suggestion thatPopulation II stars may preserve their 6Li on the portion ofthe subgiant branch where 7Li is preserved. However, thisstar does not defeat the suggestion either; being at the cool end of thesubgiant branch of the Spite plateau, it may be sufficiently cool that6Li depletion has already set in, or the star may besufficiently metal poor that little Galactic production of6Li had occurred. Continued investigation of other subgiantsis necessary to test the idea. We also consider the implications of theHD 140283 upper limit in conjunction with other measurements for modelsof 6Li production by cosmic rays from supernovae andstructure formation shocks.Based on data collected at the Subaru Telescope, which is operated bythe National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.
| Cu and Zn in the early Galaxy
We present Cu and Zn abundances for 38 FGK stars, mostly dwarfs,spanning a metallicity range between solar and [Fe/H] = -3. Theabundances were obtained using Kurucz's local thermal equilibrium (LTE)model atmospheres and the near-UV lines of Cu I 3273.95 Å and Zn I3302.58 Å observed at high spectral resolution. The trend of[Cu/Fe] versus [Fe/H] is almost solar for [Fe/H] > -1 and thendecreases to a plateau <[Cu/Fe]> = -0.98 at [Fe/H] < -2.5,whereas the [Zn/Fe] trend is essentially solar for [Fe/H] > -2 andthen slightly increases at lower metallicities to an average value of<[Zn/Fe]> = +0.18. We compare our results with previous work onthese elements, and briefly discuss them in terms of nucleosynthesisprocesses. Predictions of halo chemical evolution fairly reproduce thetrends, especially the [Cu/Fe] plateau at very low metallicities, but toa lesser extent the higher [Zn/Fe] ratios at low metallicities,indicating possibly missing yields.
| Galactic evolution of nitrogen
We present detailed spectroscopic analysis of nitrogen abundances in 31unevolved metal-poor stars analysed by spectral synthesis of the near-UVNH band at 3360 Å observed at high resolution with varioustelescopes. We found that [N/Fe] scales with that of iron in themetallicity range -3.1 <[Fe/H]<0 with the slope 0.01±0.02.Furthermore, we derive uniform and accurate (N/O) ratios using oxygenabundances from near-UV OH lines obtained in our previous studies. Wefind that a primary component of nitrogen is required to explain theobservations. The NH lines are discovered in the VLT/UVES spectra of thevery metal-poor subdwarfs G64-12 and LP815-43 indicating that thesestars are N rich. The results are compared with theoretical models andobservations of extragalactic H II regions and Damped Lyα systems.This is the first direct comparison of the (N/O) ratios in these objectswith those in Galactic stars.
| Lithium Abundance of Metal-poor Stars
High-resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio spectra have been obtainedfor 32 metal-poor stars. The equivalent widths of Li λ6708Åwere measured and the lithium abundances were derived. The averagelithium abundance of 21 stars on the lithium plateau is 2.33±0.02dex. The Lithium plateau exhibits a marginal trend along metallicity,dA(Li)/d[Fe/H] = 0.12±0.06, and no clear trend with the effectivetemperature. The trend indicates that the abundance of lithium plateaumay not be primordial and that a part of the lithium was produced inGalactic Chemical Evolution (GCE).
| High-Precision Near-Infrared Photometry of a Large Sample of Bright Stars Visible from the Northern Hemisphere
We present the results of 8 yr of infrared photometric monitoring of alarge sample of stars visible from Teide Observatory (Tenerife, CanaryIslands). The final archive is made up of 10,949 photometric measuresthrough a standard InSb single-channel photometer system, principally inJHK, although some stars have measures in L'. The core of this list ofstars is the standard-star list developed for the Carlos SánchezTelescope. A total of 298 stars have been observed on at least twooccasions on a system carefully linked to the zero point defined byVega. We present high-precision photometry for these stars. The medianuncertainty in magnitude for stars with a minimum of four observationsand thus reliable statistics ranges from 0.0038 mag in J to 0.0033 magin K. Many of these stars are faint enough to be observable with arraydetectors (42 are K>8) and thus to permit a linkage of the bright andfaint infrared photometric systems. We also present photometry of anadditional 25 stars for which the original measures are no longeravailable, plus photometry in L' and/or M of 36 stars from the mainlist. We calculate the mean infrared colors of main-sequence stars fromA0 V to K5 V and show that the locus of the H-K color is linearlycorrelated with J-H. The rms dispersion in the correlation between J-Hand H-K is 0.0073 mag. We use the relationship to interpolate colors forall subclasses from A0 V to K5 V. We find that K and M main-sequence andgiant stars can be separated on the color-color diagram withhigh-precision near-infrared photometry and thus that photometry canallow us to identify potential mistakes in luminosity classclassification.
