Condition for dust evacuation from the first galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukushima, Hajime; Yajima, Hidenobu; Omukai, Kazuyuki

2018-06-01

Dust enables low-mass stars to form from low-metallicity gas by inducing fragmentation of clouds via cooling by thermal emission. Dust may, however, be evacuated from star-forming clouds due to the radiation force from massive stars. We study here the condition for dust evacuation by comparing the dust evacuation time with the time of cloud destruction due to either expansion of H II regions or supernovae. The cloud destruction time has a weak dependence on cloud radius, while the dust evacuation time is shorter for a cloud with a smaller radius. Dust evacuation, thus, occurs in compact star-forming clouds whose column density is NH ≃ 1024-1026 cm-2. The critical halo mass above which dust evacuation occurs is lower for higher formation red shift, e.g. ˜109 M⊙ at red shift z ˜ 3 and ˜107 M⊙ at z ˜ 9. In addition, the metallicity of the gas should be less than ˜10-2 Z⊙, otherwise attenuation by dust reduces the radiation force significantly. From the dust-evacuated gas, massive stars are likely to form, even with a metallicity above ˜10-5 Z⊙, the critical value for low-mass star formation due to dust cooling. This can explain the dearth of ultra-metal-poor stars with a metallicity lower than ˜10-4 Z⊙.

Looking for Galaxies in All the Right Places: A Search for Stellar Populations in ALFALFA’s Ultra-compact High Velocity Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janesh, William; Rhode, Katherine L.; Salzer, John J.; Janowiecki, Steven; Adams, Elizabeth; Haynes, Martha P.; Giovanelli, Riccardo; Cannon, John M.

2018-01-01

Nearby gas-rich dwarf galaxies are excellent laboratories for investigating the baryonic feedback processes that govern star formation and galaxy evolution in galaxies at the extreme end of the mass function. Detecting and studying such objects may help resolve the well-known tension between cosmological model predictions for low-mass dark matter halos and observations. The ALFALFA neutral hydrogen (Hi) survey has detected a sample of isolated ultra-compact high-velocity Hi clouds (UCHVCs) with kinematic properties that make them likely members of the Local Volume, but that have no optical counterparts in existing optical surveys. This UCHVC sample possesses Hi properties (at 1 Mpc, Hi masses of ~105-106 M⊙, Hi diameters of ~2-3 kpc, and dynamical masses of ~107-108 M⊙) similar to other known ultra-faint dwarf galaxies like Leo T. Following the discovery of Leo P, an extremely metal-poor, gas-rich star-forming dwarf galaxy associated with an ALFALFA UCHVC, we have initiated a campaign to obtain deep optical imaging of 56 UCHVCs using the wide field-of-view, high-resolution ODI camera on the WIYN 3.5-m telescope. Here we present a brief overview of our campaign to search for resolved stellar populations associated with the UCHVCs in our optical images, and initial results from our survey.After creating a stellar catalog from the pipeline-reduced and stacked ODI g- and i-band images, we apply a color-magnitude filter tuned for old, metal-poor stellar populations to select red giant branch stars at distances between 250 kpc and 2 Mpc. The spatial distribution of the stars selected by the filter is then smoothed, and overdensities in the fields are identified. Of the 22 targets analyzed to date, seven have associated stellar populations detected at a high confidence (92% to 99.9% significance). The detected objects have a range of distances (from 350 kpc to 1.6 Mpc) and have optical properties similar to those of ultra-faint dwarf galaxies. These objects have extreme Hi-to-stellar mass ratios, and given their isolation, may represent a progenitor population to the ultra-faint dwarfs. They also help constrain the conditions needed for star formation in the lowest-mass galaxies.

A chemical confirmation of the faint Boötes II dwarf spheroidal galaxy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Koch, Andreas; Rich, R. Michael, E-mail: akoch@lsw.uni-heidelberg.de

2014-10-10

We present a chemical abundance study of the brightest confirmed member star of the ultra-faint dwarf galaxy Boötes II from Keck/HIRES high-resolution spectroscopy at moderate signal-to-noise ratios. At [Fe/H] = –2.93 ± 0.03(stat.) ± 0.17(sys.), this star chemically resembles metal-poor halo field stars and the signatures of other faint dwarf spheroidal galaxies at the same metallicities in that it shows enhanced [α/Fe] ratios, Solar Fe-peak element abundances, and low upper limits on the neutron-capture element Ba. Moreover, this star shows no chemical peculiarities in any of the eight elements we were able to measure. This implies that the chemical outliersmore » found in other systems remain outliers pertaining to the unusual enrichment histories of the respective environments, while Boo II appears to have experienced an enrichment history typical of its very low mass. We also re-calibrated previous measurements of the galaxy's metallicity from the calcium triplet (CaT) and find a much lower value than reported before. The resulting broad metallicity spread, in excess of one dex, the very metal-poor mean, and the chemical abundance patterns of the present star imply that Boötes II is a low-mass, old, metal-poor dwarf galaxy and not an overdensity associated with the Sagittarius Stream as has been previously suggested based on its sky position and kinematics. The low, mean CaT metallicity of –2.7 dex falls right on the luminosity-metallicity relation delineated over four orders of magnitude from the more luminous to the faintest galaxies. Thus Boötes II's chemical enrichment appears representative of the galaxy's original mass, while tidal stripping and other mass loss mechanisms were probably not significant as for other low-mass satellites.« less

Stellar kinematics and metallicities in the ultra-faint dwarf galaxy Reticulum II

DOE PAGES

Simon, J. D.

2015-07-23

With this study, we present Magellan/M2FS, Very Large Telescope/GIRAFFE, and Gemini South/GMOS spectroscopy of the newly discovered Milky Way satellite Reticulum II. Based on the spectra of 25 Ret II member stars selected from Dark Energy Survey imaging, we measure a mean heliocentric velocity ofmore » $$62.8\\pm 0.5\\;\\mathrm{km}\\;{\\rm{s}}^{-1}$$ and a velocity dispersion of $$3.3\\pm 0.7\\;\\mathrm{km}\\;{\\rm{s}}^{-1}$$. The mass-to-light ratio of Ret II within its half-light radius is $$470\\pm 210\\ {M}_{\\odot }/{L}_{\\odot }$$, demonstrating that it is a strongly dark matter-dominated system. Despite its spatial proximity to the Magellanic Clouds, the radial velocity of Ret II differs from that of the LMC and SMC by 199 and 83 $$\\mathrm{km}\\ {{\\rm{s}}}^{-1}$$, respectively, suggesting that it is not gravitationally bound to the Magellanic system. The likely member stars of Ret II span 1.3 dex in metallicity, with a dispersion of 0.28 ± 0.09 dex, and we identify several extremely metal-poor stars with $${\\rm{[Fe/H]}}\\lt -3$$. In combination with its luminosity, size, and ellipticity, these results confirm that Ret II is an ultra-faint dwarf galaxy. With a mean metallicity of $${\\rm{[Fe/H]}}=-2.65\\pm 0.07$$, Ret II matches Segue 1 as the most metal-poor galaxy known. Although Ret II is the third-closest dwarf galaxy to the Milky Way, the line-of-sight integral of the dark matter density squared is $${\\mathrm{log}}_{10}(J)=18.8\\pm 0.6\\;\\;\\mathrm{GeV}{\\;}^{2}\\;{\\mathrm{cm}}^{-5}\\;$$ within 0fdg2, indicating that the predicted gamma-ray flux from dark matter annihilation in Ret II is lower than that of several other dwarf galaxies.« less

How Do Earth-Sized, Short-Period Planets Form?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-08-01

Matching theory to observation often requires creative detective work. In a new study, scientists have used a clever test to reveal clues about the birth of speedy, Earth-sized planets.Former Hot Jupiters?Artists impression of a hot Jupiter with an evaporating atmosphere. [NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech]Among the many different types of exoplanets weve observed, one unusual category is that of ultra-short-period planets. These roughly Earth-sized planets speed around their host stars at incredible rates, with periods of less than a day.How do planets in this odd category form? One popular theory is that they were previously hot Jupiters, especially massive gas giants orbiting very close to their host stars. The close orbit caused the planets atmospheres to be stripped away, leaving behind only their dense cores.In a new study, a team of astronomers led by Joshua Winn (Princeton University) has found a clever way to test this theory.Planetary radius vs. orbital period for the authors three statistical samples (colored markers) and the broader sample of stars in the California Kepler Survey. [Winn et al. 2017]Testing MetallicitiesStars hosting hot Jupiters have an interesting quirk: they typically have metallicities that are significantly higher than an average planet-hosting star. It is speculated that this is because planets are born from the same materials as their host stars, and hot Jupiters require the presence of more metals to be able to form.Regardless of the cause of this trend, if ultra-short-period planets are in fact the solid cores of former hot Jupiters, then the two categories of planets should have hosts with the same metallicity distributions. The ultra-short-period-planet hosts should therefore also be weighted to higher metallicities than average planet-hosting stars.To test this, the authors make spectroscopic measurements and gather data for a sample of stellar hosts split into three categories:64 ultra-short-period planets (orbital period shorter than a day)23 hot Jupiters (larger than 4 times Earths radius and orbital period shorter than 10 days)243 small hot planets (smaller than 4 times Earths radius and orbital period between 1 and 10 days)They then compare the metallicity distributions of these three groups.Back to the Drawing BoardMetallicity distributions of the three statistical samples. The hot-Jupiter hosts (orange) have different distribution than the others; it is weighted more toward higher metallicities. [Winn et al. 2017]Winn and collaborators find that hosts of ultra-short-period planets do not have the same metallicity distribution as hot-Jupiter hosts; the metallicities of hot-Jupiter hosts are significantly higher. The metallicity distributions for hosts of ultra-short-period planets and hosts of small hot planets were statistically indistinguishable, however.These results strongly suggest that the majority of ultra-short-period planets are not the cores of former hot Jupiters. Alternative options include the possibility that they are the cores of smaller planets, such as sub-Neptunes, or that they are the short-period extension of the distribution of close-in, small rocky planets that formed by core accretion.This narrowing of the options for the formation of ultra-short-period planets is certainly intriguing. We can hope to further explore possibilities in the future after the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellites (TESS) comes online next year; TESS is expected to discover many more ultra-short-period planets that are too faint for Kepler to detect.CitationJoshua N. Winn et al 2017 AJ 154 60. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aa7b7c

Evidence of enrichment by individual SN from elemental abundance ratios in the very metal-poor dSph galaxy Boötes I

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feltzing, S.; Eriksson, K.; Kleyna, J.; Wilkinson, M. I.

2009-12-01

Aims. We establish the mean metallicity from high-resolution spectroscopy for the recently found dwarf spheroidal galaxy Boötes I and test whether it is a common feature for ultra-faint dwarf spheroidal galaxies to show signs of inhomogeneous chemical evolution (e.g. as found in the Hercules dwarf spheroidal galaxy). Methods: We analyse high-resolution, moderate signal-to-noise spectra for seven red giant stars in the Boötes I dSph galaxy using standard abundance analysis techniques. In particular, we assume local thermodynamic equilibrium and employ spherical model atmospheres and codes that take the sphericity of the star into account when calculating the elemental abundances. Results: We confirm previous determinations of the mean metallicity of the Boötes I dwarf spheroidal galaxy to be -2.3 dex. Whilst five stars are clustered around this metallicity, one is significantly more metal-poor, at -2.9 dex, and one is more metal-rich at, -1.9 dex. Additionally, we find that one of the stars, Boo-127, shows an atypically high [Mg/Ca] ratio, indicative of stochastic enrichment processes within the dSph galaxy. Similar results have previously only been found in the Hercules and Draco dSph galaxies and appear, so far, to be unique to this type of galaxy. The data presented herein were obtained at the W.M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W.M. Keck Foundation.

Mapping out the origins of compact stellar systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romanowsky, Aaron J.; Brodie, Jean P.; SAGES Collaboration

2017-03-01

We present a suite of extragalactic explorations of the origins and nature of globular clusters (GCs) and ultra-compact dwarfs (UCDs), and the connections between them. An example of GC metallicity bimodality is shown to reflect underlying, distinct metal-poor and metal-rich stellar halo populations. Metallicity-matching methods are used to trace the birth sites and epochs of GCs in giant E/S0s, pointing to clumpy disk galaxies at z ~ 3 for the metal-rich GCs, and to a combination of accreted and in-situ formation modes at z ~ 5-6 for the metal-poor GCs. An increasingly diverse zoo of compact stellar systems is being discovered, including objects that bridge the gaps between UCDs and faint fuzzies, and between UCDs and compact ellipticals. Many of these have properties pointing to origins as the stripped nuclei of larger galaxies, and a smoking-gun example is presented of an ω Cen-like star cluster embedded in a tidal stream.

On the Nature of Ultra-faint Dwarf Galaxy Candidates. I. DES1, Eridanus III, and Tucana V

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conn, Blair C.; Jerjen, Helmut; Kim, Dongwon; Schirmer, Mischa

2018-01-01

We use deep Gemini/GMOS-S g, r photometry to study the three ultra-faint dwarf galaxy candidates DES1, Eridanus III (Eri III), and Tucana V (Tuc V). Their total luminosities, M V (DES1) = ‑1.42 ± 0.50 and M V (Eri III) = ‑2.07 ± 0.50, and mean metallicities, [{Fe}/{{H}}]=-{2.38}-0.19+0.21 and [{Fe}/{{H}}]=-{2.40}-0.12+0.19, are consistent with them being ultra-faint dwarf galaxies, as they fall just outside the 1σ confidence band of the luminosity–metallicity relation for Milky Way satellite galaxies. However, their positions in the size–luminosity relation suggest that they are star clusters. Interestingly, DES1 and Eri III are at relatively large Galactocentric distances, with DES1 located at {D}{GC}=74+/- 4 {kpc} and Eri III at {D}{GC}=91+/- 4 {kpc}. In projection, both objects are in the tail of gaseous filaments trailing the Magellanic Clouds and have similar 3D separations from the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC): {{Δ }}{D}{SMC,{DES}1}=31.7 kpc and {{Δ }}{D}{SMC,{Eri}{III}}=41.0 kpc, respectively. It is plausible that these stellar systems are metal-poor SMC satellites. Tuc V represents an interesting phenomenon in its own right. Our deep photometry at the nominal position of Tuc V reveals a low-level excess of stars at various locations across the GMOS field without a well-defined center. An SMC Northern Overdensity–like isochrone would be an adequate match to the Tuc V color–magnitude diagram, and the proximity to the SMC (12.°1 {{Δ }}{D}{SMC,{Tuc}{{V}}}=13 kpc) suggests that Tuc V is either a chance grouping of stars related to the SMC halo or a star cluster in an advanced stage of dissolution.

Stellar Archaeology: New Science with Old Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frebel, Anna

2011-01-01

The early chemical evolution of the Galaxy and the Universe is vital to our understanding of a host of astrophysical phenomena. Since the most metal-poor Galactic stars are relics from the high-redshift Universe, they probe the chemical and dynamical conditions as the Milky Way began to form, the origin and evolution of the elements, and the physics of nucleosynthesis. They also provide constraints on the nature of the first stars, their associated supernovae and initial mass function, and early star and galaxy formation. I will present exemplary metal-poor stars with which these different topics can be addressed. Those are the most metal-poor stars in the Galaxy ([Fe/H] < -5.0), and metal-poor stars with strong overabundances of heavy elements, in particular uranium and thorium, which can be used to radioactively date the stars to be 13 Gyr old. I will then transition to recent discoveries of metal-poor ([Fe/H] -3.0) stars in the least luminous dwarf satellites orbiting the Milky Way. Their stellar chemical signatures support the concept that small systems, analogous to the surviving dwarf galaxies, were the building blocks of the Milky Way's low-metallicity halo. This opens a new window for studying galaxy formation through stellar chemistry.

Chemical Abundances of Metal-poor RR Lyrae Stars in the Magellanic Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haschke, Raoul; Grebel, Eva K.; Frebel, Anna; Duffau, Sonia; Hansen, Camilla J.; Koch, Andreas

2012-09-01

We present for the first time a detailed spectroscopic study of chemical element abundances of metal-poor RR Lyrae stars in the Large and Small Magellanic Cloud (LMC and SMC). Using the MagE echelle spectrograph at the 6.5 m Magellan telescopes, we obtain medium resolution (R ~ 2000-6000) spectra of six RR Lyrae stars in the LMC and three RR Lyrae stars in the SMC. These stars were chosen because their previously determined photometric metallicities were among the lowest metallicities found for stars belonging to the old populations in the Magellanic Clouds. We find the spectroscopic metallicities of these stars to be as low as [Fe/H]spec = -2.7 dex, the lowest metallicity yet measured for any star in the Magellanic Clouds. We confirm that for metal-poor stars, the photometric metallicities from the Fourier decomposition of the light curves are systematically too high compared to their spectroscopic counterparts. However, for even more metal-poor stars below [Fe/H]phot < -2.8 dex this trend is reversed and the spectroscopic metallicities are systematically higher than the photometric estimates. We are able to determine abundance ratios for 10 chemical elements (Fe, Na, Mg, Al, Ca, Sc, Ti, Cr, Sr, and Ba), which extend the abundance measurements of chemical elements for RR Lyrae stars in the Clouds beyond [Fe/H] for the first time. For the overall [α/Fe] ratio, we obtain an overabundance of 0.36 dex, which is in very good agreement with results from metal-poor stars in the Milky Way halo as well as from the metal-poor tail in dwarf spheroidal galaxies. Comparing the abundances with those of the stars in the Milky Way halo we find that the abundance ratios of stars of both populations are consistent with another. Therefore, we conclude that from a chemical point of view early contributions from Magellanic-type galaxies to the formation of the Galactic halo as claimed in cosmological models are plausible. This paper includes data gathered with the 6.5 meter Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile.

SPECTROSCOPIC ANALYSIS OF METAL-POOR STARS FROM LAMOST: EARLY RESULTS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Hai-Ning; Zhao, Gang; Wang, Liang

2015-01-10

We report on early results from a pilot program searching for metal-poor stars with LAMOST and follow-up high-resolution observation acquired with the MIKE spectrograph attached to the Magellan II telescope. We performed detailed abundance analysis for eight objects with iron abundances [Fe/H] < -2.0, including five extremely metal-poor (EMP; [Fe/H] < -3.0) stars with two having [Fe/H] < -3.5. Among these objects, three are newly discovered EMP stars, one of which is confirmed for the first time with high-resolution spectral observations. Three program stars are regarded as carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars, including two stars with no enhancement in their neutron-capturemore » elements, which thus possibly belong to the class of CEMP-no stars; one of these objects also exhibits significant enhancement in nitrogen, and is thus a potential carbon and nitrogen-enhanced metal-poor star. The [X/Fe] ratios of the sample stars generally agree with those reported in the literature for other metal-poor stars in the same [Fe/H] range. We also compared the abundance patterns of individual program stars with the average abundance pattern of metal-poor stars and find only one chemically peculiar object with abundances of at least two elements (other than C and N) showing deviations larger than 0.5 dex. The distribution of [Sr/Ba] versus [Ba/H] agrees that an additional nucleosynthesis mechanism is needed aside from a single r-process. Two program stars with extremely low abundances of Sr and Ba support the prospect that both main and weak r-processes may have operated during the early phase of Galactic chemical evolution. The distribution of [C/N] shows that there are two groups of carbon-normal giants with different degrees of mixing. However, it is difficult to explain the observed behavior of the [C/N] of the nitrogen-enhanced unevolved stars based on current data.« less

The s-Process Nucleosynthesis in Extremely Metal-Poor Stars as the Generating Mechanism of Carbon Enhanced Metal-Poor Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suda, Takuma; Yamada, Shimako; Fujimoto, Masayuki Y.

The origin of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars plays a key role in characterising the formation and evolution of the first stars and the Galaxy since the extremely-metal-poor (EMP) stars with [Fe/H] ≤ -2.5 share the common features of carbon enhancement in their surface chemical compositions. The origin of these stars is not yet established due to the controversy of the origin of CEMP stars without the enhancement of s-process element abundances, i.e., so called CEMP-no stars. In this paper, we elaborate the s-process nucleosynthesis in the EMP AGB stars and explore the origin of CEMP stars. We find that the efficiency of the s-process is controlled by O rather than Fe at [Fe/H] ≲ -2. We demonstrate that the relative abundances of Sr, Ba, Pb to C are explained in terms of the wind accretion from AGB stars in binary systems.

The best and brightest metal-poor stars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schlaufman, Kevin C.; Casey, Andrew R., E-mail: kschlauf@mit.edu, E-mail: arc@ast.cam.ac.uk

2014-12-10

The chemical abundances of large samples of extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars can be used to investigate metal-free stellar populations, supernovae, and nucleosynthesis as well as the formation and galactic chemical evolution of the Milky Way and its progenitor halos. However, current progress on the study of EMP stars is being limited by their faint apparent magnitudes. The acquisition of high signal-to-noise spectra for faint EMP stars requires a major telescope time commitment, making the construction of large samples of EMP star abundances prohibitively expensive. We have developed a new, efficient selection that uses only public, all-sky APASS optical, 2MASS near-infrared,more » and WISE mid-infrared photometry to identify bright metal-poor star candidates through their lack of molecular absorption near 4.6 microns. We have used our selection to identify 11,916 metal-poor star candidates with V < 14, increasing the number of publicly available candidates by more than a factor of five in this magnitude range. Their bright apparent magnitudes have greatly eased high-resolution follow-up observations that have identified seven previously unknown stars with [Fe/H] ≲ –3.0. Our follow-up campaign has revealed that 3.8{sub −1.1}{sup +1.3}% of our candidates have [Fe/H] ≲ –3.0 and 32.5{sub −2.9}{sup +3.0}% have –3.0 ≲ [Fe/H] ≲ –2.0. The bulge is the most likely location of any existing Galactic Population III stars, and an infrared-only variant of our selection is well suited to the identification of metal-poor stars in the bulge. Indeed, two of our confirmed metal-poor stars with [Fe/H] ≲ –2.7 are within about 2 kpc of the Galactic center. They are among the most metal-poor stars known in the bulge.« less

Extremely metal-poor stars from the cosmic dawn in the bulge of the Milky Way.

PubMed

Howes, L M; Casey, A R; Asplund, M; Keller, S C; Yong, D; Nataf, D M; Poleski, R; Lind, K; Kobayashi, C; Owen, C I; Ness, M; Bessell, M S; Da Costa, G S; Schmidt, B P; Tisserand, P; Udalski, A; Szymański, M K; Soszyński, I; Pietrzyński, G; Ulaczyk, K; Wyrzykowski, Ł; Pietrukowicz, P; Skowron, J; Kozłowski, S; Mróz, P

2015-11-26

The first stars are predicted to have formed within 200 million years after the Big Bang, initiating the cosmic dawn. A true first star has not yet been discovered, although stars with tiny amounts of elements heavier than helium ('metals') have been found in the outer regions ('halo') of the Milky Way. The first stars and their immediate successors should, however, preferentially be found today in the central regions ('bulges') of galaxies, because they formed in the largest over-densities that grew gravitationally with time. The Milky Way bulge underwent a rapid chemical enrichment during the first 1-2 billion years, leading to a dearth of early, metal-poor stars. Here we report observations of extremely metal-poor stars in the Milky Way bulge, including one star with an iron abundance about 10,000 times lower than the solar value without noticeable carbon enhancement. We confirm that most of the metal-poor bulge stars are on tight orbits around the Galactic Centre, rather than being halo stars passing through the bulge, as expected for stars formed at redshifts greater than 15. Their chemical compositions are in general similar to typical halo stars of the same metallicity although intriguing differences exist, including lower abundances of carbon.

Lithium-rich very metal-poor stars discovered with LAMOST and Subaru

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aoki, Wako; Li, Haining; Matsuno, Tadafumi; Kumar, Yerra Bharat; Shi, Jianrong; Suda, Takuma; Zhao, Gang

2018-04-01

Lithium is a unique element that is produced in the Big Bang nucleosynthesis but is destroyed by nuclear reactions inside stars. As a result, almost constant lithium abundance is found in unevolved main-sequence metal-poor stars, although the value is systematically lower than that expected from the standard Big Bang nucleosynthesis models, whereas lithium abundances of red giants are more than one order of magnitudes lower than those of unevolved stars. There are, however, a small fraction of metal-poor stars that show extremely high lithium abundances, which is not explained by standard stellar evolution models. We have discovered 12 new very metal-poor stars that have enhancement of lithium by more than 10 times compared with typical metal-poor stars at similar evolutionary stages by the large-scale spectroscopic survey with LAMOST and the follow-up high-resolution spectroscopy with the Subaru Telescope. The sample shows a wide distribution of evolutionary stages from subgiants to red giants with the metallicity of -3.3 <[Fe/H]< -1.6. The chemical abundance ratios of other elements have been obtained by our spectroscopic study, and an estimate of the binary frequency by radial velocity monitoring is ongoing. The observational results provide new constraints on the scenarios to explain lithium-rich metal-poor stars, such as extra mixing during the evolution along the red giant branch, mass-transfer from a companion AGB star, and engulfment of planet-like objects. These explanations are very unlikely for at least some of lithium-rich objects in our sample, suggesting a new mechanism that enhances lithium during the low-mass star evolution.

Observing metal-poor stars with X-Shooter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caffau, E.; Bonifacio, P.; Sbordone, L.; Monaco, L.; François; , P.

The extremely metal-poor stars (EMP) hold in their atmospheres the fossil record of the chemical composition of the early phases of the Galactic evolution. The chemical analysis of such objects provides important constraints on these early phases. EMP stars are very rare objects; to dig them out large amounts of data have to be considered. With an automatic procedure, we analysed objects with colours of Turn-Off stars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to select a sample of good candidate EMP stars. During the French-Italian GTO of the spectrograph X-Shooter, we observed a sample of these candidates. We could confirm the low metallicity of our sample of stars, and we succeeded in finding a record metal-poor star.

A Search for Nitrogen-enhanced Metal-poor Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Jennifer A.; Herwig, Falk; Beers, Timothy C.; Christlieb, Norbert

2007-04-01

Theoretical models of very metal-poor intermediate-mass asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars predict a large overabundance of primary nitrogen. The very metal-poor, carbon-enhanced, s-process-rich stars, which are thought to be the polluted companions of now extinct AGB stars, provide direct tests of the predictions of these models. Recent studies of the carbon and nitrogen abundances in metal-poor stars have focused on the most carbon-rich stars, leading to a potential selection bias against stars that have been polluted by AGB stars that produced large amounts of nitrogen and hence have small [C/N] ratios. We call these stars nitrogen-enhanced metal-poor (NEMP) stars and define them as having [N/Fe]>+0.5 and [C/N]<-0.5. In this paper we report on the [C/N] abundances of a sample of 21 carbon-enhanced stars, all but three of which have [C/Fe]<+2.0. If NEMP stars were made as easily as carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars, then we expected to find between two and seven NEMP stars. Instead, we found no NEMP stars in our sample. Therefore, this observational bias is not an important contributor to the apparent dearth of N-rich stars. Our [C/N] values are in the same range as values reported previously in the literature (-0.5 to +2.0), and all stars are in disagreement with the predicted [C/N] ratios for both low- and high-mass AGB stars. We suggest that the decrease in [C/N] from the low-mass AGB models is due to enhanced extramixing, while the lack of NEMP stars may be caused by unfavorable mass ratios in binaries or the difficulty of mass transfer in binary systems with large mass ratios. Based on observations obtained at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory and Kitt Peak National Observatory, a division of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation.

High-Resolution Spectroscopic Study of Extremely Metal-Poor Star Candidates from the SkyMapper Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobson, Heather R.; Keller, Stefan; Frebel, Anna; Casey, Andrew R.; Asplund, Martin; Bessell, Michael S.; Da Costa, Gary S.; Lind, Karin; Marino, Anna F.; Norris, John E.; Peña, José M.; Schmidt, Brian P.; Tisserand, Patrick; Walsh, Jennifer M.; Yong, David; Yu, Qinsi

2015-07-01

The SkyMapper Southern Sky Survey is carrying out a search for the most metal-poor stars in the Galaxy. It identifies candidates by way of its unique filter set which allows for estimation of stellar atmospheric parameters. The set includes a narrow filter centered on the Ca ii K 3933 Å line, enabling a robust estimate of stellar metallicity. Promising candidates are then confirmed with spectroscopy. We present the analysis of Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle high-resolution spectroscopy of 122 metal-poor stars found by SkyMapper in the first two years of commissioning observations. Forty-one stars have [{Fe}/{{H}}]≤slant -3.0. Nine have [{Fe}/{{H}}]≤slant -3.5, with three at [{Fe}/{{H}}]∼ -4. A 1D LTE abundance analysis of the elements Li, C, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Sc, Ti, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Zn, Sr, Ba, and Eu shows these stars have [X/Fe] ratios typical of other halo stars. One star with low [X/Fe] values appears to be “Fe-enhanced,” while another star has an extremely large [Sr/Ba] ratio: \\gt 2. Only one other star is known to have a comparable value. Seven stars are “CEMP-no” stars ([{{C}}/{Fe}]\\gt 0.7, [{Ba}/{Fe}]\\lt 0). 21 stars exhibit mild r-process element enhancements (0.3≤slant [{Eu}/{Fe}]\\lt 1.0), while four stars have [{Eu}/{Fe}]≥slant 1.0. These results demonstrate the ability to identify extremely metal-poor stars from SkyMapper photometry, pointing to increased sample sizes and a better characterization of the metal-poor tail of the halo metallicity distribution function in the future. This paper includes data gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile.

VERY METAL-POOR STARS IN THE OUTER GALACTIC BULGE FOUND BY THE APOGEE SURVEY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Garcia Perez, Ana E.; Majewski, Steven R.; Hearty, Fred R.

2013-04-10

Despite its importance for understanding the nature of early stellar generations and for constraining Galactic bulge formation models, at present little is known about the metal-poor stellar content of the central Milky Way. This is a consequence of the great distances involved and intervening dust obscuration, which challenge optical studies. However, the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE), a wide-area, multifiber, high-resolution spectroscopic survey within Sloan Digital Sky Survey III, is exploring the chemistry of all Galactic stellar populations at infrared wavelengths, with particular emphasis on the disk and the bulge. An automated spectral analysis of data on 2403more » giant stars in 12 fields in the bulge obtained during APOGEE commissioning yielded five stars with low metallicity ([Fe/H] {<=} -1.7), including two that are very metal-poor [Fe/H] {approx} -2.1 by bulge standards. Luminosity-based distance estimates place the 5 stars within the outer bulge, where 1246 of the other analyzed stars may reside. A manual reanalysis of the spectra verifies the low metallicities, and finds these stars to be enhanced in the {alpha}-elements O, Mg, and Si without significant {alpha}-pattern differences with other local halo or metal-weak thick-disk stars of similar metallicity, or even with other more metal-rich bulge stars. While neither the kinematics nor chemistry of these stars can yet definitively determine which, if any, are truly bulge members, rather than denizens of other populations co-located with the bulge, the newly identified stars reveal that the chemistry of metal-poor stars in the central Galaxy resembles that of metal-weak thick-disk stars at similar metallicity.« less

Absence of a Metallicity Effect for Ultra-short-period Planets

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Winn, Joshua N.; Sanchis-Ojeda, Roberto; Isaacson, Howard

Ultra-short-period (USP) planets are a newly recognized class of planets with periods shorter than one day and radii smaller than about 2  R {sub ⊕}. It has been proposed that USP planets are the solid cores of hot Jupiters that have lost their gaseous envelopes due to photo-evaporation or Roche lobe overflow. We test this hypothesis by asking whether USP planets are associated with metal-rich stars, as has long been observed for hot Jupiters. We find the metallicity distributions of USP-planet and hot-Jupiter hosts to be significantly different ( p = 3 × 10{sup −4}) based on Keck spectroscopy ofmore » Kepler stars. Evidently, the sample of USP planets is not dominated by the evaporated cores of hot Jupiters. The metallicity distribution of stars with USP planets is indistinguishable from that of stars with short-period planets with sizes between 2 and 4  R {sub ⊕}. Thus, it remains possible that the USP planets are the solid cores of formerly gaseous planets that are smaller than Neptune.« less

Abundances in the Very Metal Poor s-Process-rich Star CS 22183-015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Jennifer A.; Bolte, Michael

2002-11-01

We report on the abundances for 13 elements in CS 22183-015, the most metal-poor, s-process-rich star yet discovered. We measure [Fe/H]=-3.12 and large overabundances compared to scaled solar values for 11 heavy elements with s-process origin. The low luminosity of the star suggests that it is a CH star, a giant that has accreted s-processed material from an evolved, very metal poor companion. We find a [Pb/Ba] value of 1.1 dex and, more generally, that the ratio of heavy to light s-process elements is larger than seen in the solar system. This result is consistent with theoretical expectations for the s-process in metal-poor stars. [Eu/La] is higher than predicted from the solar system s-process abundance ratios. We argue that the s-process in metal-poor stars is more efficient at producing Eu that in asymptotic giant branch stars of solar metallicity. Data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.

Infrared colours and inferred masses of metal-poor giant stars in the Keplerfield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casey, A. R.; Kennedy, G. M.; Hartle, T. R.; Schlaufman, Kevin C.

2018-05-01

Intrinsically luminous giant stars in the Milky Way are the only potential volume-complete tracers of the distant disk, bulge, and halo. The chemical abundances of metal-poor giants also reflect the compositions of the earliest star-forming regions, providing the initial conditions for the chemical evolution of the Galaxy. However, the intrinsic rarity of metal-poor giants combined with the difficulty of efficiently identifying them with broad-band optical photometry has made it difficult to exploit them for studies of the Milky Way. One long-standing problem is that photometric selections for giant and/or metal-poor stars frequently include a large fraction of metal-rich dwarf contaminants. We re-derive a giant star photometric selection using existing public g-band and narrow-band DDO51photometry obtained in the Keplerfield. Our selection is simple and yields a contamination rate of main-sequence stars of ≲1% and a completeness of about 80 % for giant stars with Teff ≲ 5250 K - subject to the selection function of the spectroscopic surveys used to estimate these rates, and the magnitude range considered (11 ≲ g ≲ 15). While the DDO51filter is known to be sensitive to stellar surface gravity, we further show that the mid-infrared colours of DDO51-selected giants are strongly correlated with spectroscopic metallicity. This extends the infrared metal-poor selection developed by Schlaufman & Casey, demonstrating that the principal contaminants in their selection can be efficiently removed by the photometric separation of dwarfs and giants. This implies that any similarly efficient dwarf/giant discriminant (e.g., Gaiaparallaxes) can be used in conjunction with WISEcolours to select samples of giant stars with high completeness and low contamination. We employ our photometric selection to identify three metal-poor giant candidates in the Keplerfield with global asteroseismic parameters and find that masses inferred for these three stars using standard asteroseismic scaling relations are systematically over-estimated by 20-175%. Taken at face value, this small sample size implies that standard asteroseismic scaling relations over-predict stellar masses for metal-poor giant stars.

Abundance patterns of the light neutron-capture elements in very and extremely metal-poor stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spite, F.; Spite, M.; Barbuy, B.; Bonifacio, P.; Caffau, E.; François, P.

2018-03-01

Aims: The abundance patterns of the neutron-capture elements in metal-poor stars provide a unique record of the nucleosynthesis products of the earlier massive primitive objects. Methods: We measured new abundances of so-called light neutron-capture of first peak elements using local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) 1D analysis; this analysis resulted in a sample of 11 very metal-poor stars, from [Fe/H] = -2.5 to [Fe/H] = -3.4, and one carbon-rich star, CS 22949-037 with [Fe/H] = -4.0. The abundances were compared to those observed in two classical metal-poor stars: the typical r-rich star CS 31082-001 ([Eu/Fe] > +1.0) and the r-poor star HD 122563 ([Eu/Fe] < 0.0), which are known to present a strong enrichment of the first peak neutron-capture elements relative to the second peak. Results: Within the first peak, the abundances are well correlated in analogy to the well-known correlation inside the abundances of the second-peak elements. In contrast, there is no correlation between any first peak element with any second peak element. We show that the scatter of the ratio of the first peak abundance over second peak abundance increases when the mean abundance of the second peak elements decreases from r-rich to r-poor stars. We found two new r-poor stars that are very similar to HD 122563. A third r-poor star, CS 22897-008, is even more extreme; this star shows the most extreme example of first peak elements enrichment to date. On the contrary, another r-poor star (BD-18 5550) has a pattern of first peak elements that is similar to the typical r-rich stars CS 31082-001, however this star has some Mo enrichment. Conclusions: The distribution of the neutron-capture elements in our very metal-poor stars can be understood as the combination of at least two mechanisms: one that enriches the forming stars cloud homogeneously through the main r-process and leads to an element pattern similar to the r-rich stars, such as CS 31082-001; and another that forms mainly lighter, first peak elements. Based on observations collected at the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere under ESO programme 165.N-0276(A), (PI R.Cayrel).

Confronting the Gaia and NLTE spectroscopic parallaxes for the FGK stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sitnova, Tatyana; Mashonkina, Lyudmila; Pakhomov, Yury

2018-04-01

The understanding of the chemical evolution of the Galaxy relies on the stellar chemical composition. Accurate atmospheric parameters is a prerequisite of determination of accurate chemical abundances. For late type stars with known distance, surface gravity (log g) can be calculated from well-known relation between stellar mass, T eff, and absolute bolometric magnitude. This method weakly depends on model atmospheres, and provides reliable log g. However, accurate distances are available for limited number of stars. Another way to determine log g for cool stars is based on ionisation equilibrium, i.e. consistent abundances from lines of neutral and ionised species. In this study we determine atmospheric parameters moving step-by-step from well-studied nearby dwarfs to ultra-metal poor (UMP) giants. In each sample, we select stars with the most reliable T eff based on photometry and the distance-based log g, and compare with spectroscopic gravity calculated taking into account deviations from local thermodinamic equilibrium (LTE). After that, we apply spectroscopic method of log g determination to other stars of the sample with unknown distances.

Chemical Abundances of New Member Stars in the Tucana II Dwarf Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiti, Anirudh; Frebel, Anna; Ji, Alexander P.; Jerjen, Helmut; Kim, Dongwon; Norris, John E.

2018-04-01

We present chemical abundance measurements for seven stars with metallicities ranging from Fe/H] = ‑3.3 to [Fe/H] = ‑2.4 in the Tucana II ultra-faint dwarf galaxy (UFD), based on high-resolution spectra obtained with the MIKE spectrograph on the 6.5 m Magellan-Clay Telescope. For three stars, we present detailed chemical abundances for the first time. Of those, two stars are newly discovered members of Tucana II and were selected as probable members from deep narrowband photometry of the Tucana II UFD taken with the SkyMapper telescope. This result demonstrates the potential for photometrically identifying members of dwarf galaxy systems based on chemical composition. One new star was selected from the membership catalog of Walker et al. The other four stars in our sample have been reanalyzed, following additional observations. Overall, six stars have chemical abundances that are characteristic of the UFD stellar population. The seventh star shows chemical abundances that are discrepant from the other Tucana II members and an atypical, higher strontium abundance than what is expected for typical UFD stars. While unlikely, its strontium abundance raises the possibility that it may be a foreground metal-poor halo star with the same systemic velocity as Tucana II. If we were to exclude this star, Tucana II would satisfy the criteria to be a surviving first galaxy. Otherwise, this star implies that Tucana II has likely experienced somewhat extended chemical evolution. This paper includes data gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile.

Understanding r-process nucleosynthesis with dwarf galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Alexander P.

2018-06-01

The Milky Way's faintest dwarf galaxy satellites each sample short, independent bursts of star formation from the first 1-2 Gyr of the universe. Their simple formation history makes them ideal systems to understand how rare events like neutron star mergers contribute to early enrichment of r-process elements. I will focus on the ultra-faint galaxy Reticulum II, which experienced a single prolific r-process event that left ~80% of its stars extremely enriched in r-process elements. I will present abundances of ~40 elements derived from the highest signal-to-noise high-resolution spectrum ever taken for an ultra-faint dwarf galaxy star. Precise measurements of elements from all three r-process peaks reaffirm the universal nature of the r-process abundance pattern from Ba to Ir. The first r-process peak is significantly lower than solar but matches other r-process enhanced stars. This constrains the neutron-richness of r-process ejecta in neutron star mergers. The radioactive element thorium is detected with a somewhat low abundance. Naive application of currently predicted initial production ratios could imply an age >20 Gyr, but more likely indicates that the initial production ratios require revision. The abundance of lighter elements up to Zn are consistent with extremely metal-poor Milky Way halo stars. These elements may eventually provide a way to test for other hypothesized r-process sites, but only after a more detailed understanding of the chemical evolution in this galaxy. Reticulum II provides a clean view of early r-process enrichment that can be used to understand the increasing number of r-process measurements in other dwarf galaxies.

High-resolution spectroscopy of extremely metal-poor stars from SDSS/Segue. II. Binary fraction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aoki, Wako; Suda, Takuma; Beers, Timothy C.

2015-02-01

The fraction of binary systems in various stellar populations of the Galaxy and the distribution of their orbital parameters are important but not well-determined factors in studies of star formation, stellar evolution, and Galactic chemical evolution. While observational studies have been carried out for a large sample of nearby stars, including some metal-poor Population II stars, almost no constraints on the binary nature for extremely metal-poor (EMP; [Fe/H] <−3.0) stars have yet been obtained. Here we investigate the fraction of double-lined spectroscopic binaries and carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars, many of which could have formed as pairs of low-mass and intermediate-massmore » stars, to estimate the lower limit of the fraction of binary systems having short periods. The estimate is based on a sample of very metal-poor stars selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and observed at high spectral resolution in a previous study by Aoki et al. That survey reported 3 double-lined spectroscopic binaries and 11 CEMP stars, which we consider along with a sample of EMP stars from the literature compiled in the SAGA database. We have conducted measurements of the velocity components for stacked absorption features of different spectral lines for each double-lined spectroscopic binary. Our estimate indicates that the fraction of binary stars having orbital periods shorter than 1000 days is at least 10%, and possibly as high as 20% if the majority of CEMP stars are formed in such short-period binaries. This result suggests that the period distribution of EMP binary systems is biased toward short periods, unless the binary fraction of low-mass EMP stars is significantly higher than that of other nearby stars.« less

The Carnegie-Chicago Hubble Program: Discovery of the Most Distant Ultra-faint Dwarf Galaxy in the Local Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Myung Gyoon; Jang, In Sung; Beaton, Rachael; Seibert, Mark; Bono, Giuseppe; Madore, Barry

2017-02-01

Ultra-faint dwarf galaxies (UFDs) are the faintest known galaxies, and due to their incredibly low surface brightness, it is difficult to find them beyond the Local Group. We report a serendipitous discovery of a UFD, Fornax UFD1, in the outskirts of NGC 1316, a giant galaxy in the Fornax cluster. The new galaxy is located at a projected radius of 55 kpc in the south-east of NGC 1316. This UFD is found as a small group of resolved stars in the Hubble Space Telescope images of a halo field of NGC 1316, obtained as part of the Carnegie-Chicago Hubble Program. Resolved stars in this galaxy are consistent with being mostly metal-poor red giant branch (RGB) stars. Applying the tip of the RGB method to the mean magnitude of the two brightest RGB stars, we estimate the distance to this galaxy, 19.0 ± 1.3 Mpc. Fornax UFD1 is probably a member of the Fornax cluster. The color-magnitude diagram of these stars is matched by a 12 Gyr isochrone with low metallicity ([Fe/H] ≈ -2.4). Total magnitude and effective radius of Fornax UFD1 are MV ≈ -7.6 ± 0.2 mag and reff = 146 ± 9 pc, which are similar to those of Virgo UFD1 that was discovered recently in the intracluster field of Virgo by Jang & Lee. Fornax UFD1 is the most distant known UFD that is confirmed by resolved stars. This indicates that UFDs are ubiquitous and that more UFDs remain to be discovered in the Fornax cluster. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with programs #10505 and #13691.

The age-velocity dispersion relation of the Galactic discs from LAMOST-Gaia data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Jincheng; Liu, Chao

2018-03-01

We present the age-velocity dispersion relation (AVR) in three dimensions in the solar neighbourhood using 3564 commonly observed sub-giant/red giant branch stars selected from The Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope, which gives the age and radial velocity, and Gaia, which measures the distance and proper motion. The stars are separated into metal-poor ([Fe/H] < -0.2 dex and metal-rich ([Fe/H] > -0.2 dex) groups, so that the metal-rich stars are mostly α-poor, while the metal-poor group are mostly contributed by α-enhanced stars. Thus, the old and metal-poor stars likely belong to the chemically defined thick disc population, while the metal-rich sample is dominated by the thin disc. The AVR for the metal-poor sample shows an abrupt increase at ≳7 Gyr, which is contributed by the thick disc component. On the other hand, most of the thin disc stars with [Fe/H] > -0.2 dex display a power-law-like AVR with indices of about 0.3-0.4 and 0.5 for the in-plane and vertical dispersions, respectively. This is consistent with the scenario that the disc is gradually heated by the spiral arms and/or the giant molecular clouds. Moreover, the older thin disc stars (>7 Gyr) have a rounder velocity ellipsoid, i.e. σϕ/σz is close to 1.0, probably due to the more efficient heating in vertical direction. Particularly for the old metal-poor sample located with |z| > 270 pc, the vertical dispersion is even larger than its azimuthal counterpart. Finally, the vertex deviations and the tilt angles are plausibly around zero with large uncertainties.

Eight new Milky Way companions discovered in first-year Dark Energy Survey data

DOE PAGES

Bechtol, K.

2015-06-30

We report the discovery of eight new Milky Way companions inmore » $$\\sim 1800\\;{\\mathrm{deg}}^{2}$$ of optical imaging data collected during the first year of the Dark Energy Survey (DES). Each system is identified as a statistically significant over-density of individual stars consistent with the expected isochrone and luminosity function of an old and metal-poor stellar population. The objects span a wide range of absolute magnitudes (MV from $-2.2$ to $$-7.4\\;\\mathrm{mag}$$), physical sizes ($$10-170\\;\\mathrm{pc}$$), and heliocentric distances ($$30-330\\;\\mathrm{kpc}$$). Based on the low surface brightnesses, large physical sizes, and/or large Galactocentric distances of these objects, several are likely to be new ultra-faint satellite galaxies of the Milky Way and/or Magellanic Clouds. We introduce a likelihood-based algorithm to search for and characterize stellar over-densities, as well as identify stars with high satellite membership probabilities. As a result, we also present completeness estimates for detecting ultra-faint galaxies of varying luminosities, sizes, and heliocentric distances in the first-year DES data.« less

Mining the Sloan Digital Sky Survey in Search of Extremely α-poor Stars in the Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xing, Q. F.; Zhao, G.

2014-07-01

As we know, the majority of metal-poor Galactic halo stars appear to have chemical abundances that were enhanced by α-elements (e.g., O, Mg, Si, Ca, and Ti) during the early stage of the Galaxy. Observed metal-poor halo stars preserved this pattern by exhibiting abundance ratios [α/Fe] ~+0.4. A few striking exceptions that show severe departures from the general enhanced α-element chemical abundance trends of the halo have been discovered in recent years. They possess relatively low [α/Fe] compared to other comparable-metallicity stars, with abundance ratios over 0.5 dex lower. These stars may have a different chemical enrichment history from the majority of the halo. Similarly, low-α abundances are also displayed by satellite dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies. We present a method to select extremely α-poor (EAP) stars from the SDSS/SEGUE survey. The method consists of a two-step approach. In the first step, we select suspected metal-poor ([Fe/H] <-0.5) and α-poor ([Mg/Fe] <0) stars as our targets. In the second step, we determine [Mg/Fe] from low-resolution (R = 2000) stellar spectra for our targets and select stars with [Mg/Fe] <-0.1 as candidate EAP stars. In a sample of 40,000 stars with atmospheric parameters in the range of T eff = [4500, 7000] K, log g = [1.0, 5.0], and [Fe/H] = [-4.0, +0.5], 14 candidate stars were identified. Three of these stars are found to have already been confirmed by other research.

Detection of a Population of Carbon-enhanced Metal-poor Stars in the Sculptor Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiti, Anirudh; Simon, Joshua D.; Frebel, Anna; Thompson, Ian B.; Shectman, Stephen A.; Mateo, Mario; Bailey, John I., III; Crane, Jeffrey D.; Walker, Matthew

2018-04-01

The study of the chemical abundances of metal-poor stars in dwarf galaxies provides a venue to constrain paradigms of chemical enrichment and galaxy formation. Here we present metallicity and carbon abundance measurements of 100 stars in Sculptor from medium-resolution (R ∼ 2000) spectra taken with the Magellan/Michigan Fiber System mounted on the Magellan-Clay 6.5 m telescope at Las Campanas Observatory. We identify 24 extremely metal-poor star candidates ([Fe/H] < ‑3.0) and 21 carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) star candidates. Eight carbon-enhanced stars are classified with at least 2σ confidence, and five are confirmed as such with follow-up R ∼ 6000 observations using the Magellan Echellette Spectrograph on the Magellan-Baade 6.5 m telescope. We measure a CEMP fraction of 36% for stars below [Fe/H] = ‑3.0, indicating that the prevalence of carbon-enhanced stars in Sculptor is similar to that of the halo (∼43%) after excluding likely CEMP-s and CEMP-r/s stars from our sample. However, we do not detect that any CEMP stars are strongly enhanced in carbon ([C/Fe] > 1.0). The existence of a large number of CEMP stars both in the halo and in Sculptor suggests that some halo CEMP stars may have originated from accreted early analogs of dwarf galaxies. This paper includes data gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile.

Black Hole Hyperaccretion Inflow–Outflow Model. I. Long and Ultra-long Gamma-Ray Bursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Tong; Song, Cui-Ying; Zhang, Bing; Gu, Wei-Min; Heger, Alexander

2018-01-01

Long-duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs) and ultra-LGRBs (ULGRBs) originate from collapsars, in the center of which a newborn rotating stellar-mass black hole (BH) surrounded by a massive accretion disk may form. In the scenario of the BH hyperaccretion inflow–outflow model and Blandford–Znajek (BZ) mechanism to trigger gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), the real accretion rate to power a BZ jet is far lower than the mass supply rate from the progenitor star. The characteristics of the progenitor stars can be constrained by GRB luminosity observations, and the results exceed usual expectations. LGRBs lasting from several seconds to tens of seconds in the rest frame may originate from solar-metallicity (Z∼ 1 {Z}ȯ , where Z and {Z}ȯ are the metallicities of progenitor stars and the Sun), massive (M≳ 34 {M}ȯ , where M and {M}ȯ are the masses of progenitor stars and the Sun) stars or some zero-metallicity (Z∼ 0) stars. A fraction of low-metallicity (Z≲ {10}-2 {Z}ȯ ) stars, including Population III stars, can produce ULGRBs such as GRB 111209A. The fraction of LGRBs lasting less than tens of seconds in the rest frame is more than 40%, which cannot conform to the fraction of the demanded type of progenitor star. It possibly implies that the activity timescale of the central engine may be much longer than the observed timescale of prompt emission phase, as indicated by X-ray late-time activities. Alternatively, LGRBs and ULGRBs may be powered by a millisecond magnetar central engine.

An Ultra-faint Galaxy Candidate Discovered in Early Data from the Magellanic Satellites Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drlica-Wagner, A.; Bechtol, K.; Allam, S.; Tucker, D. L.; Gruendl, R. A.; Johnson, M. D.; Walker, A. R.; James, D. J.; Nidever, D. L.; Olsen, K. A. G.; Wechsler, R. H.; Cioni, M. R. L.; Conn, B. C.; Kuehn, K.; Li, T. S.; Mao, Y.-Y.; Martin, N. F.; Neilsen, E.; Noel, N. E. D.; Pieres, A.; Simon, J. D.; Stringfellow, G. S.; van der Marel, R. P.; Yanny, B.

2016-12-01

We report a new ultra-faint stellar system found in Dark Energy Camera data from the first observing run of the Magellanic Satellites Survey (MagLiteS). MagLiteS J0644-5953 (Pictor II or Pic II) is a low surface brightness (μ ={28.5}-1+1 {mag} {arcsec}{}-2 within its half-light radius) resolved overdensity of old and metal-poor stars located at a heliocentric distance of {45}-4+5 {kpc}. The physical size ({r}1/2={46}-11+15 {pc} ) and low luminosity ({M}V=-{3.2}-0.5+0.4 {mag} ) of this satellite are consistent with the locus of spectroscopically confirmed ultra-faint galaxies. MagLiteS J0644-5953 (Pic II) is located {11.3}-0.9+3.1 {kpc} from the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), and comparisons with simulation results in the literature suggest that this satellite was likely accreted with the LMC. The close proximity of MagLiteS J0644-5953 (Pic II) to the LMC also makes it the most likely ultra-faint galaxy candidate to still be gravitationally bound to the LMC.

X-shooter Finds an Extremely Primitive Star

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caffau, E.; Bonifacio, P.; François, P.; Sbordone, L.; Monaco, L.; Spite, M.; Spite, F.; Ludwig, H.-G.; Cayrel, R.; Zaggia, S.; Hammer, F.; Randich, S.; Molaro, P.; Hill, V.

2011-12-01

Low-mass extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars hold the fossil record of the chemical composition of the early phases of the Universe in their atmospheres. Chemical analysis of such objects provides important constraints on these early phases. EMP stars are rather rare objects: to dig them out, large amounts of data have to be considered. We have analysed stars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey using an automatic procedure and selected a sample of good candidate EMP stars, which we observed with the spectrographs X-shooter and UVES. We could confirm the low metallicity of our sample of stars, and we succeeded in finding a record metal-poor star.

CEMP Stars in Dwarf Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thidemann Hansen, Terese

2018-06-01

Exploration of the metal-poor stellar halo population of the Milky Way over the past decades has revealed a large number of stars strongly enhanced in carbon (CEMP stars). However, these stars are not as commonly detected in the dwarf galaxy satellites of the Milky Way (MW). The present-day satellites are thought to be similar to systems from which the MW and in particular its halo was formed via hierarchical mergers. I will present the results of abundance analysis for new samples of extremely metal-poor stars in Sculptor and Carina exploring the fraction of CEMP stars at low metallicity in these systems. I will also present the detailed abundance analyses of six CEMP stars detected in the Carina dwarf spheroidal galaxy. Five of these stars also show enhancement in slow neutron-capture elements and can thus be classified as CEMP-s stars, while the most metal-poor star with [Fe/H]=-2.5 shows no such enhancement and belongs to the CEMP-no class. The detection of CEMP stars in dwarf galaxies supports the hierarchical assembly of the MW halo and by providing a birth environment, can help to further constrain the formation of these stars.

Abundance analysis of SDSS J134338.67+484426.6; an extremely metal-poor star from the MARVELS pre-survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Susmitha Rani, A.; Sivarani, T.; Beers, T. C.; Fleming, S.; Mahadevan, S.; Ge, J.

2016-05-01

We present an elemental-abundance analysis of an extremely metal-poor (EMP; [Fe/H] <-3.0) star, SDSS J134338.67+484426.6, identified during the course of the Multi-object Apache Point Observatory Radial Velocity Exoplanet Large-area Survey spectroscopic pre-survey of some 20 000 stars to identify suitable candidates for exoplanet searches. This star, with an apparent magnitude V = 12.14, is the lowest metallicity star found in the pre-survey, and is one of only ˜20 known EMP stars that are this bright or brighter. Our high-resolution spectroscopic analysis shows that this star is a subgiant with [Fe/H] = -3.42, having `normal' carbon and no enhancement of neutron-capture abundances. Strontium is underabundant, [Sr/Fe] = -0.47, but the derived lower limit on [Sr/Ba] indicates that Sr is likely enhanced relative to Ba. This star belongs to the sparsely populated class of α-poor EMP stars that exhibit low ratios of [Mg/Fe], [Si/Fe], and [Ca/Fe] compared to typical halo stars at similar metallicity. The observed variations in radial velocity from several epochs of (low- and high-resolution) spectroscopic follow-up indicate that SDSS J134338.67+484426.6 is a possible long-period binary. We also discuss the abundance trends in EMP stars for r-process elements, and compare with other magnesium-poor stars.

PRIMORDIAL r-PROCESS DISPERSION IN METAL-POOR GLOBULAR CLUSTERS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roederer, Ian U., E-mail: iur@obs.carnegiescience.edu

Heavy elements, those produced by neutron-capture reactions, have traditionally shown no star-to-star dispersion in all but a handful of metal-poor globular clusters (GCs). Recent detections of low [Pb/Eu] ratios or upper limits in several metal-poor GCs indicate that the heavy elements in these GCs were produced exclusively by an r-process. Re-examining GC heavy element abundances from the literature, we find unmistakable correlations between the [La/Fe] and [Eu/Fe] ratios in four metal-poor GCs (M5, M15, M92, and NGC 3201), only two of which were known previously. This indicates that the total r-process abundances vary from star to star (by factors ofmore » 2-6) relative to Fe within each GC. We also identify potential dispersion in two other GCs (M3 and M13). Several GCs (M12, M80, and NGC 6752) show no evidence of r-process dispersion. The r-process dispersion is not correlated with the well-known light element dispersion, indicating that it was present in the gas throughout the duration of star formation. The observations available at present suggest that star-to-star r-process dispersion within metal-poor GCs may be a common but not ubiquitous phenomenon that is neither predicted by nor accounted for in current models of GC formation and evolution.« less

PopIII-star siblings in IZw18 and metal-poor WR galaxies unveiled from integral field spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kehrig, C.; Vílchez, J. M.; Pérez-Montero, E.; Iglesias-Páramo, J.; Brinchmann, J.; Crowther, P. A.; Durret, F.; Kunth, D.

Here, we highlight our recent results from the IFS study of Mrk178, the closest metal-poor WR galaxy, and of IZw18, the most metal-poor star-forming galaxy known in the local Universe. The IFS data of Mrk178 show the importance of aperture effects on the search for WR features, and the extent to which physical variations in the ISM properties can be detected. Our IFS data of IZw18 reveal its entire nebular HeIIλ4686-emitting region, and indicate for the very first time that peculiar, hot (nearly) metal-free ionizing stars (called here PopIII-star siblings) might hold the key to the HeII-ionization in IZw18.

CHEMICAL SIGNATURES OF THE FIRST GALAXIES: CRITERIA FOR ONE-SHOT ENRICHMENT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Frebel, Anna; Bromm, Volker, E-mail: afrebel@mit.edu, E-mail: vbromm@astro.as.utexas.edu

We utilize metal-poor stars in the local, ultra-faint dwarf galaxies (UFDs; L {sub tot} {<=} 10{sup 5} L {sub Sun }) to empirically constrain the formation process of the first galaxies. Since UFDs have much simpler star formation histories than the halo of the Milky Way, their stellar populations should preserve the fossil record of the first supernova (SN) explosions in their long-lived, low-mass stars. Guided by recent hydrodynamical simulations of first galaxy formation, we develop a set of stellar abundance signatures that characterize the nucleosynthetic history of such an early system if it was observed in the present-day universe.more » Specifically, we argue that the first galaxies are the product of chemical 'one-shot' events, where only one (long-lived) stellar generation forms after the first, Population III, SN explosions. Our abundance criteria thus constrain the strength of negative feedback effects inside the first galaxies. We compare the stellar content of UFDs with these one-shot criteria. Several systems (Ursa Major II, and also Coma Berenices, Bootes I, Leo IV, Segue 1) largely fulfill the requirements, indicating that their high-redshift predecessors did experience strong feedback effects that shut off star formation. We term the study of the entire stellar population of a dwarf galaxy for the purpose of inferring details about the nature and origin of the first galaxies 'dwarf galaxy archaeology'. This will provide clues to the connection of the first galaxies, the surviving, metal-poor dwarf galaxies, and the building blocks of the Milky Way.« less

The HK-II Survey: Kinematics of Metal-Poor Stars in the Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rhee, J.; Beers, T. C.

2003-12-01

The digitized HK-II survey (Rhee 2000, Ph.D. thesis, MSU) was originated as a follow-on to the HK-I survey of Beers and colleagues (e.g., Beers et al. 1992, AJ, 103, 1987). HK-I was based on visually-selected candidate metal-poor stars from objective-prism plates. Unfortunately, in the absence of color information, this selection technique introduced a rather severe temperature-related bias. As a result, the HK-I candidates do not include large numbers of metal-deficient giants. In HK-II, candidate metal-poor stars are quantitatively selected from digitized objective-prism spectra with JHK color information from the recently completeted 2MASS catalog. This approach eliminates much of the temperature bias. We have begun to survey candidate very metal-poor ([Fe/H] ≤ -2.0) giants from HK-II, over the magnitude range 11.0 ≤ B ≤ 16.0, covering some ˜7000 deg2 of intermediate to high Galactic-latitudes. Ongoing medium-resolution ( ˜ 1-2Å ) spectroscopic follow-up using NOAO observing facilities has allowed us to obtain, to date, some 1000 spectra (400, 450, and 150 spectra for red giants, subgiants near the main-sequence turnoff, and FHB/A stars, respectively) for the HK-II metal-poor star candidates. In particular, the detection rate of bona fide very metal-poor giants is about 45 %, which is quite encouraging. Most of the "mistakes" are slightly more metal-rich giants, with -2.0 < [Fe/H] < -1.0. Metallicities and radial velocities are determined from our spectroscopy, and proper motions for most of the program stars are obtained from the recently released UCAC2 astrometric survey catalog. Here we present an analysis of the full space motions for numerous metal-poor stars from the HK-II survey. A comparision of the chemical and kinematic properties between high- and low-halo populations (that is, giants vs. sub-giants) will aid us in understanding the formation history of the Milky Way. J.R. acknowledges partial support for this work by NASA through the AAS Small Research Grant Program. T.C.B. acknowledges partial support for this work from NSF grants AST 00-98508 and AST 00-98549.