| STELIB: A library of stellar spectra at R ~ 2000
We present STELIB, a new spectroscopic stellar library, available athttp://webast.ast.obs-mip.fr/stelib. STELIB consists of an homogeneouslibrary of 249 stellar spectra in the visible range (3200 to 9500Å), with an intermediate spectral resolution (la 3 Å) andsampling (1 Å). This library includes stars of various spectraltypes and luminosity classes, spanning a relatively wide range inmetallicity. The spectral resolution, wavelength and spectral typecoverage of this library represents a substantial improvement overprevious libraries used in population synthesis models. The overallabsolute photometric uncertainty is 3%.Based on observations collected with the Jacobus Kaptein Telescope,(owned and operated jointly by the Particle Physics and AstronomyResearch Council of the UK, The Nederlandse Organisatie voorWetenschappelijk Onderzoek of The Netherlands and the Instituto deAstrofísica de Canarias of Spain and located in the SpanishObservatorio del Roque de Los Muchachos on La Palma which is operated bythe Instituto de AstrofÃsica de Canarias), the 2.3 mtelescope of the Australian National University at Siding Spring,Australia, and the VLT-UT1 Antu Telescope (ESO).Tables \ref{cat1} to \ref{cat6} and \ref{antab1} to A.7 are onlyavailable in electronic form at http://www.edpsciences.org. The StellarLibrary STELIB library is also available at the CDS, via anonymous ftpto cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/402/433
| Oxygen line formation in late-F through early-K disk/halo stars. Infrared O I triplet and [O I] lines
In order to investigate the formation of O I 7771-5 and [O I] 6300/6363lines, extensive non-LTE calculations for neutral atomic oxygen werecarried out for wide ranges of model atmosphere parameters, which areapplicable to early-K through late-F halo/disk stars of variousevolutionary stages.The formation of the triplet O I lines was found to be well described bythe classical two-level-atom scattering model, and the non-LTEcorrection is practically determined by the parameters of theline-transition itself without any significant relevance to the detailsof the oxygen atomic model. This simplifies the problem in the sensethat the non-LTE abundance correction is essentially determined only bythe line-strength (Wlambda ), if the atmospheric parametersof Teff, log g, and xi are given, without any explicitdependence of the metallicity; thus allowing a useful analytical formulawith tabulated numerical coefficients. On the other hand, ourcalculations lead to the robust conclusion that LTE is totally valid forthe forbidden [O I] lines.An extensive reanalysis of published equivalent-width data of O I 7771-5and [O I] 6300/6363 taken from various literature resulted in theconclusion that, while a reasonable consistency of O I and [O I]abundances was observed for disk stars (-1 <~ [Fe/H] <~ 0), theexistence of a systematic abundance discrepancy was confirmed between OI and [O I] lines in conspicuously metal-poor halo stars (-3 <~[Fe/H] <~ -1) without being removed by our non-LTE corrections, i.e.,the former being larger by ~ 0.3 dex at -3 <~ [Fe/H] <~ -2.An inspection of the parameter-dependence of this discordance indicatesthat the extent of the discrepancy tends to be comparatively lessenedfor higher Teff/log g stars, suggesting the preference ofdwarf (or subgiant) stars for studying the oxygen abundances ofmetal-poor stars.Tables 2, 5, and 7 are only available in electronic form, at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/402/343 and Table\ref{tab3} is only available in electronic form athttp://www.edpsciences.org
| The Evolution of Galactic Beryllium and Boron Traced by Magnesium and Calcium
Beryllium and boron abundances are consistently derived on the parameterscale of two recent uniform stellar Mg and Ca abundance studies, oneutilizing non-LTE parameters and abundances, the other assuming LTE. Theresults are used to explore the BeB-Mg and BeB-Ca relations at lowmetallicity as urged by B. D. Fields and coworkers. The slopes of alllogarithmic BeB-MgCa relations, regardless of light element (Be or B),metallicity tracer (Mg or Ca), or parameter scale (non-LTE or LTE), arefound to lie in the range 1.1-1.3. These results using theα-elements Mg and Ca confirm the need for a metal-poor ``primary''BeB production mechanism (perhaps in addition to standard Galacticcosmic rays) previously inferred from BeB-Fe and questioned BeB-Orelations.
| Stellar Mixing and the Primordial Lithium Abundance
We compare the properties of recent samples of the lithium abundances inhalo stars to one another and to the predictions of theoretical modelsincluding rotational mixing, and we examine the data for trends withmetal abundance. We apply two statistical tests to the data: aKolomorgorov-Smirnov (K-S) test sensitive to the behavior around thesample median, and Monte Carlo tests of the probability to draw theobserved number of outliers from the theoretical distributions. We findfrom a K-S test that in the absence of any correction for chemicalevolution, the Ryan, Norris, & Beers (RNB) sample is fullyconsistent with mild rotational mixing induced depletion and, therefore,with an initial lithium abundance higher than the observed value. Testsfor outliers depend sensitively on the threshold for defining theirpresence, but we find a 10%-45% probability that the RNB sample is drawnfrom the rotationally mixed models with a 0.2 dex median depletion withlower probabilities corresponding to higher depletion factors. Includingor excluding the one upper limit in the sample changes the absoluteprobabilities but does not affect the overall conclusions. When chemicalevolution trends (Li/H vs. Fe/H) are included in our analysis we findthat the dispersion in the RNB sample is not explained by chemicalevolution; the inferred bounds on lithium depletion from rotationalmixing are similar to those derived from models without chemicalevolution. Finally, we explore the differences between the RNB sampleand other halo star data sets. We find that differences in theequivalent width measurements are primarily responsible for differentobservational conclusions concerning the lithium dispersion in halostars. The different data sets are all consistent with mild stellardepletion, but the systematic errors arising from differentobservational data sets are a major component of the error budget andneed to be addressed. The implications for cosmology are discussed. Wefind that the standard big bang nucleosynthesis predicted lithiumabundance that corresponds to the deuterium abundance inferred fromobservations of high-redshift, low-metallicity QSO absorbers requireshalo star lithium depletion in an amount consistent with that from ourmodels of rotational mixing but inconsistent with no depletion.
| A Survey of Proper-Motion Stars. XVI. Orbital Solutions for 171 Single-lined Spectroscopic Binaries
We report 25,563 radial velocity measurements for 1359 single-linedstars in the Carney-Latham sample of 1464 stars selected for high propermotion. For 171 of these, we present spectroscopic orbital solutions. Wefind no obvious difference between the binary characteristics in thehalo and the disk populations. The observed frequency is the same, andthe period distributions are consistent with the hypothesis that the twosets of binaries were drawn from the same parent population. Thissuggests that metallicity in general, and radiative opacities inparticular, have little influence over the fragmentation process thatleads to short-period binaries. All the binaries with periods shorterthan 10 days have nearly circular orbits, while the binaries withperiods longer than 20 days exhibit a wide range of eccentricities and amedian value of 0.37. For the metal-poor high-velocity halo binaries inour sample, the transition from circular to eccentric orbits appears tooccur at about 20 days, supporting the conclusion that tidalcircularization on the main sequence is important for the oldestbinaries in the Galaxy. Some of the results presented here usedobservations made with the Multiple Mirror Telescope, a joint facilityof the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Arizona.