THE CHEMICAL ABUNDANCES OF STARS IN THE HALO (CASH) PROJECT. II. A SAMPLE OF 14 EXTREMELY METAL-POOR STARS ,

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hollek, Julie K.; Sneden, Christopher; Shetrone, Matthew

2011-11-20

We present a comprehensive abundance analysis of 20 elements for 16 new low-metallicity stars from the Chemical Abundances of Stars in the Halo (CASH) project. The abundances have been derived from both Hobby-Eberly Telescope High Resolution Spectrograph snapshot spectra (R {approx}15, 000) and corresponding high-resolution (R {approx}35, 000) Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle spectra. The stars span a metallicity range from [Fe/H] from -2.9 to -3.9, including four new stars with [Fe/H] < -3.7. We find four stars to be carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars, confirming the trend of increasing [C/Fe] abundance ratios with decreasing metallicity. Two of these objects can bemore » classified as CEMP-no stars, adding to the growing number of these objects at [Fe/H]< - 3. We also find four neutron-capture-enhanced stars in the sample, one of which has [Eu/Fe] of 0.8 with clear r-process signatures. These pilot sample stars are the most metal-poor ([Fe/H] {approx}< -3.0) of the brightest stars included in CASH and are used to calibrate a newly developed, automated stellar parameter and abundance determination pipeline. This code will be used for the entire {approx}500 star CASH snapshot sample. We find that the pipeline results are statistically identical for snapshot spectra when compared to a traditional, manual analysis from a high-resolution spectrum.« less

Are the Formation and Abundances of Metal-poor Stars the Result of Dust Dynamics?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hopkins, Philip F.; Conroy, Charlie, E-mail: phopkins@caltech.edu

Large dust grains can fluctuate dramatically in their local density, relative to the gas, in neutral turbulent disks. Small, high-redshift galaxies (before reionization) represent ideal environments for this process. We show via simple arguments and simulations that order-of-magnitude fluctuations are expected in local abundances of large grains (>100 Å) under these conditions. This can have important consequences for star formation and stellar metal abundances in extremely metal-poor stars. Low-mass stars can form in dust-enhanced regions almost immediately after some dust forms even if the galaxy-average metallicity is too low for fragmentation to occur. We argue that the metal abundances ofmore » these “promoted” stars may contain interesting signatures as the CNO abundances (concentrated in large carbonaceous grains and ices) and Mg and Si (in large silicate grains) can be enhanced and/or fluctuate almost independently. Remarkably, the otherwise puzzling abundance patterns of some metal-poor stars can be well fit by standard IMF-averaged core-collapse SNe yields if we allow for fluctuating local dust-to-gas ratios. We also show that the observed log-normal distribution of enhancements in pure SNe yields, shows very large enhancements and variations up to factors of ≳100 as expected in the dust-promoted model, preferentially in the [C/Fe]-enhanced metal-poor stars. Together, this suggests that (1) dust exists in second-generation star formation, (2) local dust-to-gas ratio fluctuations occur in protogalaxies and can be important for star formation, and (3) the light element abundances of these stars may be affected by the local chemistry of dust where they formed, rather than directly tracing nucleosynthesis from earlier populations.« less

Gas Accretion and Star Formation Rates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez Almeida, Jorge

Cosmological numerical simulations of galaxy evolution show that accretion of metal-poor gas from the cosmic web drives the star formation in galaxy disks. Unfortunately, the observational support for this theoretical prediction is still indirect, and modeling and analysis are required to identify hints as actual signs of star formation feeding from metal-poor gas accretion. Thus, a meticulous interpretation of the observations is crucial, and this observational review begins with a simple theoretical description of the physical process and the key ingredients it involves, including the properties of the accreted gas and of the star formation that it induces. A number of observations pointing out the connection between metal-poor gas accretion and star formation are analyzed, specifically, the short gas-consumption time-scale compared to the age of the stellar populations, the fundamental metallicity relationship, the relationship between disk morphology and gas metallicity, the existence of metallicity drops in starbursts of star-forming galaxies, the so-called G dwarf problem, the existence of a minimum metallicity for the star-forming gas in the local universe, the origin of the α-enhanced gas forming stars in the local universe, the metallicity of the quiescent BCDs, and the direct measurements of gas accretion onto galaxies. A final section discusses intrinsic difficulties to obtain direct observational evidence, and points out alternative observational pathways to further consolidate the current ideas.

Spectroscopic characterisation of the stellar content of ultra diffuse galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruiz-Lara, T.; Beasley, M. A.; Falcón-Barroso, J.; Román, J.; Pinna, F.; Brook, C.; Di Cintio, A.; Martín-Navarro, I.; Trujillo, I.; Vazdekis, A.

2018-05-01

Understanding the peculiar properties of Ultra Diffuse Galaxies (UDGs) via spectroscopic analysis is a challenging task requiring very deep observations and exquisite data reduction. In this work we perform one of the most complete characterisations of the stellar component of UDGs to date using deep optical spectroscopic data from OSIRIS at GTC. We measure radial and rotation velocities, star formation histories (SFH) and mean population parameters, such as ages and metallicities, for a sample of five UDG candidates in the Coma cluster. From the radial velocities, we confirm the Coma membership of these galaxies. We find that their rotation properties, if detected at all, are compatible with dwarf-like galaxies. The SFHs of the UDG are dominated by old (˜ 7 Gyr), metal-poor ([M/H] ˜ -1.1) and α-enhanced ([Mg/Fe] ˜ 0.4) populations followed by a smooth or episodic decline which halted ˜ 2 Gyr ago, possibly a sign of cluster-induced quenching. We find no obvious correlation between individual SFH shapes and any UDG morphological properties. The recovered stellar properties for UDGs are similar to those found for DDO 44, a local UDG analogue resolved into stars. We conclude that the UDGs in our sample are extended dwarfs whose properties are likely the outcome of both internal processes, such as bursty SFHs and/or high-spin haloes, as well as environmental effects within the Coma cluster.

Near-infrared Stellar Populations in the Metal-poor, Dwarf Irregular Galaxies Sextans A and Leo A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Olivia C.; Maclay, Matthew T.; Boyer, Martha L.; Meixner, Margaret; McDonald, Iain; Meskhidze, Helen

2018-02-01

We present JHK s observations of the metal-poor ([Fe/H] < ‑1.40) dwarf-irregular galaxies, Leo A and Sextans A, obtained with the WIYN High-resolution Infrared Camera at Kitt Peak. Their near-IR stellar populations are characterized by using a combination of color–magnitude diagrams and by identifying long-period variable stars. We detected red giant and asymptotic giant branch stars, consistent with membership of the galaxy’s intermediate-age populations (2–8 Gyr old). Matching our data to broadband optical and mid-IR photometry, we determine luminosities, temperatures, and dust-production rates (DPR) for each star. We identify 32 stars in Leo A and 101 stars in Sextans A with a DPR > {10}-11 {M}ȯ {yr}}-1, confirming that metal-poor stars can form substantial amounts of dust. We also find tentative evidence for oxygen-rich dust formation at low metallicity, contradicting previous models that suggest oxygen-rich dust production is inhibited in metal-poor environments. The total rates of dust injection into the interstellar medium of Leo A and Sextans A are (8.2+/- 1.8)× {10}-9 {M}ȯ {yr}}-1 and (6.2+/- 0.2)× {10}-7 {M}ȯ {yr}}-1, respectively. The majority of this dust is produced by a few very dusty evolved stars and does not vary strongly with metallicity.

Correlations between age, kinematics, and chemistry as seen by the RAVE survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wojno, Jennifer; Kordopatis, Georges; Steinmetz, Matthias; McMillan, Paul; Binney, James; Famaey, Benoit; Monari, Giacomo; Minchev, Ivan; Wyse, Rosemary F. G.; Antoja, Teresa; Siebert, Arnaud; Carrillo, Ismael; Bland-Hawthorn, Joss; Grebel, Eva K.; Zwitter, Tomaž; Bienaymé, Olivier; Gibson, Brad; Kunder, Andrea; Munari, Ulisse; Navarro, Julio; Parker, Quentin; Reid, Warren; Seabroke, George

2018-07-01

We explore the connections between stellar age, chemistry, and kinematics across a Galactocentric distance of 7.5 < R(kpc) < 9.0, using a sample of ˜12 000 intermediate-mass (FGK) turn-off stars observed with the RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE) survey. The kinematics of this sample are determined using radial velocity measurements from RAVE, and parallax and proper motion measurements from the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution (TGAS). In addition, ages for RAVE stars are determined using a Bayesian method, taking TGAS parallaxes as a prior. We divide our sample into young (0 < τ < 3 Gyr) and old (8 < τ < 13 Gyr) populations, and then consider different metallicity bins for each of these age groups. We find significant differences in kinematic trends of young and old, metal-poor and metal-rich, stellar populations. In particular, we find a strong metallicity dependence in the mean Galactocentric radial velocity as a function of radius (partial {V_R}/partial R) for young stars, with metal-rich stars having a much steeper gradient than metal-poor stars. For partial {V_{φ }}/partial R, young, metal-rich stars significantly lag the LSR with a slightly positive gradient, while metal-poor stars show a negative gradient above the LSR. We interpret these findings as correlations between metallicity and the relative contributions of the non-axisymmetries in the Galactic gravitational potential (the spiral arms and the bar) to perturb stellar orbits.

Correlations between age, kinematics, and chemistry as seen by the RAVE survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wojno, Jennifer; Kordopatis, Georges; Steinmetz, Matthias; McMillan, Paul; Binney, James; Famaey, Benoit; Monari, Giacomo; Minchev, Ivan; Wyse, Rosemary F. G.; Antoja, Teresa; Siebert, Arnaud; Carrillo, Ismael; Bland-Hawthorn, Joss; K Grebel, Eva; Zwitter, Tomaž; Bienaymé, Olivier; Gibson, Brad; Kunder, Andrea; Munari, Ulisse; Navarro, Julio; Parker, Quentin; Reid, Warren; Seabroke, George

2018-04-01

We explore the connections between stellar age, chemistry, and kinematics across a Galactocentric distance of 7.5 < R (kpc) < 9.0, using a sample of ˜12 000 intermediate-mass (FGK) turnoff stars observed with the RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE) survey. The kinematics of this sample are determined using radial velocity measurements from RAVE, and parallax and proper motion measurements from the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution (TGAS). In addition, ages for RAVE stars are determined using a Bayesian method, taking TGAS parallaxes as a prior. We divide our sample into young (0 < τ < 3 Gyr) and old (8 < τ < 13 Gyr) populations, and then consider different metallicity bins for each of these age groups. We find significant differences in kinematic trends of young and old, metal-poor and metal-rich, stellar populations. In particular, we find a strong metallicity dependence in the mean Galactocentric radial velocity as a function of radius (∂VR/∂R) for young stars, with metal-rich stars having a much steeper gradient than metal-poor stars. For ∂Vϕ/∂R, young, metal-rich stars significantly lag the LSR with a slightly positive gradient, while metal-poor stars show a negative gradient above the LSR. We interpret these findings as correlations between metallicity and the relative contributions of the non-axisymmetries in the Galactic gravitational potential (the spiral arms and the bar) to perturb stellar orbits.

Testing Metal-Poor Stellar Models and Isochrones with HST Parallaxes of Metal-Poor Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaboyer, B.; McArthur, B. E.; O'Malley, E.; Benedict, G. F.; Feiden, G. A.; Harrison, T. E.; McWilliam, A.; Nelan, E. P.; Patterson, R. J.; Sarajedini, A.

2017-02-01

Hubble Space Telescope (HST) fine guidance sensor observations were used to obtain parallaxes of eight metal-poor ([Fe/H] < -1.4) stars. The parallaxes of these stars determined by the new Hipparcos reduction average 17% accuracy, in contrast to our new HST parallaxes, which average 1% accuracy and have errors on the individual parallaxes ranging from 85 to 144 μas. These parallax data were combined with HST Advanced Camera for Surveys photometry in the F606W and F814W filters to obtain the absolute magnitudes of the stars with an accuracy of 0.02-0.03 mag. Six of these stars are on the main sequence (MS) (with -2.7 < [Fe/H] < -1.8) and are suitable for testing metal-poor stellar evolution models and determining the distances to metal-poor globular clusters (GCs). Using the abundances obtained by O’Malley et al., we find that standard stellar models using the VandenBerg & Clem color transformation do a reasonable job of matching five of the MS stars, with HD 54639 ([Fe/H] = -2.5) being anomalous in its location in the color-magnitude diagram. Stellar models and isochrones were generated using a Monte Carlo analysis to take into account uncertainties in the models. Isochrones that fit the parallax stars were used to determine the distances and ages of nine GCs (with -2.4 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ -1.9). Averaging together the age of all nine clusters led to an absolute age of the oldest, most metal-poor GCs of 12.7 ± 1.0 Gyr, where the quoted uncertainty takes into account the known uncertainties in the stellar models and isochrones, along with the uncertainty in the distance and reddening of the clusters.

THE INFRARED SPECTRAL PROPERTIES OF MAGELLANIC CARBON STARS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sloan, G. C.; Kraemer, K. E.; McDonald, I.

2016-07-20

The Infrared Spectrograph on the Spitzer Space Telescope observed 184 carbon stars in the Magellanic Clouds. This sample reveals that the dust-production rate (DPR) from carbon stars generally increases with the pulsation period of the star. The composition of the dust grains follows two condensation sequences, with more SiC condensing before amorphous carbon in metal-rich stars, and the order reversed in metal-poor stars. MgS dust condenses in optically thicker dust shells, and its condensation is delayed in more metal-poor stars. Metal-poor carbon stars also tend to have stronger absorption from C{sub 2}H{sub 2} at 7.5 μ m. The relation betweenmore » DPR and pulsation period shows significant apparent scatter, which results from the initial mass of the star, with more massive stars occupying a sequence parallel to lower-mass stars, but shifted to longer periods. Accounting for differences in the mass distribution between the carbon stars observed in the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds reveals a hint of a subtle decrease in the DPR at lower metallicities, but it is not statistically significant. The most deeply embedded carbon stars have lower variability amplitudes and show SiC in absorption. In some cases they have bluer colors at shorter wavelengths, suggesting that the central star is becoming visible. These deeply embedded stars may be evolving off of the asymptotic giant branch and/or they may have non-spherical dust geometries.« less

The Pristine survey - I. Mining the Galaxy for the most metal-poor stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Starkenburg, Else; Martin, Nicolas; Youakim, Kris; Aguado, David S.; Allende Prieto, Carlos; Arentsen, Anke; Bernard, Edouard J.; Bonifacio, Piercarlo; Caffau, Elisabetta; Carlberg, Raymond G.; Côté, Patrick; Fouesneau, Morgan; François, Patrick; Franke, Oliver; González Hernández, Jonay I.; Gwyn, Stephen D. J.; Hill, Vanessa; Ibata, Rodrigo A.; Jablonka, Pascale; Longeard, Nicolas; McConnachie, Alan W.; Navarro, Julio F.; Sánchez-Janssen, Rubén; Tolstoy, Eline; Venn, Kim A.

2017-11-01

We present the Pristine survey, a new narrow-band photometric survey focused on the metallicity-sensitive Ca H&K lines and conducted in the Northern hemisphere with the wide-field imager MegaCam on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. This paper reviews our overall survey strategy and discusses the data processing and metallicity calibration. Additionally we review the application of these data to the main aims of the survey, which are to gather a large sample of the most metal-poor stars in the Galaxy, to further characterize the faintest Milky Way satellites, and to map the (metal-poor) substructure in the Galactic halo. The current Pristine footprint comprises over 1000 deg2 in the Galactic halo ranging from b ˜ 30° to ˜78° and covers many known stellar substructures. We demonstrate that, for Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) stellar objects, we can calibrate the photometry at the 0.02-mag level. The comparison with existing spectroscopic metallicities from SDSS/Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE) and Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope shows that, when combined with SDSS broad-band g and I photometry, we can use the CaHK photometry to infer photometric metallicities with an accuracy of ˜0.2 dex from [Fe/H] = -0.5 down to the extremely metal-poor regime ([Fe/H] < -3.0). After the removal of various contaminants, we can efficiently select metal-poor stars and build a very complete sample with high purity. The success rate of uncovering [Fe/H]SEGUE < -3.0 stars among [Fe/H]Pristine < -3.0 selected stars is 24 per cent, and 85 per cent of the remaining candidates are still very metal poor ([Fe/H]<-2.0). We further demonstrate that Pristine is well suited to identify the very rare and pristine Galactic stars with [Fe/H] < -4.0, which can teach us valuable lessons about the early Universe.

The Resolved Stellar Populations Early Release Science Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilbert, Karoline; Weisz, Daniel; Resolved Stellar Populations ERS Program Team

2018-06-01

The Resolved Stellar Populations Early Release Science Program (PI D. Weisz) will observe Local Group targets covering a range of stellar density and star formation histories, including a globular cluster, and ultra-faint dwarf galaxy, and a star-forming dwarf galaxy. Using observations of these diverse targets we will explore a broad science program: we will measure star formation histories, the sub-solar stellar initial mass function, and proper motions, perform studies of evolved stars, and map extinction in the target fields. Our observations will be of high archival value for other science such as calibrating stellar evolution models, studying variable stars, and searching for metal-poor stars. We will determine optimal observational setups and develop data reduction techniques that will be common to JWST studies of resolved stellar populations. We will also design, test, and release point spread function (PSF) fitting software specific to NIRCam and NIRISS, required for the crowded stellar regime. Prior to the Cycle 2 Call for Proposals, we will release PSF fitting software, matched HST and JWST catalogs, and clear documentation and step-by-step tutorials (such as Jupyter notebooks) for reducing crowded stellar field data and producing resolved stellar photometry catalogs, as well as for specific resolved stellar photometry science applications.

Gaia reveals a metal-rich in-situ component of the local stellar halo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonaca, Ana; Conroy, Charlie; Wetzel, Andrew; Hopkins, Philip; Keres, Dusan

2018-01-01

We use the first Gaia data release, combined with RAVE and APOGEE spectroscopic surveys, to investigate the origin of halo stars within ~3 kpc from the Sun. We identify halo stars kinematically, as moving with a relative speed of at least 220 km/s with respect to the local standard of rest. These stars are in general more metal-poor than the disk, but surprisingly, half of our halo sample is comprised of stars with [Fe/H]>-1. The orbital directions of these metal-rich halo stars are preferentially aligned with the disk rotation, in sharp contrast with the isotropic orbital distribution of the more metal-poor halo stars. We find similar properties in the Latte cosmological zoom-in simulation of a Milky Way-like galaxy from the FIRE project. In Latte, metal-rich halo stars formed primarily inside of the solar circle, while lower-metallicity halo stars preferentially formed at larger distances (extending beyond the virial radius). This suggests that metal-rich halo stars in the Solar neighborhood in fact formed in situ within the Galactic disk rather than having been accreted from satellite systems. These stars, currently on halo-like orbits, therefore have likely undergone substantial radial migration/heating.

CHEMICAL DIVERSITY IN THE ULTRA-FAINT DWARF GALAXY TUCANA II

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ji, Alexander P.; Frebel, Anna; Ezzeddine, Rana

We present the first detailed chemical abundance study of the ultra-faint dwarf galaxy Tucana II, based on high-resolution Magellan/MIKE spectra of four red giant stars. The metallicities of these stars range from [Fe/H] = −3.2 to −2.6, and all stars are low in neutron-capture abundances ([Sr/Fe] and [Ba/Fe] < −1). However, a number of anomalous chemical signatures are present. One star is relatively metal-rich ([Fe/H] = −2.6) and shows [Na, α , Sc/Fe] < 0, suggesting an extended star formation history with contributions from AGB stars and SNe Ia. Two stars with [Fe/H] < −3 are mildly carbon-enhanced ([C/Fe] ∼more » 0.7) and may be consistent with enrichment by faint supernovae, if such supernovae can produce neutron-capture elements. A fourth star with [Fe/H] = −3 is carbon-normal, and exhibits distinct light element abundance ratios from the carbon-enhanced stars. This carbon-normal star implies that at least two distinct nucleosynthesis sources, both possibly associated with Population III stars, contributed to the early chemical enrichment of this galaxy. Despite its very low luminosity, Tucana II shows a diversity of chemical signatures that preclude it from being a simple “one-shot” first galaxy yet still provide a window into star and galaxy formation in the early universe.« less

Absence of a Metallicity Effect for Ultra-short-period Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winn, Joshua N.; Sanchis-Ojeda, Roberto; Rogers, Leslie; Petigura, Erik A.; Howard, Andrew W.; Isaacson, Howard; Marcy, Geoffrey W.; Schlaufman, Kevin C.; Cargile, Phillip; Hebb, Leslie

2017-08-01

Ultra-short-period (USP) planets are a newly recognized class of planets with periods shorter than one day and radii smaller than about 2 R ⊕. It has been proposed that USP planets are the solid cores of hot Jupiters that have lost their gaseous envelopes due to photo-evaporation or Roche lobe overflow. We test this hypothesis by asking whether USP planets are associated with metal-rich stars, as has long been observed for hot Jupiters. We find the metallicity distributions of USP-planet and hot-Jupiter hosts to be significantly different (p = 3 × 10-4) based on Keck spectroscopy of Kepler stars. Evidently, the sample of USP planets is not dominated by the evaporated cores of hot Jupiters. The metallicity distribution of stars with USP planets is indistinguishable from that of stars with short-period planets with sizes between 2 and 4 R ⊕. Thus, it remains possible that the USP planets are the solid cores of formerly gaseous planets that are smaller than Neptune. Based on observations obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated jointly by the University of California and the California Institute of Technology. Keck time was granted by NASA, the University of California, the California Institute of Technology, and the University of Hawaii.

Winds of metal-poor OB stars: Updates from HST-COS UV spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García, M.; Herrero, A.; Najarro, F.; Lennon, D. J.; Urbaneja, M. A.

2015-01-01

In the race to break the SMC frontier and reach metallicity conditions closer to the First Stars the information from UV spectroscopy is usually overlooked. New HST-COS observations of OB stars in the metal-poor galaxy IC1613, with oxygen content ~1/10 solar, have proved the important role of UV spectroscopy to characterize blue massive stars and their winds. The terminal velocities (υ∞) and abundances derived from the dataset have shed new light on the problem of metal-poor massive stars with strong winds. Furthermore, our results question the υ∞-υ esc and υ∞-Z scaling relations whose use in optical-only studies may introduce large uncertainties in the derived mass loss rates and wind-momenta. Finally, our results indicate that the detailed abundance pattern of each star may have a non-negligible impact on its wind properties, and scaling these as a function of one single metallicity parameter is probably too coarse an approximation. Considering, for instance, that the [α/Fe] ratio evolves with the star formation history of each galaxy, we may be in need of updating all our wind recipes.

Clear Evidence for the Presence of Second-generation Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars in Metal-poor Galactic Globular Clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Hernández, D. A.; Mészáros, Sz.; Monelli, M.; Cassisi, S.; Stetson, P. B.; Zamora, O.; Shetrone, M.; Lucatello, S.

2015-12-01

Galactic globular clusters (GCs) are known to host multiple stellar populations: a first generation (FG) with a chemical pattern typical of halo field stars and a second generation (SG) enriched in Na and Al and depleted in O and Mg. Both stellar generations are found at different evolutionary stages (e.g., the main-sequence turnoff, the subgiant branch, and the red giant branch (RGB)). The non detection of SG asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in several metal-poor ([Fe/H] < -1) GCs suggests that not all SG stars ascend the AGB phase, and that failed AGB stars may be very common in metal-poor GCs. This observation represents a serious problem for stellar evolution and GC formation/evolution theories. We report fourteen SG-AGB stars in four metal-poor GCs (M13, M5, M3, and M2) with different observational properties: horizontal branch (HB) morphology, metallicity, and age. By combining the H-band Al abundances obtained by the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment survey with ground-based optical photometry, we identify SG Al-rich AGB stars in these four GCs and show that Al-rich RGB/AGB GC stars should be Na-rich. Our observations provide strong support for present, standard stellar models, i.e., without including a strong mass-loss efficiency, for low-mass HB stars. In fact, current empirical evidence is in agreement with the predicted distribution of FG and SG stars during the He-burning stages based on these standard stellar models.

What the Most Metal-poor Stars Tell Us About the Early Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frebel, Anna

2008-05-01

The chemical evolution of the Galaxy and the early Universe is a key topic in modern astrophysics. The most metal-poor Galactic halo stars are now frequently used in an attempt to reconstruct the onset of the chemical and dynamical formation processes of the Galaxy. These stars are an easily-accessible local equivalent of the high-redshift Universe, and can thus be used to carry out field-field cosmology. The discovery of two astrophysically very important metal-poor objects has recently lead to a significant advance in the field. One object is the most iron-poor star yet found (with [Fe/H]=-5.4). The other stars displays the strongest known overabundances of heavy neutron-capture elements, such as uranium, and nucleo-chronometry yields a stellar age of 13 Gyr. Both stars already serve as benchmark objects for various theoretical studies with regard to nucleosynthesis processes in the early Galaxy. I will discuss how the abundance patterns of these and other metal-poor stars solidify and advance our understanding of the early Universe, and provide constraints on the nature of the first stars, as well as their explosion mechanisms and corresponding supernova nucleosynthesis yields. Large samples of these old objects are also employed to test theoretical predictions about the formation of the very first low-mass stars. In the near future, the combined power of near-field cosmology results with those of the next-generation facilities (e.g., MWA, JWST, GMT) may yield exceptional details about the formation processes of the first generations of stars and galaxies.

A very luminous magnetar-powered supernova associated with an ultra-long γ-ray burst.

PubMed

Greiner, Jochen; Mazzali, Paolo A; Kann, D Alexander; Krühler, Thomas; Pian, Elena; Prentice, Simon; Olivares E, Felipe; Rossi, Andrea; Klose, Sylvio; Taubenberger, Stefan; Knust, Fabian; Afonso, Paulo M J; Ashall, Chris; Bolmer, Jan; Delvaux, Corentin; Diehl, Roland; Elliott, Jonathan; Filgas, Robert; Fynbo, Johan P U; Graham, John F; Guelbenzu, Ana Nicuesa; Kobayashi, Shiho; Leloudas, Giorgos; Savaglio, Sandra; Schady, Patricia; Schmidl, Sebastian; Schweyer, Tassilo; Sudilovsky, Vladimir; Tanga, Mohit; Updike, Adria C; van Eerten, Hendrik; Varela, Karla

2015-07-09

A new class of ultra-long-duration (more than 10,000 seconds) γ-ray bursts has recently been suggested. They may originate in the explosion of stars with much larger radii than those producing normal long-duration γ-ray bursts or in the tidal disruption of a star. No clear supernova has yet been associated with an ultra-long-duration γ-ray burst. Here we report that a supernova (SN 2011kl) was associated with the ultra-long-duration γ-ray burst GRB 111209A, at a redshift z of 0.677. This supernova is more than three times more luminous than type Ic supernovae associated with long-duration γ-ray bursts, and its spectrum is distinctly different. The slope of the continuum resembles those of super-luminous supernovae, but extends further down into the rest-frame ultraviolet implying a low metal content. The light curve evolves much more rapidly than those of super-luminous supernovae. This combination of high luminosity and low metal-line opacity cannot be reconciled with typical type Ic supernovae, but can be reproduced by a model where extra energy is injected by a strongly magnetized neutron star (a magnetar), which has also been proposed as the explanation for super-luminous supernovae.

HST/ACS Observations of RR Lyrae Stars in Six Ultra-Deep Fields of M31

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jeffery, E. J.; Smith, E.; Brown, T. M.; Sweigart, A. V.; Kalirai, J. S.; Ferguson, H. C.; Guhathakurta, P.; Renzini, A.; Rich, R. M.

2010-01-01

We present HST/ACS observations of RR Lyrae variable stars in six ultra deep fields of the Andromeda galaxy (M31), including parts of the halo, disk, and giant stellar stream. Past work on the RR Lyrae stars in M31 has focused on various aspects of the stellar populations that make up the galaxy s halo, including their distances and metallicities. This study builds upon this previous work by increasing the spatial coverage (something that has been lacking in previous studies) and by searching for these variable stars in constituents of the galaxy not yet explored. Besides the 55 RR Lyrae stars we found in our initial field located 11kpc from the galactic nucleus, we find additional RR Lyrae stars in four of the remaining five ultra deep fields as follows: 21 in the disk, 24 in the giant stellar stream, 3 in the halo field 21kpc from the galactic nucleus, and 5 in one of the halo fields at 35kpc. No RR Lyrae were found in the second halo field at 35kpc. The RR Lyrae populations of these fields appear to mostly be of Oosterhoff I type, although the 11kpc field appears to be intermediate or mixed. We will discuss the properties of these stars including period and reddening distributions. We calculate metallicities and distances for the stars in each of these fields using different methods and compare the results, to an extent that has not yet been done. We compare these methods not just on RR Lyrae in our M31 fields, but also on a data set of Milky Way field RR Lyrae stars.

Metallicity inhomogeneities in local star-forming galaxies as a sign of recent metal-poor gas accretion

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sánchez Almeida, J.; Morales-Luis, A. B.; Muñoz-Tuñón, C.

2014-03-01

We measure the oxygen metallicity of the ionized gas along the major axis of seven dwarf star-forming galaxies. Two of them, SDSSJ1647+21 and SDSSJ2238+14, show ≅0.5 dex metallicity decrements in inner regions with enhanced star formation activity. This behavior is similar to the metallicity drop observed in a number of local tadpole galaxies by Sánchez Almeida et al., and was interpreted as showing early stages of assembling in disk galaxies, with the star formation sustained by external metal-poor gas accretion. The agreement with tadpoles has several implications. (1) It proves that galaxies other than the local tadpoles present the samemore » unusual metallicity pattern. (2) Our metallicity inhomogeneities were inferred using the direct method, thus discarding systematic errors usually attributed to other methods. (3) Taken together with the tadpole data, our findings suggest a threshold around one-tenth the solar value for the metallicity drops to show up. Although galaxies with clear metallicity drops are rare, the physical mechanism responsible for them may sustain a significant part of the star formation activity in the local universe. We argue that the star formation dependence of the mass-metallicity relationship, as well as other general properties followed by most local disk galaxies, is naturally interpreted as side effects of pristine gas infall. Alternatives to the metal-poor gas accretion are examined as well.« less

Nucleosynthesis in Primordial Hypernovae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grimmett, J. J.; Heger, Alexander; Karakas, Amanda I.; Müller, Bernhard

2018-06-01

We investigate the relationship between explosion energy and nucleosynthesis in Population III supernovae and provide nucleosynthetic results for the explosions of stars with progenitor masses of 15 M⊙, 20 M⊙, 30 M⊙, 40 M⊙, 60 M⊙, and 80 M⊙, and explosion energies between approximately 1050 erg and 1053 erg. We find that the typical abundance pattern observed in metal-poor stars are best matched by supernovae with progenitor mass in the range 15 M⊙ - 30 M⊙, and explosion energy of ˜(5 - 10) × 1051 erg. In these models, a reverse shock caused by jumps in density between shells of different composition serves to decrease synthesis of chromium and manganese, which is favourable to matching the observed abundances in metal-poor stars. Spherically symmetric explosions of our models with progenitor mass ≥40 M⊙ do not provide yields that are compatible with the iron-peak abundances that are typically observed in metal-poor stars, however, by approximating the yields that we might expect from these models in highly aspherical explosions, we find indications that explosions of stars 40 M⊙ - 80 M⊙ with bipolar jets may be good candidates for the enrichment sources of metal-poor stars with enhanced carbon abundances.

Impact of NLTE on research of early chemical enrichment of the dwarf galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mashonkina, Lyudmila

2015-08-01

The individual stars observed in the dwarf galaxies orbiting the Milky Way are presumably red giants. Their chemical abundances are commonly determined under the classical LTE assumption, despite its validity is questionable for atmospheres of giant, in particular, metal-poor stars. Exactly metal-poor objects are important for understanding the early chemical enrichment processes of the host galaxy and the onset of star formation. We selected a sample of the -4 < [Fe/H] < -2 stars in the dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies Sculptor, Sextans, and Fornax and the ultra-faint galaxies Bootes I and Segue I, with the high-resolution observational data available, and revised abundances of up to 12 chemical species based on the non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) line formation. Stellar parameters taken from the literature were checked through the NLTE analysis of lines of iron observed in the two ionisation stages, Fe I and Fe II. For the Scl, Sex, and Fnx stars, with effective temperatures and surface gravities derived from the photometry and known distance (Jablonka et al. 2015; Tafelmeyer et al. 2010), the Fe I/Fe II ionisation equilibrium was found to be fulfilled, when applying a scaling factor of SH = 0.5 to the Drawinian rates of Fe+H collisions. Pronounced NLTE effects were calculated for lines of Na I and Al I resulting in up to 0.5 dex lower [Na/Fe] ratios and up to 0.65 dex higher [Al/Fe] ratios compared with the corresponding LTE values. For the six Scl stars, the scatter of data on Mg/Na is much smaller in NLTE, with the mean [Mg/Na] = 0.61 +- 0.11, than LTE, where [Mg/Na] = 0.42 +- 0.21. We computed a grid of the NLTE abundance corrections for an extensive list of the Ca I, Ti I-Ti II, and Fe I lines in the MARCS models of cool giants, 4000 K <= Teff <= 4750 K, 0.5 <= log g <= 2.5, -4 <= [M/H] <= 0.

Intergalactic stellar populations in intermediate redshift clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melnick, J.; Giraud, E.; Toledo, I.; Selman, F.; Quintana, H.

2012-11-01

A substantial fraction of the total stellar mass in rich clusters of galaxies resides in a diffuse intergalactic component usually referred to as the intracluster light (ICL). Theoretical models indicate that these intergalactic stars originate mostly from the tidal interaction of the cluster galaxies during the assembly history of the cluster, and that a significant fraction of these stars could have formed in situ from the late infall of cold metal-poor gas clouds on to the cluster. However, these models also overpredict the fraction of stellar mass in the ICL by a substantial margin, something that is still not well understood. The models also make predictions about the age distribution of the ICL stars, which may provide additional observational constraints. Here we present population synthesis models for the ICL of an intermediate redshift (z = 0.29) X-ray cluster that we have extensively studied in previous papers. The advantage of observing intermediate redshift clusters rather than nearby ones is that the former fit the field of view of multi-object spectrographs in 8-m telescopes and therefore permit us to encompass most of the ICL with only a few well-placed slits. In this paper we show that by stacking spectra at different locations within the ICL it is possible to reach sufficiently high signal-to-noise ratios to fit population synthesis models and derive meaningful results. The models provide ages and metallicities for the dominant populations at several different locations within the ICL and the brightest cluster galaxies (BCG) halo, as well as measures of the kinematics of the stars as a function of distance from the BCG. We thus find that the ICL in our cluster is dominated by old metal-rich stars, at odds with what has been found in nearby clusters where the stars that dominate the ICL are old and metal poor. While we see weak evidence of a young, metal-poor component, if real, these young stars would amount to less than 1 per cent of the total ICL mass, much less than the up to 30 per cent predicted by the models. We propose that the very metal-rich (i.e. 2.5× solar) stars in the ICL of our cluster, which comprise ˜40 per cent of the total mass, originate mostly from the central dumb-bell galaxy, while the remaining solar and metal-poor stars come from spiral, post-starburst (E+A) and metal-poor dwarf galaxies. About 16 per cent of the ICL stars are old and metal poor.

The Chemical Abundances of Stars in the Halo (CASH) Project. II. A Sample of 14 Extremely Metal-poor Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hollek, Julie K.; Frebel, Anna; Roederer, Ian U.; Sneden, Christopher; Shetrone, Matthew; Beers, Timothy C.; Kang, Sung-ju; Thom, Christopher

2011-11-01

We present a comprehensive abundance analysis of 20 elements for 16 new low-metallicity stars from the Chemical Abundances of Stars in the Halo (CASH) project. The abundances have been derived from both Hobby-Eberly Telescope High Resolution Spectrograph snapshot spectra (R ~15, 000) and corresponding high-resolution (R ~35, 000) Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle spectra. The stars span a metallicity range from [Fe/H] from -2.9 to -3.9, including four new stars with [Fe/H] < -3.7. We find four stars to be carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars, confirming the trend of increasing [C/Fe] abundance ratios with decreasing metallicity. Two of these objects can be classified as CEMP-no stars, adding to the growing number of these objects at [Fe/H]< - 3. We also find four neutron-capture-enhanced stars in the sample, one of which has [Eu/Fe] of 0.8 with clear r-process signatures. These pilot sample stars are the most metal-poor ([Fe/H] <~ -3.0) of the brightest stars included in CASH and are used to calibrate a newly developed, automated stellar parameter and abundance determination pipeline. This code will be used for the entire ~500 star CASH snapshot sample. We find that the pipeline results are statistically identical for snapshot spectra when compared to a traditional, manual analysis from a high-resolution spectrum. Based on observations obtained with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope, which is a joint project of the University of Texas at Austin, the Pennsylvania State University, Stanford University, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, and Georg-August-Universität Göttingen. Based on observations gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile.

Inefficient star formation in extremely metal poor galaxies.

PubMed

Shi, Yong; Armus, Lee; Helou, George; Stierwalt, Sabrina; Gao, Yu; Wang, Junzhi; Zhang, Zhi-Yu; Gu, Qiusheng

2014-10-16

The first galaxies contain stars born out of gas with few or no 'metals' (that is, elements heavier than helium). The lack of metals is expected to inhibit efficient gas cooling and star formation, but this effect has yet to be observed in galaxies with an oxygen abundance (relative to hydrogen) below a tenth of that of the Sun. Extremely metal poor nearby galaxies may be our best local laboratories for studying in detail the conditions that prevailed in low metallicity galaxies at early epochs. Carbon monoxide emission is unreliable as a tracer of gas at low metallicities, and while dust has been used to trace gas in low-metallicity galaxies, low spatial resolution in the far-infrared has typically led to large uncertainties. Here we report spatially resolved infrared observations of two galaxies with oxygen abundances below ten per cent of the solar value, and show that stars formed very inefficiently in seven star-forming clumps in these galaxies. The efficiencies are less than a tenth of those found in normal, metal rich galaxies today, suggesting that star formation may have been very inefficient in the early Universe.

An ultra-faint galaxy candidate discovered in early data from the Magellanic Satellites Survey

DOE PAGES

Drlica-Wagner, A.; Bechtol, Keith; Allam, S.; ...

2016-11-30

Here, we report a new ultra-faint stellar system found in Dark Energy Camera data from the first observing run of the Magellanic Satellites Survey (MagLiteS). MagLiteS J0644–5953 (Pictor II or Pic II) is a low surface brightness (more » $$\\mu ={28.5}_{-1}^{+1}\\,\\mathrm{mag}\\,\\,\\mathrm{arcsec}{}^{-2}$$ within its half-light radius) resolved overdensity of old and metal-poor stars located at a heliocentric distance of $${45}_{-4}^{+5}\\,\\mathrm{kpc}$$. The physical size ($${r}_{1/2}={46}_{-11}^{+15}\\,\\mathrm{pc}\\,$$) and low luminosity ($${M}_{V}=-{3.2}_{-0.5}^{+0.4}\\,\\mathrm{mag}\\,$$) of this satellite are consistent with the locus of spectroscopically confirmed ultra-faint galaxies. MagLiteS J0644–5953 (Pic II) is located $${11.3}_{-0.9}^{+3.1}\\,\\mathrm{kpc}\\,$$ from the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), and comparisons with simulation results in the literature suggest that this satellite was likely accreted with the LMC. The close proximity of MagLiteS J0644–5953 (Pic II) to the LMC also makes it the most likely ultra-faint galaxy candidate to still be gravitationally bound to the LMC.« less

An ultra-faint galaxy candidate discovered in early data from the Magellanic Satellites Survey

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Drlica-Wagner, A.; Bechtol, Keith; Allam, S.

Here, we report a new ultra-faint stellar system found in Dark Energy Camera data from the first observing run of the Magellanic Satellites Survey (MagLiteS). MagLiteS J0644–5953 (Pictor II or Pic II) is a low surface brightness (more » $$\\mu ={28.5}_{-1}^{+1}\\,\\mathrm{mag}\\,\\,\\mathrm{arcsec}{}^{-2}$$ within its half-light radius) resolved overdensity of old and metal-poor stars located at a heliocentric distance of $${45}_{-4}^{+5}\\,\\mathrm{kpc}$$. The physical size ($${r}_{1/2}={46}_{-11}^{+15}\\,\\mathrm{pc}\\,$$) and low luminosity ($${M}_{V}=-{3.2}_{-0.5}^{+0.4}\\,\\mathrm{mag}\\,$$) of this satellite are consistent with the locus of spectroscopically confirmed ultra-faint galaxies. MagLiteS J0644–5953 (Pic II) is located $${11.3}_{-0.9}^{+3.1}\\,\\mathrm{kpc}\\,$$ from the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), and comparisons with simulation results in the literature suggest that this satellite was likely accreted with the LMC. The close proximity of MagLiteS J0644–5953 (Pic II) to the LMC also makes it the most likely ultra-faint galaxy candidate to still be gravitationally bound to the LMC.« less

An Infrared Census of DUST in Nearby Galaxies with Spitzer (DUSTiNGS). IV. Discovery of High-redshift AGB Analogs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyer, M. L.; McQuinn, K. B. W.; Groenewegen, M. A. T.; Zijlstra, A. A.; Whitelock, P. A.; van Loon, J. Th.; Sonneborn, G.; Sloan, G. C.; Skillman, E. D.; Meixner, M.; McDonald, I.; Jones, O. C.; Javadi, A.; Gehrz, R. D.; Britavskiy, N.; Bonanos, A. Z.

2017-12-01

The survey for DUST in Nearby Galaxies with Spitzer (DUSTiNGS) identified several candidate Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars in nearby dwarf galaxies and showed that dust can form even in very metal-poor systems ({\\boldsymbol{Z}}∼ 0.008 {Z}ȯ ). Here, we present a follow-up survey with WFC3/IR on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), using filters that are capable of distinguishing carbon-rich (C-type) stars from oxygen-rich (M-type) stars: F127M, F139M, and F153M. We include six star-forming DUSTiNGS galaxies (NGC 147, IC 10, Pegasus dIrr, Sextans B, Sextans A, and Sag DIG), all more metal-poor than the Magellanic Clouds and spanning 1 dex in metallicity. We double the number of dusty AGB stars known in these galaxies and find that most are carbon rich. We also find 26 dusty M-type stars, mostly in IC 10. Given the large dust excess and tight spatial distribution of these M-type stars, they are most likely on the upper end of the AGB mass range (stars undergoing Hot Bottom Burning). Theoretical models do not predict significant dust production in metal-poor M-type stars, but we see evidence for dust excess around M-type stars even in the most metal-poor galaxies in our sample (12+{log}({{O}}/{{H}})=7.26{--}7.50). The low metallicities and inferred high stellar masses (up to ∼10 {M}ȯ ) suggest that AGB stars can produce dust very early in the evolution of galaxies (∼30 Myr after they form), and may contribute significantly to the dust reservoirs seen in high-redshift galaxies. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with program GO-14073.

OBSERVATIONS OF BINARY STARS WITH THE DIFFERENTIAL SPECKLE SURVEY INSTRUMENT. V. TOWARD AN EMPIRICAL METAL-POOR MASS–LUMINOSITY RELATION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Horch, Elliott P.; Van Altena, William F.; Demarque, Pierre

2015-05-15

In an effort to better understand the details of the stellar structure and evolution of metal-poor stars, the Gemini North telescope was used on two occasions to take speckle imaging data of a sample of known spectroscopic binary stars and other nearby stars in order to search for and resolve close companions. The observations were obtained using the Differential Speckle Survey Instrument, which takes data in two filters simultaneously. The results presented here are of 90 observations of 23 systems in which one or more companions was detected, and six stars where no companion was detected to the limit ofmore » the camera capabilities at Gemini. In the case of the binary and multiple stars, these results are then further analyzed to make first orbit determinations in five cases, and orbit refinements in four other cases. The mass information is derived, and since the systems span a range in metallicity, a study is presented that compares our results with the expected trend in total mass as derived from the most recent Yale isochrones as a function of metal abundance. These data suggest that metal-poor main-sequence stars are less massive at a given color than their solar-metallicity analogues in a manner consistent with that predicted from the theory.« less

Imprints of fast-rotating massive stars in the Galactic Bulge.

PubMed

Chiappini, Cristina; Frischknecht, Urs; Meynet, Georges; Hirschi, Raphael; Barbuy, Beatriz; Pignatari, Marco; Decressin, Thibaut; Maeder, André

2011-04-28

The first stars that formed after the Big Bang were probably massive, and they provided the Universe with the first elements heavier than helium ('metals'), which were incorporated into low-mass stars that have survived to the present. Eight stars in the oldest globular cluster in the Galaxy, NGC 6522, were found to have surface abundances consistent with the gas from which they formed being enriched by massive stars (that is, with higher α-element/Fe and Eu/Fe ratios than those of the Sun). However, the same stars have anomalously high abundances of Ba and La with respect to Fe, which usually arises through nucleosynthesis in low-mass stars (via the slow-neutron-capture process, or s-process). Recent theory suggests that metal-poor fast-rotating massive stars are able to boost the s-process yields by up to four orders of magnitude, which might provide a solution to this contradiction. Here we report a reanalysis of the earlier spectra, which reveals that Y and Sr are also overabundant with respect to Fe, showing a large scatter similar to that observed in extremely metal-poor stars, whereas C abundances are not enhanced. This pattern is best explained as originating in metal-poor fast-rotating massive stars, which might point to a common property of the first stellar generations and even of the 'first stars'.

Chemical Composition of Two Bright, Extremely Metal-poor Stars from the SDSS MARVELS Pre-survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bandyopadhyay, Avrajit; Sivarani, Thirupathi; Susmitha, Antony; Beers, Timothy C.; Giridhar, Sunetra; Surya, Arun; Masseron, Thomas

2018-06-01

SDSS J082625.70+612515.10 (V = 11.4 [Fe/H] = ‑3.1) and SDSS J134144.60+474128.90 (V = 12.4 [Fe/H] = ‑3.2) were observed with the SDSS 2.5m telescope as part of the SDSS MARVELS spectroscopic pre-survey and identified as extremely metal-poor (EMP; [Fe/H] < ‑3.0) stars during the high-resolution follow-up using the Hanle Echelle Spectrograph (HESP) on the 2.0-m Himalayan Chandra Telescope. In this paper, the first science results using HESP, we present a detailed analysis of their chemical abundances. Both stars exhibit under-abundances in their neutron capture elements, while one of them (SDSS J134144.60+474128.90) is clearly enhanced in carbon. Lithium was also detected in this star at a level of about A(Li) = 1.95. The spectra were obtained over a span of 6–24 months, and indicate that both stars could be members of binary systems. We compare the elemental abundances derived for these two stars along with other carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) and EMP stars, in order to understand the nature of their parent supernovae. We find that CEMP-no stars and EMP-dwarfs show a very similar trend in their lithium abundances at various metallicities. We also find indications of CEMP-no stars having larger abundances of Cr and Co at given metallicities compared to EMP stars.

Chemodynamical modelling of the galactic bulge and bar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Portail, Matthieu; Wegg, Christopher; Gerhard, Ortwin; Ness, Melissa

2017-09-01

We present the first self-consistent chemodynamical model fitted to reproduce data for the galactic bulge, bar and inner disc. We extend the Made-to-Measure method to an augmented phase-space including the metallicity of stars, and show its first application to the bar region of the Milky Way. Using data from the ARGOS and APOGEE (DR12) surveys, we adapt the recent dynamical model from Portail et al. to reproduce the observed spatial and kinematic variations as a function of metallicity, thus allowing the detailed study of the 3D density distributions, kinematics and orbital structure of stars in different metallicity bins. We find that metal-rich stars with [Fe/H] ≥ -0.5 are strongly barred and have dynamical properties that are consistent with a common disc origin. Metal-poor stars with [Fe/H] ≤ -0.5 show strong kinematic variations with metallicity, indicating varying contributions from the underlying stellar populations. Outside the central kpc, metal-poor stars are found to have the density and kinematics of a thick disc while in the inner kpc, evidence for an extra concentration of metal-poor stars is found. Finally, the combined orbit distributions of all metallicities in the model naturally reproduce the observed vertex deviations in the bulge. This paper demonstrates the power of Made-to-Measure chemodynamical models, that when extended to other chemical dimensions will be very powerful tools to maximize the information obtained from large spectroscopic surveys such as APOGEE, GALAH and MOONS.

Far-ultraviolet energy distributions of the metal-poor A stars HD 109995 and HD 161817

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boehm-Vitense, E.

1981-01-01

Low-resolution IUE spectra at wavelengths between 1300 and 3400 A of the metal-poor stars HD 109995 (A1p) and HD 161817 (A4p) have been compared with model-atmosphere energy distributions computed by Kurucz (1979). Good overall agreement is found. Effective temperatures, metal abundances, and angular diameters could be determined. Assuming an absolute visual magnitude of 0.7, the previously determined gravity log = 3 yields masses of 0.5 solar masses for both stars. It is found that the theoretical UBV colors calculated earlier agree reaonably well with the ones observed for these stars.

a UV Spectral Library of Metal-Poor Massive Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robert, Carmelle

1994-01-01

We propose to use the FOS to build a snapshot library of UV spectra of a sample of about 50 metal-poor massive stars located in the Magellanic Clouds. The majority of libraries already existing contains spectra of hot stars with chemical abundances close to solar. The high spectral resolution achieves with the FOS will be a major factor for the uniqueness of this new library. UV spectral libraries represent fundamental tools for the study of the massive star populations of young star-forming regions. Massive stars, which are impossible to identify directly in the optical-IR part of a composite spectrum, display on the other hand key signatures in the UV region. These signatures are mainly broad, metallicity dependent spectral features formed in the hot star winds. They require a high spectral resolution (of the order of 200-300 km/s) for an adequate study. A spectral library of metal-poor massive stars represents also a unique source of data for a stellar atmosphere analysis. Within less then 10 min we will obtain a high signal-to-noise ratio of at least 30. Finally, since short exposure times are possible, this proposal makes extremely good use of the capabilities of HST. We designed an observing strategy which yields a maximum scientific return at a minimum cost of spacecraft time.

Metal-poor Stars Observed with the Magellan Telescope. II. Discovery of Four Stars with [Fe/H] <= -3.5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Placco, Vinicius M.; Frebel, Anna; Beers, Timothy C.; Christlieb, Norbert; Lee, Young Sun; Kennedy, Catherine R.; Rossi, Silvia; Santucci, Rafael M.

2014-01-01

We report on the discovery of seven low-metallicity stars selected from the Hamburg/ESO Survey, six of which are extremely metal-poor (EMP, [Fe/H] <= -3.0), with four having [Fe/H] <= -3.5. Chemical abundances or upper limits are derived for these stars based on high-resolution (R ~ 35,000) Magellan/MIKE spectroscopy, and are in general agreement with those of other very and extremely metal-poor stars reported in the literature. Accurate metallicities and abundance patterns for stars in this metallicity range are of particular importance for studies of the shape of the metallicity distribution function of the Milky Way's halo system, in particular for probing the nature of its low-metallicity tail. In addition, taking into account suggested evolutionary mixing effects, we find that six of the program stars (with [Fe/H] <= -3.35) possess atmospheres that were likely originally enriched in carbon, relative to iron, during their main-sequence phases. These stars do not exhibit overabundances of their s-process elements, and hence may be, within the error bars, additional examples of the so-called CEMP-no class of objects. Based on observations gathered with: The 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile; the Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) telescope (SO2011B-002), which is a joint project of the Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia, e Inovação (MCTI) da República Federativa do Brasil, the U.S. National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), and Michigan State University (MSU); and the New Technology Telescope (NTT) of the European Southern Observatory (088.D-0344A), La Silla, Chile.

DISCOVERY OF AN ULTRA-FAINT DWARF GALAXY IN THE INTRACLUSTER FIELD OF THE VIRGO CENTER: A FOSSIL OF THE FIRST GALAXIES?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jang, In Sung; Lee, Myung Gyoon, E-mail: isjang@astro.snu.ac.kr, E-mail: mglee@astro.snu.ac.kr

2014-11-01

Ultra-faint dwarf galaxies (UFDs) are newcomers among galaxies, and are the faintest galaxies in the observed universe. To date, they have only been found around the Milky Way Galaxy and M31 in the Local Group. We present the discovery of a UFD in the intracluster field in the core of the Virgo cluster (Virgo UFD1), which is far from any massive galaxies. The color-magnitude diagram of the resolved stars in this galaxy shows a narrow red giant branch, similar to those of metal-poor globular clusters in the Milky Way. We estimate its distance by comparing the red giant branch withmore » isochrones, and we obtain a value 16.4 ± 0.4 Mpc. This shows that it is indeed a member of the Virgo cluster. From the color of the red giants we estimate its mean metallicity to be very low, [Fe/H] =–2.4 ± 0.4. Its absolute V-band magnitude and effective radius are derived to be M{sub V} = –6.5 ± 0.2 and r {sub eff} = 81 ± 7 pc, much fainter and smaller than the classical dwarf spheroidal galaxies. Its central surface brightness is estimated to be as low as μ {sub V,} {sub 0} = 26.37 ± 0.05 mag arcsec{sup –2}. Its properties are similar to those of the Local Group analogs. No evidence of tidal features are found in this galaxy. Considering its narrow red giant branch with no asymptotic giant branch stars, low metallicity, and location, it may be a fossil remnant of the first galaxies.« less

Oxygen and iron abundances in two metal-poor dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spiesman, William J.; Wallerstein, George

1991-11-01

Oxygen abundances from the O I line at 6300 A in two metal-poor K dwarfs, HD 25329 and HD 134440, are derived. The spectra were obtained with the KPNO 4-m echelle spectrograph and long camera, yielding a resolution of 32,000 and an S/N of about 125. Model atmospheres with Te of 4770 were appropriate to both stars, whose metallicities were found to be -1.74 and -1.43 for HD 25329 and HD 134440, respectively. These oxygen abundances are 0.3 and 0.4 for the two stars. From the resolution an S/N a 3(sigma) upper limit of 0.8 is derived for each star, which may be combined into an upper limit of O/Fe of 0.6 for a generic K dwarf with Fe/H of 1.6. These values are more in line with O/Fe as seen in similarly metal-poor red giant than those reported in metal-poor subdwarfs by Abia and Rebolo (1989).

The R-Process Alliance: 2MASS J09544277+5246414, the Most Actinide-enhanced R-II Star Known

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holmbeck, Erika M.; Beers, Timothy C.; Roederer, Ian U.; Placco, Vinicius M.; Hansen, Terese T.; Sakari, Charli M.; Sneden, Christopher; Liu, Chao; Lee, Young Sun; Cowan, John J.; Frebel, Anna

2018-06-01

We report the discovery of a new actinide-boost star, 2MASS J09544277+5246414, originally identified as a very bright (V = 10.1), extremely metal-poor ([Fe/H] = ‑2.99) K giant in the LAMOST survey, and found to be highly r-process-enhanced (r-II; [Eu/Fe] = +1.28]), during the snapshot phase of the R-Process Alliance (RPA). Based on a high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), high-resolution spectrum obtained with the Harlan J. Smith 2.7 m telescope, this star is the first confirmed actinide-boost star found by RPA efforts. With an enhancement of [Th/Eu] = +0.37, 2MASS J09544277+5246414 is also the most actinide-enhanced r-II star yet discovered, and only the sixth metal-poor star with a measured uranium abundance ([U/Fe] = +1.40). Using the Th/U chronometer, we estimate an age of 13.0 ± 4.7 Gyr for this star. The unambiguous actinide-boost signature of this extremely metal-poor star, combined with additional r-process-enhanced and actinide-boost stars identified by the RPA, will provide strong constraints on the nature and origin of the r-process at early times.

Follow-up observations of extremely metal-poor stars identified from SDSS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aguado, D. S.; Allende Prieto, C.; González Hernández, J. I.; Carrera, R.; Rebolo, R.; Shetrone, M.; Lambert, D. L.; Fernández-Alvar, E.

2016-08-01

Context. The most metal-poor stars in the Milky Way witnessed the early phases of formation of the Galaxy, and have chemical compositions that are close to the pristine mixture from Big Bang nucleosynthesis, polluted by one or few supernovae. Aims: Only two dozen stars with ([Fe/H] < -4) are known, and they show a wide range of abundance patterns. It is therefore important to enlarge this sample. We present the first results of an effort to identify new extremely metal-poor stars in the Milky Way halo. Methods: Our targets have been selected from low-resolution spectra obtained as part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and followed-up with medium resolution spectroscopy on the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope and, in a few cases, at high resolution on the 9.2 m Hobby-Eberly Telescope. Stellar parameters and the abundances of magnesium, calcium, iron, and strontium have been inferred from the spectra using classical model atmospheres. We have also derived carbon abundances from the G band. Results: We find consistency between the metallicities estimated from SDSS and those from new data at the level of 0.3 dex. The analysis of medium resolution data obtained with ISIS on the WHT allows us to refine the metallicities and in some cases measure other elemental abundances. Our sample contains 11 new metal-poor stars with [Fe/H] < -3.0, one of them with an estimated metallicity of [Fe/H] ~ -4.0. We also discuss metallicity discrepancies of some stars in common with previous works in the literature. Only one of these stars is found to be C-enhanced at about [C/Fe] ~ + 1, whereas the other metal-poor stars show C abundances at the level of [C/Fe] ~ + 0.45. Based on observations obtained with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope, which is a joint project of the University of Texas at Austin, the Pennsylvania State University, Stanford University, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, and Georg-August-Universität Göttingen.The reduced spectra as FITS files are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/593/A10

Using photometrically selected metal-poor stars to study dwarf galaxies and the Galactic stellar halo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Youakim, Kris; Starkenburg, Else; Martin, Nicolas; Pristine Team

2018-06-01

The Pristine survey is a narrow-band photometric survey designed to efficiently search for extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars. In the first three years of the survey, it has demonstrated great efficiency at finding EMP stars, and also great promise for increasing the current, small sample of the most metal-poor stars. The present sky coverage is ~2500 square degrees in the Northern Galactic Halo, including several individual fields targeting dwarf galaxies. By efficiently identifying member stars in the outskirts of known faint dwarf galaxies, the dynamical histories and chemical abundance patterns of these systems can be understood in greater detail. Additionally, with reliable photometric metallicities over a large sky coverage it is possible to perform a large scale clustering analysis in the Milky Way halo, and investigate the characteristic scale of substructure at different metallicities. This can reveal important details about the process of building up the halo through dwarf galaxy accretion, and offer insight into the connection between dwarf galaxies and the Milky Way halo. In this talk I will outline our results on the search for the most pristine stars, with a focus on how we are using this information to advance our understanding of dwarf galaxies and their contribution to the formation of the Galactic stellar halo.

Ages and Heavy Element Abundances from Very Metal-poor Stars in the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, Camilla Juul; El-Souri, Mariam; Monaco, Lorenzo; Villanova, Sandro; Bonifacio, Piercarlo; Caffau, Elisabetta; Sbordone, Luca

2018-03-01

Sagittarius (Sgr) is a massive disrupted dwarf spheroidal galaxy in the Milky Way halo that has undergone several stripping events. Previous chemical studies were restricted mainly to a few, metal-rich ([Fe/H] \\gtrapprox -1) stars that suggested a top-light initial mass function (IMF). Here we present the first high-resolution, very metal-poor ([Fe/H] =‑1 to ‑3) sample of 13 giant stars in the main body of Sgr. We derive abundances of 13 elements, namely C, Ca, Co, Fe, Sr, Ba, La, Ce, Nd, Eu, Dy, Pb, and Th, that challenge the interpretation based on previous studies. Our abundances from Sgr mimic those of the metal-poor halo, and our most metal-poor star ([Fe/H] ∼ -3) indicates a pure r-process pollution. Abundances of Sr, Pb, and Th are presented for the first time in Sgr, allowing for age determination using nuclear cosmochronology. We calculate ages of 9+/- 2.5 {Gyr}. Most of the sample stars have been enriched by a range of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars with masses between 1.3 and 5 M ⊙. Sgr J190651.47–320147.23 shows a large overabundance of Pb (2.05 dex) and a peculiar abundance pattern best fit by a 3 M ⊙ AGB star. Based on star-to-star scatter and observed abundance patterns, a mixture of low- and high-mass AGB stars and supernovae (15–25 M ⊙) is necessary to explain these patterns. The high level (0.29 ± 0.05 dex) of Ca indicates that massive supernovae must have existed and polluted the early ISM of Sgr before it lost its gas. This result is in contrast with a top-light IMF with no massive stars polluting Sgr. Based on data obtained UVES/VLT ID: 083.B-0774, 075.B-0127.

DETECTION OF PHOSPHORUS, SULPHUR, AND ZINC IN THE CARBON-ENHANCED METAL-POOR STAR BD+44 493

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roederer, Ian U.; Placco, Vinicius M.; Beers, Timothy C., E-mail: iur@umich.edu

2016-06-20

The carbon-enhanced metal-poor star BD+44°493 ([Fe/H] = −3.9) has been proposed as a candidate second-generation star enriched by metals from a single Pop III star. We report the first detections of P and S and the second detection of Zn in any extremely metal-poor carbon-enhanced star, using new spectra of BD+44°493 collected by the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope . We derive [P/Fe] = −0.34 ± 0.21, [S/Fe] = +0.07 ± 0.41, and [Zn/Fe] = −0.10 ± 0.24. We increase by 10-fold the number of Si i lines detected in BD+44°493, yielding [Si/Fe] = +0.15 ± 0.22.more » The [S/Fe] and [Zn/Fe] ratios exclude the hypothesis that the abundance pattern in BD+44°493 results from depletion of refractory elements onto dust grains. Comparison with zero-metallicity supernova (SN) models suggests that the stellar progenitor that enriched BD+44°493 was massive and ejected much less than 0.07 M {sub ⊙} of {sup 56}Ni, characteristic of a faint SN.« less

Using CETUS to study the first stars and first metals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roederer, Ian; CETUS Team

2018-01-01

The nucleosynthetic signatures of the first stars and supernovae are imprinted in the compositions of the most metal-poor stars found today. Only a few tens of absorption lines are commonly found in the optical spectra of the second-generation stars, so only 5-10 elements are regularly detected. Many others (Be, B, Si, P, S, Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn) are expected to be present but are rarely detected, and the upper limits derived from their optical non-detections are often uninteresting. The UV part of the spectrum accessible to the high-resolution UV spectrograph on CETUS would enable all of these elements to be detected if present in the most metal-poor stars known. We illustrate some of the ground-breaking observations of these stars that could be made with this mission.