| Abundances and Kinematics of Field Stars. II. Kinematics and Abundance Relationships
As an investigation of the origin of ``α-poor'' halo stars, weanalyze kinematic and abundance data for 73 intermediate-metallicitystars (-1>[Fe/H]>=-2) selected from Paper I of this series. We findevidence for a connection between the kinematics and the enhancement ofcertain element-to-iron ([X/Fe]) ratios in these stars. Statisticallysignificant correlations were found between [X/Fe] and galacticrest-frame velocities (vRF) for Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, and Ni,with marginally significant correlations existing for Ti and Y as well.We also find that the [X/Fe] ratios for these elements all correlatewith a similar level of significance with [Na/Fe]. Finally, we comparethe abundances of these halo stars against those of stars in nearbydwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies. We find significant differencesbetween the abundance ratios in the dSph stars and halo stars of similarmetallicity. From this result, it is unlikely that the halo stars in thesolar neighborhood, including even the ``α-poor'' stars, were oncemembers of disrupted dSph galaxies similar to those studied to date.
| Abundances of Cu and Zn in metal-poor stars: Clues for Galaxy evolution
We present new observations of copper and zinc abundances in 90metal-poor stars, belonging to the metallicity range -3<[Fe/H]<-0.5. The present study is based on high resolutionspectroscopic measurements collected at the Haute Provence Observatoire(R= 42 000, S/N>100). The trend of Cu and Zn abundances as a functionof the metallicity [Fe/H] is discussed and compared to that of otherheavy elements beyond iron. We also estimate spatial velocities andgalactic orbital parameters for our target stars in order to disentanglethe population of disk stars from that of halo stars using kinematiccriteria. In the absence of a firm a priori knowledge of thenucleosynthesis mechanisms controlling Cu and Zn production, and of therelative stellar sites, we derive constraints on these last from thetrend of the observed ratios [Cu/Fe] and [Zn/Fe] throughout the historyof the Galaxy, as well as from a few well established properties ofbasic nucleosynthesis processes in stars. We thus confirm that theproduction of Cu and Zn requires a number of different sources (neutroncaptures in massive stars, s-processing in low and intermediate massstars, explosive nucleosynthesis in various supernova types). We alsoattempt a ranking of the relative roles played by different productionmechanisms, and verify these hints through a simple estimate of thegalactic enrichment in Cu and Zn. In agreement with suggestionspresented earlier, we find evidence that type Ia Supernovae must play arelevant role, especially for the production of Cu. Based on the spectracollected with the 1.93-m telescope of Haute Provence Observatory.
| O/Fe in metal-poor main sequence and subgiant stars
A study of the O/Fe ratio in metal-poor main sequence and subgiant starsis presented using the \ion{Oi},6300 Å line, the O I 7774 Åtriplet, and a selection of weak Fe Ii lines observed on high-resolutionspectra acquired with the VLT UVES spectrograph. The \ion{Oi line isdetected in the spectra of 18 stars with -2.4 < [Fe/H] < -0.5, andthe triplet is observed for 15 stars with Fe/H ranging from -1.0 to-2.7. The abundance analysis was made first using standard modelatmospheres taking into account non-LTE effects on the triplet: the\ion{Oi} line and the triplet give consistent results with [O/Fe]increasing quasi-linearly with decreasing [Fe/H] reaching [O/Fe] =~ +0.7at [Fe/H] = -2.5. This trend is in reasonable agreement with otherresults for [O/Fe] in metal-poor dwarfs obtained using standardatmospheres and both ultraviolet and infrared OH lines. There is alsobroad agreement with published results for [O/Fe] for giants obtainedusing standard model atmospheres and the \ion{Oi} line, and the OHinfrared lines, but the O I lines give higher [O/Fe] values which may,however, fall into place when non-LTE effects are considered. Whenhydrodynamical model atmospheres representing stellar granulation indwarf and subgiant stars replace standard models, the [O/Fe] from the\ion{Oi} and Fe Ii lines is decreased by an amount which increases withdecreasing [Fe/H]. These 3D effects on [O/Fe] is compounded by theopposite behaviour of the \ion{Oi} (continuous opacity effect) and Fe Iilines (excitation effect). The [O/Fe] vs. [Fe/H] relation remainsquasi-linear extending to [O/Fe] =~ +0.5 at [Fe/H] = -2.5, but with atendency of a plateau with [O/Fe] =~ +0.3 for -2.0 < [Fe/H] <-1.0, and a hint of cosmic scatter in [O/Fe] at [Fe/H] =~ -1.0. Use ofthe hydrodynamical models disturbs the broad agreement between theoxygen abundances from the \ion{Oi} , O I, and OH lines, but 3D non-LTEeffects may serve to erase these differences. The [O/Fe] values from the\ion{Oi} line and the hydrodynamical model atmospheres for dwarfs andsubgiant stars are lower than the values for giants using standard modelatmospheres and the \ion{Oi}, and O I lines. Based on observationscollected at the European Southern Observatory, Chile (ESO Nos.65.L-0131, 65.L-0507, and 67.D-0439).