TOPoS: chemical study of extremely metal-poor stars.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caffau, E.; Sbordone, L.; Bonifacio, P.; Cayrel, R.; Christlieb, N.; Clark, P.; François, P.; Glover, S.; Klessen, R.; Koch, A.; Ludwig, H.-G.; Monaco, L.; Plez, B.; Spite, F.; Spite, M.; Steffen, M.; Zaggia, S.

The extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars hold in their atmospheres the fossil record of the chemical composition of the early phases of the Galactic evolution. The chemical analysis of such objects provides important constraints on these early phases. EMP stars are very rare objects; to dig them out, large amounts of data have to be processed. With an automatic procedure, we analysed objects with colours of Turn-Off stars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to select a sample of good candidate EMP stars. In the latest years, we observed a sample of these candidates with X-Shooter and UVES, and we have an ongoing ESO large programme to use these spectrographs to observe EMP stars. I will report here the results on metallicity and Strontium abundance. Based on observations obtained at ESO Paranal Observatory, programme 189.D-0165(A)

THE SPLASH SURVEY: A SPECTROSCOPIC ANALYSIS OF THE METAL-POOR, LOW-LUMINOSITY M31 dSph SATELLITE ANDROMEDA X ,

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kalirai, Jason S.; Zucker, Daniel B.; Kniazev, Alexei Y.

2009-11-01

Andromeda X (And X) is a newly discovered low-luminosity M31 dwarf spheroidal galaxy (dSph) found by Zucker et al. in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS; York et al.). In this paper, we present the first spectroscopic study of individual red giant branch stars in And X, as a part of the Spectroscopic and Photometric Landscape of Andromeda's Stellar Halo (SPLASH) Survey. Using the Keck II telescope and multiobject DEIMOS spectrograph, we target two spectroscopic masks over the face of the galaxy and measure radial velocities for approx100 stars with a median accuracy of sigma {sub v} approx 3 kmmore » s{sup -1}. The velocity histogram for this field confirms three populations of stars along the sight line: foreground Milky Way dwarfs at small negative velocities, M31 halo red giants over a broad range of velocities, and a very cold velocity 'spike' consisting of 22 stars belonging to And X with v {sub rad} = -163.8 +- 1.2 km s{sup -1}. By carefully considering both the random and systematic velocity errors of these stars (e.g., through duplicate star measurements), we derive an intrinsic velocity dispersion of just sigma {sub v} = 3.9 +- 1.2 km s{sup -1} for And X, which for its size, implies a minimum mass-to-light ratio of M/L{sub V} = 37{sup +26} {sub -19} assuming that the mass traces the light. Based on the clean sample of member stars, we measure the median metallicity of And X to be [Fe/H] = -1.93 +- 0.11, with a slight radial metallicity gradient. The dispersion in metallicity is large, sigma([Fe/H]{sub phot}) = 0.48, possibly hinting that the galaxy retained much of its chemical enrichment products. And X has a total integrated luminosity (M{sub V} = -8.1 +- 0.5) that straddles the classical Local Group dSphs and the new SDSS ultra-low luminosity galaxies. The galaxy is among the most metal-poor dSphs known, especially relative to those with M{sub V} < -8, and has the second lowest intrinsic velocity dispersion of the entire sample. Our results suggest that And X is less massive by a factor of 4 when compared to Milky Way dSphs of comparable luminosity (e.g., Draco and Ursa Minor). We discuss the potential for better understanding the formation and evolution mechanisms for M31's system of dSphs through (current) kinematic and chemical abundance studies, especially in relation to the Milky Way sample.« less

Metal-poor star formation triggered by the feedback effects from Pop III stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiaki, Gen; Susa, Hajime; Hirano, Shingo

2018-04-01

Metal enrichment by first-generation (Pop III) stars is the very first step of the matter cycle in structure formation and it is followed by the formation of extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars. To investigate the enrichment process by Pop III stars, we carry out a series of numerical simulations including the feedback effects of photoionization and supernovae (SNe) of Pop III stars with a range of masses of minihaloes (MHs), Mhalo, and Pop III stars, MPopIII. We find that the metal-rich ejecta reach neighbouring haloes and external enrichment (EE) occurs when the H II region expands before the SN explosion. The neighbouring haloes are only superficially enriched, and the metallicity of the clouds is [Fe/H] < -5. Otherwise, the SN ejecta fall back and recollapse to form an enriched cloud, i.e. an internal-enrichment (IE) process takes place. In the case where a Pop III star explodes as a core-collapse SN (CCSN), the MH undergoes IE, and the metallicity in the recollapsing region is -5 ≲ [Fe/H] ≲ -3 in most cases. We conclude that IE from a single CCSN can explain the formation of EMP stars. For pair-instability SNe (PISNe), EE takes place for all relevant mass ranges of MHs, consistent with the lack of observational signs of PISNe among EMP stars.

AGB stars in Leo P and their use as metallicity probes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Chien-Hsiu

2016-09-01

Leo P is the most metal-poor yet star-forming galaxy in the local volume, and has the potential to serve as a local counterpart to interpret the properties of distant galaxies in the early universe. We present a comprehensive search of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in Leo P using deep infrared imaging. AGB stars are the major dust contributors; the metal poor nature of Leo P can help to shed light on the dust formation process in very low-metallicity environments, similar to the early Universe. We select and classify oxygen-rich and carbon-rich candidate AGB stars using J - K versus K colour-magnitude diagram. To filter out contaminations from background galaxies, we exploit the high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope imaging and identify 9 oxygen-rich AGBs and 13 carbon-rich AGB stars in Leo P. We then use the ratio of carbon-rich and oxygen-rich AGB stars (C/M ratio) as an indicator of on-site metallicity and derive the global metallicity [Fe/H] = -1.8 dex for Leo P, in good agreement with previous studies using isochrone fitting. Follow-up observations of these Leo P AGB stars in the mid-infrared [e.g. Spitzer, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)] will be invaluable to measure the dust formation rates using Spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting.

Pristine Survey : High-Resolution Spectral Analyses of New Metal-poor Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venn, Kim; Starkenburg, Else; Martin, Nicolas; Kielty, Collin; Youakim, Kris; Arnetsen, Anke

2018-06-01

The Pristine survey (Starkenburg et al. 2017) is a new and very successful metal-poor star survey. Combining high-quality narrow-band CaHK CFHT/MegaCam photometry with existing broadband photometry from SDSS, then very metal-poor stars have been found as confirmed from low-resolution spectroscopy (Youakim et al. 2017). Furthermore, we have extended this survey towards the Galactic bulge in a pilot program to test the capabilities in the highly crowded and (inhomogeneously) extincted bulge (Arentsen et al. 2018). High resolution spectral follow-up analyses have been initiated at the CFHT with Espadons (V<15) and the Gemini/GRACES long optical fibre that also feeds the Espadons spectrograph (15

Towards ab initio extremely metal-poor stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ritter, Jeremy S.; Safranek-Shrader, Chalence; Milosavljević, Miloš; Bromm, Volker

2016-12-01

Extremely metal-poor stars have been the focus of much recent attention owing to the expectation that their chemical abundances can shed light on the metal and dust yields of the earliest supernovae. We present our most realistic simulation to date of the astrophysical pathway to the first metal-enriched stars. We simulate the radiative and supernova hydrodynamic feedback of a 60 M⊙ Population III star starting from cosmological initial conditions realizing Gaussian density fluctuations. We follow the gravitational hydrodynamics of the supernova remnant at high spatial resolution through its freely expanding, adiabatic, and radiative phases, until gas, now metal-enriched, has resumed runaway gravitational collapse. Our findings are surprising: while the Population III progenitor exploded with a low energy of 1051 erg and injected an ample metal mass of 6 M⊙, the first cloud to collapse after the supernova explosion is a dense surviving primordial cloud on which the supernova blast wave deposited metals only superficially, in a thin, unresolved layer. The first metal-enriched stars can form at a very low metallicity, of only 2-5 × 10-4 Z⊙, and can inherit the parent cloud's highly elliptical, radially extended orbit in the dark matter gravitational potential.

Diversity of abundance patterns of neutron-capture elements in very metal-poor stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aoki, Misa; Aoki, Wako; Ishimaru, Yuhri; Wanajo, Shinya

2014-05-01

Observations of Very Metal-Poor stars indicate that there are at least two sites to r-process; "weak r-process" and "main r-process". A question is whether these two are well separated or there exists a variation in the r-process. We present the results of abundance analysis of neutron-capture elements in the two Very Metal-Poor stars HD107752 and HD110184 in the Milky Way halo observed with the Subaru Telescope HDS. The abundance patterns show overabundace at light n-capture elements (e.g. Sr, Y), inferring the element yielding of weak r-process, while heavy neutron-capture elements (e.g. Ba, Eu) are deficient; however, the overabundance of light ones is not as significant as that previously found in stars representing the weak r-process (e.g. HD122563; Honda et al. 2006). Our study show diversity in the abundance patterns from light to heavy neutron-capture elements in VMP stars, suggesting a variation in r-process, which may depend on electron fraction of environment.

New Fe i Level Energies and Line Identifications from Stellar Spectra. II. Initial Results from New Ultraviolet Spectra of Metal-poor Stars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Peterson, Ruth C.; Kurucz, Robert L.; Ayres, Thomas R., E-mail: peterson@ucolick.org

2017-04-01

The Fe i spectrum is critical to many areas of astrophysics, yet many of the high-lying levels remain uncharacterized. To remedy this deficiency, Peterson and Kurucz identified Fe i lines in archival ultraviolet and optical spectra of metal-poor stars, whose warm temperatures favor moderate Fe i excitation. Sixty-five new levels were recovered, with 1500 detectable lines, including several bound levels in the ionization continuum of Fe i. Here, we extend the previous work by identifying 59 additional levels, with 1400 detectable lines, by incorporating new high-resolution UV spectra of warm metal-poor stars recently obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope Imagingmore » Spectrograph. We provide gf values for these transitions, both computed as well as adjusted to fit the stellar spectra. We also expand our spectral calculations to the infrared, confirming three levels by matching high-quality spectra of the Sun and two cool stars in the H -band. The predicted gf values suggest that an additional 3700 Fe i lines should be detectable in existing solar infrared spectra. Extending the empirical line identification work to the infrared would help confirm additional Fe i levels, as would new high-resolution UV spectra of metal-poor turnoff stars below 1900 Å.« less

New Fe I Level Energies and Line Identifications from Stellar Spectra. II. Initial Results from New Ultraviolet Spectra of Metal-poor Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterson, Ruth C.; Kurucz, Robert L.; Ayres, Thomas R.

2017-04-01

The Fe I spectrum is critical to many areas of astrophysics, yet many of the high-lying levels remain uncharacterized. To remedy this deficiency, Peterson & Kurucz identified Fe I lines in archival ultraviolet and optical spectra of metal-poor stars, whose warm temperatures favor moderate Fe I excitation. Sixty-five new levels were recovered, with 1500 detectable lines, including several bound levels in the ionization continuum of Fe I. Here, we extend the previous work by identifying 59 additional levels, with 1400 detectable lines, by incorporating new high-resolution UV spectra of warm metal-poor stars recently obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. We provide gf values for these transitions, both computed as well as adjusted to fit the stellar spectra. We also expand our spectral calculations to the infrared, confirming three levels by matching high-quality spectra of the Sun and two cool stars in the H-band. The predicted gf values suggest that an additional 3700 Fe I lines should be detectable in existing solar infrared spectra. Extending the empirical line identification work to the infrared would help confirm additional Fe I levels, as would new high-resolution UV spectra of metal-poor turnoff stars below 1900 Å.

Stellar Yields of Rotating First Stars. II. Pair-instability Supernovae and Comparison with Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, Koh; Yoshida, Takashi; Umeda, Hideyuki

2018-04-01

Recent theory predicts that first stars are born with a massive initial mass of ≳100 M ⊙. Pair-instability supernova (PISN) is a common fate for such massive stars. Our final goal is to prove the existence of PISNe and thus the high-mass nature of the initial mass function in the early universe by conducting abundance profiling, in which properties of a hypothetical first star is constrained by metal-poor star abundances. In order to determine reliable and useful abundances, we investigate the PISN nucleosynthesis taking both rotating and nonrotating progenitors for the first time. We show that the initial and CO core mass ranges for PISNe depend on the envelope structures: nonmagnetic rotating models developing inflated envelopes have a lower shifted CO mass range of ∼70–125 M ⊙, while nonrotating and magnetic rotating models with deflated envelopes have a range of ∼80–135 M ⊙. However, we find no significant difference in explosive yields from rotating and nonrotating progenitors, except for large nitrogen production in nonmagnetic rotating models. Furthermore, we conduct the first systematic comparison between theoretical yields and a large sample of metal-poor star abundances. We find that the predicted low [Na/Mg] ∼ ‑1.5 and high [Ca/Mg] ∼0.5–1.3 abundance ratios are the most important to discriminate PISN signatures from normal metal-poor star abundances, and confirm that no currently observed metal-poor star matches with the PISN abundance. An extensive discussion on the nondetection is presented.

Chemical Abundance Analysis of Three α-poor, Metal-poor Stars in the Ultrafaint Dwarf Galaxy Horologium I

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nagasawa, D. Q.; Marshall, J. L.; Li, T. S.

We present chemical abundance measurements of three stars in the ultrafaint dwarf galaxy Horologium I, a Milky Way satellite discovered by the Dark Energy Survey. Using high-resolution spectroscopic observations, we measure the metallicity of the three stars, as well as abundance ratios of several α-elements, iron-peak elements, and neutron-capture elements. The abundance pattern is relatively consistent among all three stars, which have a low average metallicity of [Fe/H] ~ –2.6 and are not α-enhanced ([α/Fe] ~ 0.0). This result is unexpected when compared to other low-metallicity stars in the Galactic halo and other ultrafaint dwarfs and suggests the possibility ofmore » a different mechanism for the enrichment of Hor I compared to other satellites. Here, we discuss possible scenarios that could lead to this observed nucleosynthetic signature, including extended star formation, enrichment by a Population III supernova, and or an association with the Large Magellanic Cloud.« less

Chemical Abundance Analysis of Three α-poor, Metal-poor Stars in the Ultrafaint Dwarf Galaxy Horologium I

DOE PAGES

Nagasawa, D. Q.; Marshall, J. L.; Li, T. S.; ...

2018-01-11

We present chemical abundance measurements of three stars in the ultrafaint dwarf galaxy Horologium I, a Milky Way satellite discovered by the Dark Energy Survey. Using high-resolution spectroscopic observations, we measure the metallicity of the three stars, as well as abundance ratios of several α-elements, iron-peak elements, and neutron-capture elements. The abundance pattern is relatively consistent among all three stars, which have a low average metallicity of [Fe/H] ~ –2.6 and are not α-enhanced ([α/Fe] ~ 0.0). This result is unexpected when compared to other low-metallicity stars in the Galactic halo and other ultrafaint dwarfs and suggests the possibility ofmore » a different mechanism for the enrichment of Hor I compared to other satellites. Here, we discuss possible scenarios that could lead to this observed nucleosynthetic signature, including extended star formation, enrichment by a Population III supernova, and or an association with the Large Magellanic Cloud.« less

The Epoch of the First Star Formation in the Closest Metal-Poor Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxy UGC 4483

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aloisi, Alessandra

2017-08-01

Metal-poor Blue Compact Dwarf (BCD) galaxies have been interpreted as nearby galaxies in formation. This view has been challenged by HST detection of Red Giant Branch (RGB) stars in all metal-poor BCDs where an RGB tip (TRGB, brightest RGB phase) has been searched for, impling the presence of stars at least 1 Gyr old. Due to the age-metallicity degeneracy, the RGB color provides little insight into the exact star formation history (SFH) beyond 1 Gyr. So, the first SF epoch may have occurred anywhere between 13 and 1 Gyr ago. To resolve this, it is necessary to reach features in the color-magnitude diagram (CMD) that are much fainter than the TRGB. Here we propose new WFC3/UVIS observations (with ACS/WFC in parallel) of the closest metal-poor BCD, UGC 4483. These data will yield an I vs. V-I CMD that goes 4 mag deeper than the TRGB allowing to detect red clump (RC) and horizontal branch (HB) stars. Variable stars of RR Lyrae type will also be detected. With their mere presence, these variables will indisputably prove the existence of a population at least 10 Gyr old. Apparent mag and width of RC, HB and RGB will independently constrain age and metallicity of the old/evolved stars, the presence of multiple SF episodes, their duration and metallicity spread. This deep crowded-field photometric project is only possible with HST. Due to UGC 4483 location in CVZ, it can be done in half the number of orbits that it would otherwise take. Since UGC 4483 is so close, it may be the only BCD for which these questions can be answered in the near future. It provides our best chance for learning about the true cosmological age and evolutionary state of these enigmatic galaxies.

On the Nature of Ultra-faint Dwarf Galaxy Candidates. II. The Case of Cetus II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conn, Blair C.; Jerjen, Helmut; Kim, Dongwon; Schirmer, Mischa

2018-04-01

We obtained deep Gemini GMOS-S g, r photometry of the ultra-faint dwarf galaxy candidate Cetus II with the aim of providing stronger constraints on its size, luminosity, and stellar population. Cetus II is an important object in the size–luminosity plane, as it occupies the transition zone between dwarf galaxies and star clusters. All known objects smaller than Cetus II (r h ∼ 20 pc) are reported to be star clusters, while most larger objects are likely dwarf galaxies. We found a prominent excess of main-sequence stars in the color–magnitude diagram of Cetus II, best described by a single stellar population with an age of 11.2 Gyr, metallicity of [Fe/H] = ‑1.28 dex, an [α/Fe] = 0.0 dex at a heliocentric distance of 26.3 ± 1.2 kpc. As well as being spatially located within the Sagittarius dwarf tidal stream, these properties are well matched to the Sagittarius galaxy’s Population B stars. Interestingly, like our recent findings on the ultra-faint dwarf galaxy candidate Tucana V, the stellar field in the direction of Cetus II shows no evidence of a concentrated overdensity despite tracing the main sequence for over six magnitudes. These results strongly support the picture that Cetus II is not an ultra-faint stellar system in the Milky Way halo, but made up of stars from the Sagittarius tidal stream.

Neutron-Capture Elements in Very Metal-Poor Halo Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

French, R. S.; Sneden, C.; Cowan, J. J.; Lawler, J. E.; Primas, F.; Beers, T. C.; Truran, J. W.

2000-05-01

Abundances of the most massive stable elements (Os -> Pb or 76 <= Z <= 82) in metal-poor stars can provide crucial information about the so-called ``third neutron-capture peak,'' and are critical to the radioactive-dating technique that uses unstable thorium and uranium as chronometers. As the relevant transitions occur in the UV and are inaccessable to ground-based telescopes, we have obtained high resolution (R ~= 30,000) UV spectra of 10 very metal-poor (--3.0 <= [Fe/H] <= --1.4) halo giants using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope. Using iterative spectrum synthesis techniques, we derive abundances for some of these heavy elements. We compare our abundances to those predicted for very metal-poor stars based on a scaled solar system rapid-process (production in rapid neutron-capture synthesis events, such as occurs during supernovae explosions). This research is supported by NASA STScI grant GO-08342 and NSF grants AST-9618364 to C.S. and AST-9618332 to J.J.C.

Empirical Determination of Dark Matter Velocities Using Metal-Poor Stars.

PubMed

Herzog-Arbeitman, Jonah; Lisanti, Mariangela; Madau, Piero; Necib, Lina

2018-01-26

The Milky Way dark matter halo is formed from the accretion of smaller subhalos. These sub-units also harbor stars-typically old and metal-poor-that are deposited in the Galactic inner regions by disruption events. In this Letter, we show that the dark matter and metal-poor stars in the Solar neighborhood share similar kinematics due to their common origin. Using the high-resolution eris simulation, which traces the evolution of both the dark matter and baryons in a realistic Milky Way analog galaxy, we demonstrate that metal-poor stars are indeed effective tracers for the local, virialized dark matter velocity distribution. The local dark matter velocities can therefore be inferred from observations of the stellar halo made by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey within 4 kpc of the Sun. This empirical distribution differs from the standard halo model in important ways and suggests that the bounds on the spin-independent scattering cross section may be weakened for dark matter masses below ∼10  GeV. Data from Gaia will allow us to further refine the expected distribution for the smooth dark matter component, and to test for the presence of local substructure.

Searching for chemical classes among metal-poor stars using medium-resolution spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruz, Monique A.; Cogo-Moreira, Hugo; Rossi, Silvia

2018-04-01

Astronomy is in the era of large spectroscopy surveys, with the spectra of hundreds of thousands of stars in the Galaxy being collected. Although most of these surveys have low or medium resolution, which makes precise abundance measurements not possible, there is still important information to be extracted from the available data. Our aim is to identify chemically distinct classes among metal-poor stars, observed by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, using line indices. The present work focused on carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars and their subclasses. We applied the latent profile analysis technique to line indices for carbon, barium, iron and europium, in order to separate the sample into classes with similar chemical signatures. This technique provides not only the number of possible groups but also the probability of each object to belong to each class. The method was able to distinguish at least two classes among the observed sample, with one of them being probable CEMP stars enriched in s-process elements. However, it was not able to separate CEMP-no stars from the rest of the sample. Latent profile analysis is a powerful model-based tool to be used in the identification of patterns in astrophysics. Our tests show the potential of the technique for the attainment of additional chemical information from `poor' data.

Carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars: relics from the dark ages

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cooke, Ryan J.; Madau, Piero, E-mail: rcooke@ucolick.org

2014-08-20

We use detailed nucleosynthesis calculations and a realistic prescription for the environment of the first stars to explore the first episodes of chemical enrichment that occurred during the dark ages. Based on these calculations, we propose a novel explanation for the increased prevalence of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars with decreasing Fe abundance: the observed chemistry for the most metal-poor Galactic halo stars is the result of an intimate link between the explosions of the first stars and their host minihalo's ability to retain its gas. Specifically, high-energy supernovae produce a near solar ratio of C/Fe, but are effective in evacuatingmore » the gas from their host minihalo, thereby suppressing the formation of a second generation of stars. On the other hand, minihalos that host low-energy supernovae are able to retain their gas and form a second stellar generation, but, as a result, the second stars are born with a supersolar ratio of C/Fe. Our models are able to accurately reproduce the observed distributions of [C/Fe] and [Fe/H], as well as the fraction of CEMP stars relative to non-CEMP stars as a function of [Fe/H] without any free parameters. We propose that the present lack of chemical evidence for very massive stars (≳ 140 M {sub ☉}) that ended their lives as a highly energetic pair-instability supernova does not imply that such stars were rare or did not exist; the chemical products of these very massive first stars may have been evacuated from their host minihalos and were never incorporated into subsequent generations of stars. Finally, our models suggest that the most Fe-poor stars currently known may have seen the enrichment from a small multiple of metal-free stars, and need not have been exclusively enriched by a solitary first star. These calculations also add further support to the possibility that some of the surviving dwarf satellite galaxies of the Milky Way are the relics of the first galaxies.« less

WHT follow-up observations of extremely metal-poor stars identified from SDSS and LAMOST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aguado, D. S.; González Hernández, J. I.; Allende Prieto, C.; Rebolo, R.

2017-09-01

Aims: We have identified several tens of extremely metal-poor star candidates from SDSS and LAMOST, which we follow up with the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope (WHT) telescope to confirm their metallicity. Methods: We followed a robust two-step methodology. We first analyzed the SDSS and LAMOST spectra. A first set of stellar parameters was derived from these spectra with the FERRE code, taking advantage of the continuum shape to determine the atmospheric parameters, in particular, the effective temperature. Second, we selected interesting targets for follow-up observations, some of them with very low-quality SDSS or LAMOST data. We then obtained and analyzed higher-quality medium-resolution spectra obtained with the Intermediate dispersion Spectrograph and Imaging System (ISIS) on the WHT to arrive at a second more reliable set of atmospheric parameters. This allowed us to derive the metallicity with accuracy, and we confirm the extremely metal-poor nature in most cases. In this second step we also employed FERRE, but we took a running mean to normalize both the observed and the synthetic spectra, and therefore the final parameters do not rely on having an accurate flux calibration or continuum placement. We have analyzed with the same tools and following the same procedure six well-known metal-poor stars, five of them at [Fe/H] <-4 to verify our results. This showed that our methodology is able to derive accurate metallicity determinations down to [Fe/H] <-5.0. Results: The results for these six reference stars give us confidence on the metallicity scale for the rest of the sample. In addition, we present 12 new extremely metal-poor candidates: 2 stars at [Fe/H] ≃-4, 6 more in the range -4 < [Fe / H] < -3.5, and 4 more at -3.5 < [Fe / H] < -3.0. Conclusions: We conclude that we can reliably determine metallicities for extremely metal-poor stars with a precision of 0.2 dex from medium-resolution spectroscopy with our improved methodology. This provides a highly effective way of verifying candidates from lower quality data. Our model spectra and the details of the fitting algorithm are made public to facilitate the standardization of the analysis of spectra from the same or similar instruments. The model spectra are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/605/A40

Enormous Li Enhancement Preceding Red Giant Phases in Low-mass Stars in the Milky Way Halo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Haining; Aoki, Wako; Matsuno, Tadafumi; Bharat Kumar, Yerra; Shi, Jianrong; Suda, Takuma; Zhao, Gang

2018-01-01

Li abundances in the bulk of low-mass metal-poor stars are well reproduced by stellar evolution models adopting a constant initial abundance. However, a small number of stars have exceptionally high Li abundances, for which no convincing models have been established. We report on the discovery of 12 very metal-poor stars that have large excesses of Li, including an object having more than 100 times higher Li abundance than the values found in usual objects, which is the largest excess in metal-poor stars known to date. The sample is distributed over a wide range of evolutionary stages, including five unevolved stars, showing no clear abundance anomaly in other elements. The results indicate the existence of an efficient process to enrich Li in a small fraction of low-mass stars at the main-sequence or subgiant phase. The wide distribution of Li-rich stars along the red giant branch could be explained by the dilution of surface Li by mixing that occurs when the stars evolve into red giants. Our study narrows down the problem to be solved in order to understand the origins of Li excess found in low-mass stars, suggesting the presence of an unknown process that affects the surface abundances preceding red giant phases. This work is based on data collected at the Subaru Telescope, which is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.

A search for stars of very low metal abundance. VI. Detailed abundances of 313 metal-poor stars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roederer, Ian U.; Preston, George W.; Thompson, Ian B.

2014-06-01

We present radial velocities, equivalent widths, model atmosphere parameters, and abundances or upper limits for 53 species of 48 elements derived from high resolution optical spectroscopy of 313 metal-poor stars. A majority of these stars were selected from the metal-poor candidates of the HK Survey of Beers, Preston, and Shectman. We derive detailed abundances for 61% of these stars for the first time. Spectra were obtained during a 10 yr observing campaign using the Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle spectrograph on the Magellan Telescopes at Las Campanas Observatory, the Robert G. Tull Coudé Spectrograph on the Harlan J. Smith Telescope atmore » McDonald Observatory, and the High Resolution Spectrograph on the Hobby-Eberly Telescope at McDonald Observatory. We perform a standard LTE abundance analysis using MARCS model atmospheres, and we apply line-by-line statistical corrections to minimize systematic abundance differences arising when different sets of lines are available for analysis. We identify several abundance correlations with effective temperature. A comparison with previous abundance analyses reveals significant differences in stellar parameters, which we investigate in detail. Our metallicities are, on average, lower by ≈0.25 dex for red giants and ≈0.04 dex for subgiants. Our sample contains 19 stars with [Fe/H] ≤–3.5, 84 stars with [Fe/H] ≤–3.0, and 210 stars with [Fe/H] ≤–2.5. Detailed abundances are presented here or elsewhere for 91% of the 209 stars with [Fe/H] ≤–2.5 as estimated from medium resolution spectroscopy by Beers, Preston, and Shectman. We will discuss the interpretation of these abundances in subsequent papers.« less

A Hero's Little Horse: Discovery of a Dissolving Star Cluster in Pegasus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Dongwon; Jerjen, Helmut

2015-01-01

We report the discovery of an ultra-faint stellar system in the constellation of Pegasus. This concentration of stars was detected by applying our overdensity detection algorithm to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 10 and confirmed with deeper photometry from the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) at the 4 m Blanco telescope. The best-fitting model isochrone indicates that this stellar system, Kim 1, features an old (12 Gyr) and metal-poor ([Fe/H] ~ -1.7) stellar population at a heliocentric distance of 19.8 ± 0.9 kpc. We measure a half-light radius of 6.9 ± 0.6 pc using a Plummer profile. The small physical size and the extremely low luminosity are comparable to the faintest known star clusters Segue 3, Koposov 1 and 2, and Muñoz 1. However, Kim 1 exhibits a lower star concentration and is lacking a well-defined center. It also has an unusually high ellipticity and irregular outer isophotes, which suggests that we are seeing an intermediate mass star cluster being stripped by the Galactic tidal field. An extended search for evidence of an associated stellar stream within the 3 \\deg 2 DECam field remains inconclusive. The finding of Kim 1 is consistent with current overdensity detection limits and supports the hypothesis that there are still a substantial number of extreme low-luminosity star clusters undetected in the wider Milky Way halo.

Metal-Poor, Strongly Star-Forming Galaxies in the DEEP2 Survey: The Relationship Between Stellar Mass, Temperature-Based Metallicity, and Star Formation Rate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ly, Chun; Rigby, Jane R.; Cooper, Michael; Yan, Renbin

2015-01-01

We report on the discovery of 28 redshift (z) approximately 0.8 metal-poor galaxies in DEEP2. These galaxies were selected for their detection of the weak [O (sub III)] lambda 4363 emission line, which provides a "direct" measure of the gas-phase metallicity. A primary goal for identifying these rare galaxies is to examine whether the fundamental metallicity relation (FMR) between stellar mass, gas metallicity, and star formation rate (SFR) extends to low stellar mass and high SFR. The FMR suggests that higher SFR galaxies have lower metallicity (at fixed stellar mass). To test this trend, we combine spectroscopic measurements of metallicity and dust-corrected SFRs, with stellar mass estimates from modeling the optical photometry. We find that these galaxies are 1.05 plus or minus 0.61 decimal exponent (dex) above the redshift (z) approximately equal to 1 stellar mass-SFR relation, and 0.23 plus or minus 0.23 decimal exponent (dex) below the local mass-metallicity relation. Relative to the FMR, the latter offset is reduced to 0.01 decimal exponent (dex), but significant dispersion remains (0.29 decimal exponent (dex) with 0.16 decimal exponent (dex) due to measurement uncertainties). This dispersion suggests that gas accretion, star formation and chemical enrichment have not reached equilibrium in these galaxies. This is evident by their short stellar mass doubling timescale of approximately 100 (sup plus 310) (sub minus 75) million years that suggests stochastic star formation. Combining our sample with other redshift (z) of approximately 1 metal-poor galaxies, we find a weak positive SFR-metallicity dependence (at fixed stellar mass) that is significant at 97.3 percent confidence. We interpret this positive correlation as recent star formation that has enriched the gas, but has not had time to drive the metal-enriched gas out with feedback mechanisms.

Metal-Poor, Strongly Star-Forming Galaxies in the DEEP2 Survey: The Relationship Between Stellar Mass, Temperature-Based Metallicity, and Star Formation Rate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ly, Chun; Rigby, Jane R.; Cooper, Michael; Yan, Renbin

2015-01-01

We report on the discovery of 28 redshift (z) approximately equal to 0.8 metal-poor galaxies in DEEP2. These galaxies were selected for their detection of the weak [O (sub III)] lambda 4363 emission line, which provides a "direct" measure of the gas-phase metallicity. A primary goal for identifying these rare galaxies is to examine whether the fundamental metallicity relation (FMR) between stellar mass, gas metallicity, and star formation rate (SFR) holds for low stellar mass and high SFR galaxies. The FMR suggests that higher SFR galaxies have lower metallicity (at fixed stellar mass). To test this trend, we combine spectroscopic measurements of metallicity and dust-corrected SFR with stellar mass estimates from modeling the optical photometry. We find that these galaxies are 1.05 plus or minus 0.61 dex above the redshift (z) approximately 1 stellar mass-SFR relation and 0.23 plus or minus 0.23 dex below the local mass-metallicity relation. Relative to the FMR, the latter offset is reduced to 0.01 dex, but significant dispersion remains dex with 0.16 dex due to measurement uncertainties). This dispersion suggests that gas accretion, star formation, and chemical enrichment have not reached equilibrium in these galaxies. This is evident by their short stellar mass doubling timescale of approximately equal to 100 (sup plus 310) (sub minus 75) million years which suggests stochastic star formation. Combining our sample with other redshift (z) of approximately 1 metal-poor galaxies, we find a weak positive SFR-metallicity dependence (at fixed stellar mass) that is significant at 94.4 percent confidence. We interpret this positive correlation as recent star formation that has enriched the gas but has not had time to drive the metal-enriched gas out with feedback mechanisms.

Winds of very low metallicity OB stars: crossing the frontier of the Magellanic Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, Miriam

2011-10-01

Very low metallicity massive stars are a key ingredient for our understanding of the early Universe because of their connection with the dominant conditions at that time, the reionization epoch and long-GRBs. In the studies of massive stars radiation driven winds play a crucial manifold role, being a chief agent of stellar evolution, altering the optical diagnostics for parameter determination and injecting radiative and mechanical energy into their surroundings. However, the theory of radiation driven winds has only be tested down to SMC metallicities and some important open questions remain: the existence of solar-metallicity stars with weak winds and very recent evidence of relatively strong winds in metal-poor stars.We have secured VLT optical spectra of a sample of early-type massive stars in IC 1613, a very metal poor { <0.1Zo} irregular galaxy of the Local Group that represents the next step towards low metallicities after the SMC. We request low resolution COS spectra {COS/FUV-G140L} of a sub-set of OB stars probing different wind regimes. The wind lines in the 1150-1800A range, together with the optical spectra, will allow us to derive consistently the photospheric and wind parameters of the sample. Results will be interpreted in the context of both evolutionary and radiatively driven winds theories, testing the current paradigm at unexplored low metallicities and increasing our knowledge of massive stars under conditions closer to those of the deep Universe.COS enhanced sensitivity will allow us to perform for the first time detailed studies of **resolved** OB stars in an environment with poorer metal content than the SMC.

Fluorine and Sodium in C-rich Low-metallicity Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lucatello, Sara; Masseron, Thomas; Johnson, Jennifer A.; Pignatari, Marco; Herwig, Falk

2011-03-01

We present the N, O, F, and Na abundance and 12C/13C isotopic ratio measurements or upper limits for a sample of 10 C-rich, metal-poor giant stars: 8 enhanced in s-process (CEMP-s) elements and 2 poor in n-capture elements (CEMP-no). The abundances are derived from IR, K-band, high-resolution CRIRES@VLT obtained spectra. The metallicity of our sample ranges from [Fe/H] = -3.4 to -1.3. F abundance could be measured only in two CEMP-s stars. With [F/Fe] = 0.64, one is mildly F-overabundant, while the other is F-rich, at [F/Fe] = 1.44. For the remaining eight objects, including both CEMP-no stars in our sample, only upper limits on F abundance could be placed. Our measurements and upper limits show that there is a spread in the [F/C+N] ratio in CEMP-s stars as predicted by theory. Predictions from nucleosynthetic models for low-mass, low-metallicity asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars account for the derived F abundances, while the upper limits on F content derived for most of the stars are lower than the predicted values. The measured Na content is accounted for by AGB models in the 1.25-1.75 M sun range, confirming that the stars responsible for the peculiar abundance pattern observed in CEMP-s stars are low-mass, low-metallicity AGB stars in agreement with the most accepted astrophysical scenario. We conclude that the mechanism of F production in current state-of-the-art low-metallicity low-mass AGB models needs further scrutiny and that F measurements in a larger number of metal-poor stars are needed to better constrain the models. Based on observations made with ESO Telescopes at Paranal Observatories under program ID 080.D-0606A. This publication makes use of data products from the Two Micron All Sky Survey, which is a joint project of the University of Massachusetts and the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation.

The Na-O anticorrelation in horizontal branch stars. IV. M 22

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gratton, R. G.; Lucatello, S.; Sollima, A.; Carretta, E.; Bragaglia, A.; Momany, Y.; D'Orazi, V.; Cassisi, S.; Salaris, M.

2014-03-01

We obtained high-resolution spectra for 94 candidate stars belonging to the HB of M 22 with FLAMES. Previous works have indicated that this cluster has split subgiant (SGB) and red giant branches (RGB) and hosts two different stellar populations, differing in overall metal abundance and both exhibiting a Na-O anti-correlation. The HB stars we observed span a restricted temperature range (7800 < Teff < 11 000 K), where about 60% of the HB stars of M 22 are. Within our sample, we can distinguish three groups of stars segregated (though contiguous) in colours: Group 1 (49 stars) is metal-poor, N-normal, Na-poor, and O-rich: our abundances for this (cooler) group match those determined for the primordial group of RGB stars (a third of the total) from previous studies very well. Group 2 (23 stars) is still metal-poor, but it is N- and Na-rich, though only very mildly depleted in O. We can identify this intermediate group as the progeny of the metal-poor RGB stars that occupy an intermediate location along the Na-O anti-correlation and include about 10% of the RGB stars. The third group (20 stars) is metal-rich, Na-rich, and O-rich. This hotter group most likely corresponds to the most O-rich component of the previously found metal-rich RGB population (a quarter of the total). We did not observe any severely O-depleted stars and we think that the progeny of these stars falls on the hotter part of the HB. Furthermore, we found that the metal-rich population is also over-abundant in Sr, in agreement with results for corresponding RGB and SGB stars. However, we do not find any significant variation in the ratio between the sum of N and O abundances to Fe. We do not have C abundances for our stars. There is some evidence of an enhancement of He content for Groups 2 and 3 stars (Y = 0.338 ± 0.014 ± 0.05); the error bar due to systematics is large, but a consistent analysis of data for several GCs confirms that stars in these groups within M 22 are probably overabundant in He. We conclude that on the whole, our results agree with the proposition that chemical composition drives the location of stars along the HB of a GC. Furthermore, we found a number of fast rotators. They are concentrated in a restricted temperature range along the HB of M 22. Fast rotating stars might be slightly less massive and bluer than slowly rotating ones, but other interpretations are possible. Based on observations collected at ESO telescopes under programmes 087.D-0230 and 091.D-0151.Tables 3-6 are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/563/A13

Which Type of Planets do We Expect to Observe in the Habitable Zone?

PubMed

Adibekyan, Vardan; Figueira, Pedro; Santos, Nuno C

2016-11-01

We used a sample of super-Earth-like planets detected by the Doppler spectroscopy and transit techniques to explore the dependence of orbital parameters of the planets on the metallicity of their host stars. We confirm the previous results (although still based on small samples of planets) that super-Earths orbiting around metal-rich stars are not observed to be as distant from their host stars as we observe their metal-poor counterparts to be. The orbits of these super-Earths with metal-rich hosts usually do not reach into the Habitable Zone (HZ), keeping them very hot and inhabitable. We found that most of the known planets in the HZ are orbiting their GK-type hosts which are metal-poor. The metal-poor nature of planets in the HZ suggests a high Mg abundance relative to Si and high Si abundance relative to Fe. These results lead us to speculate that HZ planets might be more frequent in the ancient Galaxy and had compositions different from that of our Earth.

The Low-Mass Stellar Initial Mass Function: Ultra-Faint Dwarf Galaxies Revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Platais, Imants

2017-08-01

The stellar Initial Mass Function plays a critical role in the evolution of the baryonic content of the Universe. The form of the low-mass IMF - stars of mass less than the solar mass - determines the fraction of baryons locked up for a Hubble time, and thus indicates how gas and metals are cycled through galaxies. Inferences from resolved stellar populations, where the low-mass luminosity function and associated IMF can be derived from direct star counts, generally favor an invariant and universal IMF. However, a recent study of ultra-faint dwarf galaxies Hercules and Leo IV indicates a bottom-lite IMF, over a narrow range of stellar mass (only 0.55-0.75 M_sun), correlated with the internal velocity dispersion and/or metallicity. We propose to obtain ultra-deep imaging for a significantly closer ultra-faint dwarf, Bootes I, which will allow us to construct the luminosity function down to M_v=+10 (equivalent to 0.35 solar mass). We will also re-analyze the HST archival observations for the Hercules and Leo IV dwarfs using the same updated techniques as for Bootes I. The combined datasets should provide a reliable answer to the question of how variable is the low-mass stellar IMF.

The Extremely Metal-Poor Dwarf Galaxy AGC 198691

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirschauer, Alec S.; Salzer, John Joseph; Cannon, John M.; Skillman, Evan D.; SHIELD II Team

2016-01-01

We present spectroscopic observations of the nearby dwarf irregular galaxy AGC 198691. This object is part of the Survey of HI in Extremely Low-Mass Dwarfs (SHIELD) sample, which consists of ultra-low HI mass galaxies discovered by the Arecibo Legacy Fast-Acting ALFA (ALFALFA) survey. SHIELD is a multi-configuration Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA) study of the neutral gas content and dynamics of galaxies with HI masses in the range of 106-107 M⊙. Our spectral data were obtained using the new high-throughput KPNO Ohio State Multi-Object Spectrograph (KOSMOS) on the Mayall 4-m telescope as part of a systematic study of the nebular abundances in the SHIELD galaxy sample. These observations enable measurement of the temperature sensitive [OIII]λ4363 line and hence the determination of a "direct" oxygen abundance for AGC 198691. We find this system to be an extremely metal-deficient (XMD) galaxy with an oxygen abundance comparable to such objects as I Zw 18, SBS 0335-052W, Leo P, and DDO 68 - the lowest metallicity star-forming systems known. It is worth noting that two of the five lowest-abundance galaxies currently recognized were discovered via the ALFALFA blind HI survey. These XMD galaxies are potential analogues to the first star-forming systems, which through hierarchical accretion processes built up the large galaxies we observe today in the local Universe. Detailed analysis of such XMD systems offers observational constraint to models of galactic evolution and star formation histories to allow a better understanding of the processes that govern the chemical evolution of low-mass galaxies.

THE ORIGIN OF LOW [α/Fe] RATIOS IN EXTREMELY METAL-POOR STARS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kobayashi, Chiaki; Ishigaki, Miho N.; Tominaga, Nozomu

2014-04-10

We show that the low ratios of α elements (Mg, Si, and Ca) to Fe recently found for a small fraction of extremely metal-poor stars can be naturally explained with the nucleosynthesis yields of core-collapse supernovae, i.e., 13-25 M {sub ☉} supernovae, or hypernovae. For the case without carbon enhancement, the ejected iron mass is normal, consistent with observed light curves and spectra of nearby supernovae. On the other hand, the carbon enhancement requires much smaller iron production, and the low [α/Fe] of carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars can also be reproduced with 13-25 M {sub ☉} faint supernovae or faint hypernovae.more » Iron-peak element abundances, in particular Zn abundances, are important to put further constraints on the enrichment sources from galactic archaeology surveys.« less

J0023+0307: A Mega Metal-poor Dwarf Star from SDSS/BOSS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aguado, David S.; Allende Prieto, Carlos; González Hernández, Jonay I.; Rebolo, Rafael

2018-02-01

Only a handful of stars have been identified with an iron abundance [Fe/H] < ‑5, and only one at [Fe/H] < ‑7. These stars have very large carbon-to-iron ratios, with {\\boldsymbol{A}}({\\boldsymbol{C}}) ∼ 7.0, most likely due to fallback in core-collapse supernovae, which makes their total metallicity Z much higher than their iron abundances. The failure to find population III stars, those with no metals, has been interpreted, with support from theoretical modeling, as the result of a top-heavy initial mass function. With zero or very low metal abundance limiting radiative cooling, the formation of low-mass stars could be inhibited. Currently, the star SDSS J1029+1729 sets the potential metallicity threshold for the formation of low-mass stars at {log}Z/{Z}ȯ ∼ -5. In our quest to push down the metallicity threshold we have identified SDSS J0023+0307, a primitive star with T eff = 6188 ± 84 K, and {log}g=4.9+/- 0.5, an upper limit [Fe/H] < ‑6.6, and a carbon abundance A(C) < 6.3. We find J0023+0307 to be one of the two most iron-poor stars known, and it exhibits less carbon that most of the stars at [Fe/H] < ‑5. Based on observations made with William Herschel Telescope (WHT) and the Gran Telescopio de Canarias (GTC), at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, in La Palma.

METAL-POOR STARS OBSERVED WITH THE MAGELLAN TELESCOPE. I. CONSTRAINTS ON PROGENITOR MASS AND METALLICITY OF AGB STARS UNDERGOING s-PROCESS NUCLEOSYNTHESIS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Placco, Vinicius M.; Rossi, Silvia; Frebel, Anna

2013-06-20

We present a comprehensive abundance analysis of two newly discovered carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars. HE 2138-3336 is a s-process-rich star with [Fe/H] = -2.79, and has the highest [Pb/Fe] abundance ratio measured thus far, if non-local thermodynamic equilibrium corrections are included ([Pb/Fe] = +3.84). HE 2258-6358, with [Fe/H] = -2.67, exhibits enrichments in both s- and r-process elements. These stars were selected from a sample of candidate metal-poor stars from the Hamburg/ESO objective-prism survey, and followed up with medium-resolution (R {approx} 2000) spectroscopy with GEMINI/GMOS. We report here on derived abundances (or limits) for a total of 34 elements inmore » each star, based on high-resolution (R {approx} 30, 000) spectroscopy obtained with Magellan-Clay/MIKE. Our results are compared to predictions from new theoretical asymptotic giant branch (AGB) nucleosynthesis models of 1.3 M{sub Sun} with [Fe/H] = -2.5 and -2.8, as well as to a set of AGB models of 1.0 to 6.0 M{sub Sun} at [Fe/H] = -2.3. The agreement with the model predictions suggests that the neutron-capture material in HE 2138-3336 originated from mass transfer from a binary companion star that previously went through the AGB phase, whereas for HE 2258-6358, an additional process has to be taken into account to explain its abundance pattern. We find that a narrow range of progenitor masses (1.0 {<=} M(M{sub Sun }) {<=} 1.3) and metallicities (-2.8 {<=} [Fe/H] {<=}-2.5) yield the best agreement with our observed elemental abundance patterns.« less

The Ubiquity of the Rapid Neutron-capture Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roederer, Ian U.; Cowan, John J.; Karakas, Amanda I.; Kratz, Karl-Ludwig; Lugaro, Maria; Simmerer, Jennifer; Farouqi, Khalil; Sneden, Christopher

2010-12-01

To better characterize the abundance patterns produced by the r-process, we have derived new abundances or upper limits for the heavy elements zinc (Zn, Z= 30), yttrium (Y, Z= 39), lanthanum (La, Z= 57), europium (Eu, Z= 63), and lead (Pb, Z= 82). Our sample of 161 metal-poor stars includes new measurements from 88 high-resolution and high signal-to-noise spectra obtained with the Tull Spectrograph on the 2.7 m Smith Telescope at the McDonald Observatory, and other abundances are adopted from the literature. We use models of the s-process in asymptotic giant branch stars to characterize the high Pb/Eu ratios produced in the s-process at low metallicity, and our new observations then allow us to identify a sample of stars with no detectable s-process material. In these stars, we find no significant increase in the Pb/Eu ratios with increasing metallicity. This suggests that s-process material was not widely dispersed until the overall Galactic metallicity grew considerably, perhaps even as high as [Fe/H] =-1.4, in contrast with earlier studies that suggested a much lower mean metallicity. We identify a dispersion of at least 0.5 dex in [La/Eu] in metal-poor stars with [Eu/Fe] <+0.6 attributable to the r-process, suggesting that there is no unique "pure" r-process elemental ratio among pairs of rare earth elements. We confirm earlier detections of an anti-correlation between Y/Eu and Eu/Fe bookended by stars strongly enriched in the r-process (e.g., CS 22892-052) and those with deficiencies of the heavy elements (e.g., HD 122563). We can reproduce the range of Y/Eu ratios using simulations of high-entropy neutrino winds of core-collapse supernovae that include charged-particle and neutron-capture components of r-process nucleosynthesis. The heavy element abundance patterns in most metal-poor stars do not resemble that of CS 22892-052, but the presence of heavy elements such as Ba in nearly all metal-poor stars without s-process enrichment suggests that the r-process is a common phenomenon. This paper includes data taken at The McDonald Observatory of The University of Texas at Austin.

Carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars: CEMP-s and CEMP-no subclasses in the halo system of the Milky Way

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carollo, Daniela; Freeman, Ken; Beers, Timothy C.

2014-06-20

We explore the kinematics and orbital properties of a sample of 323 very metal-poor stars in the halo system of the Milky Way, selected from the high-resolution spectroscopic follow-up studies of Aoki et al. and Yong et al. The combined sample contains a significant fraction of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars (22% or 29%, depending on whether a strict or relaxed criterion is applied for this definition). Barium abundances (or upper limits) are available for the great majority of the CEMP stars, allowing for their separation into the CEMP-s and CEMP-no subclasses. A new method to assign membership to the inner-more » and outer-halo populations of the Milky Way is developed, making use of the integrals of motion, and applied to determine the relative fractions of CEMP stars in these two subclasses for each halo component. Although limited by small-number statistics, the data suggest that the inner halo of the Milky Way exhibits a somewhat higher relative number of CEMP-s stars than CEMP-no stars (57% versus 43%), while the outer halo possesses a clearly higher fraction of CEMP-no stars than CEMP-s stars (70% versus 30%). Although larger samples of CEMP stars with known Ba abundances are required, this result suggests that the dominant progenitors of CEMP stars in the two halo components were different; massive stars for the outer halo, and intermediate-mass stars in the case of the inner halo.« less

Oxygen abundances in halo giants. I - Giants in the very metal-poor globular clusters M92 and M15 and the metal-poor halo field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sneden, Christopher; Kraft, Robert P.; Prosser, Charles F.; Langer, G. E.

1991-12-01

Oxygen, iron, vanadium, and scandium abundances are derived for very metal-poor giants in the globular clusters M92 and M15, and giants of comparable metallicity in the local halo field. The forbidden O I line dublet (6300, 6363) and nearby metallic lines in spectra are analyzed using line analysis and spectral synthesis codes. The Fe/H abundance for M92 is estimated at -2.25 +/-0.02 based on nine giants with a range of 500 K in effective temperature. No evidence for star-to-star variations in the Fe/H abundance was found. O-rich and O-poor stars appear intermixed in the H-R diagram. O - N nuclear synthesis and mixing to the surface are proposed as the best explanation for the low-oxygen giants. The nitrogen abundances obtained earlier for nine of the ten halo field giants in this sample are incompatible with the very large nitrogen abundances expected of the O/Fe abundance of about + 1.2 in halo field subdwarfs, as found by Abia and Rebolo (1989), and not more than 0.6 in halo giants, as found in this and other studies.

The Little Cub: Discovery of an Extremely Metal-poor Star-forming Galaxy in the Local Universe

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hsyu, Tiffany; Prochaska, J. Xavier; Bolte, Michael

We report the discovery of the Little Cub, an extremely metal-poor star-forming galaxy in the local universe, found in the constellation Ursa Major (a.k.a. the Great Bear). We first identified the Little Cub as a candidate metal-poor galaxy based on its Sloan Digital Sky Survey photometric colors, combined with spectroscopy using the Kast spectrograph on the Shane 3 m telescope at Lick Observatory. In this Letter, we present high-quality spectroscopic data taken with the Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer at Keck Observatory, which confirm the extremely metal-poor nature of this galaxy. Based on the weak [O iii] λ 4363 Å emissionmore » line, we estimate a direct oxygen abundance of 12 + log(O/H) = 7.13 ± 0.08, making the Little Cub one of the lowest-metallicity star-forming galaxies currently known in the local universe. The Little Cub appears to be a companion of the spiral galaxy NGC 3359 and shows evidence of gas stripping. We may therefore be witnessing the quenching of a near-pristine galaxy as it makes its first passage about a Milky Way–like galaxy.« less

The Little Cub: Discovery of an Extremely Metal-poor Star-forming Galaxy in the Local Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsyu, Tiffany; Cooke, Ryan J.; Prochaska, J. Xavier; Bolte, Michael

2017-08-01

We report the discovery of the Little Cub, an extremely metal-poor star-forming galaxy in the local universe, found in the constellation Ursa Major (a.k.a. the Great Bear). We first identified the Little Cub as a candidate metal-poor galaxy based on its Sloan Digital Sky Survey photometric colors, combined with spectroscopy using the Kast spectrograph on the Shane 3 m telescope at Lick Observatory. In this Letter, we present high-quality spectroscopic data taken with the Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer at Keck Observatory, which confirm the extremely metal-poor nature of this galaxy. Based on the weak [O III] λ4363 Å emission line, we estimate a direct oxygen abundance of 12 + log(O/H) = 7.13 ± 0.08, making the Little Cub one of the lowest-metallicity star-forming galaxies currently known in the local universe. The Little Cub appears to be a companion of the spiral galaxy NGC 3359 and shows evidence of gas stripping. We may therefore be witnessing the quenching of a near-pristine galaxy as it makes its first passage about a Milky Way-like galaxy.

The INT Search for Metal-Poor Stars: Spectroscopic Observations and Classification via Artificial Neural Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allende Prieto, Carlos; Rebolo, Rafael; García López, Ramón J.; Serra-Ricart, Miquel; Beers, Timothy C.; Rossi, Silvia; Bonifacio, Piercarlo; Molaro, Paolo

2000-09-01

With the dual aims of enlarging the list of extremely metal-poor stars identified in the Galaxy and boosting the numbers of moderately metal-deficient stars in directions that sample the rotational properties of the thick disk, we have used the 2.5 m Isaac Newton Telescope and the Intermediate Dispersion Spectrograph to carry out a survey of brighter (primarily northern hemisphere) metal-poor candidates selected from the HK objective-prism-interference-filter survey of Beers and collaborators. Over the course of only three observing runs (15 nights) we have obtained medium-resolution (λ/δλ~=2000) spectra for 1203 objects (V~=11-15). Spectral absorption-line indices and radial velocities have been measured for all the candidates. Metallicities, quantified by [Fe/H], and intrinsic (B-V)0 colors have been estimated for 731 stars with effective temperatures cooler than roughly 6500 K by using artificial neural networks (ANNs) trained with spectral indices. We show that this method performs as well as a previously explored Ca II K calibration technique, yet it presents some practical advantages. Among the candidates in our sample we identify 195 stars with [Fe/H]<=-1.0, 67 stars with [Fe/H]<=-2.0, and 12 new stars with [Fe/H]<=-3.0. Although the effective yield of metal-poor stars in our sample is not as large as that in previous HK survey follow-up programs, the rate of discovery per unit of telescope time is quite high. Further development of the ANN technique, with the networks being fed the entire spectrum, rather than just the spectral indices, holds the promise to produce fast, accurate, multidimensional spectral classifications (with the associated physical parameter estimates), as is required to process the large data flow provided by present and future instrumentation. Based on observations made with the Isaac Newton Telescope operated on the island of La Palma by the Isaac Newton Group in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias.

METAL-POOR LITHIUM-RICH GIANTS IN THE RADIAL VELOCITY EXPERIMENT SURVEY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ruchti, Gregory R.; Fulbright, Jon P.; Wyse, Rosemary F. G.

We report the discovery of eight lithium-rich field giants found in a high-resolution spectroscopic sample of over 700 metal-poor stars ([Fe/H] < -0.5) selected from the Radial Velocity Experiment survey. The majority of the Li-rich giants in our sample are very metal-poor ([Fe/H] {approx}< -1.9), and have a Li abundance (in the form of {sup 7}Li), A(Li) = log (n(Li)/n(H)) + 12, between 2.30 and 3.63, well above the typical upper red giant branch (RGB) limit, A(Li) < 0.5, while two stars, with A(Li) {approx} 1.7-1.8, show similar lithium abundances to normal giants at the same gravity. We further includedmore » two metal-poor, Li-rich globular cluster giants in our sample, namely the previously discovered M3-IV101 and newly discovered (in this work) M68-A96. This comprises the largest sample of metal-poor Li-rich giants to date. We performed a detailed abundance analysis of all stars, finding that the majority of our sample stars have elemental abundances similar to that of Li-normal halo giants. Although the evolutionary phase of each Li-rich giant cannot be definitively determined, the Li-rich phase is likely connected to extra mixing at the RGB bump or early asymptotic giant branch that triggers cool bottom processing in which the bottom of the outer convective envelope is connected to the H-burning shell in the star. The surface of a star becomes Li-enhanced as {sup 7}Be (which burns to {sup 7}Li) is transported to the stellar surface via the Cameron-Fowler mechanism. We discuss and discriminate among several models for the extra mixing that can cause Li production, given the detailed abundances of the Li-rich giants in our sample.« less

Magnesium Isotope Ratios in ω Centauri Red Giants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Da Costa, G. S.; Norris, John E.; Yong, David

2013-05-01

We have used the high-resolution observations obtained at the Anglo-Australian Telescope with Ultra-High Resolution Facility (R ~ 100,000) and at Gemini-S with b-HROS (R ~ 150,000) to determine magnesium isotope ratios for seven ω Cen red giants that cover a range in iron abundance from [Fe/H] = -1.78 to -0.78 dex, and for two red giants in M4 (NGC 6121). The ω Cen stars sample both the "primordial" (i.e., O-rich, Na- and Al-poor) and the "extreme" (O-depleted, Na- and Al-rich) populations in the cluster. The primordial population stars in both ω Cen and M4 show (25Mg, 26Mg)/24Mg isotopic ratios that are consistent with those found for the primordial population in other globular clusters with similar [Fe/H] values. The isotopic ratios for the ω Cen extreme stars are also consistent with those for extreme population stars in other clusters. The results for the extreme population stars studied indicate that the 26Mg/24Mg ratio is highest at intermediate metallicities ([Fe/H] < -1.4 dex), and for the highest [Al/Fe] values. Further, the relative abundance of 26Mg in the extreme population stars is notably higher than that of 25Mg, in contrast to model predictions. The 25Mg/24Mg isotopic ratio in fact does not show any obvious dependence on either [Fe/H] or [Al/Fe] nor, intriguingly, any obvious difference between the primordial and extreme population stars.

Linking dwarf galaxies to halo building blocks with the most metal-poor star in Sculptor.

PubMed

Frebel, Anna; Kirby, Evan N; Simon, Joshua D

2010-03-04

Current cosmological models indicate that the Milky Way's stellar halo was assembled from many smaller systems. On the basis of the apparent absence of the most metal-poor stars in present-day dwarf galaxies, recent studies claimed that the true Galactic building blocks must have been vastly different from the surviving dwarfs. The discovery of an extremely iron-poor star (S1020549) in the Sculptor dwarf galaxy based on a medium-resolution spectrum cast some doubt on this conclusion. Verification of the iron-deficiency, however, and measurements of additional elements, such as the alpha-element Mg, are necessary to demonstrate that the same type of stars produced the metals found in dwarf galaxies and the Galactic halo. Only then can dwarf galaxy stars be conclusively linked to early stellar halo assembly. Here we report high-resolution spectroscopic abundances for 11 elements in S1020549, confirming its iron abundance of less than 1/4,000th that of the Sun, and showing that the overall abundance pattern follows that seen in low-metallicity halo stars, including the alpha-elements. Such chemical similarity indicates that the systems destroyed to form the halo billions of years ago were not fundamentally different from the progenitors of present-day dwarfs, and suggests that the early chemical enrichment of all galaxies may be nearly identical.

Atomic diffusion in metal-poor stars. II. Predictions for the Spite plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salaris, M.; Weiss, A.

2001-09-01

We have computed a grid of up-to-date stellar evolutionary models including atomic diffusion, in order to study the evolution with time of the surface Li abundance in low-mass metal-poor stars. We discuss in detail the dependence of the surface Li evolution on the initial metallicity and stellar mass, and compare the abundances obtained from our models with the available Li measurements in Pop II stars. While it is widely accepted that the existence of the Spite Li-plateau for these stars is a strong evidence that diffusion is inhibited, we show that, when taking into account observational errors, uncertainties in the Li abundance determinations, in the T_eff scale, and in particular the size of the observed samples of stars, the Spite plateau and the Li abundances in subgiant branch stars can be reproduced also by models including fully efficient diffusion, provided that the most metal-poor field halo objects are between 13.5 and 14 Gyr old. We provide the value of the minimum number of plateau stars to observe, for discriminating between efficient or inhibited diffusion. {From} our models with diffusion we derive that the average Li abundance along the Spite plateau is about a factor of 2 lower than the primordial one. As a consequence, the derived primordial Li abundance would be consistent with a high helium and low deuterium Big Bang Nucleosynthesis; this implies a high cosmological baryon density as inferred from the analyses of the cosmic microwave background.

A New View of the Dwarf Spheroidal Satellites of the Milky Way From VLT/FLAMES: Where are the Very Metal Poor Stars?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Helmi, Amina; Irwin, M.J.; Tolstoy, E.

As part of the Dwarf galaxies Abundances and Radial-velocities Team (DART) Programme, we have measured the metallicities of a large sample of stars in four nearby dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSph): Sculptor, Sextans, Fornax and Carina. The low mean metal abundances and the presence of very old stellar populations in these galaxies have supported the view that they are fossils from the early Universe. However, contrary to naive expectations, we find a significant lack of stars with metallicities below [Fe/H] {approx} -3 dex in all four systems. This suggests that the gas that made up the stars in these systems hadmore » been uniformly enriched prior to their formation. Furthermore, the metal-poor tail of the dSph metallicity distribution is significantly different from that of the Galactic halo. These findings show that the progenitors of nearby dSph appear to have been fundamentally different from the building blocks of the Milky Way, even at the earliest epochs.« less

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Abundance analysis of 9 very metal-poor stars (O'Malley+, 2017)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Malley, E. M.; McWilliam, A.; Chaboyer, B.; Thompson, I.