| A New Model for the Evolution of Light Elements in an Inhomogeneous Galactic Halo
We present predictions of the evolution of the light elements, Li, Be,and B, in the early epochs of the Galactic halo, using a model ofsupernova-induced chemical evolution based on contributions fromsupernovae (SNe) and cosmic rays (CRs), as recently proposed byTsujimoto et al. and Suzuki et al. This model has the great advantage oftreating various elements self-consistently, even under inhomogeneousconditions, as might arise from stochastic star formation processestriggered by SN explosions. The most important prediction from our modelis that the abundances of light elements in extremely metal-poor starsmight be used as age indicators in the very early stages of an evolvinghalo population, at times when the abundances of heavy elements(``metallicity'') in most stars are dominated by local metal enrichmentdue to nearby SN events, and is poorly correlated with age. Plots of theexpected frequency distribution of stars in the age versus elementalabundance diagram show that the best ``cosmic clock'' is the6Li abundance. We have derived relationships among variouscosmic-ray parameters such as energy input to CRs by SNe, the spectralshape of the CRs, and the chemical composition in CRs, and find that wecan reproduce very well recent observations of 6Li, Be, and Bin metal-poor stars. Although our model is successful for certain setsof cosmic-ray parameters, larger energy should be absorbed by energeticparticles from each SN than required to the current situation ofGalactic disk. We discuss an alternative hypothesis of active galacticnuclei activity in the early Galaxy as another possible accelerator ofCRs.
| The Galactic Evolution of Beryllium and Boron Revisited
The largest, highest-quality, and most near-homogeneously treated extantavailable samples of Be, B, Fe, and O abundances are analyzed on fourdifferent stellar parameter scales, considering different O abundanceindicators and deriving uncertainties in their relation with therequired aid of jackknife and bootstrap simulations/resampling. Despitelarge slope and zero-point differences, the various Fe-poor([Fe/H]<~-1) BeB-FeO relations are found to be independent ofparameter scale within the present, sometimes substantial,uncertainties. Variations in the BeB-O relations (as large as 1.12dex/dex and 1.24 dex in slope and zero point) from differing Oindicators do significantly differ; surprisingly, the largestdifferences are within the same parameter scale and not across differentones. The well-defined mean Be-Fe relation isBe~Fe1.16+/-0.04 the B-Fe relation is virtually identical,B~Fe1.17+/-0.08. The BeB-mean O relations show smallerdispersion than BeB-OH or BeB-O I relations alone, because of thesignificant reduction in parameter uncertainties, and are in remarkableagreement, indicating Be~mean O1.51+/-0.05 and B~meanO1.61+/-0.12. The latter is in good agreement with the slope(B~O1.39+/-0.08) derived for metal-rich dwarfs by Smith etal. utilizing enhanced Mg I b-f opacity and presumed reliableλ6300 [O I] and λ6158 O I features. The BeB-FeO slopes arealso all in excellent agreement with the reanalysis of Garcia Lopez, whoutilizes a Hipparcos-based gravity scale. The equivalence of the Be- andB-FeO slopes limits prodigious ν-process 11B production atlow metallicity and suggests little Galactic evolution of the B/Beratio. The BeB-mean O slopes differ significantly from pure ``primary''and ``secondary'' values, requiring a combination of productionmechanisms. The differing behavior of [O/Fe] and [Be/Fe] with [Fe/H]seems to rule out production by accelerated CO-rich grain debris inejecta of Type II supernovae having progenitor masses M>~8Msolar. Instead, the data are in fine accord withnear-primary/intermediate BeB-FeO slopes produced by varioustwo-component models, including standard GCR and superbubble production.Such models with a low-energy cosmic-ray source from supernovaerestricted to very large progenitor mass may be consistent with thelarge Be abundance in the ultra-metal-poor dwarf G64-12 found by Primaset al.; however, they predict unobserved maxima in B/Be evolution near[Fe/H]~-2, produce too much total Li at intermediate metallicity, andhave been suggested to be energetically untenable. Superbubble modelsconsidering a range of supernova progenitor mass and a constantcosmic-ray source composition predict the inferred modest or flat slopesin B/Be evolution. These models face possible difficulties inreproducing any nonprimordial Be plateaus at very low [Fe/H], and notunderproducing 6Li for [Fe/H]<~-2 additional data arerequired to provide firmer observational constraints. The BeB/FeO ratiosdo not show consistent evidence for two metal-poor populations expectedfrom bimodal (isolated supernovae and collective supernovae insuperbubbles) production mechanisms, though these signatures may be lostin the scatter or have drastically different contributing fractions.Finally, comparison of the metal-poor BeB-Fe and BeB-mean O slopessuggests that [O/Fe]~-0.25 [Fe/H]-not constant, but not as steep assuggested in some recent analyses and in agreement with the shallow[O/Fe] increase with declining [Fe/H] suggested by King.
| Detection of Metal-poor Stars in the Direction of the North Galactic Pole
A simple approach to detecting metal-poor stars is to measure amagnesium index, which depends on the Mg H band plus the three nearby Mgb lines and is derived through intermediate-band interference filters.An empirically established line of demarcation in the Mg index versusB-V diagram separates metal-poor stars from solar-abundance stars. Afurther separation between metal-poor dwarfs and giants depends on B-Vprimarily dwarfs for B-V<0.55, giants for B-V>0.7, with both dwarfsand giants falling in the transition region. For the metal-poor giantsthe distance from the demarcation line correlates well with [Fe/H],permitting estimates of stellar abundances. Stars in two regions on thesky in the vicinity of the north Galactic pole have been observed withsuch a set of filters. Eighteen stars (6% of the population of 299) inthe sample covering the V range 8.7 to 15.6 and 48 stars (31% of thepopulation of 163) in a deeper probe to V=19.9 found through thisprocess are suspected metal-poor stars according to their Mg indices.Twenty-three are specifically deemed giants, with<[Fe/H]><=-1.5.
| An Analysis of the K I λ7698 Line Profile in the Halo Turnoff Star HD 84937 and Its Implications for Lithium Isotopic Studies
The line profile of the resonance line of K I at 7698 Å has beenanalyzed in the halo turnoff star HD 84937, using a high-resolution(λ/Δλ=110,000), high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N=550)spectrum. Three different groups have reported detecting 6Liin this star, based on a red asymmetry in the Li I λ6707 lineprofile (6Li displays an isotopic shift of about 0.15 Åto the red, relative to 7Li, in this line). It is possible,however, that convection could introduce this red asymmetry by massmotions of 7Li in the star's atmosphere. At the metallicityof HD 84937, the K I resonance line at 7698 Å is expected to havea similar line strength to the Li I λ6707 feature, and both theselines are resonance transitions. In addition, both potassium and lithiumhave similar first ionization potentials. The result of thesesimilarities is that the Li I and K I lines are formed at nearlyidentical regions in the atmosphere of HD 84937. This study presents aline profile analysis of the K I line, which has negligible isotopicsplitting and is effectively a single-component line, in HD 84937. Anypossible convective motions of sufficient magnitude to produce aspurious detection of 6Li should also produce detectableasymmetries in the K I line. No such asymmetries are found here,strengthening the case that the previously reported detections of6Li in HD 84937 are real.
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Vulpecula |
| Right ascension: | 19h32m31.91s |
| Declination: | +26°23'26.1" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 9.379 |
| Proper motion RA: | 3.4 |
| Proper motion Dec: | -172.9 |
| B-T magnitude: | 9.798 |
| V-T magnitude: | 9.414 |
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