2017-10-01

We were awarded time on HST to obtain fine guidance sensor (FGS) parallaxes of nine very metal-poor stars with the goal of extending the range of metallicities below at least [Fe/H]=-2.3dex for stars with well-determined parallaxes. High-resolution spectroscopy of the nine target stars were obtained between 2008 and 2012 using the Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle (MIKE) double spectrograph on the 6.5m Magellan II Clay Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile (R=48000 for the red side and R=55000 for the blue side), and the High-Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HiRES) on the twin telescopes at the W. M. Keck Observatory (R~70500). A log of the spectroscopic observations along with the HST F606W magnitudes and parallaxes appears in Table 1. (5 data files).

Spectroscopic Validation of Low-metallicity Stars from RAVE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Placco, Vinicius M.; Beers, Timothy C.; Santucci, Rafael M.; Chanamé, Julio; Sepúlveda, María Paz; Coronado, Johanna; Points, Sean D.; Kaleida, Catherine C.; Rossi, Silvia; Kordopatis, Georges; Lee, Young Sun; Matijevič, Gal; Frebel, Anna; Hansen, Terese T.; Holmbeck, Erika M.; Rasmussen, Kaitlin C.; Roederer, Ian U.; Sakari, Charli M.; Whitten, Devin D.

2018-06-01

We present results from a medium-resolution (R ∼ 2000) spectroscopic follow-up campaign of 1694 bright (V < 13.5), very metal-poor star candidates from the RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE). Initial selection of the low-metallicity targets was based on the stellar parameters published in RAVE Data Releases 4 and 5. Follow up was accomplished with the Gemini-N and Gemini-S, the ESO/NTT, the KPNO/Mayall, and the SOAR telescopes. The wavelength coverage for most of the observed spectra allows for the determination of carbon and α-element abundances, which are crucial for considering the nature and frequency of the carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars in this sample. We find that 88% of the observed stars have [{Fe}/{{H}}] ≤ ‑1.0, 61% have [{Fe}/{{H}}] ≤ ‑2.0, and 3% have [{Fe}/{{H}}] ≤ ‑3.0 (with four stars at [{Fe}/{{H}}] ≤ ‑3.5). There are 306 CEMP star candidates in this sample, and we identify 169 CEMP Group I, 131 CEMP Group II, and 6 CEMP Group III stars from the A(C) versus [Fe/H] diagram. Inspection of the [α /{{C}}] abundance ratios reveals that five of the CEMP Group II stars can be classified as “mono-enriched second-generation” stars. Gaia DR1 matches were found for 734 stars, and we show that transverse velocities can be used as a confirmatory selection criteria for low-metallicity candidates. Selected stars from our validated list are being followed-up with high-resolution spectroscopy to reveal their full chemical-abundance patterns for further studies.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Dongwon; Jerjen, Helmut, E-mail: dongwon.kim@anu.edu.au, E-mail: helmut.jerjen@anu.edu.au

We report the discovery of an ultra-faint stellar system in the constellation of Pegasus. This concentration of stars was detected by applying our overdensity detection algorithm to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 10 and confirmed with deeper photometry from the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) at the 4 m Blanco telescope. The best-fitting model isochrone indicates that this stellar system, Kim 1, features an old (12 Gyr) and metal-poor ([Fe/H] ∼ -1.7) stellar population at a heliocentric distance of 19.8 ± 0.9 kpc. We measure a half-light radius of 6.9 ± 0.6 pc using a Plummer profile. The small physicalmore » size and the extremely low luminosity are comparable to the faintest known star clusters Segue 3, Koposov 1 and 2, and Muñoz 1. However, Kim 1 exhibits a lower star concentration and is lacking a well-defined center. It also has an unusually high ellipticity and irregular outer isophotes, which suggests that we are seeing an intermediate mass star cluster being stripped by the Galactic tidal field. An extended search for evidence of an associated stellar stream within the 3 deg{sup 2} DECam field remains inconclusive. The finding of Kim 1 is consistent with current overdensity detection limits and supports the hypothesis that there are still a substantial number of extreme low-luminosity star clusters undetected in the wider Milky Way halo.« less

The Physical Nature of Subdwarf A Stars: White Dwarf Impostors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brown, Warren R.; Kilic, Mukremin; Gianninas, A., E-mail: wbrown@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: kilic@ou.edu, E-mail: alexg@nhn.ou.edu

We address the physical nature of subdwarf A-type (sdA) stars and their possible link to extremely low mass (ELM) white dwarfs (WDs). The two classes of objects are confused in low-resolution spectroscopy. However, colors and proper motions indicate that sdA stars are cooler and more luminous, and thus larger in radius, than published ELM WDs. We demonstrate that surface gravities derived from pure hydrogen models suffer a systematic ∼1 dex error for sdA stars, likely explained by metal line blanketing below 9000 K. A detailed study of five eclipsing binaries with radial velocity orbital solutions and infrared excess establishes thatmore » these sdA stars are metal-poor ≃1.2 M {sub ⊙} main sequence stars with ≃0.8 M {sub ⊙} companions. While WDs must exist at sdA temperatures, only ∼1% of a magnitude-limited sdA sample should be ELM WDs. We conclude that the majority of sdA stars are metal-poor A–F type stars in the halo, and that recently discovered pulsating ELM WD-like stars with no obvious radial velocity variations may be SX Phe variables, not pulsating WDs.« less

The Physical Nature of Subdwarf A Stars: White Dwarf Impostors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Warren R.; Kilic, Mukremin; Gianninas, A.

2017-04-01

We address the physical nature of subdwarf A-type (sdA) stars and their possible link to extremely low mass (ELM) white dwarfs (WDs). The two classes of objects are confused in low-resolution spectroscopy. However, colors and proper motions indicate that sdA stars are cooler and more luminous, and thus larger in radius, than published ELM WDs. We demonstrate that surface gravities derived from pure hydrogen models suffer a systematic ˜1 dex error for sdA stars, likely explained by metal line blanketing below 9000 K. A detailed study of five eclipsing binaries with radial velocity orbital solutions and infrared excess establishes that these sdA stars are metal-poor ≃1.2 M ⊙ main sequence stars with ≃0.8 M ⊙ companions. While WDs must exist at sdA temperatures, only ˜1% of a magnitude-limited sdA sample should be ELM WDs. We conclude that the majority of sdA stars are metal-poor A-F type stars in the halo, and that recently discovered pulsating ELM WD-like stars with no obvious radial velocity variations may be SX Phe variables, not pulsating WDs.

DEPENDENCE OF THE Sr-TO-Ba AND Sr-TO-Eu RATIO ON THE NUCLEAR EQUATION OF STATE IN METAL-POOR HALO STARS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Famiano, M. A.; Kajino, T.; Aoki, W.

A model is proposed in which the dependence on the equation of state (EOS) of the scatter of [Sr/Ba] in metal-poor stars is studied. Light r-process element enrichment in these stars has been explained via a truncated r-process, or “tr-process.” The truncation of the r-process from a generic core-collapse event followed by a collapse into an accretion-induced black hole is examined in the framework of a galactic chemical evolution model. The constraints on this model imposed by observations of extremely metal-poor stars are explained, and the upper limits in the [Sr/Ba] distributions are found to be related to the nuclearmore » EOS in a collapse scenario. The scatter in [Sr/Ba] and [Sr/Eu] as a function of metallicity has been found to be consistent with turbulent ejection in core-collapse supernovae. Adaptations of this model are evaluated to account for the scatter in isotopic observables. This is done by assuming mixing in ejecta in a supernova event. Stiff EOS are eliminated by this model.« less

Evidence for accreted component in the Galactic discs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xing, Q. F.; Zhao, G.

2018-06-01

We analyse the distribution of [Mg/Fe] abundance in the Galactic discs with F- and G-type dwarf stars selected from the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fibre Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) archive. The sample stars are assigned into different stellar populations by using kinematic criteria. Our analysis reveals the chemical inhomogeneities in the Galactic thick disc. A few of metal-poor stars in the thick disc exhibit relatively low [Mg/Fe] abundance in respect to the standard thick-disc sample. The orbital eccentricities and maximum Galactocentric radii of low-α metal-poor stars are apparently greater than that of high-α thick-disc stars. The orbital parameters and chemical components of low-α stars in the thick disc suggest that they may have been formed in regions with low star formation rate that were located at large distances from the Galactic centre, such as infalling dwarf spheroidal galaxies.

A giant planet around a metal-poor star of extragalactic origin.

PubMed

Setiawan, Johny; Klement, Rainer J; Henning, Thomas; Rix, Hans-Walter; Rochau, Boyke; Rodmann, Jens; Schulze-Hartung, Tim

2010-12-17

Stars in their late stage of evolution, such as horizontal branch stars, are still largely unexplored for planets. We detected a planetary companion around HIP 13044, a very metal-poor star on the red horizontal branch, on the basis of radial velocity observations with a high-resolution spectrograph at the 2.2-meter Max-Planck Gesellschaft-European Southern Observatory telescope. The star's periodic radial velocity variation of P = 16.2 days caused by the planet can be distinguished from the periods of the stellar activity indicators. The minimum mass of the planet is 1.25 times the mass of Jupiter and its orbital semimajor axis is 0.116 astronomical units. Because HIP 13044 belongs to a group of stars that have been accreted from a disrupted satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, the planet most likely has an extragalactic origin.

Abundance Ratios in a Common Proper Motion Pair: Chemical Evidence of Accreted Substructure in the Halo Field?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

King, Jeremy R.

1997-06-01

Elemental abundances are presented for the metal-poor ([Fe/H] =-1.50) common proper motion pair HD 134439 and HD 134440. The abundances for the two stars are in very good agreement, with the neutral species showing only a small difference (˜0.05 dex) which is well within the statistical and Teff uncertainties. The essentially identical abundances, kinematics, and parallaxes of the two stars indicate that they share a common history. This history, however, appears to be different than other metal-poor stars. Suggestions, based on kinematic evidence, that these two-stars are representative of a distinct accretion event are corroborated by our abundance ratios, which indicate [Mg/Fe], [Si/Fe], and [Ca/Fe] are consistently some ˜0.3 dex lower than the vast majority of metal-poor field stars. Such underabundances have been predicted in environments like dwarf Spheroidals and the Magellanic Clouds. Moreover, our abundance ratio deficiencies are consistent with those recently observed in the the anomalously young globular clusters Rup 106 and Pal 12, which have been alleged to have been accreted from the Magellanic Clouds. The [Fe/H] and retrograde motion of the common proper motion pair are characteristic of the subset of Galactic globular clusters suggested by Rodgers & Paltoglou [ApJ, 283, L5 (1984)] to have been coalesced from satellite galaxies. We also call attention to the metal-poor subgiant BD+03 740 as another possible representative of an accreted or chaotically formed member of the halo field. If recent Fe analyses of this star are correct, then [Mg/Fe] and [0/Fe] are 0.5 dex lower than in other metal-poor field stars. This star also has a relatively low photometrically inferred age; relative youth has been noted as a possible characteristic of accreted field populations, and is qualitatively consistent with the young ages of the purportedly accreted globular clusters Rup 106, Pal 12, Ter 7, and Arp 2. Additionally, the revised [O/Fe] ratio for BD+03 740 would suggest a large spread, perhaps 0.7 dex, in [0/Fe] of field stars of very low [Fe/H]; this itself might provide strong evidence of some degree of chaotic halo formation in independent fragments. If, on the other hand, earlier Fe analyses of this star are correct, [Mg/Fe] and [O/Fe] for this star are unremarkable; however, the low gravity estimates from earlier studies would then suggest that BD+03 740 is a ≤3 Gyr field star with [Fe/H] ˜-3. Further spectroscopic study of this interesting object is needed to determine if it may be similar to the metal-poor ([Fe/H] = - 3.1) high velocity star CS 22873-139, which Preston [M 108, 2267 (1994)] has argued is ≤8 Gyr in age. Finally, our abundance ratios for RD 134439 and RD 134440 suggest that low [αFe] may be a characteristic of accreted halo systems including the anomalously young globulars. However, as has been noted by others, the low α-element abundances apparently cannot explain differences between photometric and Ca II-based metallicity estimates for these clusters, nor the variation in these differences between Rup 106 and Pal 12.

MASS OUTFLOW AND CHROMOSPHERIC ACTIVITY OF RED GIANT STARS IN GLOBULAR CLUSTERS. II. M13 AND M92

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Meszaros, Sz.; Dupree, A. K.; Szalai, T.

High-resolution spectra of 123 red giant stars in the globular cluster M13 and 64 red giant stars in M92 were obtained with Hectochelle at the MMT telescope. Emission and line asymmetries in H{alpha} and Ca II K are identified, characterizing motions in the extended atmospheres and seeking differences attributable to metallicity in these clusters and M15. On the red giant branch, emission in H{alpha} generally appears in stars with T {sub eff} {approx}< 4500 K and log L/L {sub sun}{approx}> 2.75. Fainter stars showing emission are asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars or perhaps binary stars. The line-bisector for H{alpha} revealsmore » the onset of chromospheric expansion in stars more luminous than log (L/L {sub sun}) {approx} 2.5 in all clusters, and this outflow velocity increases with stellar luminosity. However, the coolest giants in the metal-rich M13 show greatly reduced outflow in H{alpha} most probably due to decreased T {sub eff} and changing atmospheric structure. The Ca II K{sub 3} outflow velocities are larger than shown by H{alpha} at the same luminosity and signal accelerating outflows in the chromospheres. Stars clearly on the AGB show faster chromospheric outflows in H{alpha} than RGB objects. While the H{alpha} velocities on the RGB are similar for all metallicities, the AGB stars in the metal-poor M15 and M92 have higher outflow velocities than in the metal-rich M13. Comparison of these chromospheric line profiles in the paired metal-poor clusters, M15 and M92, shows remarkable similarities in the presence of emission and dynamical signatures, and does not reveal a source of the 'second-parameter' effect.« less

THE STELLAR INITIAL MASS FUNCTION OF ULTRA-FAINT DWARF GALAXIES: EVIDENCE FOR IMF VARIATIONS WITH GALACTIC ENVIRONMENT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Geha, Marla; Brown, Thomas M.; Tumlinson, Jason

2013-07-01

We present constraints on the stellar initial mass function (IMF) in two ultra-faint dwarf (UFD) galaxies, Hercules and Leo IV, based on deep Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys imaging. The Hercules and Leo IV galaxies are extremely low luminosity (M{sub V} = -6.2, -5.5), metal-poor (([Fe/H]) = -2.4, -2.5) systems that have old stellar populations (>11 Gyr). Because they have long relaxation times, we can directly measure the low-mass stellar IMF by counting stars below the main-sequence turnoff without correcting for dynamical evolution. Over the stellar mass range probed by our data, 0.52-0.77 M{sub Sun }, the IMFmore » is best fit by a power-law slope of {alpha}= 1.2{sub -0.5}{sup +0.4} for Hercules and {alpha} = 1.3 {+-} 0.8 for Leo IV. For Hercules, the IMF slope is more shallow than a Salpeter ({alpha} = 2.35) IMF at the 5.8{sigma} level, and a Kroupa ({alpha} = 2.3 above 0.5 M{sub Sun }) IMF slope at 5.4{sigma} level. We simultaneously fit for the binary fraction, f{sub binary}, finding f{sub binary}= 0.47{sup +0.16}{sub -0.14} for Hercules, and 0.47{sup +0.37}{sub -0.17} for Leo IV. The UFD binary fractions are consistent with that inferred for Milky Way stars in the same mass range, despite very different metallicities. In contrast, the IMF slopes in the UFDs are shallower than other galactic environments. In the mass range 0.5-0.8 M{sub Sun }, we see a trend across the handful of galaxies with directly measured IMFs such that the power-law slopes become shallower (more bottom-light) with decreasing galactic velocity dispersion and metallicity. This trend is qualitatively consistent with results in elliptical galaxies inferred via indirect methods and is direct evidence for IMF variations with galactic environment.« less

The Origin of the Relation between Metallicity and Size in Star-forming Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez Almeida, J.; Dalla Vecchia, C.

2018-06-01

For the same stellar mass, physically smaller star-forming galaxies are also metal richer. What causes the relation remains unclear. The central star-forming galaxies in the EAGLE cosmological numerical simulation reproduce the observed trend. We use them to explore the origin of the relation assuming that the physical mechanism responsible for the anticorrelation between size and gas-phase metallicity is the same in the simulated and the observed galaxies. We consider the three most likely causes: (1) metal-poor gas inflows feeding the star formation (SF) process, (2) metal-rich gas outflows particularly efficient in shallow gravitational potentials, and (3) enhanced efficiency of the SF process in compact galaxies. Outflows (cause 2) and enhanced SF efficiency (cause 3) can be discarded. Metal-poor gas inflows (cause 1) produce the correlation in the simulated galaxies. Galaxies grow in size with time, so those that receive gas later are both metal poorer and larger, giving rise to the observed anticorrelation. As expected within this explanation, larger galaxies have younger stellar populations. We explore the variation with redshift of the relation, which is maintained up to, at least, redshift 8.

Cosmic stellar relics in the Galactic halo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salvadori, Stefania; Schneider, Raffaella; Ferrara, Andrea

2007-10-01

We study the stellar population history and chemical evolution of the Milky Way (MW) in a hierarchical Λ cold dark matter model for structure formation. Using a Monte Carlo method based on the semi-analytical extended Press & Schechter formalism, we develop a new code GALAXY MERGER TREE AND EVOLUTION (GAMETE) to reconstruct the merger tree of the Galaxy and follow the evolution of gas and stars along the hierarchical tree. Our approach allows us to compare the observational properties of the MW with model results, exploring different properties of primordial stars, such as their initial mass function and the critical metallicity for low-mass star formation, Zcr. In particular, by matching our predictions to the metallicity distribution function (MDF) of metal-poor stars in the Galactic halo we find that: (i) a strong supernova (SN) feedback is required to reproduce the observed properties of the MW; (ii) stars with [Fe/H] < -2.5 form in haloes accreting Galactic medium (GM) enriched by earlier SN explosions; (iii) the fiducial model (Zcr = 10-4Zsolar, mPopIII = 200 Msolar) provides an overall good fit to the MDF, but cannot account for the two hyper-metal-poor (HMP) stars with [Fe/H] < -5 the latter can be accommodated if Zcr <= 10-6 Zsolar but such model overpopulates the `metallicity desert', that is, the range -5.3 < [Fe/H] < -4 in which no stars have been detected; (iv) the current non-detection of metal-free stars robustly constrains either Zcr > 0 or the masses of the first stars mPopIII > 0.9 Msolar (v) the statistical impact of truly second-generation stars, that is, stars forming out of gas polluted only by metal-free stars, is negligible in current samples; and (vi) independent of Zcr, 60 per cent of metals in the GM are ejected through winds by haloes with masses M < 6 × 109 Msolar, thus showing that low-mass haloes are the dominant population contributing to cosmic metal enrichment. We discuss the limitations of our study and comparison with previous work.

Before the Bar: Kinematic Detection of a Spheroidal Metal-poor Bulge Component

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kunder, Andrea; Rich, R. M.; Koch, A.; Storm, J.; Nataf, D. M.; De Propris, R.; Walker, A. R.; Bono, G.; Johnson, C. I.; Shen, Juntai; Li, Z.-Y.

2016-04-01

We present 947 radial velocities of RR Lyrae variable stars in four fields located toward the Galactic bulge, observed within the data from the ongoing Bulge RR Lyrae Radial Velocity Assay (BRAVA-RR). We show that these RR Lyrae stars (RRLs) exhibit hot kinematics and null or negligible rotation and are therefore members of a separate population from the bar/pseudobulge that currently dominates the mass and luminosity of the inner Galaxy. Our RRLs predate these structures and have metallicities, kinematics, and spatial distribution that are consistent with a “classical” bulge, although we cannot yet completely rule out the possibility that they are the metal-poor tail of a more metal-rich ([{Fe}/{{H}}]˜ -1 dex) halo-bulge population. The complete catalog of radial velocities for the BRAVA-RR stars is also published electronically.

Gaia Reveals a Metal-rich, in situ Component of the Local Stellar Halo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonaca, Ana; Conroy, Charlie; Wetzel, Andrew; Hopkins, Philip F.; Kereš, Dušan

2017-08-01

We use the first Gaia data release, combined with the RAVE and APOGEE spectroscopic surveys, to investigate the origin of halo stars within ≲ 3 kpc from the Sun. We identify halo stars kinematically as moving at a relative speed of at least 220 km s-1 with respect to the local standard of rest. These stars are generally less metal-rich than the disk, but surprisingly, half of our halo sample is comprised of stars with [{Fe}/{{H}}]> -1. The orbital directions of these metal-rich halo stars are preferentially aligned with the disk rotation, in sharp contrast with the intrinsically isotropic orbital distribution of the metal-poor halo stars. We find similar properties in the Latte cosmological zoom-in simulation of a Milky Way-like galaxy from the FIRE project. In Latte, metal-rich halo stars formed primarily inside of the solar circle, whereas lower-metallicity halo stars preferentially formed at larger distances (extending beyond the virial radius). This suggests that metal-rich halo stars in the solar neighborhood actually formed in situ within the Galactic disk, rather than having been accreted from satellite systems. These stars, currently on halo-like orbits, therefore have likely undergone substantial radial migration/heating.

A Hero’s Dark Horse: Discovery of an Ultra-faint Milky Way Satellite in Pegasus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Dongwon; Jerjen, Helmut; Mackey, Dougal; Da Costa, Gary S.; Milone, Antonino P.

2015-05-01

We report the discovery of an ultra-faint Milky Way satellite galaxy in the constellation of Pegasus. The concentration of stars was detected by applying our overdensity detection algorithm to the SDSS-DR 10 and confirmed with deeper photometry from the Dark Energy Camera at the 4 m Blanco telescope. Fitting model isochrones indicates that this object, Pegasus III, features an old and metal-poor stellar population ([Fe/H] ˜ -2.1) at a heliocentric distance of 205 ± 20 kpc. The new stellar system has an estimated half-light radius of {{r}h}=78-24+30 pc and a total luminosity of {{M}V}˜ -4.1+/- 0.5 that places it into the domain of dwarf galaxies on the size-luminosity plane. Pegasus III is spatially close to the MW satellite Pisces II. It is possible that the two might be physically associated, similar to the Leo IV and Leo V pair. Pegasus III is also well aligned with the Vast Polar Structure, which suggests a possible physical association.

Explaining the Ba, Y, Sr, and Eu abundance scatter in metal-poor halo stars: constraints to the r-process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cescutti, G.; Chiappini, C.

2014-05-01

Context. Thanks to the heroic observational campaigns carried out in recent years we now have large samples of metal-poor stars for which measurements of detailed abundances exist. In particular, large samples of stars with metallicities -5 < [Fe/H] <-1 and measured abundances of Sr, Ba, Y, and Eu are now available. These data hold important clues on the nature of the contribution of the first stellar generations to the enrichment of our Galaxy. Aims: We aim to explain the scatter in Sr, Ba, Y, and Eu abundance ratio diagrams unveiled by the metal-poor halo stars. Methods: We computed inhomogeneous chemical evolution models for the Galactic halo assuming different scenarios for the r-process site: the electron-capture (EC) supernovae and the magnetorotationally driven (MRD) supernovae scenarios. We also considered models with and without the contribution of fast-rotating massive stars (spinstars) to an early enrichment by the s-process. A detailed comparison with the now large sample of stars with measured abundances of Sr, Ba, Y, Eu, and Fe is provided (both in terms of scatter plots and number distributions for several abundance ratios). Results: The scatter observed in these abundance ratios of the very metal-poor stars (with [Fe/H] <-2.5) can be explained by combining the s-process production in spinstars, and the r-process contribution coming from massive stars. For the r-process we have developed models for both the EC and the MRD scenarios that match the observations. Conclusions: With the present observational and theoretical constraints we cannot distinguish between the EC and the MRD scenarios in the Galactic halo. Independently of the r-process scenarios adopted, the production of elements by an s-process in spinstars is needed to reproduce the spread in abundances of the light neutron capture elements (Sr and Y) over heavy neutron capture elements (Ba and Eu). We provide a way to test our suggestions by means of the distribution of the Ba isotopic ratios in a [Ba/Fe] or [Sr/Ba] vs. [Fe/H] diagram. Appendix A is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Low-metallicity (sub-SMC) massive stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, Miriam; Herrero, Artemio; Najarro, Francisco; Camacho, Inés; Lennon, Daniel J.; Urbaneja, Miguel A.; Castro, Norberto

2017-11-01

The double distance and metallicity frontier marked by the SMC has been finally broken with the aid of powerful multi-object spectrographs installed at 8-10m class telescopes. VLT, GTC and Keck have enabled studies of massive stars in dwarf irregular galaxies of the Local Group with poorer metal-content than the SMC. The community is working to test the predictions of evolutionary models in the low-metallicity regime, set the new standard for the metal-poor high-redshift Universe, and test the extrapolation of the physics of massive stars to environments of decreasing metallicity. In this paper, we review current knowledge on this topic.

The r-process Pattern of a Bright, Highly r-process-enhanced Metal-poor Halo Star at [Fe/H] ∼ ‑2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakari, Charli M.; Placco, Vinicius M.; Hansen, Terese; Holmbeck, Erika M.; Beers, Timothy C.; Frebel, Anna; Roederer, Ian U.; Venn, Kim A.; Wallerstein, George; Davis, Christopher Evan; Farrell, Elizabeth M.; Yong, David

2018-02-01

A high-resolution spectroscopic analysis is presented for a new highly r-process-enhanced ([Eu/Fe] = 1.27, [Ba/Eu] = ‑0.65), very metal-poor ([Fe/H] = ‑2.09), retrograde halo star, RAVE J153830.9–180424, discovered as part of the R-Process Alliance survey. At V = 10.86, this is the brightest and most metal-rich r-II star known in the Milky Way halo. Its brightness enables high-S/N detections of a wide variety of chemical species that are mostly created by the r-process, including some infrequently detected lines from elements like Ru, Pd, Ag, Tm, Yb, Lu, Hf, and Th, with upper limits on Pb and U. This is the most complete r-process census in a very metal-poor r-II star. J1538–1804 shows no signs of s-process contamination, based on its low [Ba/Eu] and [Pb/Fe]. As with many other r-process-enhanced stars, J1538–1804's r-process pattern matches that of the Sun for elements between the first, second, and third peaks, and does not exhibit an actinide boost. Cosmo-chronometric age-dating reveals the r-process material to be quite old. This robust main r-process pattern is a necessary constraint for r-process formation scenarios (of particular interest in light of the recent neutron star merger, GW170817), and has important consequences for the origins of r-II stars. Additional r-I and r-II stars will be reported by the R-Process Alliance in the near future.

Stars and gas in the most metal-deficient galaxies in the Universe.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wofford, Aida

2017-08-01

Improving our understanding of star formation at low metallicity is of large relevance for a variety of fields in astrophysics since it relates to multiple topical questions. These range from understanding the properties of galaxies that contributed to cosmic reionization to the evolution of metal poor massive stars that give rise to the formation of heavy binary black holes. Crucial are observational constraints for the theoretical predictions, which can be obtained from rest-frame UV spectra of local star-forming dwarf galaxies with ionized-gas oxygen abundances at the low-metallicity threshold of the nearby Universe.While samples of UV spectra exist for galaxies in the metallicity range above 1/20 solar, only two useful spectra covering from H I Lyman-alpha (LyA, 1216 Ang) to C III] 1909 are available at lower metallicites. We propose COS G140L observations of eight extremely-metal poor galaxies (XMPGs) with He II emission that will: i) provide three more spectra with 12+log(O/H)=<7.4 (suitable targets at such low Z are hard to find), and ii) leverage existing WFC3 and Chandra images which are useful for discrimintating among different sources of ionization. Combining this dataset with existing spectra at similar and higher metallicity will allow us to address three questions: 1) How does metallicity determine galaxy properties?, 2) Is narrow He II emission a good tracer of peculiar massive stars?, and 3) Can we probe star-formation at high redshift with UV lines other than LyA? Our study will provide valuable clues for interpreting rest-frame UV spectra of high-z galaxies that will challenge our understanding of star formation at low Z.

Beryllium and Boron abundances in population II stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

The scientific focus of this program was to undertake UV spectroscopic abundance analyses of extremely metal poor stars with attention to determining abundances of light elements such as beryllium and boron. The abundances are likely to reflect primordial abundances within the early galaxy and help to constrain models for early galactic nucleosynthesis. The general metal abundances of these stars are also important for understanding stellar evolution.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bekki, Kenji

We propose that there is an evolutionary link between ultra-compact blue dwarf galaxies (UCBDs) with active star formation and nucleated dwarfs based on the results of numerical simulations of dwarf–dwarf merging. We consider the observational fact that low-mass dwarfs can be very gas-rich, and thereby investigate the dynamical and chemical evolution of very gas-rich, dissipative dwarf–dwarf mergers. We find that the remnants of dwarf–dwarf mergers can be dominated by new stellar populations formed from the triggered starbursts and consequently can have blue colors and higher metallicities (Z ∼ [0.2–1]Z{sub ⊙}). We also find that the remnants of these mergers canmore » have rather high mass densities (10{sup 4} M{sub ⊙} pc{sup −3}) within the central 10 pc and small half-light radii (40−100 pc). The radial stellar structures of some merger remnants are similar to those of nucleated dwarfs. Star formation can continue in nuclear gas disks (R < 100 pc) surrounding stellar galactic nuclei (SGNs) so that the SGNs can finally have multiple stellar populations with different ages and metallicities. These very compact blue remnants can be identified as UCBDs soon after merging and as nucleated dwarfs after the young stars fade. We discuss these results in the context of the origins of metal-rich ultra-compact dwarfs and SGNs.« less

SEGUE 1—A COMPRESSED STAR FORMATION HISTORY BEFORE REIONIZATION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Webster, David; Bland-Hawthorn, Joss; Frebel, Anna, E-mail: d.webster@physics.usyd.edu.au

Segue 1 is the current best candidate for a “first galaxy,” a system that experienced only a single, short burst of star formation and has since remained unchanged. Here we present possible star formation scenarios that can explain Segue 1’s unique metallicity distribution. While the majority of stars in all other ultra-faint dwarfs are within 0.5 dex of the mean [Fe/H] for the galaxy, five of the seven stars in Segue 1 have a spread of Δ[Fe/H]  > 0.8 dex. We show that this distribution of metallicities cannot be explained by a gradual buildup of stars, but instead requires clustered star formation. Chemicalmore » tagging allows the separate unresolved delta functions in abundance space to be associated with discrete events in space and time. This provides an opportunity to put the enrichment events into a time sequence and unravel the history of the system. We investigate two possible scenarios for the star formation history of Segue 1 using Fyris Alpha simulations of gas in a 10{sup 7} M{sub ⊙} dark matter halo. The lack of stars with intermediate metallicities −3 < [Fe/H] < −2 can be explained either by a pause in star formation caused by supernova feedback or by the spread of metallicities resulting from one or two supernovae in a low-mass dark matter halo. Either possibility can reproduce the metallicity distribution function (MDF) as well as the other observed elemental abundances. The unusual MDF and the low luminosity of Segue 1 can be explained by it being a first galaxy that originated with M{sub vir} ∼ 10{sup 7}M{sub ⊙} at z ∼ 10.« less

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) star abundances (Yoon+, 2016)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoon, J.; Beers, T. C.; Placco, V. M.; Rasmussen, K. C.; Carollo, D.; He, S.; Hansen, T. T.; Roederer, I. U.; Zeanah, J.

2017-03-01

We have endeavored to compile a list that is as complete as possible of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP); CEMP-s (and CEMP-r/s) and CEMP-no stars having [Fe/H]<-1.0 and [C/Fe]>=+0.7 with available high-resolution spectroscopic abundance information. We have only considered stars with claimed detections or lower limits for carbon, along with several critical elemental-abundance ratios, such as [Ba/Fe] and [Eu/Fe]. The great majority of our sample comes from the literature compilation of Placco+ (2014, J/ApJ/797/21). See section 2 for further details. (2 data files).

THE SYNTHETIC-OVERSAMPLING METHOD: USING PHOTOMETRIC COLORS TO DISCOVER EXTREMELY METAL-POOR STARS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miller, A. A., E-mail: amiller@astro.caltech.edu

2015-09-20

Extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars ([Fe/H] ≤ −3.0 dex) provide a unique window into understanding the first generation of stars and early chemical enrichment of the universe. EMP stars are exceptionally rare, however, and the relatively small number of confirmed discoveries limits our ability to exploit these near-field probes of the first ∼500 Myr after the Big Bang. Here, a new method to photometrically estimate [Fe/H] from only broadband photometric colors is presented. I show that the method, which utilizes machine-learning algorithms and a training set of ∼170,000 stars with spectroscopically measured [Fe/H], produces a typical scatter of ∼0.29 dex. Thismore » performance is similar to what is achievable via low-resolution spectroscopy, and outperforms other photometric techniques, while also being more general. I further show that a slight alteration to the model, wherein synthetic EMP stars are added to the training set, yields the robust identification of EMP candidates. In particular, this synthetic-oversampling method recovers ∼20% of the EMP stars in the training set, at a precision of ∼0.05. Furthermore, ∼65% of the false positives from the model are very metal-poor stars ([Fe/H] ≤ −2.0 dex). The synthetic-oversampling method is biased toward the discovery of warm (∼F-type) stars, a consequence of the targeting bias from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey/Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding survey. This EMP selection method represents a significant improvement over alternative broadband optical selection techniques. The models are applied to >12 million stars, with an expected yield of ∼600 new EMP stars, which promises to open new avenues for exploring the early universe.« less

NOEMA Observations of a Molecular Cloud in the Low-metallicity Galaxy Kiso 5639

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elmegreen, Bruce G.; Herrera, Cinthya; Rubio, Monica; Elmegreen, Debra Meloy; Sánchez Almeida, Jorge; Muñoz-Tuñón, Casiana; Olmo-García, Amanda

2018-06-01

A giant star-forming region in a metal-poor dwarf galaxy has been observed in optical lines with the 10 m Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) and in the emission line of CO(1–0) with the Northern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA) mm-wave interferometer. The metallicity was determined to be 12+{log}({{O}}/{{H}})=7.83+/- 0.09, from which we estimate a conversion factor of α CO ∼ 100 M ⊙ pc‑2(K km s‑1)‑1 and a molecular cloud mass of ∼2.9 × 107 M ⊙. This is an enormous concentration of molecular mass at one end of a small galaxy, suggesting a recent accretion. The molecular cloud properties seem normal: the surface density, 120 M ⊙ pc‑2, is comparable to that of a standard giant molecular cloud; the cloud’s virial ratio of ∼1.8 is in the star formation range; and the gas consumption time, 0.5 Gyr, at the present star formation rate is typical for molecular regions. The low metallicity implies that the cloud has an average visual extinction of only 0.8 mag, which is close to the threshold for molecule formation. With such an extinction threshold, molecular clouds in metal-poor regions should have high surface densities and high internal pressures. If high pressure is associated with the formation of massive clusters, then metal-poor galaxies such as dwarfs in the early universe could have been the hosts of metal-poor globular clusters.

The Resolved Stellar Populations Early Release Science Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weisz, Daniel; Anderson, J.; Boyer, M.; Cole, A.; Dolphin, A.; Geha, M.; Kalirai, J.; Kallivayalil, N.; McQuinn, K.; Sandstrom, K.; Williams, B.

2017-11-01

We propose to obtain deep multi-band NIRCam and NIRISS imaging of three resolved stellar systems within 1 Mpc (NOI 104). We will use this broad science program to optimize observational setups and to develop data reduction techniques that will be common to JWST studies of resolved stellar populations. We will combine our expertise in HST resolved star studies with these observations to design, test, and release point spread function (PSF) fitting software specific to JWST. PSF photometry is at the heart of resolved stellar populations studies, but is not part of the standard JWST reduction pipeline. Our program will establish JWST-optimized methodologies in six scientific areas: star formation histories, measurement of the sub-Solar mass stellar IMF, extinction maps, evolved stars, proper motions, and globular clusters, all of which will be common pursuits for JWST in the local Universe. Our observations of globular cluster M92, ultra-faint dwarf Draco II, and star-forming dwarf WLM, will be of high archival value for other science such as calibrating stellar evolution models, measuring properties of variable stars, and searching for metal-poor stars. We will release the results of our program, including PSF fitting software, matched HST and JWST catalogs, clear documentation, and step-by-step tutorials (e.g., Jupyter notebooks) for data reduction and science application, to the community prior to the Cycle 2 Call for Proposals. We will host a workshop to help community members plan their Cycle 2 observations of resolved stars. Our program will provide blueprints for the community to efficiently reduce and analyze JWST observations of resolved stellar populations.

MAGNESIUM ISOTOPE RATIOS IN {omega} CENTAURI RED GIANTS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Da Costa, G. S.; Norris, John E.; Yong, David

2013-05-20

We have used the high-resolution observations obtained at the Anglo-Australian Telescope with Ultra-High Resolution Facility (R {approx} 100,000) and at Gemini-S with b-HROS (R {approx} 150,000) to determine magnesium isotope ratios for seven {omega} Cen red giants that cover a range in iron abundance from [Fe/H] = -1.78 to -0.78 dex, and for two red giants in M4 (NGC 6121). The {omega} Cen stars sample both the ''primordial'' (i.e., O-rich, Na- and Al-poor) and the ''extreme'' (O-depleted, Na- and Al-rich) populations in the cluster. The primordial population stars in both {omega} Cen and M4 show ({sup 25}Mg, {sup 26}Mg)/{sup 24}Mgmore » isotopic ratios that are consistent with those found for the primordial population in other globular clusters with similar [Fe/H] values. The isotopic ratios for the {omega} Cen extreme stars are also consistent with those for extreme population stars in other clusters. The results for the extreme population stars studied indicate that the {sup 26}Mg/{sup 24}Mg ratio is highest at intermediate metallicities ([Fe/H] < -1.4 dex), and for the highest [Al/Fe] values. Further, the relative abundance of {sup 26}Mg in the extreme population stars is notably higher than that of {sup 25}Mg, in contrast to model predictions. The {sup 25}Mg/{sup 24}Mg isotopic ratio in fact does not show any obvious dependence on either [Fe/H] or [Al/Fe] nor, intriguingly, any obvious difference between the primordial and extreme population stars.« less

Searching for Dust around Hyper Metal Poor Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venn, Kim A.; Puzia, Thomas H.; Divell, Mike; Côté, Stephanie; Lambert, David L.; Starkenburg, Else

2014-08-01

We examine the mid-infrared fluxes and spectral energy distributions for stars with iron abundances [Fe/H] <-5, and other metal-poor stars, to eliminate the possibility that their low metallicities are related to the depletion of elements onto dust grains in the formation of a debris disk. Six out of seven stars examined here show no mid-IR excesses. These non-detections rule out many types of circumstellar disks, e.g., a warm debris disk (T <= 290 K), or debris disks with inner radii <=1 AU, such as those associated with the chemically peculiar post-asymptotic giant branch spectroscopic binaries and RV Tau variables. However, we cannot rule out cooler debris disks, nor those with lower flux ratios to their host stars due to, e.g., a smaller disk mass, a larger inner disk radius, an absence of small grains, or even a multicomponent structure, as often found with the chemically peculiar Lambda Bootis stars. The only exception is HE0107-5240, for which a small mid-IR excess near 10 μm is detected at the 2σ level; if the excess is real and associated with this star, it may indicate the presence of (recent) dust-gas winnowing or a binary system.

A wide-field survey for high-redshift quasars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kakazu, Yuko K. M.

2008-02-01

The present thesis reports the results from the Hawaii Quasar and T dwarf survey (HQT survey), which is a wide-field optical imaging survey conducted with Subaru/Suprime-Cam. The HQT survey was designed to search for low- luminosity quasars ( M 1450 < -22.5) at high-redshift ( z > 5.7) as well as T dwarfs, both of which are selected by their very red optical I -- z ' colors. We developed a new color selection technique using a narrowband NB 816 filter in order to break a well-known color degeneracy between quasars and foreground M and L dwarfs. The follow-up Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopy and near-IR imaging with various instruments on Mauna Kea have demonstrated the effectiveness of our technique, and have successfully revealed six faint T dwarfs ( J < 20). These dwarfs are among the most distant spectroscopically known (60 - 170 pc) and they provide an indirect support for the high binary fraction at L/ T transition. The non-detection of z > 5.7 quasars in our survey is consistent with the present picture of the cosmic reionization in which quasars are negligible contributor to the cosmic reionization. With our survey area coverage (9.3 deg 2 ) and depths ( Z AB < 23.3), we were able to set strong constraints on the faint-end slope of the quasar luminosity function. Majority of our candidate quasars turned out to be strong emission line galaxies at z < 1, whose large equivalent widths and low metal contents suggest they are very young systems which have just undergone starbursts within a few Myrs. In order to systematically search for these Ultra-Strong Emission Line galaxies (USELs), we used narrowband selected samples from Hu's ultra-deep multiwavelength data. The followup Keck/DEIMOS spectra have revealed their high star formation density (5-10% of UV measurements at z = 0-1), which is a significant contribution at a epoch when cosmic star formation is in its peak. Many of the USELs show [OIII]l4363 auroral lines and about a dozen satisfy the criteria for eXtremely Metal Poor Galaxies (XMPGs). Our XMPGs are the most distant known today. Our high yield rate of XMPGs suggests that narrowband method is powerful in finding such populations. Strikingly, a few of our XMPGs have metallities close to the most metal-poor galaxy. Our discovery indicates that galaxies are still forming in relatively chemically pristine sites at z ~ 1

The C and N abundances in disk stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, J. R.; Zhao, G.; Chen, Y. Q.

2002-01-01

Abundance analysis of carbon and nitrogen has been performed for a sample of 90 F and G type main-sequence disk stars with a metallicity range of -1.0 < [Fe/H] <+0.2 using the \\ion{C} i and N I lines. We confirm a moderate carbon excess in the most metal-poor disk dwarfs found in previous investigations. Our results suggest that carbon is enriched by superwinds of metal-rich massive stars at the beginning of the disk evolution, while a significant amount of carbon is contributed by low-mass stars in the late stage. The observed behavior of [N/Fe] is about solar in the disk stars, irrespective of the metallicity. This result suggests that nitrogen is produced mostly by intermediate-mass stars. Based on observations carried out at National Astrono- mical Observatories (Xinglong, China).

Neutron-capture Nucleosynthesis in the First Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roederer, Ian U.; Preston, George W.; Thompson, Ian B.; Shectman, Stephen A.; Sneden, Christopher

2014-04-01

Recent studies suggest that metal-poor stars enhanced in carbon but containing low levels of neutron-capture elements may have been among the first to incorporate the nucleosynthesis products of the first generation of stars. We have observed 16 stars with enhanced carbon or nitrogen using the MIKE Spectrograph on the Magellan Telescopes at Las Campanas Observatory and the Tull Spectrograph on the Smith Telescope at McDonald Observatory. We present radial velocities, stellar parameters, and detailed abundance patterns for these stars. Strontium, yttrium, zirconium, barium, europium, ytterbium, and other heavy elements are detected. In four stars, these heavy elements appear to have originated in some form of r-process nucleosynthesis. In one star, a partial s-process origin is possible. The origin of the heavy elements in the rest of the sample cannot be determined unambiguously. The presence of elements heavier than the iron group offers further evidence that zero-metallicity rapidly rotating massive stars and pair instability supernovae did not contribute substantial amounts of neutron-capture elements to the regions where the stars in our sample formed. If the carbon- or nitrogen-enhanced metal-poor stars with low levels of neutron-capture elements were enriched by products of zero-metallicity supernovae only, then the presence of these heavy elements indicates that at least one form of neutron-capture reaction operated in some of the first stars. This paper includes data gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile, and The McDonald Observatory of The University of Texas at Austin.

Improved Co I log(gf) & hfs data and Abundance Determinations in the Photospheres of the Sun & Metal-poor Star HD 84937

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawler, James E.; Sneden, Chris; Cowan, John J.

2016-01-01

New emission branching fraction measurements for 898 lines of the first spectrum of cobalt (Co I) from hollow cathode lamp spectra recorded with a 1m Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) and a high resolution echelle spectrometer are reported. Radiative lifetimes from laser induced fluorescence measurements are combined with the branching fractions to determine accurate log(gf)s for the 898 lines. Selected published hyperfine structure (hfs) constants for levels of neutral Co are used to generate complete hfs component patterns for 195 transitions of Co I. These new laboratory data are applied to determine the Co abundance in the Sun and metal-poor star HD 84937, yielding log eps(Co) = 4.955 ± 0.007 (sigma = 0.059) based on 82 Co I lines and log eps(Co) = 2.785 ± 0.008 (sigma = 0.065) based on 66 Co I lines respectively. A Saha balance test on the photosphere of HD 84937 is performed using 16 UV lines of Co II, and good agreement is found with the Co I result in this metal-poor ([Fe I /H] = -2.32, [Fe II /H] = -2.32) dwarf star. The resulting value of [Co/Fe] = +0.14 supports a rise of Co/Fe at low metallicity that has been suggested in other studies. These new Co I data are part of a continuing effort to explore the limits of 1D/LTE photospheric models in metal-poor stars and to determine the relative abundance of Fe-group elements at low metallicity. This work is supported in part by NASA grant NNX10AN93G (J.E.L.), by NSF grant AST-1211055 (J.E.L.), and by NSF grant AST-1211585 (C.S.).

The Universality of the Rapid Neutron-capture Process Revealed by a Possible Disrupted Dwarf Galaxy Star

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casey, Andrew R.; Schlaufman, Kevin C.

2017-12-01

The rapid neutron-capture or r-process is thought to produce the majority of the heavy elements (Z> 30) in extremely metal-poor stars. The same process is also responsible for a significant fraction of the heavy elements in the Sun. This universality of the r-process is one of its characteristic features, as well as one of the most important clues to its astrophysical origin. We report the discovery of an extremely metal-poor field giant with [{Sr},{Ba}/{{H}}]≈ -6.0 and [{Sr},{Ba}/{Fe}]≈ -3.0, the lowest abundances of strontium and barium relative to iron ever observed. Despite its low abundances, the star 2MASS J151113.24-213003.0 has [{Sr}/{Ba}]=-0.11+/- 0.14, therefore its neutron-capture abundances are consistent with the main solar r-process pattern that has [{Sr}/{Ba}]=-0.25. It has been suggested that extremely low neutron-capture abundances are a characteristic of dwarf galaxies, and we find that this star is on a highly eccentric orbit with an apocenter ≳100 kpc that lies in the disk of satellites in the halo of the Milky Way. We show that other extremely metal-poor stars with low [Sr, Ba/H] and [Sr, Ba/Fe] plus solar [Sr/Ba] tend to have orbits with large apocenters, consistent with a dwarf galaxy origin for this class of object. The nucleosynthesis event that produced the neutron-capture elements in 2MASS J151113.24-213003.0 must produce both strontium and barium together in the solar ratio. We exclude contributions from the s-process in intermediate-mass asymptotic giant branch or fast-rotating massive metal-poor stars, pair-instability supernovae, the weak r-process, and neutron-star mergers. We argue that the event was a Pop III or extreme Pop II core-collapse supernova explosion. This paper includes data gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile.

The Initial Mass Function of the First Stars Inferred from Extremely Metal-poor Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishigaki, Miho N.; Tominaga, Nozomu; Kobayashi, Chiaki; Nomoto, Ken’ichi

2018-04-01

We compare the elemental abundance patterns of ∼200 extremely metal-poor (EMP; [Fe/H] < ‑3) stars to the supernova yields of metal-free stars, in order to obtain insights into the characteristic masses of the first (Population III or Pop III) stars in the universe. The supernova yields are prepared with nucleosynthesis calculations of metal-free stars with various initial masses (M = 13, 15, 25, 40 and 100 M ⊙) and explosion energies (E 51 = E/1051[erg] = 0.5–60), to include low-energy, normal-energy, and high-energy explosions. We adopt the mixing-fallback model, to take into account possible asymmetry in the supernova explosions, and the yields that best fit the observed abundance patterns of the EMP stars are searched by varying the model parameters. We find that the abundance patterns of the EMP stars are predominantly best-fitted by the supernova yields with initial masses M < 40 M ⊙, and that more than than half of the stars are best-fitted by the M = 25 M ⊙ hypernova (E 51 = 10) models. The results also indicate that the majority of the primordial supernovae have ejected 10‑2–10‑1 M ⊙ of 56Ni, leaving behind a compact remnant (either a neutron star or a black hole), with a mass in the range of ∼1.5–5 M ⊙. These results suggest that the masses of the first stars responsible for the first metal enrichment are predominantly <40 M ⊙. This implies that the higher-mass first stars were either less abundant, directly collapsed into a black hole without ejecting heavy elements, or a supernova explosion of a higher-mass first star inhibits the formation of the next generation of low-mass stars at [Fe/H] < ‑3.

LAMOST telescope reveals that Neptunian cousins of hot Jupiters are mostly single offspring of stars that are rich in heavy elements.

PubMed

Dong, Subo; Xie, Ji-Wei; Zhou, Ji-Lin; Zheng, Zheng; Luo, Ali

2018-01-09

We discover a population of short-period, Neptune-size planets sharing key similarities with hot Jupiters: both populations are preferentially hosted by metal-rich stars, and both are preferentially found in Kepler systems with single-transiting planets. We use accurate Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) Data Release 4 (DR4) stellar parameters for main-sequence stars to study the distributions of short-period [Formula: see text] Kepler planets as a function of host star metallicity. The radius distribution of planets around metal-rich stars is more "puffed up" compared with that around metal-poor hosts. In two period-radius regimes, planets preferentially reside around metal-rich stars, while there are hardly any planets around metal-poor stars. One is the well-known hot Jupiters, and the other one is a population of Neptune-size planets ([Formula: see text]), dubbed "Hoptunes." Also like hot Jupiters, Hoptunes occur more frequently in systems with single-transiting planets although the fraction of Hoptunes occurring in multiples is larger than that of hot Jupiters. About [Formula: see text] of solar-type stars host Hoptunes, and the frequencies of Hoptunes and hot Jupiters increase with consistent trends as a function of [Fe/H]. In the planet radius distribution, hot Jupiters and Hoptunes are separated by a "valley" at approximately Saturn size (in the range of [Formula: see text]), and this "hot-Saturn valley" represents approximately an order-of-magnitude decrease in planet frequency compared with hot Jupiters and Hoptunes. The empirical "kinship" between Hoptunes and hot Jupiters suggests likely common processes (migration and/or formation) responsible for their existence.

LAMOST telescope reveals that Neptunian cousins of hot Jupiters are mostly single offspring of stars that are rich in heavy elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Subo; Xie, Ji-Wei; Zhou, Ji-Lin; Zheng, Zheng; Luo, Ali

2018-01-01

We discover a population of short-period, Neptune-size planets sharing key similarities with hot Jupiters: both populations are preferentially hosted by metal-rich stars, and both are preferentially found in Kepler systems with single-transiting planets. We use accurate Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) Data Release 4 (DR4) stellar parameters for main-sequence stars to study the distributions of short-period 1d

Chemical Abundance Analysis of Three α-poor, Metal-poor Stars in the Ultrafaint Dwarf Galaxy Horologium I

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagasawa, D. Q.; Marshall, J. L.; Li, T. S.; Hansen, T. T.; Simon, J. D.; Bernstein, R. A.; Balbinot, E.; Drlica-Wagner, A.; Pace, A. B.; Strigari, L. E.; Pellegrino, C. M.; DePoy, D. L.; Suntzeff, N. B.; Bechtol, K.; Walker, A. R.; Abbott, T. M. C.; Abdalla, F. B.; Allam, S.; Annis, J.; Benoit-Lévy, A.; Bertin, E.; Brooks, D.; Carnero Rosell, A.; Carrasco Kind, M.; Carretero, J.; Cunha, C. E.; D’Andrea, C. B.; da Costa, L. N.; Davis, C.; Desai, S.; Doel, P.; Eifler, T. F.; Flaugher, B.; Fosalba, P.; Frieman, J.; García-Bellido, J.; Gaztanaga, E.; Gerdes, D. W.; Gruen, D.; Gruendl, R. A.; Gschwend, J.; Gutierrez, G.; Hartley, W. G.; Honscheid, K.; James, D. J.; Jeltema, T.; Krause, E.; Kuehn, K.; Kuhlmann, S.; Kuropatkin, N.; March, M.; Miquel, R.; Nord, B.; Roodman, A.; Sanchez, E.; Santiago, B.; Scarpine, V.; Schindler, R.; Schubnell, M.; Sevilla-Noarbe, I.; Smith, M.; Smith, R. C.; Soares-Santos, M.; Sobreira, F.; Suchyta, E.; Tarle, G.; Thomas, D.; Tucker, D. L.; Wechsler, R. H.; Wolf, R. C.; Yanny, B.

2018-01-01

We present chemical abundance measurements of three stars in the ultrafaint dwarf galaxy Horologium I, a Milky Way satellite discovered by the Dark Energy Survey. Using high-resolution spectroscopic observations, we measure the metallicity of the three stars, as well as abundance ratios of several α-elements, iron-peak elements, and neutron-capture elements. The abundance pattern is relatively consistent among all three stars, which have a low average metallicity of [Fe/H] ∼ ‑2.6 and are not α-enhanced ([α/Fe] ∼ 0.0). This result is unexpected when compared to other low-metallicity stars in the Galactic halo and other ultrafaint dwarfs and suggests the possibility of a different mechanism for the enrichment of Hor I compared to other satellites. We discuss possible scenarios that could lead to this observed nucleosynthetic signature, including extended star formation, enrichment by a Population III supernova, and or an association with the Large Magellanic Cloud. This paper includes data gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. This paper also includes data based on observations made with the ESO Very Large Telescope at Paranal Observatory, Chile (ID 096.D-0967(B); PI: E. Balbinot).

A common origin for globular clusters and ultra-faint dwarfs in simulations of the first galaxies

DOE PAGES

Ricotti, Massimo; Parry, Owen H.; Gnedin, Nickolay Y.

2016-11-09

In this study, the first in a series on galaxy formation before reionization, we focus on understanding what determines the size and morphology of stellar objects in the first low-mass galaxies, using parsec-scale cosmological simulations performed with an adaptive mesh hydrodynamics code. Although the dense gas in which stars are formed tends to have a disk structure, stars are found in spheroids with little rotation. Halos with masses betweenmore » $${10}^{6}\\,{M}_{\\odot }$$ and $$5\\times {10}^{8}\\,{M}_{\\odot }$$ form stars stochastically, with stellar masses in the range $${10}^{4}\\,{M}_{\\odot }$$ to $$2\\times {10}^{6}\\,{M}_{\\odot }$$. We observe, nearly independent of stellar mass, a large range of half-light radii for the stars, from a few parsecs to a few hundred parsecs and surface brightnesses and mass-to-light ratios ranging from those typical of globular clusters to ultra-faint dwarfs. In our simulations, stars form in dense stellar clusters with high gas-to-star conversion efficiencies and rather uniform metallicities. A fraction of these clusters remain bound after the gas is removed by feedback, but others are destroyed, and their stars, which typically have velocity dispersions of 20–40 km s –1, expand until they become bound by the dark matter halo. We thus speculate that the stars in ultra-faint dwarf galaxies may show kinematic and chemical signatures consistent with their origin in a few distinct stellar clusters. On the other hand, some globular clusters may form at the center of primordial dwarf galaxies and may contain dark matter, perhaps detectable in the outer parts.« less

A common origin for globular clusters and ultra-faint dwarfs in simulations of the first galaxies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ricotti, Massimo; Parry, Owen H.; Gnedin, Nickolay Y.

In this study, the first in a series on galaxy formation before reionization, we focus on understanding what determines the size and morphology of stellar objects in the first low-mass galaxies, using parsec-scale cosmological simulations performed with an adaptive mesh hydrodynamics code. Although the dense gas in which stars are formed tends to have a disk structure, stars are found in spheroids with little rotation. Halos with masses betweenmore » $${10}^{6}\\,{M}_{\\odot }$$ and $$5\\times {10}^{8}\\,{M}_{\\odot }$$ form stars stochastically, with stellar masses in the range $${10}^{4}\\,{M}_{\\odot }$$ to $$2\\times {10}^{6}\\,{M}_{\\odot }$$. We observe, nearly independent of stellar mass, a large range of half-light radii for the stars, from a few parsecs to a few hundred parsecs and surface brightnesses and mass-to-light ratios ranging from those typical of globular clusters to ultra-faint dwarfs. In our simulations, stars form in dense stellar clusters with high gas-to-star conversion efficiencies and rather uniform metallicities. A fraction of these clusters remain bound after the gas is removed by feedback, but others are destroyed, and their stars, which typically have velocity dispersions of 20–40 km s –1, expand until they become bound by the dark matter halo. We thus speculate that the stars in ultra-faint dwarf galaxies may show kinematic and chemical signatures consistent with their origin in a few distinct stellar clusters. On the other hand, some globular clusters may form at the center of primordial dwarf galaxies and may contain dark matter, perhaps detectable in the outer parts.« less

Deep Imaging of Extremely Metal-Poor Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corbin, Michael

2006-07-01

Conflicting evidence exists regarding whether the most metal-poor and actively star-forming galaxies in the local universe such as I Zw 18 contain evolved stars. We propose to help settle this issue by obtaining deep ACS/HRC U, narrow-V, I, and H-alpha images of nine nearby {z < 0.01} extremely metal-poor {12 + O/H < 7.65} galaxies selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. These objects are only marginally resolved from the ground and appear uniformly blue, strongly motivating HST imaging. The continuum images will establish: 1.} If underlying populations of evolved stars are present, by revealing the objects' colors on scales 10 pc, and 2.} The presence of any faint tidal features, dust lanes, and globular or super star clusters, all of which constrain the objects' evolutionary states. The H-alpha images, in combination with ground-based echelle spectroscopy, will reveal 1.} Whether the objects are producing "superwinds" that are depleting them of their metals; ground-based images of some of them indeed show large halos of ionized gas, and 2.} The correspondence of their nebular and stellar emission on scales of a few parsecs, which is important for understanding the "feedback" process by which supernovae and stellar winds regulate star formation. One of the sample objects, CGCG 269-049, lies only 2 Mpc away, allowing the detection of individual red giant stars in it if any are present. We have recently obtained Spitzer images and spectra of this galaxy to determine its dust content and star formation history, which will complement the proposed HST observations. [NOTE: THIS PROPOSAL WAS REDUCED TO FIVE ORBITS, AND ONLY ONE OF THE ORIGINAL TARGETS, CGCG 269-049, AFTER THE PHASE I REVIEW

Local anticorrelation between star formation rate and gas-phase metallicity in disc galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez Almeida, J.; Caon, N.; Muñoz-Tuñón, C.; Filho, M.; Cerviño, M.

2018-06-01

Using a representative sample of 14 star-forming dwarf galaxies in the local Universe, we show the existence of a spaxel-to-spaxel anticorrelation between the index N2 ≡ log ([N II]λ 6583/H α ) and the H α flux. These two quantities are commonly employed as proxies for gas-phase metallicity and star formation rate (SFR), respectively. Thus, the observed N2 to H α relation may reflect the existence of an anticorrelation between the metallicity of the gas forming stars and the SFR it induces. Such an anticorrelation is to be expected if variable external metal-poor gas fuels the star-formation process. Alternatively, it can result from the contamination of the star-forming gas by stellar winds and SNe, provided that intense outflows drive most of the metals out of the star-forming regions. We also explore the possibility that the observed anticorrelation is due to variations in the physical conditions of the emitting gas, other than metallicity. Using alternative methods to compute metallicity, as well as previous observations of H II regions and photoionization models, we conclude that this possibility is unlikely. The radial gradient of metallicity characterizing disc galaxies does not produce the correlation either.

Introduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirby, Evan N.

2018-06-01

Dwarf galaxies are excellent laboratories of chemical evolution. Many dwarf galaxies have simple star formation histories with very low average star formation rates. These conditions simplify models of chemical evolution and facilitate the identification of sites of nucleosynthesis. Dwarf galaxies also host extremely metal-poor stars, which sample the ejecta of the first generations of supernovae in the universe. This meeting-in-a-meeting, "Stellar Abundances in Dwarf Galasxies," will recognize the importance of dwarf galaxies in learning about the creation and evolution of the elements. Topics include: * the most metal-poor stars * the connection between dwarf galaxies and the Milky Way halo * dwarf galaxies as the paragons of r-process nucleosynthesis * modern techniques in stellar abundance measurements * recent advances in chemical evolution modelingI will give a very brief introduction to set the stage for the meeting.

An extremely primitive star in the Galactic halo.

PubMed

Caffau, Elisabetta; Bonifacio, Piercarlo; François, Patrick; Sbordone, Luca; Monaco, Lorenzo; Spite, Monique; Spite, François; Ludwig, Hans-G; Cayrel, Roger; Zaggia, Simone; Hammer, François; Randich, Sofia; Molaro, Paolo; Hill, Vanessa

2011-08-31

The early Universe had a chemical composition consisting of hydrogen, helium and traces of lithium; almost all other elements were subsequently created in stars and supernovae. The mass fraction of elements more massive than helium, Z, is known as 'metallicity'. A number of very metal-poor stars has been found, some of which have a low iron abundance but are rich in carbon, nitrogen and oxygen. For theoretical reasons and because of an observed absence of stars with Z < 1.5 × 10(-5), it has been suggested that low-mass stars cannot form from the primitive interstellar medium until it has been enriched above a critical value of Z, estimated to lie in the range 1.5 × 10(-8) to 1.5 × 10(-6) (ref. 8), although competing theories claiming the contrary do exist. (We use 'low-mass' here to mean a stellar mass of less than 0.8 solar masses, the stars that survive to the present day.) Here we report the chemical composition of a star in the Galactic halo with a very low Z (≤ 6.9 × 10(-7), which is 4.5 × 10(-5) times that of the Sun) and a chemical pattern typical of classical extremely metal-poor stars--that is, without enrichment of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen. This shows that low-mass stars can be formed at very low metallicity, that is, below the critical value of Z. Lithium is not detected, suggesting a low-metallicity extension of the previously observed trend in lithium depletion. Such lithium depletion implies that the stellar material must have experienced temperatures above two million kelvin in its history, given that this is necessary to destroy lithium.

High-resolution Spectroscopy of Extremely Metal-poor Stars from SDSS/SEGUE. III. Unevolved Stars with [Fe/H] ≲ -3.5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsuno, Tadafumi; Aoki, Wako; Beers, Timothy C.; Lee, Young Sun; Honda, Satoshi

2017-08-01

We present elemental abundances for eight unevolved extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars with {T}{eff}> 5500 {{K}}, among which seven have [{Fe}/{{H}}]< -3.5. The sample is selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey/Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SDSS/SEGUE) and our previous high-resolution spectroscopic follow-up with the Subaru Telescope. Several methods to derive stellar parameters are compared, and no significant offset in the derived parameters is found in most cases. From an abundance analysis relative to the standard EMP star G64-12, an average Li abundance for stars with [{Fe}/{{H}}]< -3.5 is A({Li})=1.90, with a standard deviation of σ =0.10 dex. This result confirms that lower Li abundances are found at lower metallicity, as suggested by previous studies, and demonstrates that the star-to-star scatter is small. The small observed scatter could be a strong constraint on Li-depletion mechanisms proposed for explaining the low Li abundance at lower metallicity. Our analysis for other elements obtained the following results: (I) a statistically significant scatter in [{{X}}/{Fe}] for Na, Mg, Cr, Ti, Sr, and Ba, and an apparent bimodality in [{Na}/{Fe}] with a separation of ˜ 0.8 {dex}, (II) an absence of a sharp drop in the metallicity distribution, and (III) the existence of a CEMP-s star at [{Fe}/{{H}}]≃ -3.6 and possibly at [{Fe}/{{H}}]≃ -4.0, which may provide a constraint on the mixing efficiency of unevolved stars during their main-sequence phase. Based on data collected with the Subaru Telescope, which is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.

A Giant Planet Around a Metal-Poor Star of Extragalactic Origin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setiawan, Johny; Klement, Rainer J.; Henning, Thomas; Rix, Hans-Walter; Rochau, Boyke; Rodmann, Jens; Schulze-Hartung, Tim

2010-12-01

Stars in their late stage of evolution, such as horizontal branch stars, are still largely unexplored for planets. We detected a planetary companion around HIP 13044, a very metal-poor star on the red horizontal branch, on the basis of radial velocity observations with a high-resolution spectrograph at the 2.2-meter Max-Planck Gesellschaft-European Southern Observatory telescope. The star’s periodic radial velocity variation of P = 16.2 days caused by the planet can be distinguished from the periods of the stellar activity indicators. The minimum mass of the planet is 1.25 times the mass of Jupiter and its orbital semimajor axis is 0.116 astronomical units. Because HIP 13044 belongs to a group of stars that have been accreted from a disrupted satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, the planet most likely has an extragalactic origin.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Abundances of bright metal-poor stars (Schlaufman+, 2014)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlaufman, K. C.; Casey, A. R.

2016-11-01

As input to our sample selection, we use the APASS DR6 Catalog, the 2MASS All-Sky Point Source Catalog, and the AllWISE Source Catalog (Henden+ 2012JAVSO..40..430H; Skrutskie+ 2006AJ....131.1163S; Wright+ 2010AJ....140.1868W; Mainzer+ 2011ApJ...731...53M). We followed up our metal-poor star candidates with the Mayall 4m/Echelle, Gemini South/GMOS-S, and Magellan/MIKE telescopes and spectrographs. We observed 98 stars with the Mayall 4m/Echelle on 2013 June 25-27. We observed 90 stars with Gemini South/GMOS-S in service mode from 2014 March to July (R~3700). We observed 416 stars with Magellan/MIKE on 2014 June 21-23 and July 8-10 (R~41000 in the blue and R~35000 in the red). (3 data files).

A Planetary Companion around a Metal-Poor Star with Extragalactic Origin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setiawan, Johny; Klement, Rainer; Henning, Thomas; Rix, Hans-Walter; Rochau, Boyke; Schulze-Hartung, Tim; Rodmann, Jens

2011-03-01

We report the detection of a planetary companion around HIP 13044, a metal-poor star on the red Horizontal Branch. The detection is based on radial velocity observations with FEROS, a high-resolution spectrograph at the 2.2-m MPG/ESO telescope, located at ESO La Silla observatory in Chile. The periodic radial velocity variation of P = 16.2 days can be distinguished from the periods of the stellar activity indicators. We computed a minimum planetary mass of 1.25 MJup and an orbital semi-major axis of 0.116 AU for the planet. This discovery is unique in three aspects: First, it is the first planet detection around a star with a metallicity much lower than few percent of the solar value; second, the planet host star resides in a stellar evolutionary stage that is still unexplored in the exoplanet surveys; third, the star HIP 13044 belongs to one of the most significant stellar halo streams in the solar neighborhood, implying an extragalactic origin of the planetary system HIP 13044 in a disrupted former satellite of the Milky Way.

Synthetic Stromgren photometry for F dwarf stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bell, R. A.

1988-01-01

Recent synthetic spectrum and color calculations for cool dwarf star models are tested by comparison with observation. The accuracy of the computed dependence of the thermal colors B-V and b-y on effective temperature is examined, and H-beta indices are presented and compared with observed values. The accuracy of the predictions of the Stromgren uvby system metal-abundance indicator m1 and luminosity indicator c1 are tested. A new calibration of the c1, b-y diagram in terms of absolute magnitudes is given, making use of recent calculations of stellar isochrones. Observations of very metal-poor subdwarfs are used to study the accuracy of the isochrones. The c1, b-y diagram of the subdwarfs is compared with that of the turnoff-region stars in the very metal-poor globular cluster NGC 6397.

Multiple populations in more metal-rich galactic globular clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cordero, Maria J.

In this thesis we present chemical abundances for bright stars in the intermediate metallicity globular cluster (GC) M5, and the relatively metal-rich GCs M71 and 47 Tuc with the goal of improving the understanding of chemical evolution in the metallicity regime sampled by these three GCs. The first chapter presents a brief historical overview in light element abundance variations in globular clusters. In the second chapter we present the results obtained for 47 Tuc, the most-metal rich cluster of my sample. 47 Tuc is an ideal target to study chemical evolution and GC formation in massive more metal-rich GCs since it is the closest massive GC. Chemical abundances for O, Na, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, Fe, Ni, La, and Eu were determined for 164 red giant branch (RGB) stars in 47 Tuc using spectra obtained with both the Hydra multi-fiber spectrograph at the Blanco 4-m telescope and the FLAMES multi-object spectrograph at the ESO Very Large Telescope. The average [Fe/H]= --0.79+/-0.09 dex is consistent with literature values, as well as over-abundances of alpha-elements ([alpha/Fe] ~ 0.3 dex). The n-capture process elements indicate that 47 Tuc is r-process dominated ([Eu/La]=+0.24), and the light elements O, Na, and Al exhibit star-to-star variations. The Na-O anti-correlation, a signature typically seen in Galactic GCs, is present in 47 Tuc, and extends to include a small number of stars with [O/Fe] ~ --0.5. Additionally, the [O/Na] ratios of our sample reveal that the cluster stars can be separated into three distinct populations. A KS-test demonstrates that the O-poor/Na-rich stars are more centrally concentrated than the O-rich/Na-poor stars. The observed number and radial distribution of 47 Tuc's stellar populations, as distinguished by their light element composition, agrees closely with the results obtained from photometric data. We do not find evidence supporting a strong Na-Al correlation in 47 Tuc, which is consistent with current models of AGB nucleosynthesis yields. Aluminum is the heaviest light element displaying large star-to-star variations in Galactic GCs. This element may provide additional insight into the origin of the multiple populations and the nature of the first-generation stars responsible for chemical inhomogeneities. We found that, unlike more metal-poor GCs, 47 Tuc did not exhibit a strong Na-Al correlation, which motivates a careful study of the similar metallicity but less massive GC M71. In chapter 3, we present chemical abundances of O, Na, Al, and Fe for 33 giants in M71 using spectra obtained with the WIYN-Hydra spectrograph. Our spectroscopic analysis finds that, similar to 47 Tuc and in contrast with more metal-poor GCs, M71 stars do not exhibit a strong Na-Al correlation and span a relatively narrow range in [Al/Fe]. Furthermore, these data suggest that only a small fraction of stars (29%) have an [Na/Fe] ratio similar to halo stars at this metallicity, which is a characteristic reproduced by GC formation and evolution models. In the fourth chapter we present chemical abundances for a sample of 61 red giants in the intermediate-metallicity GC M5. The data were obtained using the Hydra multi-fiber positioner and bench spectrograph on the WIYN telescope. We find that our abundance ratios for Na, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, Fe, Ni, La, and Eu agree with published values for this cluster. The scatter seen in Fe-peak, alpha, and neutron-capture elements is consistent with typical spectroscopic errors. However, we identified a star modestly enhanced in La by performing a careful comparison of stellar spectra with similar atmospheric parameters. La-enhanced stars are rare in GCs. For instance, we have found only one such star in each of M5 and 47 Tuc. M5 red giants exhibit a strong Na-Al correlation, which is absent in M71 and 47 Tuc. Furthermore, M5 is at the metallicity regime where GCs seem to transition from small to large [Al/Fe] scatter. Interestingly, this metallicity regime also separates metal-poor from metal-rich Galactic GCs. In the fifth chapter we present radial distributions, population fractions, detailed examination of behavior of Al in more metal-rich GCs in the context of cluster chemical evolution, and, finally, a kinematical study of the GC M13 using spectra acquired with the WIYN-Hydra spectrograph. We find a rotational signal and a kinematical difference between the intermediate and extreme generations. Specifically, we find that the extreme O-depleted population, which is also more centrally concentrated than the primordial and intermediate populations, has the highest rotational amplitude. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

The boron-to-beryllium ratio in halo stars - A signature of cosmic-ray nucleosynthesis in the early Galaxy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, T. P.; Steigman, G.; Schramm, D. N.; Olive, K. A.; Fields, B.

1993-01-01

We discuss Galactic cosmic-ray (GCR) spallation production of Li, Be, and B in the early Galaxy with particular attention to the uncertainties in the predictions of this model. The observed correlation between the Be abundance and the metallicity in metal-poor Population II stars requires that Be was synthesized in the early Galaxy. We show that the observations and such Population II GCR synthesis of Be are quantitatively consistent with the big bang nucleosynthesis production of Li-7. We find that there is a nearly model independent lower bound to B/Be of about 7 for GCR synthesis. Recent measurements of B/Be about 10 in HD 140283 are in excellent agreement with the predictions of Population II GCR nucleosynthesis. Measurements of the boron abundance in additional metal-poor halo stars is a key diagnostic of the GCR spallation mechanism. We also show that Population II GCR synthesis can produce amounts of Li-6 which may be observed in the hottest halo stars.

Abundance profiling of extremely metal-poor stars and supernova properties in the early universe

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tominaga, Nozomu; Iwamoto, Nobuyuki; Nomoto, Ken'ichi, E-mail: tominaga@konan-u.ac.jp, E-mail: iwamoto.nobuyuki@jaea.go.jp, E-mail: nomoto@astron.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp

2014-04-20

After the big bang nucleosynthesis, the first heavy element enrichment in the universe was made by a supernova (SN) explosion of a population (Pop) III star (Pop III SN). The abundance ratios of elements produced from Pop III SNe are recorded in abundance patterns of extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars. The observations of the increasing number of EMP stars have made it possible to statistically constrain the explosion properties of Pop III SNe. We present Pop III SN models whose nucleosynthesis yields well reproduce, individually, the abundance patterns of 48 such metal-poor stars as [Fe/H] ≲ – 3.5. We then derivemore » relations between the abundance ratios of EMP stars and certain explosion properties of Pop III SNe: the higher [(C + N)/Fe] and [(C + N)/Mg] ratios correspond to the smaller ejected Fe mass and the larger compact remnant mass, respectively. Using these relations, the distributions of the abundance ratios of EMP stars are converted to those of the explosion properties of Pop III SNe. Such distributions are compared with those of the explosion properties of present day SNe: the distribution of the ejected Fe mass of Pop III SNe has the same peak as that of the present day SNe but shows an extended tail down to ∼10{sup –2}-10{sup –5} M {sub ☉}, and the distribution of the mass of the compact remnant of Pop III SNe is as wide as that of the present-day, stellar-mass black holes. Our results demonstrate the importance of large samples of EMP stars obtained by ongoing and future EMP star surveys and subsequent high-dispersion spectroscopic observations in clarifying the nature of Pop III SNe in the early universe.« less

The Stellar Populations of Two Ultra-diffuse Galaxies from Optical and Near-infrared Photometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandya, Viraj; Romanowsky, Aaron J.; Laine, Seppo; Brodie, Jean P.; Johnson, Benjamin D.; Glaccum, William; Villaume, Alexa; Cuillandre, Jean-Charles; Gwyn, Stephen; Krick, Jessica; Lasker, Ronald; Martín-Navarro, Ignacio; Martinez-Delgado, David; van Dokkum, Pieter

2018-05-01

We present observational constraints on the stellar populations of two ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) using optical through near-infrared (NIR) spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting. Our analysis is enabled by new Spitzer-IRAC 3.6 and 4.5 μm imaging, archival optical imaging, and the prospector fully Bayesian SED fitting framework. Our sample contains one field UDG (DGSAT I), one Virgo cluster UDG (VCC 1287), and one Virgo cluster dwarf elliptical for comparison (VCC 1122). We find that the optical–NIR colors of the three galaxies are significantly different from each other. We infer that VCC 1287 has an old (≳7.7 Gyr) and surprisingly metal-poor ([Z/Z ⊙] ≲ ‑1.0) stellar population, even after marginalizing over uncertainties on diffuse interstellar dust. In contrast, the field UDG DGSAT I shows evidence of being younger than the Virgo UDG, with an extended star formation history and an age posterior extending down to ∼3 Gyr. The stellar metallicity of DGSAT I is sub-solar but higher than that of the Virgo UDG, with [Z/{Z}ȯ ]=-{0.63}-0.62+0.35; in the case of exactly zero diffuse interstellar dust, DGSAT I may even have solar metallicity. With VCC 1287 and several Coma UDGs, a general picture is emerging where cluster UDGs may be “failed” galaxies, but the field UDG DGSAT I seems more consistent with a stellar feedback-induced expansion scenario. In the future, our approach can be applied to a large and diverse sample of UDGs down to faint surface brightness limits, with the goal of constraining their stellar ages, stellar metallicities, and circumstellar and diffuse interstellar dust content.

Very Low Mass Stars with Extremely Low Metallicity in the Milky Way's Halo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aoki, Wako; Beers, Timothy C.; Takuma, Suda; Honda, Satoshi; Lee, Young Sun

2015-08-01

Large surveys and follow-up spectroscopic studies in the past few decades have been providing chemical abundance data for a growing number of very metal-poor ([Fe/H] <-2) stars. Most of them are red giants or main-sequence turn-off stars having masses near 0.8 solar masses. Lower mass stars with extremely low metallicity ([Fe/H] <-3) have yet to be well explored. Our high-resolution spectroscopic study for very metal-poor stars found with SDSS has identified four cool main-sequence stars with [Fe/H] <-2.5 among 137 objects (Aoki et al. 2013, AJ, 145, 13). The effective temperatures of these stars are 4500--5000 K, corresponding to a mass of around 0.5 solar masses. Our standard analysis of the high-resolution spectra based on 1D-LTE model atmospheres have obtained self-consistent chemical abundances for these objects, assuming small values of micro-turbulent velocities compared with giants and turn-off stars. The low temperature of the atmospheres of these objects enables us to measure their detailed chemical abundances. Interestingly, two of the four stars have extreme chemical abundance patterns: one has the largest excesses of heavy neutron-capture elements associated with the r-process abundance pattern known to date (Aoki et al. 2010, ApJL 723, L201), and the other exhibits low abundances of the alpha-elements and odd-Z elements, suggested to be the signatures of the yields of very massive stars ( >100 solar masses; Aoki et al. 2014, Science 345, 912). Although the sample size is still small, these results indicate the potential of very low-mass stars as probes to study the early stages of the Milky Way's halo formation.

Very Low-Mass Stars with Extremely Low Metallicity in the Milky Way's Halo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aoki, Wako; Beers, Timothy C.; Suda, Takuma; Honda, Satoshi; Lee, Young Sun

2016-08-01

Large surveys and follow-up spectroscopic studies in the past few decades have been providing chemical abundance data for a growing number of very metal-poor ([Fe/H] <-2) stars. Most of them are red giants or main-sequence turn-off stars having masses near 0.8 solar masses. Lower mass stars with extremely low metallicity ([Fe/H] <-3) are yet to be explored. Our high-resolution spectroscopic study for very metal-poor stars found with SDSS has identified four cool main-sequence stars with [Fe/H] <-2.5 among 137 objects (Aoki et al. 2013). The effective temperatures of these stars are 4500-5000 K, corresponding to a mass of around 0.5 solar masses. Our standard analysis of the high-resolution spectra based on 1D-LTE model atmospheres has obtained self-consistent chemical abundances for these objects, assuming small values of micro-turbulent velocities compared with giants and turn-off stars. The low temperature of the atmospheres of these objects enables us to measure their detailed chemical abundances. Interestingly, two of the four stars have extreme chemical-abundance patterns: one has the largest excesses of heavy neutron-capture elements associated with the r-process abundance pattern known to date (Aoki et al. 2010), and the other exhibits low abundances of the α-elements and odd-Z elements, suggested to be signatures of the yields of very massive stars (> 100 solar masses; Aoki et al. 2014). Although the sample size is still small, these results indicate the potential of very low-mass stars as probes to study the early stages of the Milky Way's halo formation.

Carbon monoxide in an extremely metal-poor galaxy.

PubMed

Shi, Yong; Wang, Junzhi; Zhang, Zhi-Yu; Gao, Yu; Hao, Cai-Na; Xia, Xiao-Yang; Gu, Qiusheng

2016-12-09

Extremely metal-poor galaxies with metallicity below 10% of the solar value in the local universe are the best analogues to investigating the interstellar medium at a quasi-primitive environment in the early universe. In spite of the ongoing formation of stars in these galaxies, the presence of molecular gas (which is known to provide the material reservoir for star formation in galaxies such as our Milky Way) remains unclear. Here we report the detection of carbon monoxide (CO), the primary tracer of molecular gas, in a galaxy with 7% solar metallicity, with additional detections in two galaxies at higher metallicities. Such detections offer direct evidence for the existence of molecular gas in these galaxies that contain few metals. Using archived infrared data, it is shown that the molecular gas mass per CO luminosity at extremely low metallicity is approximately one-thousand times the Milky Way value.

Carbon monoxide in an extremely metal-poor galaxy

PubMed Central

Shi, Yong; Wang, Junzhi; Zhang, Zhi-Yu; Gao, Yu; Hao, Cai-Na; Xia, Xiao-Yang; Gu, Qiusheng

2016-01-01

Extremely metal-poor galaxies with metallicity below 10% of the solar value in the local universe are the best analogues to investigating the interstellar medium at a quasi-primitive environment in the early universe. In spite of the ongoing formation of stars in these galaxies, the presence of molecular gas (which is known to provide the material reservoir for star formation in galaxies such as our Milky Way) remains unclear. Here we report the detection of carbon monoxide (CO), the primary tracer of molecular gas, in a galaxy with 7% solar metallicity, with additional detections in two galaxies at higher metallicities. Such detections offer direct evidence for the existence of molecular gas in these galaxies that contain few metals. Using archived infrared data, it is shown that the molecular gas mass per CO luminosity at extremely low metallicity is approximately one-thousand times the Milky Way value. PMID:27934880

An ultra-relativistic outflow from a neutron star accreting gas from a companion.

PubMed

Fender, Rob; Wu, Kinwah; Johnston, Helen; Tzioumis, Tasso; Jonker, Peter; Spencer, Ralph; Van Der Klis, Michiel

2004-01-15

Collimated relativistic outflows-also known as jets-are amongst the most energetic phenomena in the Universe. They are associated with supermassive black holes in distant active galactic nuclei, accreting stellar-mass black holes and neutron stars in binary systems and are believed to be responsible for gamma-ray bursts. The physics of these jets, however, remains something of a mystery in that their bulk velocities, compositions and energetics remain poorly determined. Here we report the discovery of an ultra-relativistic outflow from a neutron star accreting gas within a binary stellar system. The velocity of the outflow is comparable to the fastest-moving flows observed from active galactic nuclei, and its strength is modulated by the rate of accretion of material onto the neutron star. Shocks are energized further downstream in the flow, which are themselves moving at mildly relativistic bulk velocities and are the sites of the observed synchrotron emission from the jet. We conclude that the generation of highly relativistic outflows does not require properties that are unique to black holes, such as an event horizon.

TOPoS. IV. Chemical abundances from high-resolution observations of seven extremely metal-poor stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonifacio, P.; Caffau, E.; Spite, M.; Spite, F.; Sbordone, L.; Monaco, L.; François, P.; Plez, B.; Molaro, P.; Gallagher, A. J.; Cayrel, R.; Christlieb, N.; Klessen, R. S.; Koch, A.; Ludwig, H.-G.; Steffen, M.; Zaggia, S.; Abate, C.

2018-04-01

Context. Extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars provide us with indirect information on the first generations of massive stars. The TOPoS survey has been designed to increase the census of these stars and to provide a chemical inventory that is as detailed as possible. Aims: Seven of the most iron-poor stars have been observed with the UVES spectrograph at the ESO VLT Kueyen 8.2 m telescope to refine their chemical composition. Methods: We analysed the spectra based on 1D LTE model atmospheres, but also used 3D hydrodynamical simulations of stellar atmospheres. Results: We measured carbon in six of the seven stars: all are carbon-enhanced and belong to the low-carbon band, defined in the TOPoS II paper. We measured lithium (A(Li) = 1.9) in the most iron-poor star (SDSS J1035+0641, [Fe/H] <-5.2). We were also able to measure Li in three stars at [Fe/H] -4.0, two of which lie on the Spite plateau. We confirm that SDSS J1349+1407 is extremely rich in Mg, but not in Ca. It is also very rich in Na. Several of our stars are characterised by low α-to-iron ratios. Conclusions: The lack of high-carbon band stars at low metallicity can be understood in terms of evolutionary timescales of binary systems. The detection of Li in SDSS J1035+0641 places a strong constraint on theories that aim at solving the cosmological lithium problem. The Li abundance of the two warmer stars at [Fe/H] -4.0 places them on the Spite plateau, while the third, cooler star, lies below. We argue that this suggests that the temperature at which Li depletion begins increases with decreasing [Fe/H]. SDSS J1349+1407 may belong to a class of Mg-rich EMP stars. We cannot assess if there is a scatter in α-to-iron ratios among the EMP stars or if there are several discrete populations. However, the existence of stars with low α-to-iron ratios is supported by our observations. Based on observations obtained at ESO Paranal Observatory, Programmes 189.D-0165,090.D-0306, 093.D-0136, and 096.D-0468.

New developments in understanding the r-process from observations of metal-poor stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frebel, Anna

2015-04-01

In their atmospheres, old metal-poor Galactic stars retain detailed information about the chemical composition of the interstellar medium at the time of their birth. Extracting such stellar abundances enables us to reconstruct the beginning of the chemical evolution shortly after the Big Bang. About 5% of metal-poor stars with [Fe/H] < - 2 . 5 display in their spectrum a strong enhancement of neutron-capture elements associated with the rapid (r-) nucleosynthesis process that is responsible for the production of the heaviest elements in the Universe. This fortuity provides a unique opportunity of bringing together astrophysics and nuclear physics because these objects act as ``cosmic lab'' for both fields of study. The so-called r-process stars are thought to have formed from material enriched in heavy neutron-capture elements that were created during an r-process event in a previous generation supernova. It appears that the few stars known with this rare chemical signature all follow the scaled solar r-process pattern (for the heaviest elements with 56 <= Z <= 90 that is). This suggests that the r-process is universal - a surprising empirical finding and a solid result that can not be obtained from any laboratory on earth. While much research has been devoted to establishing this pattern, little attention has been given to the overall level of enhancement. New results will be presented on the full extent of r-process element enrichment as observed in metal-poor stars. The challenge lies in determining how the r-process material in the earliest gas clouds was mixed and diluted. Assuming individual r-process events to have contributed the observed r-process elements. We provide empirical estimates on the amount of r-process material produced. This should become a crucial constraint for theoretical nuclear physics models of heavy element nucleosynthesis.

r-process enhanched metal-poor stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cowan, John; Sneden, Christopher; Lawler, James E.; Den Hartog, Elizabeth A.

Abundance observations indicate the presence of rapid-neutron capture (i.e., r-process) elements in old Galactic halo and globular cluster stars. These observations provide insight into the nature of the earliest generations of stars in the Galaxy - the progenitors of the halo stars - responsible for neutron-capture synthesis of the heavy elements. The large star-to-star scatter observed in the abundances of neutron-capture element/iron ratios at low metallicities - which diminishes with in- creasing metallicity or [Fe/H] - suggests the formation of these heavy elements (presumably from certain types of supernovae) was rare in the early Galaxy. The stellar abundances also indicate a change from the r-process to the slow neutron capture (i.e., s-) process at higher metallicities in the Galaxy and provide insight into Galactic chemical evolution. Finally, the detection of thorium and uranium in halo and globular cluster stars offers an independent age-dating technique that can put lower limits on the age of the Galaxy, and hence the Universe.

Empirical Determination of Dark Matter Velocities Using Metal-Poor Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herzog-Arbeitman, Jonah; Lisanti, Mariangela; Madau, Piero; Necib, Lina

2018-01-01

The Milky Way dark matter halo is formed from the accretion of smaller subhalos. These sub-units also harbor stars—typically old and metal-poor—that are deposited in the Galactic inner regions by disruption events. In this Letter, we show that the dark matter and metal-poor stars in the Solar neighborhood share similar kinematics due to their common origin. Using the high-resolution eris simulation, which traces the evolution of both the dark matter and baryons in a realistic Milky Way analog galaxy, we demonstrate that metal-poor stars are indeed effective tracers for the local, virialized dark matter velocity distribution. The local dark matter velocities can therefore be inferred from observations of the stellar halo made by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey within 4 kpc of the Sun. This empirical distribution differs from the standard halo model in important ways and suggests that the bounds on the spin-independent scattering cross section may be weakened for dark matter masses below ˜10 GeV . Data from Gaia will allow us to further refine the expected distribution for the smooth dark matter component, and to test for the presence of local substructure.

THE EFFECT OF SECOND-GENERATION POPULATIONS ON THE INTEGRATED COLORS OF METAL-RICH GLOBULAR CLUSTERS IN EARLY-TYPE GALAXIES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chung, Chul; Lee, Sang-Yoon; Yoon, Suk-Jin

2013-05-20

The mean color of globular clusters (GCs) in early-type galaxies is in general bluer than the integrated color of halo field stars in host galaxies. Metal-rich GCs often appear more associated with field stars than metal-poor GCs, yet show bluer colors than their host galaxy light. Motivated by the discovery of multiple stellar populations in Milky Way GCs, we present a new scenario in which the presence of second-generation (SG) stars in GCs is responsible for the color discrepancy between metal-rich GCs and field stars. The model assumes that the SG populations have an enhanced helium abundance as evidenced bymore » observations, and it gives a good explanation of the bluer optical colors of metal-rich GCs than field stars as well as strong Balmer lines and blue UV colors of metal-rich GCs. Ours may be complementary to the recent scenario suggesting the difference in stellar mass functions (MFs) as an origin for the GC-to-star color offset. A quantitative comparison is given between the SG and MF models.« less

Detailed Abundances in a Metal-Poor Stellar Stream

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roederer, I. U.; Sneden, C.; Thompson, I. B.; Preston, G. W.; Shectman, S. A.

2010-10-01

We present the results of a detailed abundance analysis of one of the confirmed building blocks of the Milky Way stellar halo, a kinematically-coherent metal-poor stellar stream. We have obtained high resolution and high S/N spectra of 8 confirmed and 4 rejected stream members using the MIKE spectrograph on the Magellan-Clay Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory and the 2dCoude spectrograph on the Smith Telescope at McDonald Observatory. We have derived abundances or upper limits for nearly 50 species of more than 40 elements in each of these stars. The stream members show a range of metallicity (-2.5 < [Fe/H] < -1.5) but are otherwise chemically homogeneous, with the same star-to-star chemical dispersion in [X/Fe] as halo stars. They show no evolution in the α or Fe-group elements over the range of metallicity. The stream does not resemble a globular cluster in that its members show a range of metallicities, and the small chemical dispersion and lack of chemical evolution demonstrate that it is also unlike the classical Milky Way dwarf spheroidal galaxies. Our results support the notion that a significant fraction of the Milky Way stellar halo was formed from accreted systems, and these systems likely did not resemble the present-day globular clusters or luminous dwarf galaxies. This stream is mildly enriched (in, e.g., [Eu/Fe]) by material produced by the main and weak components of the rapid neutron-capture process and shows no evidence for enrichment by the slow neutron-capture process. Except for the observed metallicity range of the stream stars, the enrichment pattern of the stream is nearly identical to that of the massive metal-poor globular cluster M15. The kinematics of M15 and the stream are also similar. It is possible that both systems may have originated from a common progenitor but not likely that the stream originated from M15.

Investigation of a sample of carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars observed with FORS and GMOS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caffau, E.; Gallagher, A. J.; Bonifacio, P.; Spite, M.; Duffau, S.; Spite, F.; Monaco, L.; Sbordone, L.

2018-06-01

Aims: Carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars represent a sizeable fraction of all known metal-poor stars in the Galaxy. Their formation and composition remains a significant topic of investigation within the stellar astrophysics community. Methods: We analysed a sample of low-resolution spectra of 30 dwarf stars, obtained using the visual and near UV FOcal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrograph for the Very Large Telescope (FORS/VLT) of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrographs (GMOS) at the GEMINI telescope, to derive their metallicity and carbon abundance. Results: We derived C and Ca from all spectra, and Fe and Ba from the majority of the stars. Conclusions: We have extended the population statistics of CEMP stars and have confirmed that in general, stars with a high C abundance belonging to the high C band show a high Ba-content (CEMP-s or -r/s), while stars with a normal C abundance or that are C-rich, but belong to the low C band, are normal in Ba (CEMP-no). Based on observations made with ESO Telescopes at the La Silla Paranal Observatory under programme ID 099.D-0791.Based on observations obtained at the Gemini Observatory (processed using the Gemini IRAF package), which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the NSF on behalf of the Gemini partnership: the National Science Foundation (United States), the National Research Council (Canada), CONICYT (Chile), Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva (Argentina), and Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brazil).Tables 1 and 2 are also available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/614/A68

The CGM of Massive Galaxies: Where Cold Gas Goes to Die?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howk, Jay

2017-08-01

We propose to survey the cold HI content and metallicity of the circumgalactic medium (CGM) around 50 (45 new, 5 archival) z 0.5 Luminous Red Galaxies (LRGs) to directly test a fundamental prediction of galaxy assembly models: that cold, metal-poor accretion does not survive to the inner halos of very massive galaxies. Accretion and feedback through the CGM play key roles in our models of the star formation dichotomy in galaxies. Low mass galaxies are thought to accrete gas in cold streams, while high mass galaxies host hot, dense halos that heat incoming gas and prevent its cooling, thereby quenching star formation. HST/COS has provided evidence for cold, metal-poor streams in the halos of star-forming galaxies (consistent with cold accretion). Observations have also demonstrated the presence of cool gas in the halos of passive galaxies, a potential challenge to the cold/hot accretion model. Our proposed observations will target the most massive galaxies and address the origin of the cool CGM gas by measuring the metallicity. This experiment is enabled by our novel approach to deriving metallicities, allowing the use of much fainter QSOs. It cannot be done with archival data, as these rare systems are not often probed along random sight lines. The H I column density (and metallicity) measurements require access to the UV. The large size of our survey is crucial to robustly assess whether the CGM in these galaxies is unique from that of star-forming systems, a comparison that provides the most stringent test of cold-mode accretion/quenching models to date. Conversely, widespread detections of metal-poor gas in these halos will seriously challenge the prevailing theory.

Uncertainties in s-process nucleosynthesis in massive stars determined by Monte Carlo variations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishimura, N.; Hirschi, R.; Rauscher, T.; St. J. Murphy, A.; Cescutti, G.

2017-08-01

The s-process in massive stars produces the weak component of the s-process (nuclei up to A ˜ 90), in amounts that match solar abundances. For heavier isotopes, such as barium, production through neutron capture is significantly enhanced in very metal-poor stars with fast rotation. However, detailed theoretical predictions for the resulting final s-process abundances have important uncertainties caused both by the underlying uncertainties in the nuclear physics (principally neutron-capture reaction and β-decay rates) as well as by the stellar evolution modelling. In this work, we investigated the impact of nuclear-physics uncertainties relevant to the s-process in massive stars. Using a Monte Carlo based approach, we performed extensive nuclear reaction network calculations that include newly evaluated upper and lower limits for the individual temperature-dependent reaction rates. We found that most of the uncertainty in the final abundances is caused by uncertainties in the neutron-capture rates, while β-decay rate uncertainties affect only a few nuclei near s-process branchings. The s-process in rotating metal-poor stars shows quantitatively different uncertainties and key reactions, although the qualitative characteristics are similar. We confirmed that our results do not significantly change at different metallicities for fast rotating massive stars in the very low metallicity regime. We highlight which of the identified key reactions are realistic candidates for improved measurement by future experiments.

J0815+4729: A Chemically Primitive Dwarf Star in the Galactic Halo Observed with Gran Telescopio Canarias

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aguado, David S.; González Hernández, Jonay I.; Allende Prieto, Carlos; Rebolo, Rafael

2018-01-01

We report the discovery of the carbon-rich hyper metal-poor unevolved star J0815+4729. This dwarf star was selected from SDSS/BOSS as a metal-poor candidate and follow-up spectroscopic observations at medium resolution were obtained with the Intermediate dispersion Spectrograph and Imaging System (ISIS) at William Herschel Telescope and the Optical System for Imaging and low-intermediate-Resolution Integrated Spectroscopy (OSIRIS) at Gran Telescopio de Canarias. We use the FERRE code to derive the main stellar parameters, {T}{eff}=6215+/- 82 K, and {log}g=4.7+/- 0.5, an upper limit to the metallicity of [Fe/H] ≤ ‑5.8, and a carbon abundance of [C/Fe] ≥ +5.0, while [α /{Fe}]=0.4 is assumed. The metallicity upper limit is based on the Ca II K line, which at the resolving power of the OSIRIS spectrograph cannot be resolved from possible interstellar calcium. The star could be the most iron-poor unevolved star known and also be among the ones with the largest overabundances of carbon. High-resolution spectroscopy of J0815+4729 will certainly help to derive other important elemental abundances, possibly providing new fundamental constraints on the early stages of the universe, the formation of the first stars, and the properties of the first supernovae. Based on observations made with the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC), installed in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, on the island of La Palma. Program ID GTC90-15B and the Discretionary Director Time GTC03-16ADDT and also based on observations made with the William Herschel Telescope (WHT).

Integrated Light Chemical Abundance Analyses of 7 M31 Outer Halo Globular Clusters from the Pan-Andromeda Archaeological Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakari, Charli; Venn, Kim; Mackey, Dougal; Shetrone, Matthew D.; Dotter, Aaron L.; Wallerstein, George

2015-01-01

Detailed chemical abundances of globular clusters provide insight into the formation and evolution of galaxies and their globular cluster systems. This talk presents detailed chemical abundances for seven M31 outer halo globular clusters (with projected radii greater than 30 kpc), as derived from high resolution integrated light spectra. Five of these clusters were recently discovered in the Pan-Andromeda Archaeological Survey (PAndAS). The integrated abundances show that 4 of these clusters are metal-poor ([Fe/H] < -1.5) while the other 3 are more metal-rich. The most metal-poor globular clusters are α-enhanced, though 3 of the 4 are possibly less α-enhanced than MW stars (at the 1σ level). Other chemical abundance ratios ([Ba/Eu], [Eu/Ca], and [Ni/Fe]) are consistent with origins in low mass dwarf galaxies (similar to Fornax). The most metal-rich cluster ([Fe/H] ~ -1) stands out as being chemically distinct from Milky Way field stars of the same metallicity---its chemical abundance ratios agree best with the stars and clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal (Sgr) than with the Milky Way field stars. The other metal-rich clusters, H10 and H23, look similar to the LMC and Milky Way field stars in all abundance ratios. These results indicate that M31's outer halo is being at least partially built up by the accretion of dwarf satellites, in agreement with previous observations.

Stellar oxygen abundances. I - A resolution to the 7774 A O I abundance discrepancy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

King, Jeremy R.

1993-09-01

We investigate the discrepancy between O/Fe abundance ratios of metal-poor stars derived from the 7774 A O I triplet and O/Fe ratios determined from other oxygen lines. We propose a possible resolution to this discrepancy which also eliminates the correlation of O/Fe and T(eff) found in a recent 7774 A O I analysis. The equivalent widths of Abia & Rebolo (1989) are found to be systematically too high by 25 percent. Arguments are presented that current temperature estimates for halo stars are 150-200 K too low. Using the guidance of both model atmospheres and other empirical color-T(eff) relations, we construct new color temperature relations for metal-poor stars. These relations are tied to the temperature scale of Saxner & Hammarback (1985) for metal-rich stars. We use (b-y) and (V-K) indices to redetermine values of T(eff) for a handful of halo stars. (B-V)-T(eff) relations which do not take into account the effects of metallicity are found to be inadequate. Revised O/Fe ratios are determined using the new temperature scale. The mean abundance ratio of the reanalyzed halo dwarfs is about +0.52. There is no trend of O/Fe with Fe/H or T(eff).

Ultra-stripped supernovae: progenitors and fate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tauris, Thomas M.; Langer, Norbert; Podsiadlowski, Philipp

2015-08-01

The explosion of ultra-stripped stars in close binaries can lead to ejecta masses <0.1 M⊙ and may explain some of the recent discoveries of weak and fast optical transients. In Tauris et al., it was demonstrated that helium star companions to neutron stars (NSs) may experience mass transfer and evolve into naked ˜1.5 M⊙ metal cores, barely above the Chandrasekhar mass limit. Here, we elaborate on this work and present a systematic investigation of the progenitor evolution leading to ultra-stripped supernovae (SNe). In particular, we examine the binary parameter space leading to electron-capture (EC SNe) and iron core-collapse SNe (Fe CCSNe), respectively, and determine the amount of helium ejected with applications to their observational classification as Type Ib or Type Ic. We mainly evolve systems where the SN progenitors are helium star donors of initial mass MHe = 2.5-3.5 M⊙ in tight binaries with orbital periods of Porb = 0.06-2.0 d, and hosting an accreting NS, but we also discuss the evolution of wider systems and of both more massive and lighter - as well as single - helium stars. In some cases, we are able to follow the evolution until the onset of silicon burning, just a few days prior to the SN explosion. We find that ultra-stripped SNe are possible for both EC SNe and Fe CCSNe. EC SNe only occur for MHe = 2.60-2.95 M⊙ depending on Porb. The general outcome, however, is an Fe CCSN above this mass interval and an ONeMg or CO white dwarf for smaller masses. For the exploding stars, the amount of helium ejected is correlated with Porb - the tightest systems even having donors being stripped down to envelopes of less than 0.01 M⊙. We estimate the rise time of ultra-stripped SNe to be in the range 12 h-8 d, and light-curve decay times between 1 and 50 d. A number of fitting formulae for our models are provided with applications to population synthesis. Ultra-stripped SNe may produce NSs in the mass range 1.10-1.80 M⊙ and are highly relevant for LIGO/VIRGO since most (possibly all) merging double NS systems have evolved through this phase. Finally, we discuss the low-velocity kicks which might be imparted on these resulting NSs at birth.

Accurate effective temperatures of the metal-poor benchmark stars HD 140283, HD 122563, and HD 103095 from CHARA interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karovicova, I.; White, T. R.; Nordlander, T.; Lind, K.; Casagrande, L.; Ireland, M. J.; Huber, D.; Creevey, O.; Mourard, D.; Schaefer, G. H.; Gilmore, G.; Chiavassa, A.; Wittkowski, M.; Jofré, P.; Heiter, U.; Thévenin, F.; Asplund, M.

2018-03-01

Large stellar surveys of the Milky Way require validation with reference to a set of `benchmark' stars whose fundamental properties are well determined. For metal-poor benchmark stars, disagreement between spectroscopic and interferometric effective temperatures has called the reliability of the temperature scale into question. We present new interferometric measurements of three metal-poor benchmark stars, HD 140283, HD 122563, and HD 103095, from which we determine their effective temperatures. The angular sizes of all the stars were determined from observations with the PAVO beam combiner at visible wavelengths at the CHARA array, with additional observations of HD 103095 made with the VEGA instrument, also at the CHARA array. Together with photometrically derived bolometric fluxes, the angular diameters give a direct measurement of the effective temperature. For HD 140283, we find θLD = 0.324 ± 0.005 mas, Teff = 5787 ± 48 K; for HD 122563, θLD = 0.926 ± 0.011 mas, Teff = 4636 ± 37 K; and for HD 103095, θLD = 0.595 ± 0.007 mas, Teff = 5140 ± 49 K. Our temperatures for HD 140283 and HD 103095 are hotter than the previous interferometric measurements by 253 and 322 K, respectively. We find good agreement between our temperatures and recent spectroscopic and photometric estimates. We conclude some previous interferometric measurements have been affected by systematic uncertainties larger than their quoted errors.

The formation of ultra compact dwarf galaxies and massive globular clusters. Quasar-like objects to test for a variable stellar initial mass function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeřábková, T.; Kroupa, P.; Dabringhausen, J.; Hilker, M.; Bekki, K.

2017-12-01

The stellar initial mass function (IMF) has been described as being invariant, bottom-heavy, or top-heavy in extremely dense star-burst conditions. To provide usable observable diagnostics, we calculate redshift dependent spectral energy distributions of stellar populations in extreme star-burst clusters, which are likely to have been the precursors of present day massive globular clusters (GCs) and of ultra compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs). The retention fraction of stellar remnants is taken into account to assess the mass to light ratios of the ageing star-burst. Their redshift dependent photometric properties are calculated as predictions for James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations. While the present day GCs and UCDs are largely degenerate concerning bottom-heavy or top-heavy IMFs, a metallicity- and density-dependent top-heavy IMF implies the most massive UCDs, at ages < 100 Myr, to appear as objects with quasar-like luminosities with a 0.1-10% variability on a monthly timescale due to core collapse supernovae.

Constraints on the yields of the first supernovae in the Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cayrel, Roger

The study of the chemical composition of the most primitive stars of the galactic halo has been made possible with the help of large surveys aimed at finding such stars, and by powerful new instruments, as the Keck telescopes, the Subaru telescope, and the ESO Very Large Telescope. The atmospheres of these primitive stars possess, per hydrogen atom, from 1/1000th to 1/10000th less supernovae-made elements than the Sun, and reflect the yields of the first supernovae. It was once expected that these yields would show a larger scatter than those in the more metal-rich Population II stars, which have been enriched by many more supernovae explosions than the earlier generations. If we leave aside one class of objects, the Carbon-Enhanced Metal-Poor (CEMP) stars, which is the topic of another talk at this conference, a rather well-defined set of abundance ratios emerge for C to Zn amongst the most primitive population, with a scatter that is surprisingly small. The quality of the high-resolution spectroscopic data is such that the observed level of scatter in the measured elemental abundances for these species is no longer limited by accuracy of the observations, nor by other errors inherent to the analysis of the data. By way of contrast, amongst the neutron-capture elements produced by the r-process, at a given metallicity a spread reaching a factor of over 1000 exists for elements such as Ba. The stable portion of the r-process pattern observed in such stars is the second peak (Z = 56 to 72), in which the relative abundances of these elements in very metal-poor stars are almost indistinguishable from their inferred proportions in solar-system material. Recent observations have permitted the determination of the abundances of uranium, tho- rium, and lead produced by the r-process in extremely metal-poor stars, and indicate that lead is mainly produced by radioactive decay of the actinides (as opposed to other direct channels). In addition, the observed U/Th ratio has been shown to be the best available radioactive cosmic chronometer, on timescales of interest to cosmology.

Hubble space telescope near-ultraviolet spectroscopy of the bright cemp-no star BD+44°493

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Placco, Vinicius M.; Beers, Timothy C.; Smith, Verne V.

2014-07-20

We present an elemental-abundance analysis, in the near-ultraviolet (NUV) spectral range, for the extremely metal-poor star BD+44°493 a ninth magnitude subgiant with [Fe/H] =–3.8 and enhanced carbon, based on data acquired with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope. This star is the brightest example of a class of objects that, unlike the great majority of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars, does not exhibit over-abundances of heavy neutron-capture elements (CEMP-no). In this paper, we validate the abundance determinations for a number of species that were previously studied in the optical region, and obtain strong upper limits for berylliummore » and boron, as well as for neutron-capture elements from zirconium to platinum, many of which are not accessible from ground-based spectra. The boron upper limit we obtain for BD+44°493, log ε (B) <–0.70, the first such measurement for a CEMP star, is the lowest yet found for very and extremely metal-poor stars. In addition, we obtain even lower upper limits on the abundances of beryllium, log ε (Be) <–2.3, and lead, log ε (Pb) <–0.23 ([Pb/Fe] <+1.90), than those reported by previous analyses in the optical range. Taken together with the previously measured low abundance of lithium, the very low upper limits on Be and B suggest that BD+44°493 was formed at a very early time, and that it could well be a bona-fide second-generation star. Finally, the Pb upper limit strengthens the argument for non-s-process production of the heavy-element abundance patterns in CEMP-no stars.« less

A Differential Abundance Analysis of Very Metal-poor Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Malley, Erin M.; McWilliam, Andrew; Chaboyer, Brian; Thompson, Ian

2017-04-01

We have performed a differential line-by-line chemical abundance analysis, ultimately relative to the Sun, of nine very metal-poor main-sequence (MS) halo stars, near [Fe/H] = -2 dex. Our abundances range from -2.66≤slant [{Fe}/{{H}}]≤slant -1.40 dex with conservative uncertainties of 0.07 dex. We find an average [α/Fe] = 0.34 ± 0.09 dex, typical of the Milky Way. While our spectroscopic atmosphere parameters provide good agreement with Hubble Space Telescope parallaxes, there is significant disagreement with temperature and gravity parameters indicated by observed colors and theoretical isochrones. Although a systematic underestimate of the stellar temperature by a few hundred degrees could explain this difference, it is not supported by current effective temperature studies and would create large uncertainties in the abundance determinations. Both 1D and < 3{{D}}> hydrodynamical models combined with separate 1D non-LTE effects do not yet account for the atmospheres of real metal-poor MS stars, but a fully 3D non-LTE treatment may be able to explain the ionization imbalance found in this work.

Kinematics of Extremely Metal-poor Galaxies: Evidence for Stellar Feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olmo-García, A.; Sánchez Almeida, J.; Muñoz-Tuñón, C.; Filho, M. E.; Elmegreen, B. G.; Elmegreen, D. M.; Pérez-Montero, E.; Méndez-Abreu, J.

2017-01-01

The extremely metal-poor (XMP) galaxies analyzed in a previous paper have large star-forming regions with a metallicity lower than the rest of the galaxy. Such a chemical inhomogeneity reveals the external origin of the metal-poor gas fueling star formation, possibly indicating accretion from the cosmic web. This paper studies the kinematic properties of the ionized gas in these galaxies. Most XMPs have a rotation velocity around a few tens of km s-1. The star-forming regions appear to move coherently. The velocity is constant within each region, and the velocity dispersion sometimes increases within the star-forming clump toward the galaxy midpoint, suggesting inspiral motion toward the galaxy center. Other regions present a local maximum in velocity dispersion at their center, suggesting a moderate global expansion. The Hα line wings show a number of faint emission features with amplitudes around a few per cent of the main Hα component, and wavelength shifts between 100 and 400 km s-1. The components are often paired, so that red and blue emission features with similar amplitudes and shifts appear simultaneously. Assuming the faint emission to be produced by expanding shell-like structures, the inferred mass loading factor (mass loss rate divided by star formation rate) exceeds 10. Since the expansion velocity far exceeds the rotational and turbulent velocities, the gas may eventually escape from the galaxy disk. The observed motions involve energies consistent with the kinetic energy released by individual core-collapse supernovae. Alternative explanations for the faint emission have been considered and discarded.

KINEMATICS OF EXTREMELY METAL-POOR GALAXIES: EVIDENCE FOR STELLAR FEEDBACK

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Olmo-García, A.; Sánchez Almeida, J.; Muñoz-Tuñón, C.

2017-01-10

The extremely metal-poor (XMP) galaxies analyzed in a previous paper have large star-forming regions with a metallicity lower than the rest of the galaxy. Such a chemical inhomogeneity reveals the external origin of the metal-poor gas fueling star formation, possibly indicating accretion from the cosmic web. This paper studies the kinematic properties of the ionized gas in these galaxies. Most XMPs have a rotation velocity around a few tens of km s{sup −1}. The star-forming regions appear to move coherently. The velocity is constant within each region, and the velocity dispersion sometimes increases within the star-forming clump toward the galaxymore » midpoint, suggesting inspiral motion toward the galaxy center. Other regions present a local maximum in velocity dispersion at their center, suggesting a moderate global expansion. The H α line wings show a number of faint emission features with amplitudes around a few per cent of the main H α component, and wavelength shifts between 100 and 400 km s{sup −1}. The components are often paired, so that red and blue emission features with similar amplitudes and shifts appear simultaneously. Assuming the faint emission to be produced by expanding shell-like structures, the inferred mass loading factor (mass loss rate divided by star formation rate) exceeds 10. Since the expansion velocity far exceeds the rotational and turbulent velocities, the gas may eventually escape from the galaxy disk. The observed motions involve energies consistent with the kinetic energy released by individual core-collapse supernovae. Alternative explanations for the faint emission have been considered and discarded.« less

Signatures of bulge triaxiality from kinematics in Baade's window

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Hongsheng; Spergel, David N.; Rich, R. Michael

1994-12-01

We study a sample of 62 Baade's Window, (l,b) = (1, -4)deg, K giants that have published proper motions, radial velocity, and metallicity. Using R0 = 8 kpc, we construct the velocity ellipsoids, namely the 3x3 velocity dispersion tensors, for the metal rich stars ((Fe/H) greater than or equal to 0) and metal poor stars ((Fe/H) less than or equal to -0.2). After diagonalizing the tensor, we find a vertex deviation characteristic of a nonaxisymmetric system. Eigenvalues for the two velocity ellipsoids (sigma1, sigma2, sigma3) are (126, 89, 65) +/- 13 km/s for the metal rich sample and (154, 77, 83) +/- 25 km/s for the metal poor sample with their long axes pointing to two nearly perpendicular directions (lv, bv) = (-65 +/- 9 deg, +14 +/- 9 deg) and (lv, bv) = (25 +/- 14 deg, -11 +/- 14 deg), respectively. The vertex deviations of the velocity ellipsoids cannot be consistently explained by any oblate model. We are able to reject the hypothesis that the metal poor and metal rich populations are drawn from the same distribution at better than the 97% confidence level. We populate orbits in a realistic bar potential with a Gaussian velocity distribution, allowing us to simulate and interpret observations. We conclude that the data are consistent with a triaxial bulge pointing towards (l,b) with l less than 0 deg and b = 0 deg as suggested by earlier work on gas dynamics and the observed light distribution. We also predict that low latitude (absolute value of b less than or equal to 4 deg) bulge fields should show the vertex deviation more strongly and would therefore be the best locations for future proper motion studies. In the classification scheme of Athanassoula et al. (1983) the metal rich stars appear to occupy the B-family orbits which rotate in the prograde sense in the rest frame and have boxy shapes that are aligned with and supporting the bar. The metal poor stars in the sample lag behind the metal rich bulge and appear to occupy R-family orbits which rotate in the retrograde sense in the rest frame. They have nearly round loop shapes and are aligned perpendicularly to the bar, hence limit the triaxiality of the bar potential. The correlations between the metallicity and the orbit families can develop if the bulge forms dissipatively on a sufficiently long time scale. However, it is difficult to explain such correlations if most stars in the inner Galaxy form during the violent relaxation phase.

Formation environment of Pop II stars affected by the feedbacks from Pop III stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiaki, G.; Susa, H.; Hirano, S.

Stars with metallicities abH Fe < -3 are called extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars, and considered to be formed in clouds enriched with metal from a single or several supernovae (SNe) of the first-generation (Pop III) stars. To confirm this, we numerically follow the enrichment process of minihalos (MHs) which have hosted Pop III stars. During their main-sequence (MS), the ionizing photons can not or partly break the gas around the Pop III stars because the halo binding energy is marginally larger than the radiation energy. After SN explosions, the gas continues to accrete along filaments of the large-scale structures, and the gas collapses again in the MHs within ˜ 10 Myr for low-mass MHs (3E 5 M⊙) while ˜ 1 Myr for massive MHs (3E 6 M⊙). The metallicity in the recollapsing regions is 10-4-10-2 Z⊙ /SUB and 10-6-10-5 Z⊙, respectively. This indicates that EMP stars are formed in the clouds enriched by a single SN in low-mass MHs.

Massive stars in the Sagittarius Dwarf Irregular Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, Miriam

2018-02-01

Low metallicity massive stars hold the key to interpret numerous processes in the past Universe including re-ionization, starburst galaxies, high-redshift supernovae, and γ-ray bursts. The Sagittarius Dwarf Irregular Galaxy [SagDIG, 12+log(O/H) = 7.37] represents an important landmark in the quest for analogues accessible with 10-m class telescopes. This Letter presents low-resolution spectroscopy executed with the Gran Telescopio Canarias that confirms that SagDIG hosts massive stars. The observations unveiled three OBA-type stars and one red supergiant candidate. Pending confirmation from high-resolution follow-up studies, these could be the most metal-poor massive stars of the Local Group.

OB stars at the lowest Local Group metallicity. GTC-OSIRIS observations of Sextans A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camacho, I.; Garcia, M.; Herrero, A.; Simón-Díaz, S.

2016-01-01

Context. Massive stars play an important role in the chemical and dynamical evolution of the Universe. The first metal-poor stars may have started the reionization of the Universe. To understand these early epochs it is necessary to know the behavior and the physical properties of massive stars in very metal-poor environments. We focus on the massive stellar content of the metal-poor irregular galaxy Sextans A. Aims: Our aim is to find and classify OB stars in Sextans A, so as to later determine accurate stellar parameters of these blue massive stars in this low-metallicity region (Z ~ 0.1 Z⊙). Methods: Using UBV photometry, the reddening-free index Q and GALEX imaging, we built a list of blue massive star candidates in Sextans A. We obtained low-resolution (R ~ 1000) GTC-OSIRIS spectra for a fraction of them and carried out spectral classification. For the confirmed O-stars, we derived preliminary stellar parameters. Results: The target selection criteria and observations were successful and have produced the first spectroscopic atlas of OB-type stars in Sextans A. From the whole sample of 18 observed stars, 12 were classified as early OB-types, including 5 O-stars. The radial velocities of all target stars are in agreement with their Sextans A membership, although three of them show significant deviations. We determined the stellar parameters of the O-type stars using the stellar atmosphere code FASTWIND and revisited the sub-SMC temperature scale. Two of the O-stars are consistent with relatively strong winds and enhanced helium abundances, although results are not conclusive. We discuss the position of the OB stars in the HRD. Initial stellar masses run from slightly below 20 up to 40 solar masses. Conclusions: The target selection method worked well for Sextans A. The stellar temperatures are consistent with findings in other galaxies. Some of the targets deserve follow-up spectroscopy because of indications of a runaway nature, an enhanced helium abundance, or a relatively strong wind. We observe a correlation between HI and OB associations similar to the irregular galaxy IC 1613, confirming the previous result that the most recent star formation of Sextans A is currently ongoing near the rim of the H I cavity. Based on observations made with the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC), installed in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, on the island of La Palma. Programme ID GTC59-12A.The data are available through the GTC archive: http://https://gtc.sdc.cab.inta-csic.es/gtc/jsp/searchres.jsp

The Evolution of Pristine Gas: Implications for Milky Way Halo Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarmento, Richard J.; Scannapieco, Evan; Pan, Liubin

2016-06-01

We implement a new subgrid model for turbulent mixing to accurately follow the cosmological evolution of the first stars, the mixing of their supernova ejecta and the impact on the chemical composition of the Galactic Halo. Using the cosmological adaptive mesh refinement code RAMSES, we implement a model for the pollution of pristine gas as described in Pan et al. (2013). This allows us to account for the fraction of Z < Zcrit stars formed throughout the simulation volume, even in regions in which the average metallicity is well above Zcrit. Further, as a result of modeling the pristine fraction of gas, we also improve our modeling of the metallicity of the polluted fraction, fpol, of both the gas and stars.Additionally, we track the evolution of the “primordial metals” generated by Pop III supernovae. These metals are taken up by second-generation stars and are likely to lead to unique abundance signatures characteristic of carbon enhanced, metal poor (CEMP) stars. As an illustrative example, we associate primordial metals with abundance ratios used by Keller at al (2014) to explain the source of metals in the star SMSS J031300.36- 670839.3, finding good agreement with the observed [Fe/H], [C/H], [O/H] and [Mg/Ca] ratios in CEMP Milky Way (MW) halo stars.

An Enigmatic Population of Luminous Globular Clusters in a Galaxy Lacking Dark Matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Dokkum, Pieter; Cohen, Yotam; Danieli, Shany; Kruijssen, J. M. Diederik; Romanowsky, Aaron J.; Merritt, Allison; Abraham, Roberto; Brodie, Jean; Conroy, Charlie; Lokhorst, Deborah; Mowla, Lamiya; O’Sullivan, Ewan; Zhang, Jielai

2018-04-01

We recently found an ultra diffuse galaxy (UDG) with a half-light radius of R e = 2.2 kpc and little or no dark matter. The total mass of NGC1052–DF2 was measured from the radial velocities of bright compact objects that are associated with the galaxy. Here, we analyze these objects using a combination of Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging and Keck spectroscopy. Their average size is < {r}h> =6.2+/- 0.5 pc and their average ellipticity is < ε > =0.18+/- 0.02. From a stacked Keck spectrum we derive an age of ≳9 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = ‑1.35 ± 0.12. Their properties are similar to ω Centauri, the brightest and largest globular cluster in the Milky Way, and our results demonstrate that the luminosity function of metal-poor globular clusters is not universal. The fraction of the total stellar mass that is in the globular cluster system is similar to that in other UDGs, and consistent with “failed galaxy” scenarios, where star formation terminated shortly after the clusters were formed. However, the galaxy is a factor of ∼1000 removed from the relation between globular cluster mass and total galaxy mass that has been found for other galaxies, including other UDGs. We infer that a dark matter halo is not a prerequisite for the formation of metal-poor globular cluster-like objects in high-redshift galaxies.

The Spite Lithium Plateau: Ultrathin but Postprimordial

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryan, Sean G.; Norris, John E.; Beers, Timothy C.

1999-10-01

We have studied 23 very metal-poor field turnoff stars, specifically chosen to enable a precise measurement of the dispersion in the lithium abundance of the Spite Li plateau. We concentrated on stars having a narrow range of effective temperature and very low metallicities ([Fe/H]<~-2.5) to reduce the effects of systematic errors and have made particular efforts to minimize random errors. A typical statistical error for our abundances is 0.033 dex (1 σ), which represents a factor of 2 improvement on most previous studies. Our sample does not exhibit a trend with effective temperature, although the temperature range is limited. However, for -3.6<[Fe/H]<-2.3 we do recover a dependence on metallicity at dA(Li)/d[Fe/H]=0.118+/-0.023 (1 σ) dex per dex, almost the same level as discussed previously. Earlier claims for a lack of dependence of A(Li) on abundance are shown to have arisen probably from noisier estimates of effective temperatures and metallicities, which have erased the real trend. The dependence is concordant with theoretical predictions of Galactic chemical evolution (GCE) of Li (even in such metal-poor stars) and with the published level of 6Li in two of the stars of our sample, which we use to infer the GCE 7Li contribution. One of the 23 stars, G186-26, was known already to be strongly Li-depleted. Of the remaining 22 objects, 21 have abundances consistent with an observed spread about the metallicity trend of a mere 0.031 dex (1 σ). Because the formal errors are 0.033 dex, we conclude that the intrinsic spread is effectively zero at the very metal-poor halo turnoff. This is established at much higher precision than previous studies (~0.06-0.08 dex). The essentially zero intrinsic spread leads to the conclusion that either these stars have all changed their surface Li abundances very uniformly, or else they exhibit close to the primordial abundance sought for its cosmological significance. We cannot rule out a uniform depletion mechanism, but economy of hypothesis supports the latter interpretation. The lack of spread in the A(Li) abundances limits permissible depletion by rotationally induced mixing models to less than 0.1 dex. Correcting for the GCE contribution to both 6Li and 7Li, we infer a primordial abundance A(Li)p~=2.00 dex, with three systematic uncertainties of up to 0.1 dex each depending on uncertainties in the effective temperature scale, stellar atmosphere models, and correction for GCE. (This value rests on an effective-temperature zero-point set by Magain's and Bell & Oke's b-y calibrations of metal-poor stars and the model atmospheres without convective overshoot.) We predict that observations of Li in extremely low-metallicity stars, having [Fe/H]<-3, will yield smaller A(Li) values than the bulk of stars in this sample, consistent with a low primordial abundance. The difference between our field star observations and published M92 data suggests real field-to-cluster differences. This may indicate different angular momentum evolutionary histories, with interactions between protostellar disks in the dense globular cluster environments possibly being responsible. Further study of Li in globular clusters and in very metal-poor field samples is required to clarify the situation. Based on observations obtained with the University College London echelle spectrograph (UCLES) on the 3.9 m Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT), the Double Beam Spectrograph (DBS) on the Australian National University 2.3 m telescope, and the Utrecht echelle spectrograph (UES) on the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope (WHT).

Lithium-6: A probe of the early universe

PubMed

Jedamzik

2000-04-10

I consider the synthesis of 6Li due to the decay of relic particles, such as gravitinos or moduli, after the epoch of big bang nucleosynthesis. The synthesized 6Li/H ratio may be compared to 6Li/H in metal-poor stars which, in the absence of stellar depletion of 6Li, yields significantly stronger constraints on relic particle densities than the usual consideration of overproduction of 3He. Production of 6Li during such an era of nonthermal nucleosynthesis may also be regarded as a possible explanation for the relatively high 6Li/H ratios observed in metal-poor halo stars.

The SPLASH Survey: A Spectroscopic Analysis of the Metal-Poor, Low-Luminosity M31 dSph Satellite Andromeda X

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalirai, Jason S.; Zucker, Daniel B.; Guhathakurta, Puragra; Geha, Marla; Kniazev, Alexei Y.; Martínez-Delgado, David; Bell, Eric F.; Grebel, Eva K.; Gilbert, Karoline M.

2009-11-01

Andromeda X (And X) is a newly discovered low-luminosity M31 dwarf spheroidal galaxy (dSph) found by Zucker et al. in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS; York et al.). In this paper, we present the first spectroscopic study of individual red giant branch stars in And X, as a part of the Spectroscopic and Photometric Landscape of Andromeda's Stellar Halo (SPLASH) Survey. Using the Keck II telescope and multiobject DEIMOS spectrograph, we target two spectroscopic masks over the face of the galaxy and measure radial velocities for ~100 stars with a median accuracy of σ v ~ 3 km s-1. The velocity histogram for this field confirms three populations of stars along the sight line: foreground Milky Way dwarfs at small negative velocities, M31 halo red giants over a broad range of velocities, and a very cold velocity "spike" consisting of 22 stars belonging to And X with v rad = -163.8 ± 1.2 km s-1. By carefully considering both the random and systematic velocity errors of these stars (e.g., through duplicate star measurements), we derive an intrinsic velocity dispersion of just σ v = 3.9 ± 1.2 km s-1 for And X, which for its size, implies a minimum mass-to-light ratio of M/LV = 37+26 -19 assuming that the mass traces the light. Based on the clean sample of member stars, we measure the median metallicity of And X to be [Fe/H] = -1.93 ± 0.11, with a slight radial metallicity gradient. The dispersion in metallicity is large, σ([Fe/H]phot) = 0.48, possibly hinting that the galaxy retained much of its chemical enrichment products. And X has a total integrated luminosity (MV = -8.1 ± 0.5) that straddles the classical Local Group dSphs and the new SDSS ultra-low luminosity galaxies. The galaxy is among the most metal-poor dSphs known, especially relative to those with MV < -8, and has the second lowest intrinsic velocity dispersion of the entire sample. Our results suggest that And X is less massive by a factor of 4 when compared to Milky Way dSphs of comparable luminosity (e.g., Draco and Ursa Minor). We discuss the potential for better understanding the formation and evolution mechanisms for M31's system of dSphs through (current) kinematic and chemical abundance studies, especially in relation to the Milky Way sample. Data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation. Based on observations made with the Nordic Optical Telescope, operated on the island of La Palma jointly by Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias; these observations were funded by the Optical Infrared Coordination Network (OPTICON), a major international collaboration supported by the Research Infrastructures Programme of the European Commission's Sixth Framework Programme.

Constraints on baryonic dark matter in the Galactic halo and Local Group

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richstone, Douglas; Gould, Andrew; Guhathakurta, Puragra; Flynn, Chris

1992-01-01

A four-color method and deep CCD data are used to search for very faint metal-poor stars in the direction of the south Galactic pole. The results make it possible to limit the contribution of ordinary old, metal-poor stars to the dynamical halo of the Galaxy or to the Local Group. The ratio of the mass of the halo to its ordinary starlight must be more than about 2000, unless the halo is very small. For the Local Group, this ratio is greater than about 400. If this local dark matter is baryonic, the process of compact-object formation must produce very few 'impurities' in the form of stars similar to those found in globular clusters. The expected number of unbound stars with MV not greater than 6 within 100 pc of the sun is less than 1 based on the present 90-percent upper limit to the Local Group starlight.

Not All Stars Are the Sun: Empirical Calibration of the Mixing Length for Metal-poor Stars Using One-dimensional Stellar Evolution Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joyce, M.; Chaboyer, B.

2018-03-01

Theoretical stellar evolution models are constructed and tailored to the best known, observationally derived characteristics of metal-poor ([Fe/H] ∼ ‑2.3) stars representing a range of evolutionary phases: subgiant HD 140283, globular cluster M92, and four single, main sequence stars with well-determined parallaxes: HIP 46120, HIP 54639, HIP 106924, and WOLF 1137. It is found that the use of a solar-calibrated value of the mixing length parameter α MLT in models of these objects is ineffective at reproducing their observed properties. Empirically calibrated values of α MLT are presented for each object, accounting for uncertainties in the input physics employed in the models. It is advocated that the implementation of an adaptive mixing length is necessary in order for stellar evolution models to maintain fidelity in the era of high-precision observations.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Properties of OB associations in IC 1613 (Garcia+, 2010)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, M.; Herrero, A.; Castro, N.; Corral, L.; Rosenberg, A.

2014-06-01

To understand the structure and evolution of massive stars, systematic surveys of the Local Group galaxies have been undertaken, to find these objects in environments of different chemical abundances. We focus on the metal-poor irregular galaxy IC 1613 to analyze the stellar and wind structure of its low-metallicity massive stars. We ultimately aim to study the metallicity-dependent driving mechanism of the winds of blue massive stars and use metal-poor massive stars of the Local Volume as a proxy for the stars in the early Universe. In a previous paper we produced a list of OB associations in IC 1613. Their properties are not only a powerful aid towards finding the most interesting candidate massive stars, but also reveal the structure and recent star formation history of the galaxy. We characterize these OB associations and study their connection with the galactic global properties. The reddening-free Q parameter is a powerful tool in the photometric analysis of young populations of massive stars, since it exhibits a smaller degree of degeneracy with OB spectral types than the B-V color. The color-magnitude diagram (Q vs. V) of the OB associations in IC 1613 is studied to determine their age and mass, and confirm the population of young massive stars. We identified more than 10 stars with M>=50M⊙. Spectral classification available for some of them confirm their massive nature, yet we find the common discrepancy with the spectroscopically derived masses. There is a general increasing trend of the mass of the most massive member with the number of members of each association, but not with the stellar density. The average diameter of the associations of this catalog is 40pc, half the historically considered typical size of OB associations. Size increases with the association population. The distribution of the groups strongly correlates with that of neutral and ionized hydrogen. We find the largest dispersion of association ages in the bubble region of the galaxy where hydrogen is abundant, implying that recent star formation has proceeded over a longer period of time than in the rest of the galaxy, and is still ongoing. Very young associations are found at the west of the galaxy far from the bubble region, traditionally considered the sole locus of star formation, but still rich in neutral hydrogen. The contrast in the stellar properties derived from photometry and spectroscopy (when the latter is available) shows that the Q pseudo-color is very useful for estimating the parameters of OB stars when only photometric observations exist. This work helped define an extensive pool of candidate OB stars for subsequent spectroscopic analyses designed to study the structure and winds of metal-poor massive stars. (2 data files).

The sdA problem - I. Physical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pelisoli, Ingrid; Kepler, S. O.; Koester, D.

2018-04-01

The so-called sdA stars are defined by having H-rich spectra and surface gravities similar to hot subdwarf stars, but effective temperature below the zero-age horizontal branch. Their evolutionary history is an enigma: their surface gravity is too high for main-sequence stars, but too low for single evolution white dwarfs. They are most likely byproducts of binary evolution, including blue-stragglers, extremely-low mass white dwarf stars (ELMs) and their precursors (pre-ELMs). A small number of ELMs with similar properties to sdAs is known. Other possibilities include metal-poor A/F dwarfs, second generation stars, or even stars accreted from dwarf galaxies. In this work, we analyse colours, proper motions, and spacial velocities of a sample of sdAs from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to assess their nature and evolutionary origin. We define a probability of belonging to the main sequence and a probability of being a (pre-)ELM based on these properties. We find that 7 per cent of the sdAs are more likely to be (pre-)ELMs than main-sequence stars. However, the spacial velocity distribution suggests that over 35 per cent of them cannot be explained as single metal-poor A/F stars.

Chemical Analysis of a Carbon-enhanced Very Metal-poor Star: CD-27 14351

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karinkuzhi, Drisya; Goswami, Aruna; Masseron, Thomas

2017-01-01

We present, for the first time, an abundance analysis of a very metal-poor carbon-enhanced star CD-27 14351 based on a high-resolution (R ˜ 48,000) FEROS spectrum. Our abundance analysis performed using local thermodynamic equilibrium model atmospheres shows that the object is a cool star with stellar atmospheric parameters, effective temperature Teff = 4335 K, surface gravity log g = 0.5, microturbulence ξ = 2.42 km s-1, and metallicity [Fe/H] = -2.6. The star exhibits high carbon and nitrogen abundances with [C/Fe] = 2.89 and [N/Fe] = 1.89. Overabundances of neutron-capture elements are evident in Ba, La, Ce, and Nd, with estimated [X/Fe] > 1, the largest enhancement being seen in Ce with [Ce/Fe] = 2.63. While the first peak s-process elements Sr and Y are found to be enhanced with respect to Fe, ([Sr/Fe] = 1.73 and [Y/Fe] = 1.91), the third peak s-process element Pb could not be detected in our spectrum at the given resolution. Europium, primarily an r-process element also shows an enhancement with [Eu/Fe] = 1.65. With [Ba/Eu] = 0.12, the object CD-27 14351 satisfies the classification criterion for a CEMP-r/s star. The elemental abundance distributions observed in this star are discussed in light of the chemical abundances observed in other CEMP stars in the literature.

Abundances in the Uranium-rich Star CS 31082-001

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Y.-Z.; Wasserburg, G. J.

2001-05-01

The recent discovery by Cayrel et al. of U in CS 31082-001 along with Os and Ir at greatly enhanced abundances but with [Fe/H]=-2.9 strongly reinforces the argument that there are at least two kinds of Type II supernova (SN II) sources for r-nuclei. One source is the high-frequency H events responsible for heavy r-nuclei (A>135) but not Fe. The H-yields calculated from data on other ultra-metal-poor stars and the Sun provide a template for quantitatively predicting the abundances of all other r-elements. In CS 31082-001 these should show a significant deficiency at A<135 relative to the solar r-pattern. It is proposed that CS 31082-001 should have had a companion that exploded as an SN II H event. If the binary survived the explosion, this star should now have a compact companion, most likely a stellar-mass black hole. Comparison of abundance data with predicted values and a search for a compact companion should provide a stringent test of the proposed r-process model. The U-Th age determined by Cayrel et al. for CS 31082-001 is, to within substantial uncertainties, in accord with the r-process age determined from solar system data. The time gap between the big bang and the onset of normal star formation allows r-process chronometers to provide only a lower limit on the age of the universe.

DETECTION OF THE SECOND r-PROCESS PEAK ELEMENT TELLURIUM IN METAL-POOR STARS ,

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roederer, Ian U.; Lawler, James E.; Cowan, John J.

2012-03-15

Using near-ultraviolet spectra obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope, we detect neutral tellurium in three metal-poor stars enriched by products of r-process nucleosynthesis, BD +17 3248, HD 108317, and HD 128279. Tellurium (Te, Z = 52) is found at the second r-process peak (A Almost-Equal-To 130) associated with the N = 82 neutron shell closure, and it has not been detected previously in Galactic halo stars. The derived tellurium abundances match the scaled solar system r-process distribution within the uncertainties, confirming the predicted second peak r-process residuals. These results suggest that tellurium ismore » predominantly produced in the main component of the r-process, along with the rare earth elements.« less

Searching for intermediate-mass black holes in extremely-metal poor galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mezcua, Mar

2016-09-01

Extremely metal-poor dwarf galaxies (XMPs) are star-forming, low-mass galaxies with metallicites highly sub-solar. Their regions of star formation could be triggered by the accretion of pristine gas from the cosmic web and harbour Population III stars. XMPs are thus ideal laboratories for searching for the seed black holes or intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) that populated the early Universe. The combination of X-ray, radio and optical observations offer the best tool for detecting such IMBHs in the local Universe. We propose Chandra observations of a sample of XMPs whose optical spectra indicate the possible presence of an active black hole of 1e4 - 1e6 Msun. The Chandra data could confirm this and yield the first detection of an IMBH in these type of galaxies.

Retainment of r-process material in dwarf galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beniamini, Paz; Dvorkin, Irina; Silk, Joe

2018-04-01

The synthesis of r-process elements is known to involve extremely energetic explosions. At the same time, recent observations find significant r-process enrichment even in extremely small ultra-faint dwarf (UFD) galaxies. This raises the question of retainment of those elements within their hosts. We estimate the retainment fraction and find that it is large ˜0.9, unless the r-process event is very energetic (≳ 1052erg) and / or the host has lost a large fraction of its gas prior to the event. We estimate the r-process mass per event and rate as implied by abundances in UFDs, taking into account imperfect retainment and different models of UFD evolution. The results are consistent with previous estimates (Beniamini et al. 2016b) and with the constraints from the recently detected macronova accompanying a neutron star merger (GW170817). We also estimate the distribution of abundances predicted by these models. We find that ˜0.07 of UFDs should have r-process enrichment. The results are consistent with both the mean values and the fluctuations of [Eu/Fe] in galactic metal poor stars, supporting the possibility that UFDs are the main 'building blocks' of the galactic halo population.

Leo P: A very low-mass, extremely metal-poor, star-forming galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McQuinn, Kristen B.; Leo P Team

2017-01-01

Leo P is a low-luminosity dwarf galaxy just outside the Local Group with properties that make it an ideal probe of galaxy evolution at the faint-end of the luminosity function. Using combined data from 2 Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observing campaigns, the Very Large Array, the Spitzer Space telescope, as well as ground based data, we have constructed a robust evolutionary picture of Leo P. Leo P is one the most metal-poor, gas-rich galaxies ever discovered, has a stellar mass of a 5x105 Msun, comparable gas mass, and a single HII region. The star formation history reconstructed from the resolved stellar populations in Leo P shows it is unquenched, despite its very low mass. Based on the star formation history and metallicity measurements, the galaxy has lost 95% of its oxygen produced via nucleosynthesis, presumably to outflows. The neutral gas in the galaxy shows signs of rotation, although the velocity dispersion is comparable to the rotation velocity. Thus, Leo P bridges the gap between more massive dwarf irregular and less massive dwarf spheroidals on the baryonic Tully-Fisher relation. Furthermore, the galaxy hosts several, extremely dusty AGB candidates which will be probed with new HST and Spitzer observations. If confirmed as AGB stars, these may be our best local proxies for studying chemically unevolved star formation and subsequent dust production in metallicity environments comparable to the early universe.

Metallicities of Galaxies in the Local Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirschauer, Alec Seth

2018-01-01

The degree of heavy-element enrichment for star-forming galaxies in the universe is a fundamental astrophysical characteristic which traces the amount of stellar nucleosynthesis undertaken by the constituent population of stars. Estimating this quantity via the so-called "direct-method" is observationally challenging and requires measurement of intrinsically weak temperature-sensitive nebular emission lines, however these are typically not found for galaxies unless their emission lines are exceptionally bright. Metal abundances ("metallicities") must then therefore be estimated by empirical means utilizing ratios of strong emission lines, calibrated to sources of known abundance and/or theoretical models, which are measurable in essentially any nebular spectrum of a star-forming system. Relationships concerning metallicities in galaxies such as the luminosity-metallicity and mass-metallicity are critically dependent upon reliable estimations of abundances. Therefore, having a reliable observational constraint is paramount to developing models which accurately reflect the universe. This dissertation presentation explores metallicities for galaxies in the local universe through a variety of means. First, an attempt is made to improve calibrations of empirical relationships for estimating abundances for star-forming galaxies at high-metallicities, finding some intrinsic shortcomings but also revealing some interesting new findings regarding the computation of the electron gas of star-forming systems, as well as detecting some anomalously under-abundant, overly-luminous galaxies. Second, the development of a self-consistent scale for estimating metallicities allows for the creation of luminosity-metallicity and mass-metallicity relations for a statistically representative sample of star-forming galaxies in the local universe. Finally, a discovery is made of an extremely metal-poor star-forming galaxy, which opens the possibility to find more similar systems and to better understand star-formation in exceptionally low-abundance environments.

Pulsating star products from the Palomar Transient Factory: Ultra-long period Cepheids in M31 and RR Lyrae in Kepler field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ngeow, Chow-Choong

2017-09-01

The Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) and its successor, the intermediate PTF (iPTF), are wide-field synoptic sky surveys aimed to detect transients. Even though the main science goal for PTF/iPTF is to detect various types of transients, the synoptic nature of the surveys can also be used for the study of variable stars. In this proceedings contribution, I will first give a brief introduction to PTF/iPTF, followed by the two pulsating stars studies using the PTF/iPTF data: the Ultra-Long Period Cepheids (ULPC) in M31 and the RR Lyrae in the Kepler field. For the formal study, we searched the M31's ULPC using PTF imaging data, and follow up the candidates with other telescopes. Our finding revealed that there are only two ULPC in M31. I will give a brief implication of our finding in distance scale studies. For the latter study, I will present our work on the derivation of metallicity-light curve relation in native PTF/iPTF R-band using the RRab stars in the Kepler field.

Tracing the Metal-poor M31 Stellar Halo with Blue Horizontal Branch Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Benjamin F.; Dalcanton, Julianne J.; Bell, Eric F.; Gilbert, Karoline M.; Guhathakurta, Puragra; Dorman, Claire; Lauer, Tod R.; Seth, Anil C.; Kalirai, Jason S.; Rosenfield, Philip; Girardi, Leo

2015-03-01

We have analyzed new Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/Advanced Camera for Surveys and HST/WFC3 imaging in F475W and F814W of two previously unobserved fields along the M31 minor axis to confirm our previous constraints on the shape of M31's inner stellar halo. Both of these new data sets reach a depth of at least F814W <27 and clearly detect the blue horizontal branch (BHB) of the field as a distinct feature of the color-magnitude diagram. We measure the density of BHB stars and the ratio of BHB to red giant branch (RGB) stars in each field using techniques identical to our previous work. We find excellent agreement with our previous measurement of a power law for the 2D projected surface density with an index of 2.6-0.2+0.3 outside of 3 kpc, which flattens to α < 1.2 inside of 3 kpc. Our findings confirm our previous suggestion that the field BHB stars in M31 are part of the halo population. However, the total halo profile is now known to differ from this BHB profile, which suggests that we have isolated the metal-poor component. This component appears to have an unbroken power-law profile from 3-150 kpc but accounts for only about half of the total halo stellar mass. Discrepancies between the BHB density profile and other measurements of the inner halo are therefore likely due to the different profile of the metal-rich halo component, which is not only steeper than the profile of the metal-poor component, but also has a larger core radius. These profile differences also help to explain the large ratio of BHB/RGB stars in our observations.

Baseline metal enrichment from Population III star formation in cosmological volume simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaacks, Jason; Thompson, Robert; Finkelstein, Steven L.; Bromm, Volker

2018-04-01

We utilize the hydrodynamic and N-body code GIZMO coupled with our newly developed sub-grid Population III (Pop III) Legacy model, designed specifically for cosmological volume simulations, to study the baseline metal enrichment from Pop III star formation at z > 7. In this idealized numerical experiment, we only consider Pop III star formation. We find that our model Pop III star formation rate density (SFRD), which peaks at ˜ 10- 3 M⊙ yr- 1 Mpc- 1 near z ˜ 10, agrees well with previous numerical studies and is consistent with the observed estimates for Pop II SFRDs. The mean Pop III metallicity rises smoothly from z = 25 to 7, but does not reach the critical metallicity value, Zcrit = 10-4 Z⊙, required for the Pop III to Pop II transition in star formation mode until z ≃ 7. This suggests that, while individual haloes can suppress in situ Pop III star formation, the external enrichment is insufficient to globally terminate Pop III star formation. The maximum enrichment from Pop III star formation in star-forming dark matter haloes is Z ˜ 10-2 Z⊙, whereas the minimum found in externally enriched haloes is Z ≳ 10-7 Z⊙. Finally, mock observations of our simulated IGM enriched with Pop III metals produce equivalent widths similar to observations of an extremely metal-poor damped Lyman alpha system at z = 7.04, which is thought to be enriched by Pop III star formation only.

Abundances of carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars as constraints on their formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, C. J.; Nordström, B.; Hansen, T. T.; Kennedy, C. R.; Placco, V. M.; Beers, T. C.; Andersen, J.; Cescutti, G.; Chiappini, C.

2016-04-01

Context. An increasing fraction of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars is found as their iron abundance, [Fe/H], decreases below [Fe/H] =-2.0. The CEMP-s stars have the highest absolute carbon abundances, [C/H], and are thought to owe their enrichment in carbon and the slow neutron-capture (s-process) elements to mass transfer from a former asymptotic giant branch (AGB) binary companion. The most Fe-poor CEMP stars are normally single, exhibit somewhat lower [C/H] than CEMP-s stars, but show no s-process element enhancement (CEMP-no stars). Abundance determinations of CNO offer clues to their formation sites. Aims: Our aim is to use the medium-resolution spectrograph X-Shooter/VLT to determine stellar parameters and abundances for C, N, Sr, and Ba in several classes of CEMP stars in order to further classify and constrain the astrophysical formation sites of these stars. Methods: Atmospheric parameters for our programme stars were estimated from a combination of V-K photometry, model isochrone fits, and estimates from a modified version of the SDSS/SEGUE spectroscopic pipeline. We then used X-Shooter spectra in conjunction with the 1D local thermodynamic equilibrium spectrum synthesis code MOOG, 1D ATLAS9 atmosphere models to derive stellar abundances, and, where possible, isotopic 12C/13C ratios. Results: Abundances (or limits) of C, N, Sr, and Ba are derived for a sample of 27 faint metal-poor stars for which the X-Shooter spectra have sufficient signal-to-noise ratios (S/N). These moderate resolution, low S/N (~10-40) spectra prove sufficient to perform limited chemical tagging and enable assignment of these stars into the CEMP subclasses (CEMP-s and CEMP-no). According to the derived abundances, 17 of our sample stars are CEMP-s and 3 are CEMP-no, while the remaining 7 are carbon-normal. For four CEMP stars, the subclassification remains uncertain, and two of them may be pulsating AGB stars. Conclusions: The derived stellar abundances trace the formation processes and sites of our sample stars. The [C/N] abundance ratio is useful for identifying stars with chemical compositions unaffected by internal mixing, and the [Sr/Ba] abundance ratio allows us to distinguish between CEMP-s stars with AGB progenitors and the CEMP-no stars. Suggested formation sites for the latter include faint supernovae with mixing and fallback and/or primordial, rapidly-rotating, massive stars (spinstars). X-Shooter spectra have thus proved to be valuable tools in the continued search for their origin. Based on observations obtained at ESO Paranal Observatory, programmes 084.D-0117(A) and 085.D-0041(A).

Exploring the SDSS Data Set with Linked Scatter Plots. I. EMP, CEMP, and CV Stars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carbon, Duane F.; Henze, Christopher; Nelson, Bron C., E-mail: Duane.F.Carbon@nasa.gov

We present the results of a search for extremely metal-poor (EMP), carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP), and cataclysmic variable (CV) stars using a new exploration tool based on linked scatter plots (LSPs). Our approach is especially designed to work with very large spectrum data sets such as the SDSS, LAMOST, RAVE, and Gaia data sets, and it can be applied to stellar, galaxy, and quasar spectra. As a demonstration, we conduct our search using the SDSS DR10 data set. We first created a 3326-dimensional phase space containing nearly 2 billion measures of the strengths of over 1600 spectral features in 569,738 SDSSmore » stars. These measures capture essentially all the stellar atomic and molecular species visible at the resolution of SDSS spectra. We show how LSPs can be used to quickly isolate and examine interesting portions of this phase space. To illustrate, we use LSPs coupled with cuts in selected portions of phase space to extract EMP stars, CEMP stars, and CV stars. We present identifications for 59 previously unrecognized candidate EMP stars and 11 previously unrecognized candidate CEMP stars. We also call attention to 2 candidate He ii emission CV stars found by the LSP approach that have not yet been discussed in the literature.« less

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Exploring the SDSS data set. I. EMP & CV stars (Carbon+, 2017)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carbon, D. F.; Henze, C.; Nelson, B. C.

2017-08-01

We present the results of a search for extremely metal-poor (EMP), carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP), and cataclysmic variable (CV) stars using a new exploration tool based on linked scatter plots (LSPs). Our approach is especially designed to work with very large spectrum data sets such as the SDSS, LAMOST, RAVE, and Gaia data sets, and it can be applied to stellar, galaxy, and quasar spectra. As a demonstration, we conduct our search using the SDSS DR10 data set. We first created a 3326-dimensional phase space containing nearly 2 billion measures of the strengths of over 1600 spectral features in 569738 SDSS stars. These measures capture essentially all the stellar atomic and molecular species visible at the resolution of SDSS spectra. We show how LSPs can be used to quickly isolate and examine interesting portions of this phase space. To illustrate, we use LSPs coupled with cuts in selected portions of phase space to extract EMP stars, CEMP stars, and CV stars. We present identifications for 59 previously unrecognized candidate EMP stars and 11 previously unrecognized candidate CEMP stars. We also call attention to 2 candidate He II emission CV stars found by the LSP approach that have not yet been discussed in the literature. (3 data files).

Exploring the SDSS Data Set with Linked Scatter Plots. I. EMP, CEMP, and CV Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carbon, Duane F.; Henze, Christopher; Nelson, Bron C.

2017-02-01

We present the results of a search for extremely metal-poor (EMP), carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP), and cataclysmic variable (CV) stars using a new exploration tool based on linked scatter plots (LSPs). Our approach is especially designed to work with very large spectrum data sets such as the SDSS, LAMOST, RAVE, and Gaia data sets, and it can be applied to stellar, galaxy, and quasar spectra. As a demonstration, we conduct our search using the SDSS DR10 data set. We first created a 3326-dimensional phase space containing nearly 2 billion measures of the strengths of over 1600 spectral features in 569,738 SDSS stars. These measures capture essentially all the stellar atomic and molecular species visible at the resolution of SDSS spectra. We show how LSPs can be used to quickly isolate and examine interesting portions of this phase space. To illustrate, we use LSPs coupled with cuts in selected portions of phase space to extract EMP stars, CEMP stars, and CV stars. We present identifications for 59 previously unrecognized candidate EMP stars and 11 previously unrecognized candidate CEMP stars. We also call attention to 2 candidate He II emission CV stars found by the LSP approach that have not yet been discussed in the literature.

Galactic evolution of oxygen. OH lines in 3D hydrodynamical model atmospheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González Hernández, J. I.; Bonifacio, P.; Ludwig, H.-G.; Caffau, E.; Behara, N. T.; Freytag, B.

2010-09-01

Context. Oxygen is the third most common element in the Universe. The measurement of oxygen lines in metal-poor unevolved stars, in particular near-UV OH lines, can provide invaluable information about the properties of the Early Galaxy. Aims: Near-UV OH lines constitute an important tool to derive oxygen abundances in metal-poor dwarf stars. Therefore, it is important to correctly model the line formation of OH lines, especially in metal-poor stars, where 3D hydrodynamical models commonly predict cooler temperatures than plane-parallel hydrostatic models in the upper photosphere. Methods: We have made use of a grid of 52 3D hydrodynamical model atmospheres for dwarf stars computed with the code CO5BOLD, extracted from the more extended CIFIST grid. The 52 models cover the effective temperature range 5000-6500 K, the surface gravity range 3.5-4.5 and the metallicity range -3 < [Fe/H] < 0. Results: We determine 3D-LTE abundance corrections in all 52 3D models for several OH lines and ion{Fe}{i} lines of different excitation potentials. These 3D-LTE corrections are generally negative and reach values of roughly -1 dex (for the OH 3167 with excitation potential of approximately 1 eV) for the higher temperatures and surface gravities. Conclusions: We apply these 3D-LTE corrections to the individual O abundances derived from OH lines of a sample the metal-poor dwarf stars reported in Israelian et al. (1998, ApJ, 507, 805), Israelian et al. (2001, ApJ, 551, 833) and Boesgaard et al. (1999, AJ, 117, 492) by interpolating the stellar parameters of the dwarfs in the grid of 3D-LTE corrections. The new 3D-LTE [O/Fe] ratio still keeps a similar trend as the 1D-LTE, i.e., increasing towards lower [Fe/H] values. We applied 1D-NLTE corrections to 3D ion{Fe}{i} abundances and still see an increasing [O/Fe] ratio towards lower metallicites. However, the Galactic [O/Fe] ratio must be revisited once 3D-NLTE corrections become available for OH and Fe lines for a grid of 3D hydrodynamical model atmospheres.

The NIR Ca ii triplet at low metallicity. Searching for extremely low-metallicity stars in classical dwarf galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Starkenburg, E.; Hill, V.; Tolstoy, E.; González Hernández, J. I.; Irwin, M.; Helmi, A.; Battaglia, G.; Jablonka, P.; Tafelmeyer, M.; Shetrone, M.; Venn, K.; de Boer, T.

2010-04-01

The NIR Ca ii triplet absorption lines have proven to be an important tool for quantitative spectroscopy of individual red giant branch stars in the Local Group, providing a better understanding of metallicities of stars in the Milky Way and dwarf galaxies and thereby an opportunity to constrain their chemical evolution processes. An interesting puzzle in this field is the significant lack of extremely metal-poor stars, below [Fe/H] = -3, found in classical dwarf galaxies around the Milky Way using this technique. The question arises whether these stars are really absent, or if the empirical Ca ii triplet method used to study these systems is biased in the low-metallicity regime. Here we present results of synthetic spectral analysis of the Ca ii triplet, that is focused on a better understanding of spectroscopic measurements of low-metallicity giant stars. Our results start to deviate strongly from the widely-used and linear empirical calibrations at [Fe/H] < -2. We provide a new calibration for Ca ii triplet studies which is valid for -0.5 ≥ [Fe/H] ≥ -4. We subsequently apply this new calibration to current data sets and suggest that the classical dwarf galaxies are not so devoid of extremely low-metallicity stars as was previously thought. Using observations collected at the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, Chile proposal 171.B-0588.

Europium s-process Signature at Close-to-solar Metallicity in Stardust SiC Grains from Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ávila, Janaína N.; Ireland, Trevor R.; Lugaro, Maria; Gyngard, Frank; Zinner, Ernst; Cristallo, Sergio; Holden, Peter; Rauscher, Thomas

2013-05-01

Individual mainstream stardust silicon carbide (SiC) grains and a SiC-enriched bulk sample from the Murchison carbonaceous meteorite have been analyzed by the Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe-Reverse Geometry for Eu isotopes. The mainstream grains are believed to have condensed in the outflows of ~1.5-3 M ⊙ carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars with close-to-solar metallicity. The 151Eu fractions [fr(151Eu) = 151Eu/(151Eu+153Eu)] derived from our measurements are compared with previous astronomical observations of carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars enriched in elements made by slow neutron captures (the s-process). Despite the difference in metallicity between the parent stars of the grains and the metal-poor stars, the fr(151Eu) values derived from our measurements agree well with fr(151Eu) values derived from astronomical observations. We have also compared the SiC data with theoretical predictions of the evolution of Eu isotopic ratios in the envelope of AGB stars. Because of the low Eu abundances in the SiC grains, the fr(151Eu) values derived from our measurements show large uncertainties, in most cases being larger than the difference between solar and predicted fr(151Eu) values. The SiC aggregate yields a fr(151Eu) value within the range observed in the single grains and provides a more precise result (fr(151Eu) = 0.54 ± 0.03, 95% conf.), but is approximately 12% higher than current s-process predictions. The AGB models can match the SiC data if we use an improved formalism to evaluate the contribution of excited nuclear states in the calculation of the 151Sm(n, γ) stellar reaction rate.

Uncovering multiple Wolf-Rayet star clusters and the ionized ISM in Mrk 178: the closest metal-poor Wolf-Rayet H II galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kehrig, C.; Pérez-Montero, E.; Vílchez, J. M.; Brinchmann, J.; Kunth, D.; García-Benito, R.; Crowther, P. A.; Hernández-Fernández, J.; Durret, F.; Contini, T.; Fernández-Martín, A.; James, B. L.

2013-07-01

New integral field spectroscopy (IFS) has been obtained for the nearby metal-poor Wolf-Rayet (WR) galaxy Mrk 178 to examine the spatial correlation between its WR stars and the neighbouring ionized interstellar medium (ISM). The strength of the broad WR features and its low metallicity make Mrk 178 an intriguing object. We have detected the blue and red WR bumps in different locations across the field of view (˜300 pc × 230 pc) in Mrk 178. The study of the WR content has been extended, for the first time, beyond its brightest star-forming knot uncovering new WR star clusters. Using Large/Small Magellanic Cloud-template WR stars, we empirically estimate a minimum of ˜20 WR stars within the region sampled. Maps of the spatial distribution of the emission lines and of the physical-chemical properties of the ionized ISM have been created and analysed. Here, we refine the statistical methodology by Pérez-Montero et al. (2011) to probe the presence of variations in the ISM properties. An error-weighted mean of 12+log(O/H) = 7.72 ± 0.01 is taken as the representative oxygen abundance for Mrk 178. A localized N and He enrichment, spatially correlated with WR stars, is suggested by this analysis. Nebular He II λ4686 emission is shown to be spatially extended reaching well beyond the location of the WR stars. This spatial offset between WRs and He II emission can be explained based on the mechanical energy input into the ISM by the WR star winds, and does not rule out WR stars as the He II ionization source. We study systematic aperture effects on the detection and measurement of the WR features, using Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectra combined with the power of IFS. In this regard, the importance of targeting low metallicity nearby systems is discussed.

Following the Cosmic Evolution of Pristine Gas. I. Implications for Milky Way Halo Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarmento, Richard; Scannapieco, Evan; Pan, Liubin

2017-01-01

We make use of a new subgrid model of turbulent mixing to accurately follow the cosmological evolution of the first stars, the mixing of their supernova (SN) ejecta, and the impact on the chemical composition of the Galactic Halo. Using the cosmological adaptive mesh refinement code ramses, we implement a model for the pollution of pristine gas as described in Pan et al. Tracking the metallicity of Pop III stars with metallicities below a critical value allows us to account for the fraction of Z< {Z}{crit} stars formed even in regions in which the gas’s average metallicity is well above {Z}{crit}. We demonstrate that such partially mixed regions account for 0.5 to 0.7 of all Pop III stars formed up to z = 5. Additionally, we track the creation and transport of “primordial metals” (PM) generated by Pop III SNe. These neutron-capture deficient metals are taken up by second-generation stars and likely lead to unique abundance signatures characteristic of carbon-enhanced, metal-poor (CEMP-no) stars. As an illustrative example, we associate primordial metals with abundance ratios used by Keller et al. to explain the source of metals in the star SMSS J031300.36-670839.3, finding good agreement with the observed [Fe/H], [C/H], [O/H], and [Mg/Ca] ratios in CEMP-no Milky Way halo stars. Similar future simulations will aid in further constraining the properties of Pop III stars using CEMP observations, as well as improve predictions of the spatial distribution of Pop III stars, as will be explored by the next generation of ground- and space-based telescopes.

The stellar content of the Hamburg/ESO survey. IV. Selection of candidate metal-poor stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christlieb, N.; Schörck, T.; Frebel, A.; Beers, T. C.; Wisotzki, L.; Reimers, D.

2008-06-01

We present the quantitative methods used for selecting candidate metal-poor stars in the Hamburg/ESO objective-prism survey (HES). The selection is based on the strength of the Ca II K line, B-V colors (both measured directly from the digital HES spectra), as well as J-K colors from the 2 Micron All Sky Survey. The KP index for Ca II K can be measured from the HES spectra with an accuracy of 1.0 Å, and a calibration of the HES B-V colors, using CCD photometry, yields a 1-σ uncertainty of 0.07 mag for stars in the color range 0.3 < B-V < 1.4. These accuracies make it possible to reliably reject stars with [Fe/H] > -2.0 without sacrificing completeness at the lowest metallicities. A test of the selection using 1121 stars of the HK survey of Beers, Preston, and Shectman present on HES plates suggests that the completeness at [Fe/H] < -3.5 is close to 100% and that, at the same time, the contamination of the candidate sample with false positives is low: 50% of all stars with [Fe/H] > -2.5 and 97% of all stars with [Fe/H] > -2.0 are rejected. The selection was applied to 379 HES fields, covering a nominal area of 8853 deg2 of the southern high Galactic latitude sky. The candidate sample consists of 20 271 stars in the magnitude range 10 ≲ B ≲ 18. A comparison of the magnitude distribution with that of the HK survey shows that the magnitude limit of the HES sample is about 2 mag fainter. Taking the overlap of the sky areas covered by both surveys into account, it follows that the survey volume for metal-poor stars has been increased by the HES by about a factor of 10 with respect to the HK survey. We have already identified several very rare objects with the HES, including, e.g., the three most heavy-element deficient stars currently known. Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory, Chile (Proposal ID 145.B-0009). Tables A.1 and A.2 are only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/484/721

Evidences of extragalactic origin and planet engulfment in the metal-poor twin pair HD 134439/HD 134440

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reggiani, Henrique; Meléndez, Jorge

2018-04-01

Recent studies of chemical abundances in metal-poor halo stars show the existence of different populations, which is important for studies of Galaxy formation and evolution. Here, we revisit the twin pair of chemically anomalous stars HD 134439 and HD 134440, using high resolution (R ˜ 72 000) and high S/N ratio (S/N ˜ 250) HDS/Subaru spectra. We compare them to the well-studied halo star HD 103095, using the line-by-line differential technique to estimate precise stellar parameters and LTE chemical abundances. We present the abundances of C, O, Na, Mg, Si, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr, Y, Ba, La, Ce, Nd, and Sm. We compare our results to the precise abundance patterns of Nissen & Schuster (2010) and data from dwarf Spheroidal galaxies (dSphs). We show that the abundance pattern of these stars appears to be closely linked to that of dSphs with [α/Fe] knee below [Fe/H] < -1.5. We also find a systematic difference of 0.06 ± 0.01 dex between the abundances of these twin binary stars, which could be explained by the engulfment of a planet, thus suggesting that planet formation is possible at low metallicities ([Fe/H] = -1.4).

6Li detection in metal-poor stars: can 3D model atmospheres solve the second lithium problem?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steffen, M.; Cayrel, R.; Caffau, E.; Bonifacio, P.; Ludwig, H.-G.; Spite, M.

The presence of 6Li in the atmospheres of metal-poor halo stars is usually inferred from the detection of a subtle extra depression in the red wing of the 7Li doublet line at 670.8 nm. However, as pointed out recently by \\cite{Cayrel2007}, the intrinsic line asymmetry caused by convective flows in the photospheres of cool stars is almost indistinguishable from the asymmetry produced by a weak 6Li blend on a (presumed) symmetric 7Li profile. Previous determinations of the 6Li/ 7Li isotopic ratio based on 1D model atmospheres, ignoring the convection-induced line asymmetry, must therefore be considered as upper limits. By comparing synthetic 1D LTE and 3D non-LTE line profiles of the iLi 670.8 nm feature, we quantify the differential effect of the convective line asymmetry on the derived 6Li abundance as a function of effective temperature, gravity, and metallicity. As expected, we find that the asymmetry effect systematically reduces the resulting 6Li/7Li ratios. Depending on the stellar parameters, the 3D-1D offset in 6Li/7Li ranges between -0.005 and -0.020. When this purely theoretical correction is taken into account for the \\cite{A2006} sample of stars, the number of significant 6Li detections decreases from 9 to 5 (2sigma criterion), or from 5 to 2 (3sigma criterion). We also present preliminary results of a re-analysis of high-resolution, high S/N spectra of individual metal-poor turn-off stars, to see whether the second Lithium problem actually disappears when accounting properly for convection and non-LTE line formation in 3D stellar atmospheres. Out of 8 stars, HD 84937 seems to be the only significant (2sigma ) detection of 6Li. In view of our results, the existence of a 6Li plateau appears questionable.

Peanut-shaped metallicity distributions in bulges of edge-on galaxies: the case of NGC 4710

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzalez, Oscar A.; Debattista, Victor P.; Ness, Melissa; Erwin, Peter; Gadotti, Dimitri A.

2017-03-01

Bulges of edge-on galaxies are often boxy/peanut-shaped (B/PS), and unsharp masks reveal the presence of an X shape. Simulations show that these shapes can be produced by dynamical processes driven by a bar which vertically thickens the centre. In the Milky Way, which contains such a B/PS bulge, the X-shaped structure is traced by the metal-rich stars but not by the metal-poor ones. Recently, Debattista et al. interpreted this property as a result of the varying effect of the bar on stellar populations with different starting kinematics. This kinematic fractionation model predicts that cooler populations at the time of bar formation go on to trace the X shape, whereas hotter populations are more uniformly distributed. As this prediction is not specific to the Milky Way, we test it with Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) observations of the B/PS bulge in the nearby galaxy NGC 4710. We show that the metallicity map is more peanut-shaped than the density distribution itself, in good agreement with the prediction. This result indicates that the X-shaped structure in B/PS bulges is formed of relatively metal-rich stars that have been vertically redistributed by the bar, whereas the metal-poor stars have a more uniform, box-shaped distribution.

From K giants to G dwarfs: stellar lifetime effects on metallicity distributions derived from red giants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manning, Ellen M.; Cole, Andrew A.

2017-11-01

We examine the biases inherent to chemical abundance distributions when targets are selected from the red giant branch (RGB), using simulated giant branches created from isochrones. We find that even when stars are chosen from the entire colour range of RGB stars and over a broad range of magnitudes, the relative numbers of stars of different ages and metallicities, integrated over all stellar types, are not accurately represented in the giant branch sample. The result is that metallicity distribution functions derived from RGB star samples require a correction before they can be fitted by chemical evolution models. We derive simple correction factors for over- and under-represented populations for the limiting cases of single-age populations with a broad range of metallicities and of continuous star formation at constant metallicity; an important general conclusion is that intermediate-age populations (≈1-4 Gyr) are over-represented in RGB samples. We apply our models to the case of the Large Magellanic Cloud bar and show that the observed metallicity distribution underestimates the true number of metal-poor stars by more than 25 per cent; as a result, the inferred importance of gas flows in chemical evolution models could potentially be overestimated. The age- and metallicity-dependences of RGB lifetimes require careful modelling if they are not to lead to spurious conclusions about the chemical enrichment history of galaxies.

The dusty Universe: astronomy at infrared wavelengths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hunt, L. K.

The last twenty years have shown ever more convincingly that most of the star formation activity in the universe is enshrouded in dust. Half of the energy and most of the photons pervading intergalactic space come from the infrared (IR) spectral region. In this review, I describe briefly what has been discovered with IRAS, ISO, and now Spitzer, and look ahead toward the recently launched IR satellite, Herschel, and the future JWST. The focus is extragalactic, mainly star-forming galaxies, and on diagnostics to distinguish them from galaxies hosting active nuclei. I will illustrate the importance of IR wavelengths for probing dust-enshrouded starbursts, quantifying physical processes in the interstellar medium, and measuring star-formation density across cosmic time. Particular attention will be paid to trends with metal abundance; studying how stars form in nearby metal-poor galaxies can help understand the transition between primordial star formation in metal-free environments and the chemically evolved starbursts in the Local Universe.

Ultraviolet spectra of extreme nearby star-forming regions - approaching a local reference sample for JWST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Senchyna, Peter; Stark, Daniel P.; Vidal-García, Alba; Chevallard, Jacopo; Charlot, Stéphane; Mainali, Ramesh; Jones, Tucker; Wofford, Aida; Feltre, Anna; Gutkin, Julia

2017-12-01

Nearby dwarf galaxies provide a unique laboratory in which to test stellar population models below Z⊙/2. Such tests are particularly important for interpreting the surprising high-ionization ultraviolet (UV) line emission detected at z > 6 in recent years. We present HST/COS UV spectra of 10 nearby metal-poor star-forming galaxies selected to show He II emission in SDSS optical spectra. The targets span nearly a dex in gas-phase oxygen abundance (7.8 < 12 + log O/H < 8.5) and present uniformly large specific star formation rates (sSFR ∼102 Gyr-1). The UV spectra confirm that metal-poor stellar populations can power extreme nebular emission in high-ionization UV lines, reaching C III] equivalent widths comparable to those seen in systems at z ∼ 6-7. Our data reveal a marked transition in UV spectral properties with decreasing metallicity, with systems below 12 + log O/H ≲ 8.0 (Z/Z⊙ ≲ 1/5) presenting minimal stellar wind features and prominent nebular emission in He II and C IV. This is consistent with nearly an order of magnitude increase in ionizing photon production beyond the He+-ionizing edge relative to H-ionizing flux as metallicity decreases below a fifth solar, well in excess of standard stellar population synthesis predictions. Our results suggest that often-neglected sources of energetic radiation such as stripped binary products and very massive O-stars produce a sharper change in the ionizing spectrum with decreasing metallicity than expected. Consequently, nebular emission in C IV and He II powered by these stars may provide useful metallicity constraints in the reionization era.

Pop III i-process nucleosynthesis and the elemental abundances of SMSS J0313-6708 and the most iron-poor stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clarkson, O.; Herwig, F.; Pignatari, M.

2018-02-01

We have investigated a highly energetic H-ingestion event during shell He burning leading to H-burning luminosities of log (LH/L⊙) ˜ 13 in a 45 M⊙ Pop III massive stellar model. In order to track the nucleosynthesis which may occur in such an event, we run a series of single-zone nucleosynthesis models for typical conditions found in the stellar evolution model. Such nucleosynthesis conditions may lead to i-process neutron densities of up to ˜1013 cm-3. The resulting simulation abundance pattern, where Mg comes from He burning and Ca from the i process, agrees with the general observed pattern of the most iron-poor star currently known, SMSS J031300.36-670839.3. However, Na is also efficiently produced in these i-process conditions, and the prediction exceeds observations by ˜2.5 dex. While this probably rules out this model for SMSS J031300.36-670839.3, the typical i-process signature of combined He burning and i process of higher than solar [Na/Mg], [Mg/Al], and low [Ca/Mg] is reproducing abundance features of the two next most iron-poor stars HE 1017-5240 and HE 1327-2326 very well. The i process does not reach Fe which would have to come from a low level of additional enrichment. i process in hyper-metal-poor or Pop III massive stars may be able to explain certain abundance patterns observed in some of the most metal-poor CEMP-no stars.

HOW MANY NUCLEOSYNTHESIS PROCESSES EXIST AT LOW METALLICITY?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hansen, C. J.; Montes, F.; Arcones, A., E-mail: cjhansen@lsw.uni-heidelberg.de, E-mail: cjhansen@dark-cosmology.dk, E-mail: montes@nscl.msu.edu, E-mail: almudena.arcones@physik.tu-darmstadt.de

Abundances of low-metallicity stars offer a unique opportunity to understand the contribution and conditions of the different processes that synthesize heavy elements. Many old, metal-poor stars show a robust abundance pattern for elements heavier than Ba, and a less robust pattern between Sr and Ag. Here we probe if two nucleosynthesis processes are sufficient to explain the stellar abundances at low metallicity, and we carry out a site independent approach to separate the contribution from these two processes or components to the total observationally derived abundances. Our approach provides a method to determine the contribution of each process to themore » production of elements such as Sr, Zr, Ba, and Eu. We explore the observed star-to-star abundance scatter as a function of metallicity that each process leads to. Moreover, we use the deduced abundance pattern of one of the nucleosynthesis components to constrain the astrophysical conditions of neutrino-driven winds from core-collapse supernovae.« less

Seven new carbon-enhanced metal-poor RR Lyrae stars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kennedy, Catherine R.; Stancliffe, Richard J.; Kuehn, Charles

2014-05-20

We report estimated carbon-abundance ratios, [C/Fe], for seven newly discovered carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) RR Lyrae stars. These are well-studied RRab stars that had previously been selected as CEMP candidates based on low-resolution spectra. For this pilot study, we observed eight of these CEMP RR Lyrae candidates with the Wide Field Spectrograph on the ANU 2.3 m telescope. Prior to this study, only two CEMP RR Lyrae stars had been discovered: TY Gru and SDSS J1707+58. We compare our abundances to new theoretical models of the evolution of low-mass stars in binary systems. These simulations evolve the secondary stars, post accretionmore » from an asymptotic giant-branch (AGB) donor, all the way to the RR Lyrae stage. The abundances of CEMP RR Lyrae stars can be used as direct probes of the nature of the donor star, such as its mass, and the amount of material accreted onto the secondary. We find that the majority of the sample of CEMP RR Lyrae stars is consistent with AGB donor masses of around 1.5-2.0 M {sub ☉} and accretion masses of a few hundredths of a solar mass. Future high-resolution studies of these newly discovered CEMP RR Lyrae stars will help disentangle the effects of the proposed mixing processes that occur in such objects.« less

The metal-poor stellar halo in RAVE-TGAS and its implications for the velocity distribution of dark matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herzog-Arbeitman, Jonah; Lisanti, Mariangela; Necib, Lina

2018-04-01

The local velocity distribution of dark matter plays an integral role in interpreting the results from direct detection experiments. We previously showed that metal-poor halo stars serve as excellent tracers of the virialized dark matter velocity distribution using a high-resolution hydrodynamic simulation of a Milky Way-like halo. In this paper, we take advantage of the first Gaia data release, coupled with spectroscopic measurements from the RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE), to study the kinematics of stars belonging to the metal-poor halo within an average distance of ~5 kpc of the Sun. We study stars with iron abundances [Fe/H] < ‑1.5 and ‑1.8 that are located more than 1.5 kpc from the Galactic plane. Using a Gaussian mixture model analysis, we identify the stars that belong to the halo population, as well as some kinematic outliers. We find that both metallicity samples have similar velocity distributions for the halo component, within uncertainties. Assuming that the stellar halo velocities adequately trace the virialized dark matter, we study the implications for direct detection experiments. The Standard Halo Model, which is typically assumed for dark matter, is discrepant with the empirical distribution by ~6σ, predicts fewer high-speed particles, and is anisotropic. As a result, the Standard Halo Model overpredicts the nuclear scattering rate for dark matter masses below ~10 GeV. The kinematic outliers that we identify may potentially be correlated with dark matter substructure, though further study is needed to establish this correspondence.

Binary properties of CH and carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jorissen, A.; Van Eck, S.; Van Winckel, H.; Merle, T.; Boffin, H. M. J.; Andersen, J.; Nordström, B.; Udry, S.; Masseron, T.; Lenaerts, L.; Waelkens, C.

2016-02-01

The HERMES spectrograph installed on the 1.2-m Mercator telescope has been used to monitor the radial velocity of 13 low-metallicity carbon stars, among which seven carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars and six CH stars (including HIP 53522, a new member of the family, as revealed by a detailed abundance study). All stars but one show clear evidence for binarity. New orbits are obtained for eight systems. The sample covers an extended range in orbital periods, extending from 3.4 d (for the dwarf carbon star HE 0024-2523) to about 54 yr (for the CH star HD 26, the longest known among barium, CH, and extrinsic S stars). Three systems exhibit low-amplitude velocity variations with periods close to 1 yr superimposed on a long-term trend. In the absence of an accurate photometric monitoring of these systems, it is not clear yet whether these variations are the signature of a very low-mass companion or of regular envelope pulsations. The period - eccentricity (P - e) diagram for the 40 low-metallicity carbon stars with orbits now available shows no difference between CH and CEMP-s stars (the latter corresponding to those CEMP stars enriched in s-process elements, as are CH stars). We suggest that they must be considered as one and the same family and that their different names only stem from historical reasons. Indeed, these two families have as well very similar mass-function distributions, corresponding to companions with masses in the range 0.5-0.7 M⊙, indicative of white-dwarf companions, adopting 0.8-0.9 M⊙ for the primary component. This result confirms that CH and CEMP-s stars obey the same mass-transfer scenario as their higher-metallicity analogues, barium stars. The P - e diagrams of barium, CH, and CEMP-s stars are indeed very similar. They reveal two different groups of systems: one with short orbital periods (P< 1000 d) and mostly circular or almost circular orbits, and another with longer period and eccentric (e> 0.1) orbits. These two groups either trace different evolutionary channels during the mass-transfer episode responsible for the chemical peculiarities of the Ba/CH/CEMP-s stars, or result from the operation of tidal circularisation in a more recent past, when the current giant star was ascending the first giant branch. Individual radial velocities are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/586/A158

Absolute Ages and Distances of 22 GCs Using Monte Carlo Main-sequence Fitting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Malley, Erin M.; Gilligan, Christina; Chaboyer, Brian

2017-04-01

The recent Gaia Data Release 1 of stellar parallaxes provides ample opportunity to find metal-poor main-sequence stars with precise parallaxes. We select 21 such stars with parallax uncertainties better than σ π /π ≤ 0.10 and accurate abundance determinations suitable for testing metal-poor stellar evolution models and determining the distance to Galactic globular clusters (GCs). A Monte Carlo analysis was used, taking into account uncertainties in the model construction parameters, to generate stellar models and isochrones to fit to the calibration stars. The isochrones that fit the calibration stars best were then used to determine the distances and ages of 22 GCs with metallicities ranging from -2.4 dex to -0.7 dex. We find distances with an average uncertainty of 0.15 mag and absolute ages ranging from 10.8 to 13.6 Gyr with an average uncertainty of 1.6 Gyr. Using literature proper motion data, we calculate orbits for the clusters, finding six that reside within the Galactic disk/bulge, while the rest are considered halo clusters. We find no strong evidence for a relationship between age and Galactocentric distance, but we do find a decreasing age-[Fe/H] relation.

Connecting the First Galaxies with Ultrafaint Dwarfs in the Local Group: Chemical Signatures of Population III Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeon, Myoungwon; Besla, Gurtina; Bromm, Volker

2017-10-01

We investigate the star formation history (SFH) and chemical evolution of isolated analogs of Local Group (LG) ultrafaint dwarf galaxies (UFDs; stellar mass range of {10}2 {M}⊙ < {M}* < {10}5 {M}⊙ ) and gas-rich, low-mass dwarfs (Leo P analogs; stellar mass range of {10}5 {M}⊙ < {M}* < {10}6 {M}⊙ ). We perform a suite of cosmological hydrodynamic zoom-in simulations to follow their evolution from the era of the first generation of stars down to z = 0. We confirm that reionization, combined with supernova (SN) feedback, is primarily responsible for the truncated star formation in UFDs. Specifically, halos with a virial mass of {M}{vir}≲ 2× {10}9 {M}⊙ form ≳ 90 % of stars prior to reionization. Our work further demonstrates the importance of Population III stars, with their intrinsically high [{{C}}/{Fe}] yields and the associated external metal enrichment, in producing low-metallicity stars ([{Fe}/{{H}}]≲ -4) and carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars. We find that UFDs are composite systems, assembled from multiple progenitor halos, some of which hosted only Population II stars formed in environments externally enriched by SNe in neighboring halos, naturally producing extremely low metallicity Population II stars. We illustrate how the simulated chemical enrichment may be used to constrain the SFHs of true observed UFDs. We find that Leo P analogs can form in halos with {M}{vir}˜ 4× {10}9 {M}⊙ (z = 0). Such systems are less affected by reionization and continue to form stars until z = 0, causing higher-metallicity tails. Finally, we predict the existence of extremely low metallicity stars in LG UFD galaxies that preserve the pure chemical signatures of Population III nucleosynthesis.

Carbon and nitrogen abundances in F- and G-type stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clegg, R. E. S.

1977-01-01

Carbon and nitrogen abundances have been obtained for a sample of 11-F- and G-type dwarfs covering a range in Fe/H abundance ratio from -0.8 to +0.3. Model atmospheres, which included the effects of convection and line blanketing, were used to calculate synthetic spectra of the CH, CN, and NH molecular bands. Effective oscillator strengths for the bands studied were found by matching synthetic spectra calculated from a model solar atmosphere with the observed solar bands. Many of the metal-poor stars, and particularly the high-velocity stars, were found to have substantial nitrogen over-deficiencies, suggesting that N is manufactured mostly in a secondary manner. The carbon-to-iron ratios were similar to the solar ratio, although there may be slight C over-deficiencies in metal-poor stars. However, the variation in C/Fe is not as marked as that found recently by Hearnshaw (1974). A comprehensive discussion of the theoretical errors is given, and some applications to Galactic evolution are noted.

Impact of Lyman alpha pressure on metal-poor dwarf galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimm, Taysun; Haehnelt, Martin; Blaizot, Jérémy; Katz, Harley; Michel-Dansac, Léo; Garel, Thibault; Rosdahl, Joakim; Teyssier, Romain

2018-04-01

Understanding the origin of strong galactic outflows and the suppression of star formation in dwarf galaxies is a key problem in galaxy formation. Using a set of radiation-hydrodynamic simulations of an isolated dwarf galaxy embedded in a 1010 M⊙ halo, we show that the momentum transferred from resonantly scattered Lyman-α (Lyα) photons is an important source of stellar feedback which can shape the evolution of galaxies. We find that Lyα feedback suppresses star formation by a factor of two in metal-poor galaxies by regulating the dynamics of star-forming clouds before the onset of supernova explosions (SNe). This is possible because each Lyα photon resonantly scatters and imparts ˜10-300 times greater momentum than in the single scattering limit. Consequently, the number of star clusters predicted in the simulations is reduced by a factor of ˜5, compared to the model without the early feedback. More importantly, we find that galactic outflows become weaker in the presence of strong Lyα radiation feedback, as star formation and associated SNe become less bursty. We also examine a model in which radiation field is arbitrarily enhanced by a factor of up to 10, and reach the same conclusion. The typical mass-loading factors in our metal-poor dwarf system are estimated to be ˜5-10 near the mid-plane, while it is reduced to ˜1 at larger radii. Finally, we find that the escape of ionizing radiation and hence the reionization history of the Universe is unlikely to be strongly affected by Lyα feedback.

SX Phoenecis Stars in the Extremely Metal-Poor Globular Clusters NGC 5053

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nemec, James M.; Mateo, Mario; Burke, Morgan; Olszewski, Edward W.

1995-09-01

The results of a major search for photometrically variable blue straggler stars (BSs) in the extremely metal-poor globular cluster NGC 5053 are presented. The survey is based on photometry of over 200 CCD frames (BVI passbands) taken on 18 nights between 1985 and 1994. Five of the 16 BSs monitored for variability are identified as SX Phe stars and their photometric characteristics derived. These five stars are among the shortest-period (49

Triangulum II. Not Especially Dense After All

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirby, Evan N.; Cohen, Judith G.; Simon, Joshua D.; Guhathakurta, Puragra; Thygesen, Anders O.; Duggan, Gina E.

2017-04-01

Among the Milky Way satellites discovered in the past three years, Triangulum II has presented the most difficulty in revealing its dynamical status. Kirby et al. identified it as the most dark-matter-dominated galaxy known, with a mass-to-light ratio within the half-light radius of {3600}-2100+3500 {M}⊙ {L}⊙ -1. On the other hand, Martin et al. measured an outer velocity dispersion that is 3.5 ± 2.1 times larger than the central velocity dispersion, suggesting that the system might not be in equilibrium. From new multi-epoch Keck/DEIMOS measurements of 13 member stars in Triangulum II, we constrain the velocity dispersion to be {σ }v< 3.4 km s-1 (90% C.L.). Our previous measurement of {σ }v, based on six stars, was inflated by the presence of a binary star with variable radial velocity. We find no evidence that the velocity dispersion increases with radius. The stars display a wide range of metallicities, indicating that Triangulum II retained supernova ejecta and therefore possesses, or once possessed, a massive dark matter halo. However, the detection of a metallicity dispersion hinges on the membership of the two most metal-rich stars. The stellar mass is lower than galaxies of similar mean stellar metallicity, which might indicate that Triangulum II is either a star cluster or a tidally stripped dwarf galaxy. Detailed abundances of one star show heavily depressed neutron-capture abundances, similar to stars in most other ultra-faint dwarf galaxies but unlike stars in globular clusters. The data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.

No Place to Hide: Missing Primitive Stars Outside Milky Way Uncovered

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2010-02-01

After years of successful concealment, the most primitive stars outside our Milky Way galaxy have finally been unmasked. New observations using ESO's Very Large Telescope have been used to solve an important astrophysical puzzle concerning the oldest stars in our galactic neighbourhood - which is crucial for our understanding of the earliest stars in the Universe. "We have, in effect, found a flaw in the forensic methods used until now," says Else Starkenburg, lead author of the paper reporting the study. "Our improved approach allows us to uncover the primitive stars hidden among all the other, more common stars." Primitive stars are thought to have formed from material forged shortly after the Big Bang, 13.7 billion years ago. They typically have less than one thousandth the amount of chemical elements heavier than hydrogen and helium found in the Sun and are called "extremely metal-poor stars" [1]. They belong to one of the first generations of stars in the nearby Universe. Such stars are extremely rare and mainly observed in the Milky Way. Cosmologists think that larger galaxies like the Milky Way formed from the merger of smaller galaxies. Our Milky Way's population of extremely metal-poor or "primitive" stars should already have been present in the dwarf galaxies from which it formed, and similar populations should be present in other dwarf galaxies. "So far, evidence for them has been scarce," says co-author Giuseppina Battaglia. "Large surveys conducted in the last few years kept showing that the most ancient populations of stars in the Milky Way and dwarf galaxies did not match, which was not at all expected from cosmological models." Element abundances are measured from spectra, which provide the chemical fingerprints of stars [2]. The Dwarf galaxies Abundances and Radial-velocities Team [3] used the FLAMES instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope to measure the spectra of over 2000 individual giant stars in four of our galactic neighbours, the Fornax, Sculptor, Sextans and Carina dwarf galaxies. Since the dwarf galaxies are typically 300 000 light years away - which is about three times the size of our Milky Way - only strong features in the spectrum could be measured, like a vague, smeared fingerprint. The team found that none of their large collection of spectral fingerprints actually seemed to belong to the class of stars they were after, the rare, extremely metal-poor stars found in the Milky Way. The team of astronomers around Starkenburg has now shed new light on the problem through careful comparison of spectra to computer-based models. They found that only subtle differences distinguish the chemical fingerprint of a normal metal-poor star from that of an extremely metal-poor star, explaining why previous methods did not succeed in making the identification. The astronomers also confirmed the almost pristine status of several extremely metal-poor stars thanks to much more detailed spectra obtained with the UVES instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope. "Compared to the vague fingerprints we had before, this would be as if we looked at the fingerprint through a microscope," explains team member Vanessa Hill. "Unfortunately, just a small number of stars can be observed this way because it is very time consuming." "Among the new extremely metal-poor stars discovered in these dwarf galaxies, three have a relative amount of heavy chemical elements between only 1/3000 and 1/10 000 of what is observed in our Sun, including the current record holder of the most primitive star found outside the Milky Way," says team member Martin Tafelmeyer. "Not only has our work revealed some of the very interesting, first stars in these galaxies, but it also provides a new, powerful technique to uncover more such stars," concludes Starkenburg. "From now on there is no place left to hide!" Notes [1] According to the definition used in astronomy, "metals" are all the elements other than hydrogen and helium. Such metals, except for a very few minor light chemical elements, have all been created by the various generations of stars. [2] As every rainbow demonstrates, white light can be split up into different colours. Astronomers artificially split up the light they receive from distant objects into its different colours (or wavelengths). However, where we distinguish seven rainbow colours, astronomers map hundreds of finely nuanced colours, producing a spectrum - a record of the different amounts of light the object emits in each narrow colour band. The details of the spectrum - more light emitted at some colours, less light at others - provide tell-tale signs about the chemical composition of the matter producing the light. [3] The Dwarf galaxies Abundances and Radial-velocities Team (DART) has members from institutes in nine different countries. More information This research was presented in a paper to appear in Astronomy and Astrophysics ("The NIR Ca II triplet at low metallicity", E. Starkenburg et al.). Another paper is also in preparation (Tafelmeyer et al.) that presents the UVES measurements of several primitive stars. The team is composed of Else Starkenburg, Eline Tolstoy, Amina Helmi, and Thomas de Boer (Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, the Netherlands), Vanessa Hill (Laboratoire Cassiopée, Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, CNRS, France), Jonay I. González Hernández (Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Meudon, France and Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain), Mike Irwin (University of Cambridge, UK), Giuseppina Battaglia (ESO), Pascale Jablonka and Martin Tafelmeyer (Université de Genève, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland), Matthew Shetrone (University of Texas, McDonald Observatory, USA), and Kim Venn (University of Victoria, Canada). ESO, the European Southern Observatory, is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive astronomical observatory. It is supported by 14 countries: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope, the world's most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory and VISTA, the world's largest survey telescope. ESO is the European partner of a revolutionary astronomical telescope ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. ESO is currently planning a 42-metre European Extremely Large optical/near-infrared Telescope, the E-ELT, which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky".

Evidence for halo kinematics among cool carbon-rich dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farihi, J.; Arendt, A. R.; Machado, H. S.; Whitehouse, L. J.

2018-07-01

This paper reports preliminary, yet compelling, kinematical inferences for N≳ 600 carbon-rich dwarf stars that demonstrate around 30-60 per cent are members of the Galactic halo. The study uses a spectroscopically and non-kinematically selected sample of stars from the SDSS, and cross-correlates these data with three proper motion catalogues based on Gaia DR1 astrometry to generate estimates of their 3D space velocities. The fraction of stars with halo-like kinematics is roughly 30 per cent for distances based on a limited number of parallax measurements, with the remainder dominated by the thick disc, but close to 60 per cent of the sample lies below an old, metal-poor disc isochrone in reduced proper motion. An ancient population is consistent with an extrinsic origin for C/O >1 in cool dwarfs, where a fixed mass of carbon pollution more readily surmounts lower oxygen abundance and with a lack of detectable ultraviolet-blue flux from younger white dwarf companions. For an initial stellar mass function that favours low-mass stars as in the Galactic disc, the dC stars are likely to be the dominant source of carbon-enhanced, metal-poor stars in the Galaxy.

Evidence for halo kinematics among cool carbon-rich dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farihi, J.; Arendt, A. R.; Machado, H. S.; Whitehouse, L. J.

2018-04-01

This paper reports preliminary yet compelling kinematical inferences for N ≳ 600 carbon-rich dwarf stars that demonstrate around 30% to 60% are members of the Galactic halo. The study uses a spectroscopically and non-kinematically selected sample of stars from the SDSS, and cross-correlates these data with three proper motion catalogs based on Gaia DR1 astrometry to generate estimates of their 3-D space velocities. The fraction of stars with halo-like kinematics is roughly 30% for distances based on a limited number of parallax measurements, with the remainder dominated by the thick disk, but close to 60% of the sample lie below an old, metal-poor disk isochrone in reduced proper motion. An ancient population is consistent with an extrinsic origin for C/O >1 in cool dwarfs, where a fixed mass of carbon pollution more readily surmounts lower oxygen abundances, and with a lack of detectable ultraviolet-blue flux from younger white dwarf companions. For an initial stellar mass function that favors low-mass stars as in the Galactic disk, the dC stars are likely to be the dominant source of carbon-enhanced, metal-poor stars in the Galaxy.

Tidal dissipation in rotating low-mass stars and implications for the orbital evolution of close-in massive planets. II. Effect of stellar metallicity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolmont, E.; Gallet, F.; Mathis, S.; Charbonnel, C.; Amard, L.; Alibert, Y.

2017-08-01

Observations of hot-Jupiter exoplanets suggest that their orbital period distribution depends on the metallicity of the host stars. We investigate here whether the impact of the stellar metallicity on the evolution of the tidal dissipation inside the convective envelope of rotating stars and its resulting effect on the planetary migration might be a possible explanation for this observed statistical trend. We use a frequency-averaged tidal dissipation formalism coupled to an orbital evolution code and to rotating stellar evolution models in order to estimate the effect of a change of stellar metallicity on the evolution of close-in planets. We consider here two different stellar masses: 0.4 M⊙ and 1.0 M⊙ evolving from the early pre-main sequence phase up to the red-giant branch. We show that the metallicity of a star has a strong effect on the stellar parameters, which in turn strongly influence the tidal dissipation in the convective region. While on the pre-main sequence, the dissipation of a metal-poor Sun-like star is higher than the dissipation of a metal-rich Sun-like star; on the main sequence it is the opposite. However, for the 0.4 M⊙ star, the dependence of the dissipation with metallicity is much less visible. Using an orbital evolution model, we show that changing the metallicity leads to different orbital evolutions (e.g., planets migrate farther out from an initially fast-rotating metal-rich star). Using this model, we qualitatively reproduced the observational trends of the population of hot Jupiters with the metallicity of their host stars. However, more steps are needed to improve our model to try to quantitatively fit our results to the observations. Specifically, we need to improve the treatment of the rotation evolution in the orbital evolution model, and ultimately we need to consistently couple the orbital model to the stellar evolution model.

The Gaia-ESO Survey: Exploring the complex nature and origins of the Galactic bulge populations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rojas-Arriagada, A.; Recio-Blanco, A.; de Laverny, P.; Mikolaitis, Š.; Matteucci, F.; Spitoni, E.; Schultheis, M.; Hayden, M.; Hill, V.; Zoccali, M.; Minniti, D.; Gonzalez, O. A.; Gilmore, G.; Randich, S.; Feltzing, S.; Alfaro, E. J.; Babusiaux, C.; Bensby, T.; Bragaglia, A.; Flaccomio, E.; Koposov, S. E.; Pancino, E.; Bayo, A.; Carraro, G.; Casey, A. R.; Costado, M. T.; Damiani, F.; Donati, P.; Franciosini, E.; Hourihane, A.; Jofré, P.; Lardo, C.; Lewis, J.; Lind, K.; Magrini, L.; Morbidelli, L.; Sacco, G. G.; Worley, C. C.; Zaggia, S.

2017-05-01

Context. As observational evidence steadily accumulates, the nature of the Galactic bulge has proven to be rather complex: the structural, kinematic, and chemical analyses often lead to contradictory conclusions. The nature of the metal-rich bulge - and especially of the metal-poor bulge - and their relation with other Galactic components, still need to be firmly defined on the basis of statistically significant high-quality data samples. Aims: We used the fourth internal data release of the Gaia-ESO survey to characterize the bulge metallicity distribution function (MDF), magnesium abundance, spatial distribution, and correlation of these properties with kinematics. Moreover, the homogeneous sampling of the different Galactic populations provided by the Gaia-ESO survey allowed us to perform a comparison between the bulge, thin disk, and thick disk sequences in the [Mg/Fe] vs. [Fe/H] plane in order to constrain the extent of their eventual chemical similarities. Methods: We obtained spectroscopic data for 2500 red clump stars in 11 bulge fields, sampling the area -10° ≤ l ≤ + 8° and -10° ≤ b ≤ -4° from the fourth internal data release of the Gaia-ESO survey. A sample of 6300 disk stars was also selected for comparison. Spectrophotometric distances computed via isochrone fitting allowed us to define a sample of stars likely located in the bulge region. Results: From a Gaussian mixture models (GMM) analysis, the bulge MDF is confirmed to be bimodal across the whole sampled area. The relative ratio between the two modes of the MDF changes as a function of b, with metal-poor stars dominating at high latitudes. The metal-rich stars exhibit bar-like kinematics and display a bimodality in their magnitude distribution, a feature which is tightly associated with the X-shape bulge. They overlap with the metal-rich end of the thin disk sequence in the [Mg/Fe] vs. [Fe/H] plane. On the other hand, metal-poor bulge stars have a more isotropic hot kinematics and do not participate in the X-shape bulge. Their Mg enhancement level and general shape in the [Mg/Fe] vs. [Fe/H] plane is comparable to that of the thick disk sequence. The position at which [Mg/Fe] starts to decrease with [Fe/H], called the "knee", is observed in the metal-poor bulge at [Fe/H] knee = -0.37 ± 0.09, being 0.06 dex higher than that of the thick disk. Although this difference is inside the error bars, it suggest a higher star formation rate (SFR) for the bulge than for the thick disk. We estimate an upper limit for this difference of Δ [Fe/H] knee = 0.24 dex. Finally, we present a chemical evolution model that suitably fits the whole bulge sequence by assuming a fast (<1 Gyr) intense burst of stellar formation that takes place at early epochs. Conclusions: We associate metal-rich stars with the bar boxy/peanut bulge formed as the product of secular evolution of the early thin disk. On the other hand, the metal-poor subpopulation might be the product of an early prompt dissipative collapse dominated by massive stars. Nevertheless, our results do not allow us to firmly rule out the possibility that these stars come from the secular evolution of the early thick disk. This is the first time that an analysis of the bulge MDF and α-abundances has been performed in a large area on the basis of a homogeneous, fully spectroscopic analysis of high-resolution, high S/N data. Based on data products from observations made with ESO Telescopes at the La Silla Paranal Observatory under programme ID 188.B-3002. These data products have been processed by the Cambridge Astronomy Survey Unit (CASU) at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, and by the FLAMES/UVES reduction team at INAF/Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri. These data have been obtained from the Gaia-ESO Survey Data Archive, prepared and hosted by the Wide Field Astronomy Unit, Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, which is funded by the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council.

Chemical composition of the metal-poor carbon star HD 187216.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kipper, T.; Jorgensen, U. G.

1994-10-01

We have derived C, N and metal abundances for the metal-deficient late-type (C3,3CH) CH giant HD 187216 (α_2000.0_=19h24m18.6s, δ_2000.0_=+85deg21'56.5"). The oxygen abundance was fixed at logA(O)=7.0, assuming that it follows the trend of oxygen overabundance relative to iron found in halo stars in general. New model atmospheres of metal-poor carbon stars were calculated with continuum opacity sources and molecular lines of CO, CN, C_2_, HCN, C_2_H_2_ and C_3_. Numerical experiments with various assumed input parameters, such as effective temperature, T_eff_, surface gravity, logg, microturbulent velocity, ξ_t_, and dissociation energy of the CN molecule, D_0_(CN), were performed when constructing the model atmospheres and calculating the synthetic spectra. The atmospheric model with T_eff_=3500K, logg=0.4, ξ_t_=3km/s, ^12^C/^13^C=8 and D_0_(CN)=7.9eV was adopted for abundance analysis. The star was found to be extremely metal-deficient, [Fe/H]=-2.48. The carbon abundance is logA(C)=7.33, the nitrogen abundance is logA(N)=5.60 corresponding to [C/Fe]=+1.3, [N/Fe]=+0.2, and [N/C]=-1.1. The carbon isotopic abundance ratio is ^12^C/^13^C=7.0. The abundances of heavy elements produced in the s-process are larger than in early-type CH stars. The ratio of overabundance of heavier s-process elements to that of lighter ones, [hs/ls]=1.0, points to a very high neutron exposure in a single irradiation event. Search for binarity of HD 187216 has failed, and the star can be an intrinsic asymptotic giant branch (AGB) carbon star with some similarities to the C stars in the dwarf galaxies. If the CH characteristics are due to mass transfer it is most likely oxygen-rich material that has been donated. The star possesses both a low nitrogen abundance and a low ^12^C/^13^C ratio, in conflict with the standard stellar evolution theory.

Eight ultra-faint galaxy candidates discovered in year two of the Dark Energy Survey

DOE PAGES

Drlica-Wagner, A.

2015-11-04

Here, we report the discovery of eight new ultra-faint dwarf galaxy candidates in the second year of optical imaging data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES). Six of these candidates are detected at high confidence, while two lower-confidence candidates are identified in regions of non-uniform survey coverage. The new stellar systems are found by three independent automated search techniques and are identified as overdensities of stars, consistent with the isochrone and luminosity function of an old and metal-poor simple stellar population. The new systems are faint (M V > –4.7more » $$\\mathrm{mag}$$) and span a range of physical sizes (17 $$\\mathrm{pc}$$ < r 1/2 < 181 $$\\mathrm{pc}$$) and heliocentric distances (25 kpc < D ⊙ < 214 kpc). All of the new systems have central surface brightnesses consistent with known ultra-faint dwarf galaxies (μ ≳ 27.5 $$\\mathrm{mag}$$ $$\\mathrm{arcsec}$$ –2). Roughly half of the DES candidates are more distant, less luminous, and/or have lower surface brightnesses than previously known Milky Way satellite galaxies. Most of the candidates are found in the southern part of the DES footprint close to the Magellanic Clouds. We find that the DES data alone exclude (p < 10 –3) a spatially isotropic distribution of Milky Way satellites and that the observed distribution can be well, though not uniquely, described by an association between several of the DES satellites and the Magellanic system. Our model predicts that the full sky may hold ~100 ultra-faint galaxies with physical properties comparable to the DES satellites and that 20%–30% of these would be spatially associated with the Magellanic Clouds.« less

Eight ultra-faint galaxy candidates discovered in year two of the Dark Energy Survey

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Drlica-Wagner, A.

Here, we report the discovery of eight new ultra-faint dwarf galaxy candidates in the second year of optical imaging data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES). Six of these candidates are detected at high confidence, while two lower-confidence candidates are identified in regions of non-uniform survey coverage. The new stellar systems are found by three independent automated search techniques and are identified as overdensities of stars, consistent with the isochrone and luminosity function of an old and metal-poor simple stellar population. The new systems are faint (M V > –4.7more » $$\\mathrm{mag}$$) and span a range of physical sizes (17 $$\\mathrm{pc}$$ < r 1/2 < 181 $$\\mathrm{pc}$$) and heliocentric distances (25 kpc < D ⊙ < 214 kpc). All of the new systems have central surface brightnesses consistent with known ultra-faint dwarf galaxies (μ ≳ 27.5 $$\\mathrm{mag}$$ $$\\mathrm{arcsec}$$ –2). Roughly half of the DES candidates are more distant, less luminous, and/or have lower surface brightnesses than previously known Milky Way satellite galaxies. Most of the candidates are found in the southern part of the DES footprint close to the Magellanic Clouds. We find that the DES data alone exclude (p < 10 –3) a spatially isotropic distribution of Milky Way satellites and that the observed distribution can be well, though not uniquely, described by an association between several of the DES satellites and the Magellanic system. Our model predicts that the full sky may hold ~100 ultra-faint galaxies with physical properties comparable to the DES satellites and that 20%–30% of these would be spatially associated with the Magellanic Clouds.« less

Cosmic evolution and metal aversion in superluminous supernova host galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schulze, S.; Krühler, T.; Leloudas, G.; Gorosabel, J.; Mehner, A.; Buchner, J.; Kim, S.; Ibar, E.; Amorín, R.; Herrero-Illana, R.; Anderson, J. P.; Bauer, F. E.; Christensen, L.; de Pasquale, M.; de Ugarte Postigo, A.; Gallazzi, A.; Hjorth, J.; Morrell, N.; Malesani, D.; Sparre, M.; Stalder, B.; Stark, A. A.; Thöne, C. C.; Wheeler, J. C.

2018-01-01

The SUperluminous Supernova Host galaxIES survey aims to provide strong new constraints on the progenitors of superluminous supernovae (SLSNe) by understanding the relationship to their host galaxies. We present the photometric properties of 53 H-poor and 16 H-rich SLSN host galaxies out to z ∼ 4. We model their spectral energy distributions to derive physical properties, which we compare with other galaxy populations. At low redshift, H-poor SLSNe are preferentially found in very blue, low-mass galaxies with high average specific star formation rates. As redshift increases, the host population follows the general evolution of star-forming galaxies towards more luminous galaxies. After accounting for secular evolution, we find evidence for differential evolution in galaxy mass, but not in the B band and the far-ultraviolet luminosity (3σ confidence). Most remarkable is the scarcity of hosts with stellar masses above 1010 M⊙ for both classes of SLSNe. In case of H-poor SLSNe, we attribute this to a stifled production efficiency above ∼0.4 solar metallicity. However, we argue that, in addition to low metallicity, a short-lived stellar population is also required to regulate the SLSN production. H-rich SLSNe are found in a very diverse population of star-forming galaxies. Still, the scarcity of massive hosts suggests a stifled production efficiency above ∼0.8 solar metallicity. The large dispersion of the H-rich SLSNe host properties is in stark contrast to those of gamma-ray burst, regular core-collapse SN, and H-poor SLSNe host galaxies. We propose that multiple progenitor channels give rise to this subclass.

DISCOVERY OF SUPER-Li-RICH RED GIANTS IN DWARF SPHEROIDAL GALAXIES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kirby, Evan N.; Fu, Xiaoting; Deng, Licai

2012-06-10

Stars destroy lithium (Li) in their normal evolution. The convective envelopes of evolved red giants reach temperatures of millions of kelvin, hot enough for the {sup 7}Li(p, {alpha}){sup 4}He reaction to burn Li efficiently. Only about 1% of first-ascent red giants more luminous than the luminosity function bump in the red giant branch exhibit A(Li) > 1.5. Nonetheless, Li-rich red giants do exist. We present 15 Li-rich red giants-14 of which are new discoveries-among a sample of 2054 red giants in Milky Way dwarf satellite galaxies. Our sample more than doubles the number of low-mass, metal-poor ([Fe/H] {approx}< -0.7) Li-richmore » red giants, and it includes the most-metal-poor Li-enhanced star known ([Fe/H] = -2.82, A(Li){sub NLTE} = 3.15). Because most of the stars have Li abundances larger than the universe's primordial value, the Li in these stars must have been created rather than saved from destruction. These Li-rich stars appear like other stars in the same galaxies in every measurable regard other than Li abundance. We consider the possibility that Li enrichment is a universal phase of evolution that affects all stars, and it seems rare only because it is brief.« less

A new family of magnetic stars: the Am stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blazère, A.; Neiner, C.; Petit, P.; Lignières, F.

2016-12-01

We presented the discovery of an ultra-weak field in three Am stars, β UMa, θ Leo, and Alhena, thanks to ultra-deep spectropolarimetric observations. Two of the three stars of this study shown peculiar magnetic signatures with prominent positive lobes like the one of Sirius A that are not expected in the standard theory of the Zeeman effect. Alhena, contrary to Sirius A, β UMa and θ Leo, show normal signatures. These detections of ultra-weak fields in Am stars suggest the existence of a new family of magnetic intermediate-mass stars: the Am stars. However the various shapes of the signatures required further observation to identify the physical processes at work in these stars. A preliminary explanation is based on microturbulence.

Extremely faint, diffuse satellite systems in the M31 halo: exceptional star clusters or tiny dwarf galaxies?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mackey, Dougal

2013-10-01

Recent years have seen the discovery of a variety of low surface brightness, diffuse stellar systems in the Local Group. Of particular prominence are the ultra-faint dwarf satellites of the Milky Way and the extended globular clusters seen in M31, M33, and NGC 6822. As part of the major Pan-Andromeda Archaeological Survey {PAndAS} we have discovered several very faint and diffuse stellar satellites in the M31 halo. In Cycle 19 we obtained ACS/WFC imaging for one of these, PAndAS-48, which has revealed it to be a puzzling and unusual object. On the size-luminosity plane it falls between the extended clusters and ultra-faint dwarfs; however, its characteristics do not allow us to unambiguously class it as either type of system. If PAndAS-48 is an extended cluster then it is the most elliptical, isolated, metal-poor, and lowest-luminosity example yet uncovered. Conversely, while its properties are generally consistent with those observed for the faint dwarf satellites of the Milky Way, it would be a factor 2-3 smaller in spatial extent than its Galactic counterparts at comparable luminosity. Here we propose deep resolved imaging of the remaining five similar objects in our sample, with the aim of probing this hitherto poorly-explored region of parameter space in greater detail. If we are able to confirm any of these objects as faint dwarfs, they will provide the first insight into the behaviour of this class of object in a galaxy other than the Milky Way.

Low-Metallicity Star Formation: From the First Stars to Dwarf Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hunt, Leslie K.; Madden, Suzanne C.; Schneider, Raffaella

2008-12-01

Preface; SOC and LOC; Participants; Life at the conference; Conference photo; Session I. Population III and Metal-Free Star Formation: 1. Open questions in the study of population III star formation S. C. O. Glover, P. C. Clark, T. H. Greif, J. L. Johnson, V. Bromm, R. S. Klessen and A. Stacy; 2. Protostar formation in the early universe Naoki Yoshida; 3. Population III.1 stars: formation, feedback and evolution of the IMF Jonathan C. Tan; 4. The formation of the first galaxies and the transition to low-mass star formation T. H. Greif, D. R. G. Schleicher, J. L. Johnson, A.-K. Jappsen, R. S. Klessen, P. C. Clark, S. C. O. Glover, A. Stacy and V. Bromm; 5. Low-metallicity star formation: the characteristic mass and upper mass limit Kazuyuki Omukai; 6. Dark stars: dark matter in the first stars leads to a new phase of stellar evolution Katherine Freese, Douglas Spolyar, Anthony Aguirre, Peter Bodenheimer, Paolo Gondolo, J. A. Sellwood and Naoki Yoshida; 7. Effects of dark matter annihilation on the first stars F. Iocco, A. Bressan, E. Ripamonti, R. Schneider, A. Ferrara and P. Marigo; 8. Searching for Pop III stars and galaxies at high redshift Daniel Schaerer; 9. The search for population III stars Sperello di Serego Alighieri, Jaron Kurk, Benedetta Ciardi, Andrea Cimatti, Emanuele Daddi and Andrea Ferrara; 10. Observational search for population III stars in high-redshift galaxies Tohru Nagao; Session II. Metal Enrichment, Chemical Evolution, and Feedback: 11. Cosmic metal enrichment Andrea Ferrara; 12. Insights into the origin of the galaxy mass-metallicity relation Henry Lee, Eric F. Bell and Rachel S. Somerville; 13. LSD and AMAZE: the mass-metallicity relation at z > 3 F. Mannucci and R. Maiolino; 14. Three modes of metal-enriched star formation at high redshift Britton D. Smith, Matthew J. Turk, Steinn Sigurdsson, Brian W. O'Shea and Michael L. Norman; 15. Primordial supernovae and the assembly of the first galaxies Daniel Whalen, Bob Van Veelen, Brian W. O'Shea and Michael L. Norman; 16. Damped Lyα systems as probes of chemical evolution over cosmological timescales Miroslava Dessauges-Zavadsky; 17. Connecting high-redshift galaxy populations through observations of local damped Lyman alpha dwarf galaxies Regina E. Schulte-Ladbeck; 18. Chemical enrichment and feedback in low metallicity environments: constraints on galaxy formation Francesca Matteucci; 19. Effects of reionization on dwarf galaxy formation Massimo Ricotti; 20. The importance of following the evolution of the dust in galaxies on their SEDs A. Schurer, F. Calura, L. Silva, A. Pipino, G. L. Granato, F. Matteucci and R. Maiolino; 21. About the chemical evolution of dSphs (and the peculiar globular cluster ωCen) Andrea Marcolini and Annibale D'Ercole; 22. Young star clusters in the small Magellanic cloud: impact of local and global conditions on star formation Elena Sabbi, Linda J. Smith, Lynn R. Carlson, Antonella Nota, Monca Tosi, Michele Cignoni, Jay S. Gallagher III, Marco Sirianni and Margaret Meixner; 23. Modeling the ISM properties of metal-poor galaxies and gamma-ray burst hosts Emily M. Levesque, Lisa J. Kewley, Kirsten Larson and Leonie Snijders; 24. Dwarf galaxies and the magnetisation of the IGM Uli Klein; Session III. Explosive Events in Low-Metallicity Environments: 25. Supernovae and their evolution in a low metallicity ISM Roger A. Chevalier; 26. First stars - type Ib supernovae connection Ken'ichi Nomoto, Masaomi Tanaka, Yasuomi Kamiya, Nozomu Tominaga and Keiichi Maeda; 27. Supernova nucleosynthesis in the early universe Nozomu Tominaga, Hideyuki Umeda, Keiichi Maeda, Ken'ichi Nomoto and Nobuyuki Iwamoto; 28. Powerful explosions at Z = 0? Sylvia Ekström, Georges Meynet, Raphael Hirschi and André Maeder; 29. Wind anisotropy and stellar evolution Cyril Georgy, Georges Meynet and André Maeder; 30. Low-mass and metal-poor gamma-ray burst

Nucleosynthesis in the first massive stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choplin, Arthur; Meynet, Georges; Maeder, André; Hirschi, Raphael; Chiappini, Cristina

2018-01-01

The nucleosynthesis in the first massive stars may be constrained by observing the surface composition of long-lived very iron-poor stars born around 10 billion years ago from material enriched by their ejecta. Many interesting clues on physical processes having occurred in the first stars can be obtained based on nuclear aspects. First, in these first massive stars, mixing must have occurred between the H-burning and the He-burning zone during their nuclear lifetimes; Second, only the outer layers of these massive stars have enriched the material from which the very iron-poor stars, observed today in the halo of the MilkyWay, have formed. These two basic requirements can be obtained by rotating stellar models at very low metallicity. In the present paper, we discuss the arguments supporting this view and illustrate the sensitivity of the results concerning the [Mg/Al] ratio on the rate of the reaction 23Na(p,γ)24Mg.

Automated Selection of Metal-Poor Stars in the Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rhee, Jaehyon

2000-08-01

In this thesis I have developed algorithms for the efficient reduction and analysis of a large set of objective-prism data, and for the reliable selection of extremely metal-poor candidate stars in the Galaxy. Automated computer scans of the 308 photographic plates in the HK objective-prism / interference-filter survey of Beers and colleagues have been carried out with the Automatic Plate Measuring (APM) machine in Cambridge, England. Highly automated software tools have been developed in order to identify useful spectra and remove unusable spectra, to locate the positions of the Ca II H (3969 Å) and K (3933 Å) absorption lines, and to construct approximate continua. Equivalent widths of the Ca II H and K lines were then measured directly from these reduced spectra. A subset of 294,039 spectra from 87 of the HK survey plates (located within approximately 30 degrees of the South Galactic Pole) were extracted. Of these, 221,670 (75.4%) proved to be useful for subsequent analysis. I have explored new methodology, making use of an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) analysis approach, in order to select extremely metal-poor star candidates with high efficiency. The ANNs were trained to predict metallicity, [Fe/H], and to classify stars into 6 groups separated by temperature and metal abundance, based on two accurately measured parameters -- the de-reddened broadband (B-V)0 color for known HK survey stars with available photometric information, and the equivalent width of the Ca II K line in an 18 Å band, the K18 index, as measured from follow-up medium-resolution spectroscopy taken during the course of the HK survey. When provided with accurate input data, the trained networks were able to estimate [Fe/H] and to determine the class with high accuracy (with a robust estimated one-sigma scatter of SBI = 0.13 dex, and an overall correction rate of 91%). The ANN approach was then used in order to recover information on the K18 index and (B-V)0 color directly from the APM-extracted spectra. Trained networks fed with known colors, measured peak fluxes, and the raw fluxes of the low-resolution digital spectra were able to predict the K18 index with a one-sigma scatter in the range 1.2 < SBI < 1.4 Å, depending on the color and strength of the line. By feeding on calibrated, multiple-band, photographic measurements of apparent magnitudes, peak fluxes, and the fluxes of estimated continua of the extracted APM spectra, the trained networks were able to estimate (B-V)0 colors with a scatter in the range 0.13 < SBI < 0.16 magnitudes. From an application of the ANN approach, using the less accurate information obtained from the calibrated estimates of K18 and (B-V)0 colors, it still proved possible to obtain metal abundance estimates with a scatter of SBI = 0.78 dex, and to carry out classifications with an overall correction rate of 40%. By comparison with a large sample of known metal-poor stars, on the order of 60% of the candidates predicted to have a metallicity [Fe/H] < -2.0 indeed fell in this region of abundance (representing a three-fold improvement over the visual selection criteria previously employed in the HK survey). The recovery rate indicated that at least 30% of all such stars in our sample would be identified in a blind sampling, limited, for the most part, by the lack of accurate color information. Finally we report 481 extremely metal-poor star candidates in 10 plates of the HK survey, selected by our newly developed methodology.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Chemical abundances of 8 metal-poor stars (Ishigaki+, 2014)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishigaki, M. N.; Aoki, W.; Arimoto, N.; Okamoto, S.

2014-01-01

Equivalent widths and chemical abundances of the six giant stars in Bootes I dwarf spheroidal galaxy (Boo-009, Boo-094, Boo-117, Boo-121, Boo-127, Boo-911) and the two Milky Way halo stars (HD216143, HD85773) are presented. For each spectral line, excitation potential, loggf values, measured equivalent widths and abundances are given. (2 data files).

Kinematics of Metal-poor Stars in the Galaxy. III. Formation of the Stellar Halo and Thick Disk as Revealed from a Large Sample of Nonkinematically Selected Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiba, Masashi; Beers, Timothy C.

2000-06-01

We present a detailed analysis of the space motions of 1203 solar-neighborhood stars with metal abundances [Fe/H]<=-0.6, on the basis of a catalog, of metal-poor stars selected without kinematic bias recently revised and supplemented by Beers et al. This sample, having available proper motions, radial velocities, and distance estimates for stars with a wide range of metal abundances, is by far the largest such catalog to be assembled to date. We show that the stars in our sample with [Fe/H]<=-2.2, which likely represent a ``pure'' halo component, are characterized by a radially elongated velocity ellipsoid (σU,σV,σW)=(141+/-11, 106+/-9, 94+/-8) km s-1 and small prograde rotation =30 to 50 km s-1, consistent with previous analysis of this sample by Beers and Sommer-Larsen based on radial velocity information alone. In contrast to the previous analysis, we find a decrease in with increasing distance from the Galactic plane for stars that are likely to be members of the halo population (Δ/Δ|Z|=-52+/-6 km s-1 kpc-1), which may represent the signature of a dissipatively formed flattened inner halo. Unlike essentially all previous kinematically selected catalogs, the metal-poor stars in our sample exhibit a diverse distribution of orbital eccentricities, e, with no apparent correlation between [Fe/H] and e. This demonstrates, clearly and convincingly, that the evidence offered in 1962 by Eggen, Lynden-Bell, & Sandage for a rapid collapse of the Galaxy, an apparent correlation between the orbital eccentricity of halo stars with metallicity, is basically the result of their proper-motion selection bias. However, even in our nonkinematically selected sample, we have identified a small concentration of high-e stars at [Fe/H]~-1.7, which may originate, in part, from infalling gas during the early formation of the Galaxy. We find no evidence for an additional thick disk component for stellar abundances [Fe/H]<=-2.2. The kinematics of the intermediate-abundance stars close to the Galactic plane are, in part, affected by the presence of a rapidly rotating thick disk component with ~=200 km s-1 (with a vertical velocity gradient on the order of Δ/Δ|Z|=-30+/-3 km s-1 kpc-1) and velocity ellipsoid (σU, σV, σW)=(46+/-4, 50+/-4, 35+/-3) km s-1. The fraction of low-metallicity stars in the solar neighborhood that are members of the thick disk population is estimated as ~10% for -2.2<[Fe/H]<=-1.7 and ~30% for -1.7<[Fe/H]<=-1. We obtain an estimate of the radial scale length of the metal-weak thick disk of 4.5+/-0.6 kpc. We also analyze the global kinematics of the stars constituting the halo component of the Galaxy. The outer part of the halo, which we take to be represented by local stars on orbits reaching more than 5 kpc from the Galactic plane, exhibits no systematic rotation. In particular, we show that previous suggestions of the presence of a ``counter-rotating high halo'' are not supported by our analysis. The density distribution of the outer halo is nearly spherical and exhibits a power-law profile that is accurately described as ρ~R-3.55+/-0.13. The inner part of the halo is characterized by a prograde rotation and a highly flattened density distribution. We find no distinct boundary between the inner and outer halo. We confirm the clumping in angular-momentum phase space of a small number of local metal-poor stars noted in 1999 by Helmi et al. We also identify an additional elongated feature in angular-momentum phase space extending from the clump to regions with high azimuthal rotation. The number of members in the detected clump is not significantly increased from that reported by Helmi et al., even though the total number of the sample stars we consider is almost triple that of the previous investigation. We conclude that the fraction of halo stars that may have arisen from the precursor object of this clump may be smaller than 10% of the present Galactic halo, as previously suggested. The implications of our results for the formation of the Galaxy are discussed, in particular in the context of the currently favored cold dark matter theory of hierarchical galaxy formation.

Constraining cosmic scatter in the Galactic halo through a differential analysis of metal-poor stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reggiani, Henrique; Meléndez, Jorge; Kobayashi, Chiaki; Karakas, Amanda; Placco, Vinicius

2017-12-01

Context. The chemical abundances of metal-poor halo stars are important to understanding key aspects of Galactic formation and evolution. Aims: We aim to constrain Galactic chemical evolution with precise chemical abundances of metal-poor stars (-2.8 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ -1.5). Methods: Using high resolution and high S/N UVES spectra of 23 stars and employing the differential analysis technique we estimated stellar parameters and obtained precise LTE chemical abundances. Results: We present the abundances of Li, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Zn, Sr, Y, Zr, and Ba. The differential technique allowed us to obtain an unprecedented low level of scatter in our analysis, with standard deviations as low as 0.05 dex, and mean errors as low as 0.05 dex for [X/Fe]. Conclusions: By expanding our metallicity range with precise abundances from other works, we were able to precisely constrain Galactic chemical evolution models in a wide metallicity range (-3.6 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ -0.4). The agreements and discrepancies found are key for further improvement of both models and observations. We also show that the LTE analysis of Cr II is a much more reliable source of abundance for chromium, as Cr I has important NLTE effects. These effects can be clearly seen when we compare the observed abundances of Cr I and Cr II with GCE models. While Cr I has a clear disagreement between model and observations, Cr II is very well modeled. We confirm tight increasing trends of Co and Zn toward lower metallicities, and a tight flat evolution of Ni relative to Fe. Our results strongly suggest inhomogeneous enrichment from hypernovae. Our precise stellar parameters results in a low star-to-star scatter (0.04 dex) in the Li abundances of our sample, with a mean value about 0.4 dex lower than the prediction from standard Big Bang nucleosynthesis; we also study the relation between lithium depletion and stellar mass, but it is difficult to assess a correlation due to the limited mass range. We find two blue straggler stars, based on their very depleted Li abundances. One of them shows intriguing abundance anomalies, including a possible zinc enhancement, suggesting that zinc may have been also produced by a former AGB companion. Tables A.1-A.6 are also available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/608/A46

Astrophysics Meets Atomic Physics: Fe I Line Identifications and Templates for Old Stellar Populations from Warm and Hot Stellar UV Spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterson, Ruth

2017-08-01

Imaging surveys from the ultraviolet to the infrared are recording ever more distant astronomical sources. Needed to interpret them are high-resolution ultraviolet spectral templates at all metallicities for both old and intermediate-age stars, and the atomic physics data essential to model their spectra. To this end we are proposing new UV spectra of four warm and hot stars spanning a wide range of metallicity. These will provide observational templates of old and young metal-poor turnoff stars, and the laboratory source for the identification of thousands of lines of neutral iron that appear in stellar spectra but are not identified in laboratory spectra. By matching existing and new stellar spectra to calculations of energy levels, line wavelengths, and gf-values, Peterson & Kurucz (2015) and Peterson, Kurucz, & Ayres (2017) identified 124 Fe I levels with energies up to 8.4eV. These provided 3000 detectable Fe I lines from 1600A to 5.4mu, and yielded empirical gf-values for 640 of these. Here we propose high-resolution UV spectra reaching 1780A for the first time at the turnoff, to detect and identify the strongest Fe I lines at 1800 - 1850A. This should add 250 new Fe I levels. These spectra, plus one at lower resolution reaching 1620A, will also provide empirical UV templates for turnoff stars at high redshifts as well as low. This is essential to deriving age and metallicity independently for globular clusters and old galaxies out to z 3. It will also improve abundances of trace elements in metal-poor stars, constraining nucleosynthesis at early epochs and aiding the reconstruction of the populations of the Milky Way halo and of nearby globular clusters.

CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF A CARBON-ENHANCED VERY METAL-POOR STAR: CD-27 14351

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Karinkuzhi, Drisya; Goswami, Aruna; Masseron, Thomas

2017-01-01

We present, for the first time, an abundance analysis of a very metal-poor carbon-enhanced star CD-27 14351 based on a high-resolution ( R  ∼ 48,000) FEROS spectrum. Our abundance analysis performed using local thermodynamic equilibrium model atmospheres shows that the object is a cool star with stellar atmospheric parameters, effective temperature T {sub eff} = 4335 K, surface gravity log g  = 0.5, microturbulence ξ  = 2.42 km s{sup −1}, and metallicity [Fe/H] = −2.6. The star exhibits high carbon and nitrogen abundances with [C/Fe] = 2.89 and [N/Fe] = 1.89. Overabundances of neutron-capture elements are evident in Ba, La, Ce, and Nd, with estimated [X/Fe] > 1, the largest enhancementmore » being seen in Ce with [Ce/Fe] = 2.63. While the first peak s -process elements Sr and Y are found to be enhanced with respect to Fe, ([Sr/Fe] = 1.73 and [Y/Fe] = 1.91), the third peak s -process element Pb could not be detected in our spectrum at the given resolution. Europium, primarily an r -process element also shows an enhancement with [Eu/Fe] = 1.65. With [Ba/Eu] = 0.12, the object CD-27 14351 satisfies the classification criterion for a CEMP-r/s star. The elemental abundance distributions observed in this star are discussed in light of the chemical abundances observed in other CEMP stars in the literature.« less

The Chemical Abundances of Stars in the Halo (CASH) Project. II. New Extremely Metal-poor Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krugler, Julie A.; Frebel, A.; Roederer, I. U.; Sneden, C.; Shetrone, M.; Beers, T.; Christlieb, N.

2011-01-01

We present new abundance results from the Chemical Abundances of Stars in the Halo (CASH) project. The 500 CASH spectra were observed using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope in "snapshot" mode and are analyzed using an automated stellar parameter and abundance pipeline called CASHCODE. For the 20 most metal-poor stars of the CASH sample we have obtained high resolution spectra using the Magellan Telescope in order to test the uncertainties and systematic errors associated with the snapshot quality (i.e., R 15,000 and S/N 65) HET spectra and to calibrate the newly developed CASHCODE by making a detailed comparison between the stellar parameters and abundances determined from the high resolution and snapshot spectra. We find that the CASHCODE stellar parameters (effective temperature, surface gravity, metallicity, and microturbulence) agree well with the results of the manual analysis of the high resolution spectra. We present the abundances of three newly discovered stars with [Fe/H] < -3.5. For the entire pilot sample, we find typical halo abundance ratios with alpha-enhancement and Fe-peak depletion and a range of n-capture elements. The full CASH sample will be used to derive statistically robust abundance trends and frequencies (e.g. carbon and n-capture), as well as placing constraints on nucleosynthetic processes that occurred in the early universe.

The Comparative Observational Study of Timescale of Feedback by Bar Structure in Late-type Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woong-bae Woong-bae Zee, Galaxy; Yoon, Suk-jin

2018-01-01

We investigate star formation activities of ~400 barred and ~1400 unbarred faced-on late-type galaxies from the SDSS DR13. We find that gas-poor and barred galaxies are considerably show enhanced high central star formation activities, while there is no difference among gas-rich barred and unbarred galaxies regardless of their HI gas content. This seems counter-intuitive given that gas contents simply represent the total star formation rate of galaxies and suggests that there is a time delation between the central gas migration/consumption through bar structures and the enhancement of star formation activity at the centre. We analysed the distribution of the stellar population of specific galaxies with MaNGA (Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO) IFU survey among the total samples. The gas-poor and barred galaxies show the flatter gradient in metallicity and age with respect to the stellar mass than other types of galaxies, in that their centre is more metal-rich and younger. There is an age difference, about 5-6 Gyrs, between centrally star-forming gas-poor barred galaxies and gas-rich galaxies and this value is a plausible candidate of the longevity of bar feedback. The results indicate that the gas migration/mixing driven by bar structure plays a significant role in the evolution of galaxies in a specific of timescale.

CONSTRAINTS ON THE FORMATION OF THE GALACTIC BULGE FROM Na, Al, AND HEAVY-ELEMENT ABUNDANCES IN PLAUT's FIELD

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, Christian I.; Rich, R. Michael; Kobayashi, Chiaki

2012-04-20

We report chemical abundances of Na, Al, Zr, La, Nd, and Eu for 39 red giant branch (RGB) stars and 23 potential inner disk red clump stars located in Plaut's low-extinction window. We also measure lithium for a super Li-rich RGB star. The abundances were determined by spectrum synthesis of high-resolution (R Almost-Equal-To 25,000), high signal-to-noise (S/N {approx} 50-100 pixel{sup -1}) spectra obtained with the Blanco 4 m telescope and Hydra multifiber spectrograph. For the bulge RGB stars, we find a general increase in the [Na/Fe] and [Na/Al] ratios with increasing metallicity, and a similar decrease in [La/Fe] and [Nd/Fe].more » Additionally, the [Al/Fe] and [Eu/Fe] abundance trends almost identically follow those of the {alpha}-elements, and the [Zr/Fe] ratios exhibit relatively little change with [Fe/H]. The consistently low [La/Eu] ratios of the RGB stars indicate that at least a majority of bulge stars formed rapidly ({approx}<1 Gyr) and before the main s-process could become a significant pollution source. In contrast, we find that the potential inner disk clump stars exhibit abundance patterns more similar to those of the thin and thick disks. Comparisons between the abundance trends at different bulge locations suggest that the inner and outer bulges formed on similar timescales. However, we find evidence of some abundance differences between the most metal-poor and metal-rich stars in various bulge fields. The data also indicate that the halo may have had a more significant impact on the outer bulge initial composition than the inner bulge composition. The [Na/Fe], and to a lesser extent [La/Fe], abundances further indicate that the metal-poor bulge, at least at {approx}1 kpc from the Galactic center, and thick disk may not share an identical chemistry.« less

IMPROVED Ti II log(gf) VALUES AND ABUNDANCE DETERMINATIONS IN THE PHOTOSPHERES OF THE SUN AND METAL-POOR STAR HD 84937

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wood, M. P.; Lawler, J. E.; Sneden, C.

2013-10-01

Atomic transition probability measurements for 364 lines of Ti II in the UV through near-IR are reported. Branching fractions from data recorded using a Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) and a new echelle spectrometer are combined with published radiative lifetimes to determine these transition probabilities. The new results are in generally good agreement with previously reported FTS measurements. Use of the new echelle spectrometer, independent radiometric calibration methods, and independent data analysis routines enables a reduction of systematic errors and overall improvement in transition probability accuracy over previous measurements. The new Ti II data are applied to high-resolution visible and UVmore » spectra of the Sun and metal-poor star HD 84937 to derive new, more accurate Ti abundances. Lines covering a range of wavelength and excitation potential are used to search for non-LTE effects. The Ti abundances derived using Ti II for these two stars match those derived using Ti I and support the relative Ti/Fe abundance ratio versus metallicity seen in previous studies.« less

Star-forming galaxies are predicted to lie on a fundamental plane of mass, star formation rate and α-enhancement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matthee, Jorryt; Schaye, Joop

2018-05-01

Observations show that star-forming galaxies reside on a tight three-dimensional plane between mass, gas-phase metallicity and star formation rate (SFR), which can be explained by the interplay between metal-poor gas inflows, SFR and outflows. However, different metals are released on different time-scales, which may affect the slope of this relation. Here, we use central, star-forming galaxies with Mstar = 109.0 - 10.5 M⊙ from the EAGLE hydrodynamical simulation to examine three-dimensional relations between mass, SFR and chemical enrichment using absolute and relative C, N, O and Fe abundances. We show that the scatter is smaller when gas-phase α-enhancement is used rather than metallicity. A similar plane also exists for stellar α-enhancement, implying that present-day specific SFRs are correlated with long time-scale star formation histories. Between z = 0 and 1, the α-enhancement plane is even more insensitive to redshift than the plane using metallicity. However, it evolves at z > 1 due to lagging iron yields. At fixed mass, galaxies with higher SFRs have star formation histories shifted toward late times, are more α-enhanced and this α-enhancement increases with redshift as observed. These findings suggest that relations between physical properties inferred from observations may be affected by systematic variations in α-enhancements.

Low-metallicity Star Formation (IAU S255)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hunt, Leslie K.; Madden, Suzanne C.; Schneider, Raffaella

2009-01-01

Preface; SOC and LOC; Participants; Life at the conference; Conference photo; Session I. Population III and Metal-Free Star Formation: 1. Open questions in the study of population III star formation S. C. O. Glover, P. C. Clark, T. H. Greif, J. L. Johnson, V. Bromm, R. S. Klessen and A. Stacy; 2. Protostar formation in the early universe Naoki Yoshida; 3. Population III.1 stars: formation, feedback and evolution of the IMF Jonathan C. Tan; 4. The formation of the first galaxies and the transition to low-mass star formation T. H. Greif, D. R. G. Schleicher, J. L. Johnson, A.-K. Jappsen, R. S. Klessen, P. C. Clark, S. C. O. Glover, A. Stacy and V. Bromm; 5. Low-metallicity star formation: the characteristic mass and upper mass limit Kazuyuki Omukai; 6. Dark stars: dark matter in the first stars leads to a new phase of stellar evolution Katherine Freese, Douglas Spolyar, Anthony Aguirre, Peter Bodenheimer, Paolo Gondolo, J. A. Sellwood and Naoki Yoshida; 7. Effects of dark matter annihilation on the first stars F. Iocco, A. Bressan, E. Ripamonti, R. Schneider, A. Ferrara and P. Marigo; 8. Searching for Pop III stars and galaxies at high redshift Daniel Schaerer; 9. The search for population III stars Sperello di Serego Alighieri, Jaron Kurk, Benedetta Ciardi, Andrea Cimatti, Emanuele Daddi and Andrea Ferrara; 10. Observational search for population III stars in high-redshift galaxies Tohru Nagao; Session II. Metal Enrichment, Chemical Evolution, and Feedback: 11. Cosmic metal enrichment Andrea Ferrara; 12. Insights into the origin of the galaxy mass-metallicity relation Henry Lee, Eric F. Bell and Rachel S. Somerville; 13. LSD and AMAZE: the mass-metallicity relation at z > 3 F. Mannucci and R. Maiolino; 14. Three modes of metal-enriched star formation at high redshift Britton D. Smith, Matthew J. Turk, Steinn Sigurdsson, Brian W. O'Shea and Michael L. Norman; 15. Primordial supernovae and the assembly of the first galaxies Daniel Whalen, Bob Van Veelen, Brian W. O'Shea and Michael L. Norman; 16. Damped Lyα systems as probes of chemical evolution over cosmological timescales Miroslava Dessauges-Zavadsky; 17. Connecting high-redshift galaxy populations through observations of local damped Lyman alpha dwarf galaxies Regina E. Schulte-Ladbeck; 18. Chemical enrichment and feedback in low metallicity environments: constraints on galaxy formation Francesca Matteucci; 19. Effects of reionization on dwarf galaxy formation Massimo Ricotti; 20. The importance of following the evolution of the dust in galaxies on their SEDs A. Schurer, F. Calura, L. Silva, A. Pipino, G. L. Granato, F. Matteucci and R. Maiolino; 21. About the chemical evolution of dSphs (and the peculiar globular cluster ωCen) Andrea Marcolini and Annibale D'Ercole; 22. Young star clusters in the small Magellanic cloud: impact of local and global conditions on star formation Elena Sabbi, Linda J. Smith, Lynn R. Carlson, Antonella Nota, Monca Tosi, Michele Cignoni, Jay S. Gallagher III, Marco Sirianni and Margaret Meixner; 23. Modeling the ISM properties of metal-poor galaxies and gamma-ray burst hosts Emily M. Levesque, Lisa J. Kewley, Kirsten Larson and Leonie Snijders; 24. Dwarf galaxies and the magnetisation of the IGM Uli Klein; Session III. Explosive Events in Low-Metallicity Environments: 25. Supernovae and their evolution in a low metallicity ISM Roger A. Chevalier; 26. First stars - type Ib supernovae connection Ken'ichi Nomoto, Masaomi Tanaka, Yasuomi Kamiya, Nozomu Tominaga and Keiichi Maeda; 27. Supernova nucleosynthesis in the early universe Nozomu Tominaga, Hideyuki Umeda, Keiichi Maeda, Ken'ichi Nomoto and Nobuyuki Iwamoto; 28. Powerful explosions at Z = 0? Sylvia Ekström, Georges Meynet, Raphael Hirschi and André Maeder; 29. Wind anisotropy and stellar evolution Cyril Georgy, Georges Meynet and André Maeder; 30. Low-mass and metal-poor gamma-ray burst

Something borrowed, something blue: The nature of blue metal-poor stars inferred from their colours and chemical abundances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, C. J.; Jofré, P.; Koch, A.; McWilliam, A.; Sneden, C. S.

2017-02-01

Blue metal-poor (BMP) stars are main sequence stars that appear bluer and more luminous than normal turnoff stars. They were originally singled out by using B-V and U-B colour cuts.Early studies found that a larger fraction of field BMP stars were binaries compared to normal halo stars. Thus, BMP stars are ideal field blue straggler candidates for investigating internal stellar evolution processes and binary interaction. In particular, the presence or depletion in lithium in their spectra is a powerful indicator of their origin. They are either old, halo blue stragglers experiencing internal mixing processes or mass transfer (Li-depletion), or intermediate-age, single stars of possibly extragalactic origin (2.2 dex halo plateau Li). However, we note that internal mixing processes can lead to an increased level of Li. Hence, this study combines photometry and spectroscopy to unveil the origin of various BMP stars. We first show how to separate binaries from young blue stars using photometry, metallicity and lithium. Using a sample of 80 BMP stars (T > 6300 K), we find that 97% of the BMP binaries have V-Ks0 < 1.08 ± 0.03, while BMP stars that are not binaries lie above this cut in two thirds of the cases. This cut can help classify stars that lack radial velocities from follow-up observations. We then trace the origin of two BMP stars from the photometric sample by conducting a full chemical analysis using new high-resolution and high signal-to-noise spectra. Based on their radial velocities, Li, α and s- and r-process abundances we show that BPS CS22874-042 is a single star (A(Li) = 2.38 ± 0.10 dex) while with A(Li)= 2.23 ± 0.07 dex CD-48 2445 is a binary, contrary to earlier findings. Our analysis emphasises that field blue stragglers can be segregated from single metal-poor stars, using (V-Ks) colours with a fraction of single stars polluting the binary sample, but not vice versa. These two groups can only be properly separated by using information from stellar spectra, illustrating the need for accurate and precise stellar parameters and high-resolution, high-S/N spectra in order to fully understand and classify this intriguing class of stars. Our high-resolution spectrum analysis confirms the findings from the colour cuts and shows that CS 22874-042 is single, while CD -48 2445 is most likely a binary. Moreover, the stellar abundances show that both stars formed in situ; CS 22874-042 carries traces of massive star enrichment and CD -48 2445 shows indications of AGB mass transfer mixed with gases ejected possibly from neutron star mergers. Based on UVES archive data 077.B-0507 and 090.B-0605. This paper includes data gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. Full Table 4 is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/598/A54

Cúmulos estelares de edad intermedia de la Nube Mayor de Magallanes: determinación de parámetros fundamentales a partir de fotometría de Washington

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palma, T.; Clariá, J. J.; Geisler, D.; Piatti, A. E.; Ahumada, A. V.

Based on CCD images obtained in the Washington system at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, we determine ages and metallicities of 8 unstudied star clusters of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We find that they are intermediate-age (1-2 Gyr) and relatively metal-poor, although the metallicities are mainly determined from isochrones and are not strongly constrained. The study of this cluster sample will soon be extended to almost a hundred practically unstudied LMC star clusters. FULL TEXT IN SPANISH

Enriching the hot circumgalactic medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crain, Robert A.; McCarthy, Ian G.; Schaye, Joop; Theuns, Tom; Frenk, Carlos S.

2013-07-01

Simple models of galaxy formation in a cold dark matter universe predict that massive galaxies are surrounded by a hot, quasi-hydrostatic circumgalactic corona of slowly cooling gas, predominantly accreted from the intergalactic medium (IGM). This prediction is borne out by the recent cosmological hydrodynamical simulations of Crain et al., which reproduce observed scaling relations between the X-ray and optical properties of nearby disc galaxies. Such coronae are metal poor, but observations of the X-ray emitting circumgalactic medium (CGM) of local galaxies typically indicate enrichment to near-solar iron abundance, potentially signalling a shortcoming in current models of galaxy formation. We show here that, while the hot CGM of galaxies formed in the simulations is typically metal poor in a mass-weighted sense, its X-ray luminosity-weighted metallicity is often close to solar. This bias arises because the soft X-ray emissivity of a typical ˜0.1 keV corona is dominated by collisionally excited metal ions that are synthesized in stars and recycled into the hot CGM. We find that these metals are ejected primarily by stars that form in situ to the main progenitor of the galaxy, rather than in satellites or external galaxies. The enrichment of the hot CGM therefore proceeds in an `inside-out' fashion throughout the assembly of the galaxy: metals are transported from the central galaxy by supernova-driven winds and convection over several Gyr, establishing a strong negative radial metallicity gradient. Whilst metal ions synthesized by stars are necessary to produce the X-ray emissivity that enables the hot CGM of isolated galaxies to be detected with current instrumentation, the electrons that collisionally excite them are equally important. Since our simulations indicate that the electron density of hot coronae is dominated by the metal-poor gas accreted from the IGM, we infer that the hot CGM observed via X-ray emission is the outcome of both hierarchical accretion and stellar recycling.

Laboratory Astrophysics in Support of the Study of Nucleosynthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

den Hartog, Betsy

2017-04-01

One of the outstanding questions in our understanding of the Universe is how the elements were made. Only a few of the lightest or primordial nuclei were made just after the Big Bang. Other light nuclei up to the iron (Fe)-group are made by fusion reactions in the interior of stars. Heavier nuclei are made primarily via neutron-capture events which are categorized as either slow or rapid, the s-process or r-process, respectively. Although s-process neutron-capture is fairly well understood, the r-process, which occurs in neutron dense (explosive) environments, remains more elusive. In recent years, progress has been made in the understanding of r-process nucleosynthesis through the study of elemental abundances in metal-poor stars. These stars, which are among the oldest objects in our Galaxy, contain a fossil record of the elemental mix of the surrounding interstellar medium when they formed. The improvement of both the accuracy and precision of elemental abundances in metal-poor stars has required a long-term effort to improve the necessary laboratory data - first for the rare earth elements and more recently for the Fe-group. In this talk I will describe our laboratory effort measuring atomic transition probabilities, which are determined from a combination of radiative lifetimes and emission branching fractions. I will then show some examples of the application of our laboratory data to the determination of metal-poor star elemental abundances and discuss insights that can be gleaned from these improved data. Work in collaboration with (and supported by) Jim Lawler (NSF Grant AST-1516182, NASA Grant NNX16AE96G), Chris Sneden (NSF Grant AST-1211585) and John Cowan (NSF Grant PHY-1430152 (JINA Center for the Evolution of the Elements)), among others.

The RRc Stars: Chemical Abundances and Envelope Kinematics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sneden, Christopher; Adamów, Monika; Preston, George W.

2017-10-10

We analyzed series of spectra obtained for 12 stable RRc stars observed with the echelle spectrograph of the du Pont telescope at Las Campanas Observatory and we analyzed the spectra of RRc Blazhko stars discussed by Govea et al. We derived model atmosphere parameters, [Fe/H] metallicities, and [X/Fe] abundance ratios for 12 species of 9 elements. We co-added all spectra obtained during the pulsation cycles to increase signal to noise and demonstrate that these spectra give results superior to those obtained by co-addition in small phase intervals. The RRc abundances are in good agreement with those derived for the RRabmore » stars of Chadid et al. We used radial velocity (RV) measurements of metal lines and H α to construct variations of velocity with phase, and center-of-mass velocities. We used these to construct RV templates for use in low- to medium-resolution RV surveys of RRc stars. Additionally, we calculated primary accelerations, radius variations, and metal and H α velocity amplitudes, which we display as regressions against primary acceleration. We employ these results to compare the atmosphere structures of metal-poor RRc stars with their RRab counterparts. Finally, we use the RV data for our Blazhko stars and the Blazhko periods of Szczygieł and Fabrycky to falsify the Blazhko oblique rotator hypothesis.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chadid, Merieme; Sneden, Christopher; Preston, George W., E-mail: chadid@unice.fr, E-mail: chris@verdi.as.utexas.edu, E-mail: gwp@obs.carnegiescience.edu

We investigate atmospheric properties of 35 stable RRab stars that possess the full ranges of period, light amplitude, and metal abundance found in Galactic RR Lyrae stars. Our results are derived from several thousand echelle spectra obtained over several years with the du Pont telescope of Las Campanas Observatory. Radial velocities of metal lines and the H α line were used to construct curves of radial velocity versus pulsation phase. From these we estimated radial velocity amplitudes for metal lines (formed near the photosphere) and H α Doppler cores (formed at small optical depths). We also measured H α emissionmore » fluxes when they appear during primary light rises. Spectra shifted to rest wavelengths, binned into small phase intervals, and co-added were used to perform model atmospheric and abundance analyses. The derived metallicities and those of some previous spectroscopic surveys were combined to produce a new calibration of the Layden abundance scale. We then divided our RRab sample into metal-rich (disk) and metal-poor (halo) groups at [Fe/H] = −1.0; the atmospheres of RRab families, so defined, differ with respect to (a) peak strength of H α emission flux, (b) H α radial velocity amplitude, (c) dynamical gravity, (d) stellar radius variation, (e) secondary acceleration during the photometric bump that precedes minimum light, and (f) duration of H α line-doubling. We also detected H α line-doubling during the “bump” in the metal-poor family, but not in the metal-rich one. Although all RRab probably are core helium-burning horizontal branch stars, the metal-rich group appears to be a species sui generis.« less

Descendants of the first stars: the distinct chemical signature of second generation stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartwig, Tilman; Yoshida, Naoki; Magg, Mattis; Frebel, Anna; Glover, Simon C. O.; Gómez, Facundo A.; Griffen, Brendan; Ishigaki, Miho N.; Ji, Alexander P.; Klessen, Ralf S.; O'Shea, Brian W.; Tominaga, Nozomu

2018-05-01

Extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars in the Milky Way (MW) allow us to infer the properties of their progenitors by comparing their chemical composition to the metal yields of the first supernovae. This method is most powerful when applied to mono-enriched stars, i.e. stars that formed from gas that was enriched by only one previous supernova. We present a novel diagnostic to identify this subclass of EMP stars. We model the first generations of star formation semi-analytically, based on dark matter halo merger trees that yield MW-like halos at the present day. Radiative and chemical feedback are included self-consistently and we trace all elements up to zinc. Mono-enriched stars account for only ˜1% of second generation stars in our fiducial model and we provide an analytical formula for this probability. We also present a novel analytical diagnostic to identify mono-enriched stars, based on the metal yields of the first supernovae. This new diagnostic allows us to derive our main results independently from the specific assumptions made regarding Pop III star formation, and we apply it to a set of observed EMP stars to demonstrate its strengths and limitations. Our results may provide selection criteria for current and future surveys and therefore contribute to a deeper understanding of EMP stars and their progenitors.

Abundance analysis of a CEMP-no star in the Carina dwarf spheroidal galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Susmitha, A.; Koch, A.; Sivarani, T.

2017-10-01

Carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars bear important imprints of the early chemical enrichment of any stellar system. While these stars are known to exist in copious amounts in the Milky Way halo, detailed chemical abundance data from the faint dwarf spheroidal (dSph) satellites are still sparse, although the relative fraction of these stars increases with decreasing metallicity. Here, we report the abundance analysis of a metal-poor ([ Fe / H ] = - 2.5 dex), carbon-rich ([C/Fe] = 1.4 dex) star, ALW-8, in the Carina dSph using high-resolution spectroscopy obtained with the ESO/UVES instrument. Its spectrum does not indicate any over-enhancements of neutron capture elements. Thus classified as a CEMP-no star, this is the first detection of this kind of star in Carina. Another of our sample stars, ALW-1, is shown to be a CEMP-s star, but its immediate binarity prompted us to discard it from a detailed analysis. The majority of the 18 chemical elements we measured are typical of Carina's field star population and also agree with CEMP stars in other dSph galaxies. Similar to the only known CEMP-no star in the Sculptor dSph and the weak-r-process star HD 122563, the lack of any strong barium-enhancement is accompanied by a moderate overabundance in yttrium, indicating a weak r-process activity. The overall abundance pattern confirms that, also in Carina, the formation site for CEMP-no stars has been affected by both faint supernovae and by standard core collapse supernovae. Whichever process was responsible for the heavy element production in ALW-8 must be a ubiquitous source to pollute the CEMP-no stars, acting independently of the environment such as in the Galactic halo or in dSphs. Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory at Paranal, Chile; Large Programme proposal 171.B- 0520.Table A.1 is also available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/606/A112

The Galactic Chemical Evolution of r-Process Elements by Neutron Star Mergers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komiya, Yutaka; Shigeyama, Toshikazu

Neutron star mergers (NSMs) are prime candidate sources of r-process elements in the universe but it have been said that NSMs cannot reproduce r-process elements on extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars. We revisit this problem using a new chemical evolution model with merger trees of galaxies. We consider (1) propagation of NSM ejecta of kilo-parsec scale due to its very large velocity and (2) star formation efficiency depending on the galaxy mass. In our model with these ingredients, NSMs can successfully reproduce the abundance distribution of EMP stars.

Identification Of (Bright) Carbon-Enhanced Metal-Poor Stars With J-Plus Photometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Placco, Vinicius

2017-10-01

The chemical composition of our bodies, the Earth, the Sun, and the Universe is complex, and the end result of the formation and evolution of numerous stellar generations that contributed all of the elements heavier than helium. One way to understand the possible pathways that led to such complexity is to determine the chemical abundance patterns of ancient low-metallicity stars in the Halo of our Galaxy. However, it is impossible to observe each of the 100 billion stars in the Milky Way in sufficient detail to assess its chemical composition. Hence, astronomers have developed efficient ways to pre-select the most interesting stars for further high-resolution follow-up, based on the understanding that the colors of stars in specific regions of the optical spectrum are affected in predictable ways by changes in their chemical composition. I will discuss the importance of the J-PLUS photometry in selecting low-metallicity and carbon-enhanced stars, using its 12 magnitudes, which will fully exploit this approach, in a manner superior to all previous such efforts.

The Magellan PFS Planet Search Program: Radial Velocity and Stellar Abundance Analyses of the 360 au, Metal-poor Binary “Twins” HD 133131A & B

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teske, Johanna K.; Shectman, Stephen A.; Vogt, Steve S.; Díaz, Matías; Butler, R. Paul; Crane, Jeffrey D.; Thompson, Ian B.; Arriagada, Pamela

2016-12-01

We present a new precision radial velocity (RV) data set that reveals multiple planets orbiting the stars in the ˜360 au, G2+G2 “twin” binary HD 133131AB. Our six years of high-resolution echelle observations from MIKE and five years from the Planet Finder Spectrograph (PFS) on the Magellan telescopes indicate the presence of two eccentric planets around HD 133131A with minimum masses of 1.43 ± 0.03 and 0.63 ± 0.15 {{ M }}{{J}} at 1.44 ± 0.005 and 4.79 ± 0.92 au, respectively. Additional PFS observations of HD 133131B spanning five years indicate the presence of one eccentric planet of minimum mass 2.50 ± 0.05 {{ M }}{{J}} at 6.40 ± 0.59 au, making it one of the longest-period planets detected with RV to date. These planets are the first to be reported primarily based on data taken with the PFS on Magellan, demonstrating the instrument’s precision and the advantage of long-baseline RV observations. We perform a differential analysis between the Sun and each star, and between the stars themselves, to derive stellar parameters and measure a suite of 21 abundances across a wide range of condensation temperatures. The host stars are old (likely ˜9.5 Gyr) and metal-poor ([Fe/H] ˜ -0.30), and we detect a ˜0.03 dex depletion in refractory elements in HD 133131A versus B (with standard errors ˜0.017). This detection and analysis adds to a small but growing sample of binary “twin” exoplanet host stars with precise abundances measured, and represents the most metal-poor and likely oldest in that sample. Overall, the planets around HD 133131A and B fall in an unexpected regime in planet mass-host star metallicity space and will serve as an important benchmark for the study of long-period giant planets. This paper includes data gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile.

Dynamics of stellar black holes in young star clusters with different metallicities - II. Black hole-black hole binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziosi, Brunetto Marco; Mapelli, Michela; Branchesi, Marica; Tormen, Giuseppe

2014-07-01

In this paper, we study the formation and dynamical evolution of black hole-black hole (BH-BH) binaries in young star clusters (YSCs), by means of N-body simulations. The simulations include metallicity-dependent recipes for stellar evolution and stellar winds, and have been run for three different metallicities (Z = 0.01, 0.1 and 1 Z⊙). Following recent theoretical models of wind mass-loss and core-collapse supernovae, we assume that the mass of the stellar remnants depends on the metallicity of the progenitor stars. We find that BH-BH binaries form efficiently because of dynamical exchanges: in our simulations, we find about 10 times more BH-BH binaries than double neutron star binaries. The simulated BH-BH binaries form earlier in metal-poor YSCs, which host more massive black holes (BHs) than in metal-rich YSCs. The simulated BH-BH binaries have very large chirp masses (up to 80 M⊙), because the BH mass is assumed to depend on metallicity, and because BHs can grow in mass due to the merger with stars. The simulated BH-BH binaries span a wide range of orbital periods (10-3-107 yr), and only a small fraction of them (0.3 per cent) is expected to merge within a Hubble time. We discuss the estimated merger rate from our simulations and the implications for Advanced VIRGO and LIGO.

Chemical Characterization of the Inner Galactic bulge: North-South Symmetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nandakumar, G.; Ryde, N.; Schultheis, M.; Thorsbro, B.; Jönsson, H.; Barklem, P. S.; Rich, R. M.; Fragkoudi, F.

2018-05-01

While the number of stars in the Galactic bulge with detailed chemical abundance measurements is increasing rapidly, the inner Galactic bulge (|b| < 2°) remains poorly studied, due to heavy interstellar absorption and photometric crowding. We have carried out a high-resolution IR spectroscopic study of 72 M giants in the inner bulge using the CRIRES (ESO/VLT) facility. Our spectra cover the wavelength range of 2.0818 - 2.1444 μm with the resolution of R˜50,000 and have signal-to-noise ratio of 50-100. Our stars are located along the bulge minor axis at l = 0°, b = ±0°, ±1°, ±2°and +3°. Our sample was analysed in a homogeneous way using the most current K-band line list. We clearly detect a bimodal MDF with a metal-rich peak at ˜ +0.3 dex and a metal-poor peak at ˜ -0.5 dex, and no stars with [Fe/H] > +0.6 dex. The Galactic Center field reveals in contrast a mainly metal-rich population with a mean metallicity of +0.3 dex. We derived [Mg/Fe] and [Si/Fe] abundances which are consistent with trends from the outer bulge. We confirm for the supersolar metallicity stars the decreasing trend in [Mg/Fe] and [Si/Fe] as expected from chemical evolution models. With the caveat of a relatively small sample, we do not find significant differences in the chemical abundances between the Northern and the Southern fields, hence the evidence is consistent with symmetry in chemistry between North and South.

Kinematics of metal-poor giants in an inner-halo field, with implications for disk formation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morrison, Heather L.

1993-01-01

A sample of approximately 100 predominantly metal-weak giants, identified in a high-latitude field towards the galactic center using an automated objective-prism survey technique, is presented. Abundances and radial velocities have been measured for these giants, whose distances from the Sun range from 1 to 18 kpc. While the extremely metal-weak stars in the field have halo kinematics, the majority of the stars with intermediate abundance have thick disk kinematics, despite the fact that their average distance from the galactic plane is 3 kpc. The most satisfactory explanation for this effect is that the inner halo is moderately flattened, and the metal-weak stars of the thick disk have a scale height of about 2 kpc. It is suggested that the thick disk may have formed in a dissipational collapse, rather than in a separate event such as the accretion of a small satellite galaxy.

Ultrafaint dwarfs—star formation and chemical evolution in the smallest galaxies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Webster, David; Bland-Hawthorn, Joss; Sutherland, Ralph, E-mail: d.webster@physics.usyd.edu.au

2014-11-20

In earlier work, we showed that a dark matter halo with a virial mass of 10{sup 7} M {sub ☉} can retain a major part of its baryons in the face of the pre-ionization phase and supernova (SN) explosion from a 25 M {sub ☉} star. Here, we expand on the results of that work, investigating the star formation and chemical evolution of the system beyond the first SN. In a galaxy with a mass M {sub vir} = 10{sup 7} M {sub ☉}, sufficient gas is retained by the potential for a second period of star formation to occur.more » The impact of a central explosion is found to be much stronger than that of an off-center explosion both in blowing out the gas and in enriching it, as in the off-center case most of the SN energy and metals escape into the intergalactic medium. We model the star formation and metallicity, given the assumption that stars form for 100, 200, 400, and 600 Myr, and discuss the results in the context of recent observations of very low-mass galaxies. We show that we can account for most features of the observed relationship between [α/Fe] and [Fe/H] in ultra-faint dwarf galaxies with the assumption that the systems formed at a low mass, rather than being remnants of much larger systems.« less

Characterizing the Chemistry of the Milky Way Stellar Halo: Detailed Chemical Analysis of a Metal-poor Stellar Stream

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roederer, Ian U.; Sneden, Christopher; Thompson, Ian B.; Preston, George W.; Shectman, Stephen A.

2010-03-01

We present the results of a detailed abundance analysis of one of the confirmed building blocks of the Milky Way stellar halo, a kinematically coherent metal-poor stellar stream. We have obtained high-resolution and high signal-to-noise spectra of 12 probable stream members using the Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle spectrograph on the Magellan-Clay Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory and the 2dCoude spectrograph on the Smith Telescope at McDonald Observatory. We have derived abundances or upper limits for 51 species of 46 elements in each of these stars. The stream members show a range of metallicity (-3.4 < [Fe/H] <-1.5) but are otherwise chemically homogeneous, with the same star-to-star dispersion in [X/Fe] as the rest of the halo. This implies that, in principle, a significant fraction of the Milky Way stellar halo could have formed from accreted systems like the stream. The stream stars show minimal evolution in the α or Fe-group elements over the range of metallicity. This stream is enriched with material produced by the main and weak components of the rapid neutron-capture process and shows no evidence for enrichment by the slow neutron-capture process. This paper includes data gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. This paper includes data taken at The McDonald Observatory of the University of Texas at Austin.

Measuring the High-Mass IMF in Low-Metallicity Dwarf Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weisz, Daniel

2017-08-01

We propose to measure the stellar initial mass function above >1-2 Msun in 46 nearby dwarf galaxies with archival HST observations. This novel approach leverages the redundant age information provided by the main sequence and blue core helium burning stars <500 years old to break the well-known degeneracy between the IMF and star formation history (SFH), enabling a direct measurement of the high-mass IMF in dwarf galaxies. We will be able to constrain the high-mass IMF slope to a precision better than 0.1 to 0.3 dex in each galaxy. Our sample spans a factor of 6 in metallicity ( 5-30% Zsun), 4 decades in star formation rate, and 3 decades in both stellar and gas mass, allowing us to explore the IMF over a wide range of extreme environments.Current observational evidence suggests that nearby dwarf galaxies are the most likely candidates to host significant and systematic variations in the high-mass IMF (e.g., Halpha/UV ratios). However, to date there have been no direct measurements of the high-mass IMF in environments with lower star formation rates and/or more metal poor than the Magellanic Clouds. Our program remedies this shortcoming allowing us to (1) make the first-ever measurement of the high-mass IMF in extremely metal-poor environments; (2) empirically quantify environmental the (lack of) variations in the high-mass IMF; (3) directly test the integrated galactic mass initial mass function (IGIMF), which predicts environmental sensitivity of the IMF in dwarf galaxies.

The extremely metal-poor galaxy DDO 68: the luminous blue variable, Hα shells and the most luminous stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pustilnik, S. A.; Makarova, L. N.; Perepelitsyna, Y. A.; Moiseev, A. V.; Makarov, D. I.

2017-03-01

This paper presents new results from the ongoing study of the unusual Lynx-Cancer void galaxy DDO 68, which has star-forming regions of record low metallicity [12+log (O/H) ˜7.14]. The results include the following. (I) A new spectrum and photometry have been obtained with the 6-m SAO RAS telescope (BTA) for the luminous blue variable (LBV = DDO68-V1). Photometric data sets were complemented with others based on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) archive images. (II) We performed an analysis of the DDO 68 supergiant shell (SGS) and the prominent smaller Hα arcs/shells visible in the HST image coupled with kinematic maps in Hα obtained with the Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) at the BTA. (III) We compiled a list of about 50 of the most luminous stars (-9.1 mag < MV < -6.0 mag) identified from the HST images associated with the star-forming regions with known extremely low O/H. This is intended to pave the path for the current science to be investigated with the next generation of giant telescopes. We have confirmed earlier hints of significant variation of the LBV optical light, deriving its amplitude as ΔV ≳ 3.7 mag for the first time. New data suggest that in 2008-2010 the LBV reached MV = -10.5 mag and probably underwent a giant eruption. We argue that the structure of star-forming complexes along the SGS ('Northern Ring') perimeter provides evidence for sequential induced star-formation episodes caused by the shell gas instabilities and gravitational collapse. The variability of some luminous extremely metal-poor stars in DDO 68 can currently be monitored with medium-size telescopes at sites with superb seeing.

From Actinides to Zinc: Using the Full Abundance Pattern of the Brightest Star in Reticulum II to Distinguish between Different r-process Sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Alexander P.; Frebel, Anna

2018-04-01

The ultra-faint dwarf galaxy Reticulum II was enriched by a rare and prolific r-process event, such as a neutron star merger (NSM). To investigate the nature of this event, we present high-resolution Magellan/MIKE spectroscopy of the brightest star in this galaxy. The high signal-to-noise allows us to determine the abundances of 41 elements, including the radioactive actinide element Th and first ever detections of third r-process peak elements (Os and Ir) in a star outside the Milky Way. The observed neutron-capture element abundances closely match the solar r-process component, except for the first r-process peak, which is significantly lower than solar but matches other r-process enhanced stars. The ratio of the first peak to heavier r-process elements implies that the r-process site produces roughly equal masses of high and low electron fraction ejecta, within a factor of 2. We compare the detailed abundance pattern to predictions from nucleosynthesis calculations of NSMs and magnetorotationally driven jet supernovae, finding that nuclear physics uncertainties dominate over astrophysical uncertainties. We measure {log}{{Th/Eu}}=-0.84+/- 0.06 ({stat})+/- 0.22 ({sys}), somewhat lower than all previous Th/Eu observations. The youngest age we derive from this ratio is 21.7 ± 2.8 (stat) ± 10.3 (sys) Gyr, indicating that current initial production ratios do not describe the r-process event in Reticulum II. The abundances of light elements up to Zn are consistent with extremely metal-poor Milky Way halo stars. They may eventually provide a way to distinguish between NSMs and magnetorotationally driven jet supernovae, but this would require more detailed knowledge of the chemical evolution of Reticulum II. This paper includes data gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile.

Chemical Abundances of Two Stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud Globular Cluster NGC 1718

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakari, Charli M.; McWilliam, Andrew; Wallerstein, George

2017-05-01

Detailed chemical abundances of two stars in the intermediate-age Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) globular cluster NGC 1718 are presented, based on high-resolution spectroscopic observations with the MIKE spectrograph. The detailed abundances confirm NGC 1718 to be a fairly metal-rich cluster, with an average [Fe/H] ˜ -0.55 ± 0.01. The two red giants appear to have primordial O, Na, Mg and Al abundances, with no convincing signs of a composition difference between the two stars - hence, based on these two stars, NGC 1718 shows no evidence for hosting multiple populations. The Mg abundance is lower than Milky Way field stars, but is similar to LMC field stars at the same metallicity. The previous claims of very low [Mg/Fe] in NGC 1718 are therefore not supported in this study. Other abundances (Si, Ca, Ti, V, Mn, Ni, Cu, Rb, Y, Zr, La and Eu) all follow the LMC field star trend, demonstrating yet again that (for most elements) globular clusters trace the abundances of their host galaxy's field stars. Similar to the field stars, NGC 1718 is found to be mildly deficient in explosive α-elements, but moderately to strongly deficient in O, Na, Mg, Al and Cu, elements that form during hydrostatic burning in massive stars. NGC 1718 is also enhanced in La, suggesting that it was enriched in ejecta from metal-poor asymptotic giant branch stars.

The Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy Survey (SDGS) - I. Colour-magnitude diagrams, reddening and population gradients. First evidence of a very metal-poor population

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bellazzini, M.; Ferraro, F. R.; Buonanno, R.

1999-04-01

We present the first results of a large photometric survey devoted to the study of the star formation history of the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy (Sgr dSph). Three wide strips (size ~ 9 x 35 arcmin ^2) located at ~ (l deg b deg) = (6.5;-16), (6;-14), (5;-12) have been observed. Each strip is roughly east-west oriented, nearly along the major axis of the galaxy. A control field (size ~ 9 x 24 arcmin ^2), located outside the body of Sgr dSph [~ (l deg b deg) = (354;-14)] has also been observed for statistical decontamination purposes. Accurate and well-calibrated V, I photometry down to V ~ 22 has been obtained for ~ 90 000 stars towards the Sgr dSph and ~ 8000 stars in the control field. This is the largest photometric sample (covering the widest spatial extension) ever observed in the Sgr dSph up to now. The main new results presented in this paper are: (1) the possible discovery of a strong asymmetry in the distribution of stars along the major axis, since the north-western arm of the Sgr galaxy (i.e. the region nearer to the Galactic bulge) apparently shows a significant deficiency of Sgr stars and (2) the first direct detection of a very metal-poor (and presumably old) population in the Sgr stellar content. Hints at a metallicity gradient towards the densest region of the galaxy are also reported.

Nucleosynthesis in Hot Bubbles of SNe-Origin of EMP Stars: HNe or SNe ?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Izutani, Natsuko; Umeda, Hideyuki; Yoshida, Takashi

2010-08-12

The observational trends of extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars reflect SN nucleosynthesis of Population III, or almost metal-free stars. The observation of EMP stars can be reproduced by HNe, not by normal SNe. However, if the innermost neutron-rich or proton-rich matter is ejected, the abundance patterns of ejected matter are changed, and there is a possibility that normal SNe can also reproduce the observations of EMP stars. In this paper, we calculate nucleosynthesis with various Y{sub e} and entropy taking into account neutrino processes. We investigate whether normal SNe with this innermost matter can reproduce the observations of EMP stars. Wemore » find that neutron-rich (Y{sub e} = 0.45-0.50) and proton-rich (Y{sub e} = 0.51-0.55) matters can improve Zn and Co, but tend to overproduce other Fe-peak elements. On the other hand, HNe can naturally reproduce the observations of EMP stars.« less

Stellar Abundances for Galactic Archaeology Database. IV. Compilation of stars in dwarf galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suda, Takuma; Hidaka, Jun; Aoki, Wako; Katsuta, Yutaka; Yamada, Shimako; Fujimoto, Masayuki Y.; Ohtani, Yukari; Masuyama, Miyu; Noda, Kazuhiro; Wada, Kentaro

2017-10-01

We have constructed a database of stars in Local Group galaxies using the extended version of the SAGA (Stellar Abundances for Galactic Archaeology) database that contains stars in 24 dwarf spheroidal galaxies and ultra-faint dwarfs. The new version of the database includes more than 4500 stars in the Milky Way, by removing the previous metallicity criterion of [Fe/H] ≤ -2.5, and more than 6000 stars in the Local Group galaxies. We examined the validity of using a combined data set for elemental abundances. We also checked the consistency between the derived distances to individual stars and those to galaxies as given in the literature. Using the updated database, the characteristics of stars in dwarf galaxies are discussed. Our statistical analyses of α-element abundances show that the change of the slope of the [α/Fe] relative to [Fe/H] (so-called "knee") occurs at [Fe/H] = -1.0 ± 0.1 for the Milky Way. The knee positions for selected galaxies are derived by applying the same method. The star formation history of individual galaxies is explored using the slope of the cumulative metallicity distribution function. Radial gradients along the four directions are inspected in six galaxies where we find no direction-dependence of metallicity gradients along the major and minor axes. The compilation of all the available data shows a lack of CEMP-s population in dwarf galaxies, while there may be some CEMP-no stars at [Fe/H] ≲ -3 even in the very small sample. The inspection of the relationship between Eu and Ba abundances confirms an anomalously Ba-rich population in Fornax, which indicates a pre-enrichment of interstellar gas with r-process elements. We do not find any evidence of anti-correlations in O-Na and Mg-Al abundances, which characterizes the abundance trends in the Galactic globular clusters.

Taking Another Look: Zr and Y abundances in Halo Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burris, Debra L.; Jones, E.

2007-12-01

The elements Zirconium and Yttrium are produced via neutron capture (n-capture). These elements reside in the mass range where there is uncertainty about the production mechanism at early time. The rapid n-capture process (r-process) was believed to be responsible for the production, but no study (Burris et al 2000, Gilroy et al 1988 and others) has been able to successfully use the r-process to reproduce the abundance signature for elements in this mass range for metal-poor halo stars. It has been suggested (Sneden and Cowan 2003) that there may be an undiscovered component to the r-process. New abundance calculations for these elements have been conducted for a sample of metal-poor halo stars. Transition probabilities for Zr II from Malcheva et al (2006) and for YII from Hannaford et al (1982) were utilized in these calculations. This work is supported in part by the AAS Small Grant Program, the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium and the UCA Undergraduate Research Council.

Galactic evolution of copper in the light of NLTE computations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrievsky, S.; Bonifacio, P.; Caffau, E.; Korotin, S.; Spite, M.; Spite, F.; Sbordone, L.; Zhukova, A. V.

2018-01-01

We have developed a model atom for Cu with which we perform statistical equilibrium computations that allow us to compute the line formation of Cu I lines in stellar atmospheres without assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). We validate this model atom by reproducing the observed line profiles of the Sun, Procyon and 11 metal-poor stars. Our sample of stars includes both dwarfs and giants. Over a wide range of stellar parameters, we obtain excellent agreement among different Cu I lines. The 11 metal-poor stars have iron abundances in the range - 4.2 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ -1.4, the weighted mean of the [Cu/Fe] ratios is -0.22 dex, with a scatter of -0.15 dex. This is very different from the results from LTE analysis (the difference between NLTE and LTE abundances reaches 1 dex) and in spite of the small size of our sample, it prompts for a revision of the Galactic evolution of Cu.

Nucleosynthesis in Hypernovae Associated with Gamma-Ray Bursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nomoto, Ken'ichi

We present nucleosynthesis in very energetic hypernovae, whose kinetic energy (KE) is more than 10 times the KE of normal core-collapse supernovae (SNe). The light curve and spectra fitting of individual SN are used to estimate the mass of the progenitor, explosion energy, and produced 56Ni mass. Comparison with the abundance patterns of extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars has made it possible to determine the model parameters of core-collapse SNe. Nucleosynthesis in hypernovae is characterized by larger abundance ratios (Zn, Co, V, Ti)/Fe and smaller (Mn, Cr)/Fe than normal SNe, which can explain the observed trends of these ratios in EMP stars. Hypernovae are also jet-induced explosions, so that their nucleosynthesis yields can well reproduce the large C/Fe ratio observed in carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars if a small fraction of Fe-peak elements is mixed into the C-rich ejecta in the form of a jet while the bulk of Fe undergoes fallback from equatorial direction (faint supernovae/hypernovae).

A Formation Timescale of the Galactic Halo from Mg Isotopes in Dwarf Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carlos, Marília; Karakas, Amanda I.; Cohen, Judith G.; Kobayashi, Chiaki; Meléndez, Jorge

2018-04-01

We determine magnesium isotopic abundances of metal-poor dwarf stars from the galactic halo, to shed light on the onset of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star nucleosynthesis in the galactic halo and constrain the timescale of its formation. We observed a sample of eight new halo K dwarfs in a metallicity range of ‑1.9 < [Fe/H] < ‑0.9 and 4200 < T eff(K) < 4950, using the HIRES spectrograph at the Keck Observatory (R ≈ 105 and 200 ≤ S/N ≤ 300). We obtain magnesium isotopic abundances by spectral synthesis on three MgH features and compare our results with galactic chemical evolution models. With the current sample, we almost double the number of metal-poor stars with Mg isotopes determined from the literature. The new data allow us to determine the metallicity when the 26Mg abundances start to become important, [Fe/H] ∼ ‑1.4 ± 0.1. The data with [Fe/H] > ‑1.4 are somewhat higher (1–3σ) than previous chemical evolution model predictions, indicating perhaps higher yields of the neutron-rich isotopes. Our results using only AGB star enrichment suggest a timescale for formation for the galactic halo of about 0.3 Gyr, but considering also supernova enrichment, the upper limit for the timescale formation is about 1.5 Gyr. The data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.

Elemental abundances and classification of carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, D. M.; Ryan, S. G.; Rossi, S.; Beers, T. C.; Tsangarides, S. A.

2012-12-01

We present a detailed study of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars, based on high-resolution spectroscopic observations of a sample of 18 stars. The stellar spectra for this sample were obtained at the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope in 2001 and 2002, using the Utrecht Echelle Spectrograph, at a resolving power R ~ 52 000 and S/N ~ 40, covering the wavelength range λλ3700-5700 Å. The atmospheric parameters determined for this sample indicate temperatures ranging from 4750 K to 7100 K, log g from 1.5 to 4.3, and metallicities -3.0 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ -1.7. Elemental abundances for C, Na, Mg, Sc, Ti, Cr, Cu, Zn, Sr, Y, Zr, Ba, La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy are determined. Abundances for an additional 109 stars were taken from the literature and combined with the data of our sample. The literature sample reveals a lack of reliable abundance estimates for species that might be associated with the r-process elements for about 67% of CEMP stars, preventing a complete understanding of this class of stars, since [Ba/Eu] ratios are used to classify them. Although eight stars in our observed sample are also found in the literature sample, Eu abundances or limits are determined for four of these stars for the first time. From the observed correlations between C, Ba, and Eu, we argue that the CEMP-r/s class has the same astronomical origin as CEMP-s stars, highlighting the need for a more complete understanding of Eu production. Tables 1, 3, 4, 8-10, A.1, and B.1-B.4 are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.orgFull Tables 2, 5, and 7 are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/548/A34

Milky Way globular cluster metallicity and low-mass X-ray binaries: the red giant influence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vulic, N.; Barmby, P.; Gallagher, S. C.

2018-02-01

Galactic and extragalactic studies have shown that metal-rich globular clusters (GCs) are approximately three times more likely to host bright low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) than metal-poor GCs. There is no satisfactory explanation for this metallicity effect. We tested the hypothesis that the number density of red giant branch (RGB) stars is larger in metal-rich GCs, and thus potentially the cause of the metallicity effect. Using Hubble Space Telescope photometry for 109 unique Milky Way GCs, we investigated whether RGB star density was correlated with GC metallicity. Isochrone fitting was used to calculate the number of RGB stars, which were normalized by the GC mass and fraction of observed GC luminosity, and determined density using the volume at the half-light radius (rh). The RGB star number density was weakly correlated with metallicity [Fe/H], giving Spearman and Kendall Rank test p-values of 0.000 16 and 0.000 21 and coefficients rs = 0.35 and τ = 0.24, respectively. This correlation may be biased by a possible dependence of rh on [Fe/H], although studies have shown that rh is correlated with Galactocentric distance and independent of [Fe/H]. The dynamical origin of the rh-metallicity correlation (tidal stripping) suggests that metal-rich GCs may have had more active dynamical histories, which would promote LMXB formation. No correlation between the RGB star number density and metallicity was found when using only the GCs that hosted quiescent LMXBs. A complete census of quiescent LMXBs in our Galaxy is needed to further probe the metallicity effect, which will be possible with the upcoming launch of eROSITA.

Enrichment of Zinc in Galactic Chemodynamical Evolution Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirai, Yutaka; Saitoh, Takayuki R.; Ishimaru, Yuhri; Wanajo, Shinya

2018-03-01

The heaviest iron-peak element Zinc (Zn) has been used as an important tracer of cosmic chemical evolution. Spectroscopic observations of the metal-poor stars in Local Group galaxies show an increasing trend of [Zn/Fe] ratios toward lower metallicity. However, the enrichment of Zn in galaxies is not well understood due to poor knowledge of astrophysical sites of Zn, as well as metal mixing in galaxies. Here we show possible explanations for the observed trend by taking into account electron-capture supernovae (ECSNe) as one of the sources of Zn in our chemodynamical simulations of dwarf galaxies. We find that the ejecta from ECSNe contribute to stars with [Zn/Fe] ≳ 0.5. We also find that scatters of [Zn/Fe] in higher metallicities originate from the ejecta of type Ia supernovae. On the other hand, it appears difficult to explain the observed trends if we do not consider ECSNe as a source of Zn. These results come from an inhomogeneous spatial metallicity distribution due to the inefficiency of the metal mixing. We find that the optimal value of the scaling factor for the metal diffusion coefficient is ∼0.01 in the shear-based metal mixing model in smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations. These results suggest that ECSNe could be one of the contributors of the enrichment of Zn in galaxies.

J0811+4730: the most metal-poor star-forming dwarf galaxy known

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izotov, Y. I.; Thuan, T. X.; Guseva, N. G.; Liss, S. E.

2018-01-01

We report the discovery of the most metal-poor dwarf star-forming galaxy (SFG) known to date, J0811+4730. This galaxy, at a redshift z = 0.04444, has a Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) g-band absolute magnitude Mg = -15.41 mag. It was selected by inspecting the spectroscopic data base in the Data Release 13 (DR13) of the SDSS. Large Binocular Telescope/Multi-Object Double spectrograph (LBT/MODS) spectroscopic observations reveal its oxygen abundance to be 12 + log O/H = 6.98 ± 0.02, the lowest ever observed for an SFG. J0811+4730 strongly deviates from the main sequence defined by SFGs in the emission line diagnostic diagrams and the metallicity-luminosity diagram. These differences are caused mainly by the extremely low oxygen abundance in J0811+4730, which is ∼10 times lower than that in main-sequence SFGs with similar luminosities. By fitting the spectral energy distributions of the SDSS and LBT spectra, we derive a stellar mass of M⋆ = 106.24-106.29 M⊙, and we find that a considerable fraction of the galaxy stellar mass was formed during the most recent burst of star formation.

Refined Estimates of Carbon Abundances for Carbon-Enhanced Metal-Poor Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossi, S.; Placco, V. M.; Beers, T. C.; Marsteller, B.; Kennedy, C. R.; Sivarani, T.; Masseron, T.; Plez, B.

2008-03-01

We present results from a refined set of procedures for estimation of the metallicities ([Fe/H]) and carbon abundance ratios ([C/Fe]) based on a much larger sample of calibration objects (on the order of 500 stars) then were available to Rossi et al. (2005), due to a dramatic increase in the number of stars with measurements obtained from high-resolution analyses in the past few years. We compare results obtained from a new calibration of the KP and GP indices with that obtained from a custom set of spectral synthesis based on MOOG. In cases where the GP index approaches saturation, it is clear that only spectral synthesis achieve reliable results.

Comparing Ultraviolet Spectra against Calculations: Year 2 Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peterson, Ruth C.

2004-01-01

The five-year goal of this effort is to calculate high fidelity mid-W spectra for individual stars and stellar systems for a wide range of ages, abundances, and abundance ratios. In this second year, the comparison of our calculations against observed high-resolution mid- W spectra was extended to stars as metal-rich as the Sun, and to hotter and cooler stars, further improving the list of atomic line parameters used in the calculations. We also published the application of our calculations based on the earlier list of line parameters to the observed mid-UV and optical spectra of a mildly metal-poor globular cluster in the nearby Andromeda galaxy, Messier 3 1.

High-resolution spectroscopic observations of the new CEMP-s star CD -50°776

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roriz, M.; Pereira, C. B.; Drake, N. A.; Roig, F.; Silva, J. V. Sales

2017-11-01

Carbon enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars are a particular class of low-metalicity halo stars whose chemical analysis may provide important contrains to the chemistry evolution of the Galaxy and to the models of mass-transfer and evolution of components in binary systems. Here, we present a detailed analysis of the CEMP star CD -50°776, using high resolution optical spectroscopy. We found that CD -50°776 has a metalicity [Fe/H] = -2.31 and a carbon abundance [C/Fe] = +1.21. Analysing the s-process elements and the europium abundances, we show that this star is actually a CEMP-s star, based on the criteria set in the literature to classify these chemically peculiar objects. We also show that CD -50°776 is a lead star, since it has a ratio [Pb/Ce] = +0.97. In addition, we show that CD -50°776 develops radial velocity variations that may be attributed to the orbital motion in a binary system. The abundance pattern of CD -50°776 is discussed and compared to other CEMP-s stars already reported in the literature to show that this star is a quite exceptional object among the CEMP stars, particularly due to its low nitrogen abundance. Explaining this pattern may require to improve the nucleosynthesis models, and the evolutionary models of mass transfer and binary interaction.

Discovery of a Metal-Poor Little Cub

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-09-01

The discovery of an extremely metal-poor star-forming galaxy in our local universe, dubbed Little Cub, is providing astronomers with front-row seats to the quenching of a near-pristine galaxy.SDSS image of NGC 3359 (left) and Little Cub (right), with overlying contours displaying the location of hydrogen gas. Little Cubs (also shown in the inset) stellar mass lies in the blue contour of the right-hand side. The outer white contours show the extended gas of the galaxy, likely dragged out as a tidal tail by Little Cubs interaction with NGC 3359. [Hsyu et al. 2017]The Hunt for Metal-Poor GalaxiesLow-metallicity, star-forming galaxies can show us the conditions under which the first stars formed. The galaxies with the lowest metallicities, however, also tend to be those with the lowest luminosities making them difficult to detect. Though we know that there should be many low-mass, low-luminosity, low-metallicity galaxies in the universe, weve detected very few of them nearby.In an effort to track down more of these metal-poor galaxies, a team of scientists led by Tiffany Hsyu (University of California Santa Cruz) searched through Sloan Digital Sky Survey data, looking for small galaxies with the correct photometric color to qualify a candidate blue compact dwarfs, a type of small, low-luminosity, star-forming galaxy that is often low-metallicity.Hsyu and collaborators identified more than 2,500 candidate blue compact dwarfs, and next set about obtaining follow-up spectroscopy for many of the candidates from the Keck and Lick Observatories. Though this project is still underway, around 100 new blue compact dwarfs have already been identified via the spectroscopy, including one of particular interest: the Little Cub.Little CubThis tiny star-forming galaxy gained its nickname from its location in the constellation Ursa Major. Little Cub is perhaps 50 or 60 million light-years away, and Hsyu and collaborators find it to be one of the lowest-metallicity star-forming galaxies in our local universe. The galaxy contains 100,000 solar masses of stars and it is notably gas-rich with nearly 100 times the stellar mass in neutral gas.The environment of Little Cub is also interesting: it appears to be just a couple hundred thousand light-years away from the grand design spiral galaxy NGC 3359. The galaxies proximity and kinematics suggest that Little Cub may be a companion of NGC 3359, and Little Cubs morphology indicates that the larger galaxy may be tidally stripping gas from it.Emission-line spectra of Little Cub from Keck Observatory. [Hsyu et al. 2017]A First Passage?If Little Cub is indeed being tidally stripped by NGC 3359, then its surprising that the small galaxy still contains so much hot, star-forming gas; timescales for tidal stripping of this sort are thought to be very short. Hsyu and collaborators therefore speculate that we may have caught Little Cub in the early stages of its first passage around NGC 3359, allowing us to witness the quenching of a near-pristine satellite by a Milky-Way-like galaxy.This quenching process is thought to commonly happen around other massive host galaxies in the universe including around our own Milky Way, where nearly all satellite galaxies within roughly a million light-years are already quiescent and contain little neutral gas. Little Cub provides us with a rare opportunity to watch this process in action in our nearby universe, and it will be an intriguing laboratory for testing our understanding of dwarf satellite galaxy evolution.CitationTiffany Hsyu et al 2017 ApJL 845 L22. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aa821f

A New Test of Copper and Zinc Abundances in Late-type Stars Using Ultraviolet Cu II and Zn II Lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roederer, Ian U.; Barklem, Paul S.

2018-04-01

We present new abundances derived from Cu I, Cu II, Zn I, and Zn II lines in six warm (5766 ≤ {T}eff} ≤ 6427 K), metal-poor (‑2.50 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ ‑0.95) dwarf and subgiant (3.64 ≤ log g ≤ 4.44) stars. These abundances are derived from archival high-resolution ultraviolet spectra from the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based optical spectra from several observatories. Ionized Cu and Zn are the majority species, and abundances derived from Cu II and Zn II lines should be largely insensitive to departures from local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). We find good agreement between the [Zn/H] ratios derived separately from Zn I and Zn II lines, suggesting that departures from LTE are, at most, minimal (≲0.1 dex). We find that the [Cu/H] ratios derived from Cu II lines are 0.36 ± 0.06 dex larger than those derived from Cu I lines in the most metal-poor stars ([Fe/H] < ‑1.8), suggesting that LTE underestimates the Cu abundance derived from Cu I lines. The deviations decrease in more metal-rich stars. Our results validate previous theoretical non-LTE calculations for both Cu and Zn, supporting earlier conclusions that the enhancement of [Zn/Fe] in metal-poor stars is legitimate, and the deficiency of [Cu/Fe] in metal-poor stars may not be as large as previously thought. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained from the data archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA) under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. This work is supported by NASA through grant number AR-15051 and makes use of data from programs GO-7348, GO-8197, GO-9804, GO-14161, and GO-14672. This research has also made use of the Keck Observatory Archive (KOA), which is operated by the W.M. Keck Observatory and the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI), under contract with NASA. These data are associated with programs C314Hr, H6aH, and H283Hr. Other data have been obtained from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Science Archive Facility. These data are associated with programs 65.L-0507(A), 67.D-0439(A), and 080.D-0347(A). This work has also made use of data collected from the McDonald Observatory of the University of Texas at Austin.

A Wide-Field Photometric Survey for Extratidal Tails Around Five Metal-Poor Globular Clusters in the Galactic Halo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chun, Sang-Hyun; Kim, Jae-Woo; Sohn, Sangmo T.; Park, Jang-Hyun; Han, Wonyong; Kim, Ho-Il; Lee, Young-Wook; Lee, Myung Gyoon; Lee, Sang-Gak; Sohn, Young-Jong

2010-02-01

Wide-field deep g'r'i' images obtained with the Megacam of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope are used to investigate the spatial configuration of stars around five metal-poor globular clusters M15, M30, M53, NGC 5053, and NGC 5466, in a field-of-view ~3°. Applying a mask filtering algorithm to the color-magnitude diagrams of the observed stars, we sorted cluster's member star candidates that are used to examine the characteristics of the spatial stellar distribution surrounding the target clusters. The smoothed surface density maps and the overlaid isodensity contours indicate that all of the five metal-poor globular clusters exhibit strong evidence of extratidal overdensity features over their tidal radii, in the form of extended tidal tails around the clusters. The orientations of the observed extratidal features show signatures of tidal tails tracing the clusters' orbits, inferred from their proper motions, and effects of dynamical interactions with the Galaxy. Our findings include detections of a tidal bridge-like feature and an envelope structure around the pair of globular clusters M53 and NGC 5053. The observed radial surface density profiles of target clusters have a deviation from theoretical King models, for which the profiles show a break at 0.5-0.7rt , extending the overdensity features out to 1.5-2rt . Both radial surface density profiles for different angular sections and azimuthal number density profiles confirm the overdensity features of tidal tails around the five metal-poor globular clusters. Our results add further observational evidence that the observed metal-poor halo globular clusters originate from an accreted satellite system, indicative of the merging scenario of the formation of the Galactic halo. Based on observations carried out at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, operated by the National Research Council of Canada, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique de France, and the University of Hawaii. This is part of the Searching for the Galactic Halo project using the CFHT, organized by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute.

Chemical evolution of the Galactic bulge as traced by microlensed dwarf and subgiant stars. IV. Two bulge populations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bensby, T.; Adén, D.; Meléndez, J.; Gould, A.; Feltzing, S.; Asplund, M.; Johnson, J. A.; Lucatello, S.; Yee, J. C.; Ramírez, I.; Cohen, J. G.; Thompson, I.; Bond, I. A.; Gal-Yam, A.; Han, C.; Sumi, T.; Suzuki, D.; Wada, K.; Miyake, N.; Furusawa, K.; Ohmori, K.; Saito, To.; Tristram, P.; Bennett, D.

2011-09-01

Based on high-resolution (R ≈ 42 000 to 48 000) and high signal-to-noise (S/N ≈ 50 to 150) spectra obtained with UVES/VLT, we present detailed elemental abundances (O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, Cr, Fe, Ni, Zn, Y, and Ba) and stellar ages for 12 new microlensed dwarf and subgiant stars in the Galactic bulge. Including previous microlensing events, the sample of homogeneously analysed bulge dwarfs has now grown to 26. The analysis is based on equivalent width measurements and standard 1-D LTE MARCS model stellar atmospheres. We also present NLTE Li abundances based on line synthesis of the 7Li line at 670.8 nm. The results from the 26 microlensed dwarf and subgiant stars show that the bulge metallicity distribution (MDF) is double-peaked; one peak at [Fe/H] ≈ -0.6 and one at [Fe/H] ≈ + 0.3, and with a dearth of stars around solar metallicity. This is in contrast to the MDF derived from red giants in Baade's window, which peaks at this exact value. A simple significance test shows that it is extremely unlikely to have such a gap in the microlensed dwarf star MDF if the dwarf stars are drawn from the giant star MDF. To resolve this issue we discuss several possibilities, but we can not settle on a conclusive solution for the observed differences. We further find that the metal-poor bulge dwarf stars arepredominantly old with ages greater than 10 Gyr, while the metal-rich bulge dwarf stars show a wide range of ages. The metal-poor bulge sample is very similar to the Galactic thick disk in terms of average metallicity, elemental abundance trends, and stellar ages. Speculatively, the metal-rich bulge population might be the manifestation of the inner thin disk. If so, the two bulge populations could support the recent findings, based on kinematics, that there are no signatures of a classical bulge and that the Milky Way is a pure-disk galaxy. Also, recent claims of a flat IMF in the bulge based on the MDF of giant stars may have to be revised based on the MDF and abundance trends probed by our microlensed dwarf stars. Based on observations made with the European Southern Observatory telescopes (84.B-0837, 85.B-0399, and 86.B-0757). This paper also includes data gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at the Las Campanas Observatory, Chile, and data obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.Tables 4 and 5 are available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/533/A134

The Diverse Origins of Neutron-capture Elements in the Metal-poor Star HD 94028: Possible Detection of Products of I-Process Nucleosynthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roederer, Ian U.; Karakas, Amanda I.; Pignatari, Marco; Herwig, Falk

2016-04-01

We present a detailed analysis of the composition and nucleosynthetic origins of the heavy elements in the metal-poor ([Fe/H] = -1.62 ± 0.09) star HD 94028. Previous studies revealed that this star is mildly enhanced in elements produced by the slow neutron-capture process (s process; e.g., [Pb/Fe] = +0.79 ± 0.32) and rapid neutron-capture process (r process; e.g., [Eu/Fe] = +0.22 ± 0.12), including unusually large molybdenum ([Mo/Fe] = +0.97 ± 0.16) and ruthenium ([Ru/Fe] = +0.69 ± 0.17) enhancements. However, this star is not enhanced in carbon ([C/Fe] = -0.06 ± 0.19). We analyze an archival near-ultraviolet spectrum of HD 94028, collected using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope, and other archival optical spectra collected from ground-based telescopes. We report abundances or upper limits derived from 64 species of 56 elements. We compare these observations with s-process yields from low-metallicity AGB evolution and nucleosynthesis models. No combination of s- and r-process patterns can adequately reproduce the observed abundances, including the super-solar [As/Ge] ratio (+0.99 ± 0.23) and the enhanced [Mo/Fe] and [Ru/Fe] ratios. We can fit these features when including an additional contribution from the intermediate neutron-capture process (I process), which perhaps operated through the ingestion of H in He-burning convective regions in massive stars, super-AGB stars, or low-mass AGB stars. Currently, only the I process appears capable of consistently producing the super-solar [As/Ge] ratios and ratios among neighboring heavy elements found in HD 94028. Other metal-poor stars also show enhanced [As/Ge] ratios, hinting that operation of the I process may have been common in the early Galaxy. These data are associated with Program 072.B-0585(A), PI. Silva. Some data presented in this paper were obtained from the Barbara A. Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST). The Space Telescope Science Institute is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555. These data are associated with Programs GO-7402 and GO-8197. This work is based on data obtained from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Science Archive Facility. These data are associated with Program 072.B-0585(A). This paper includes data taken at The McDonald Observatory of The University of Texas at Austin.

V474 Car: A RARE HALO RS CVn BINARY IN RETROGRADE GALACTIC ORBIT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bubar, Eric J.; Mamajek, Eric E.; Jensen, Eric L. N.

We report the discovery that the star V474 Car is an extremely active, high velocity halo RS CVn system. The star was originally identified as a possible pre-main-sequence star in Carina, given its enhanced stellar activity, rapid rotation (10.3 days), enhanced Li, and absolute magnitude which places it above the main sequence (MS). However, its extreme radial velocity (264 km s{sup -1}) suggested that this system was unlike any previously known pre-MS system. Our detailed spectroscopic analysis of echelle spectra taken with the CTIO 4 m finds that V474 Car is both a spectroscopic binary with an orbital period similarmore » to the photometric rotation period and metal-poor ([Fe/H] {approx_equal}-0.99). The star's Galactic orbit is extremely eccentric (e {approx_equal} 0.93) with a perigalacticon of only {approx}0.3 kpc of the Galactic center-and the eccentricity and smallness of its perigalacticon are surpassed by only {approx}0.05% of local F/G-type field stars. The observed characteristics are consistent with V474 Car being a high-velocity, metal-poor, tidally locked, chromospherically active binary, i.e., a halo RS CVn binary, and one of only a few such specimens known.« less

The Genesis of the Milky Way's Thick Disk via Stellar Migration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loebman, Sarah; Roskar, R.; Debattista, V. P.; Ivezic, Z.; Quinn, T. R.; Wadsley, J.

2011-01-01

The separation of the Milky Way disk into a thin and thick component is supported by differences in kinematics and metallicity. These differences have lead to the predominant view that the thick disk formed early via a cataclysmic event and constitutes fossil evidence of the hierarchical growth of the Milky Way. We show here, using N-body simulations, how a double vertical structure, with stellar populations displaying similar dichotomies can arise purely through internal evolution. Stars migrate radially, while retaining nearly circular orbits, as described by Sellwood & Binney (2002). As stars move outwards their vertical motions carry them to larger heights above the mid-plane, populating a thickened component. Such stars found at present time in the solar neighborhood formed early in the disk’s history at smaller radii where stars are more metal-poor and α-enhanced, leading to exactly the properties observed for thick disk stars. Classifying stars as members of the thin or thick disk by either velocity or metallicity leads to an apparent separation in the other property as observed. This scenario is supported by the SDSS observation that stars in the transition region do not show any correlation between rotation and metallicity. Such a correlation is present in young stars and arises because of epicyclic motions but migration radially mixes stars, washing out the correlation. Using the Geneva Copenhagen Survey, we indeed find a velocity-metallicity correlation in the younger stars and none in the older stars. We predict a similar result when separating stars by [α/Fe]. The good qualitative agreement between our simulation and observations are remarkable because the simulation was not tuned to reproduce the Milky Way, hinting that the thick disk may be dominated by stellar migration. Nonetheless, we cannot exclude that some fraction of the thick disk is a fossil of a past more violent history.

Are some CEMP-s stars the daughters of spinstars?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choplin, Arthur; Hirschi, Raphael; Meynet, Georges; Ekström, Sylvia

2017-11-01

Carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP)-s stars are long-lived low-mass stars with a very low iron content as well as overabundances of carbon and s-elements. Their peculiar chemical pattern is often explained by pollution from an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star companion. Recent observations have shown that most CEMP-s stars are in binary systems, providing support to the AGB companion scenario. A few CEMP-s stars, however, appear to be single. We inspect four apparently single CEMP-s stars and discuss the possibility that they formed from the ejecta of a previous-generation massive star, referred to as the "source" star. In order to investigate this scenario, we computed low-metallicity massive-star models with and without rotation and including complete s-process nucleosynthesis. We find that non-rotating source stars cannot explain the observed abundance of any of the four CEMP-s stars. Three out of the four CEMP-s stars can be explained by a 25M⊙ source star with vini 500 km s-1 (spinstar). The fourth CEMP-s star has a high Pb abundance that cannot be explained by any of the models we computed. Since spinstars and AGB predict different ranges of [O/Fe] and [ls/hs], these ratios could be an interesting way to further test these two scenarios.

Nearest neighbor: The low-mass Milky Way satellite Tucana III

DOE PAGES

Simon, J. D.; Li, T. S.; Drlica-Wagner, A.; ...

2017-03-17

Here, we present Magellan/IMACS spectroscopy of the recently discovered Milky Way satellite Tucana III (Tuc III). We identify 26 member stars in Tuc III from which we measure a mean radial velocity of v hel = -102.3 ± 0.4 (stat.) ± 2.0 (sys.)more » $$\\mathrm{km}\\,{{\\rm{s}}}^{-1}$$, a velocity dispersion of $${0.1}_{-0.1}^{+0.7}$$ $$\\mathrm{km}\\,{{\\rm{s}}}^{-1}$$, and a mean metallicity of $${\\rm{[Fe/H]}}=-{2.42}_{-0.08}^{+0.07}$$. The upper limit on the velocity dispersion is σ < 1.5 $$\\mathrm{km}\\,{{\\rm{s}}}^{-1}$$ at 95.5% confidence, and the corresponding upper limit on the mass within the half-light radius of Tuc III is 9.0 × 10 4 M ⊙. We cannot rule out mass-to-light ratios as large as 240 M ⊙/L ⊙ for Tuc III, but much lower mass-to-light ratios that would leave the system baryon-dominated are also allowed. We measure an upper limit on the metallicity spread of the stars in Tuc III of 0.19 dex at 95.5% confidence. Tuc III has a smaller metallicity dispersion and likely a smaller velocity dispersion than any known dwarf galaxy, but a larger size and lower surface brightness than any known globular cluster. Its metallicity is also much lower than those of the clusters with similar luminosity. We therefore tentatively suggest that Tuc III is the tidally stripped remnant of a dark matter-dominated dwarf galaxy, but additional precise velocity and metallicity measurements will be necessary for a definitive classification. If Tuc III is indeed a dwarf galaxy, it is one of the closest external galaxies to the Sun. Because of its proximity, the most luminous stars in Tuc III are quite bright, including one star at V = 15.7 that is the brightest known member star of an ultra-faint satellite.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Simon, J. D.; Li, T. S.; Drlica-Wagner, A.

Here, we present Magellan/IMACS spectroscopy of the recently discovered Milky Way satellite Tucana III (Tuc III). We identify 26 member stars in Tuc III from which we measure a mean radial velocity of v hel = -102.3 ± 0.4 (stat.) ± 2.0 (sys.)more » $$\\mathrm{km}\\,{{\\rm{s}}}^{-1}$$, a velocity dispersion of $${0.1}_{-0.1}^{+0.7}$$ $$\\mathrm{km}\\,{{\\rm{s}}}^{-1}$$, and a mean metallicity of $${\\rm{[Fe/H]}}=-{2.42}_{-0.08}^{+0.07}$$. The upper limit on the velocity dispersion is σ < 1.5 $$\\mathrm{km}\\,{{\\rm{s}}}^{-1}$$ at 95.5% confidence, and the corresponding upper limit on the mass within the half-light radius of Tuc III is 9.0 × 10 4 M ⊙. We cannot rule out mass-to-light ratios as large as 240 M ⊙/L ⊙ for Tuc III, but much lower mass-to-light ratios that would leave the system baryon-dominated are also allowed. We measure an upper limit on the metallicity spread of the stars in Tuc III of 0.19 dex at 95.5% confidence. Tuc III has a smaller metallicity dispersion and likely a smaller velocity dispersion than any known dwarf galaxy, but a larger size and lower surface brightness than any known globular cluster. Its metallicity is also much lower than those of the clusters with similar luminosity. We therefore tentatively suggest that Tuc III is the tidally stripped remnant of a dark matter-dominated dwarf galaxy, but additional precise velocity and metallicity measurements will be necessary for a definitive classification. If Tuc III is indeed a dwarf galaxy, it is one of the closest external galaxies to the Sun. Because of its proximity, the most luminous stars in Tuc III are quite bright, including one star at V = 15.7 that is the brightest known member star of an ultra-faint satellite.« less

Addressing the [O III] / Hβ offset in metal poor star forming galaxies found in the RESOLVE survey and ECO catalog

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richardson, Chris T.; Kannappan, Sheila; Moffett, Amanda J.; RESOLVE survey team

2018-06-01

Metal poor star forming galaxies sit on the far left wing of the BPT diagram just below traditional demarcation lines. The basic approach to reproducing their emission lines by coupling photoionization models to stellar population synthesis models underestimates the observed [O III] / Hβ ratio by a factor 0.3-0.5 dex. We classified galaxies as metal poor in the REsolved Spectroscopy of a Local VolumE (RESOLVE) survey and the Environmental COntext (ECO) catalog by using the IZI code based off of Bayesian inference. We used a variety of stellar population synthesis codes to generate SEDs covering a range of starburst ages and metallicities including both secular and binary stellar evolution. Here, we show that multiple SPS codes can produce SEDs hard enough to reduce the offset assuming that simple, and perhaps unjustified, nebular conditions hold. Adopting more realistic nebular conditions shows that, despite the recent emphasis placed on binary evolution to fit high O III ratios, none of our SEDs can reduce the offset. We propose several new solutions including using ensembles of nebular clouds and improved microphysics to address this issue. This work is supported by National Science Foundation awards OCI-1053575, though XSEDE award TG-AST140040, and NSF awards AST-0955368 and CISE/ACI-1156614.

NONLINEAR COLOR-METALLICITY RELATIONS OF GLOBULAR CLUSTERS. III. ON THE DISCREPANCY IN METALLICITY BETWEEN GLOBULAR CLUSTER SYSTEMS AND THEIR PARENT ELLIPTICAL GALAXIES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yoon, Suk-Jin; Lee, Sang-Yoon; Cho, Jaeil

2011-12-20

One of the conundrums in extragalactic astronomy is the discrepancy in observed metallicity distribution functions (MDFs) between the two prime stellar components of early-type galaxies-globular clusters (GCs) and halo field stars. This is generally taken as evidence of highly decoupled evolutionary histories between GC systems and their parent galaxies. Here we show, however, that new developments in linking the observed GC colors to their intrinsic metallicities suggest nonlinear color-to-metallicity conversions, which translate observed color distributions into strongly peaked, unimodal MDFs with broad metal-poor tails. Remarkably, the inferred GC MDFs are similar to the MDFs of resolved field stars in nearbymore » elliptical galaxies and those produced by chemical evolution models of galaxies. The GC MDF shape, characterized by a sharp peak with a metal-poor tail, indicates a virtually continuous chemical enrichment with a relatively short timescale. The characteristic shape emerges across three orders of magnitude in the host galaxy mass, suggesting a universal process of chemical enrichment among various GC systems. Given that GCs are bluer than field stars within the same galaxy, it is plausible that the chemical enrichment processes of GCs ceased somewhat earlier than that of the field stellar population, and if so, GCs preferentially trace the major, vigorous mode of star formation events in galactic formation. We further suggest a possible systematic age difference among GC systems, in that the GC systems in more luminous galaxies are older. This is consistent with the downsizing paradigm whereby stars of brighter galaxies, on average, formed earlier than those of dimmer galaxies; this additionally supports the similar nature shared by GCs and field stars. Although the sample used in this study (the Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys/Wide Field Channel, WFPC2, and WFC3 photometry for the GC systems in the Virgo galaxy cluster) confines our discussion to R {approx}< R{sub e} for giant ellipticals and {approx}<10 R{sub e} for normal ellipticals, our findings suggest that GC systems and their parent galaxies have shared a more common origin than previously thought, and hence greatly simplify theories of galaxy formation.« less

New Views on the Early Evolution of Oxygen in the Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rebolo, R.; Israelian, G.; García López, R. J.

We have performed a detailed oxygen abundance analysis of 23 metal-poor (-3.0 < [Fe/H] < -0.3) unevolved halo stars and one giant through the OH bands in the near UV, using high-resolution echelle spectra. Oxygen is found to be overabundant with respect to iron in these stars, with the [O/Fe] ratio increasing from 0.6 to 1 between [Fe/H] = -1.5 and -3.0. The behavior of the oxygen overabundance with respect to [Fe/H] is similar to that seen in previous works based on the OI IR triplet data (Abia & Rebolo 1989; Tomkin et al. 1992; Cavallo, Pilachowski, & Rebolo 1997). Contrary to the previously accepted picture, our oxygen abundances, derived from low-excitation OH lines, agree well with those derived from high-excitation lines of the triplet. For nine stars in common with Tomkin et al. we obtain a mean difference of 0.00 plus or minus 0.11dex with respect to the abundances determined from the triplet using the same stellar parameters and model photospheres. Our new results show a smooth extension of the Edvardsson et al.'s (1993) [O/Fe] versus metallicity curve to much lower abundances. The oxygen abundances of unevolved stars when compared with values in the literature for giants of similar metallicity imply that the latter may have suffered a process of oxygen depletion. It appears that unevolved metal-poor stars are better tracers of the early chemical evolution of the Galaxy. The extrapolation of our results to very low metallicities indicates that the ratio of oxygen to iron emerging from the first Type II SNe in the early Galaxy was indeed close to unity. The higher [O/Fe] ratios we find in dwarfs has an impact on the age determination of globular clusters, and suggest that current age estimates have to be reduced by about 1-2 Gyr.

The formation of the Milky Way halo and its dwarf satellites; a NLTE-1D abundance analysis. I. Homogeneous set of atmospheric parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mashonkina, L.; Jablonka, P.; Pakhomov, Yu.; Sitnova, T.; North, P.

2017-08-01

We present a homogeneous set of accurate atmospheric parameters for a complete sample of very and extremely metal-poor stars in the dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) Sculptor, Ursa Minor, Sextans, Fornax, Boötes I, Ursa Major II, and Leo IV. We also deliver a Milky Way (MW) comparison sample of giant stars covering the - 4 < [Fe/H] < - 1.7 metallicity range. We show that, in the [Fe/H] ≿ - 3.7 regime, the non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) calculations with non-spectroscopic effective temperature (Teff) and surface gravity (log g) based on the photometric methods and known distance provide consistent abundances of the Fe I and Fe II lines. This justifies the Fe I/Fe II ionisation equilibrium method to determine log g for the MW halo giants with unknown distance. The atmospheric parameters of the dSphs and MW stars were checked with independent methods. In the [Fe/H] > - 3.5 regime, the Ti I/Ti II ionisation equilibrium is fulfilled in the NLTE calculations. In the log g - Teff plane, all the stars sit on the giant branch of the evolutionary tracks corresponding to [Fe/H] = - 2 to - 4, in line with their metallicities. For some of the most metal-poor stars of our sample, we achieve relatively inconsistent NLTE abundances from the two ionisation stages for both iron and titanium. We suggest that this is a consequence of the uncertainty in the Teff-colour relation at those metallicities. The results of this work provide the basis for a detailed abundance analysis presented in a companion paper. Tables A.1 and A.2 are also available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/604/A129

NUCLEOSYNTHESIS IN HIGH-ENTROPY HOT BUBBLES OF SUPERNOVAE AND ABUNDANCE PATTERNS OF EXTREMELY METAL-POOR STARS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Izutani, Natsuko; Umeda, Hideyuki, E-mail: izutani@astron.s.u-tokyo.ac.j, E-mail: umeda@astron.s.u-tokyo.ac.j

2010-09-01

There have been suggestions that the abundance of extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars can be reproduced by hypernovae (HNe), not by normal supernovae (SNe). However, recently it was also suggested that if the innermost neutron-rich or proton-rich matter is ejected, the abundance patterns of ejected matter are changed, and normal SNe may also reproduce the observations of EMP stars. In this Letter, we calculate explosive nucleosynthesis with various Y {sub e} and entropy, and investigate whether normal SNe with this innermost matter, which we call the 'hot-bubble' component, can reproduce the abundance of EMP stars. We find that neutron-rich (Y {submore » e} = 0.45-0.49) and proton-rich (Y {sub e} = 0.51-0.55) matter can increase Zn/Fe and Co/Fe ratios as observed, but tend to overproduce other Fe-peak elements. In addition, we find that if slightly proton-rich matter with 0.50 {<=} Y {sub e} < 0.501 with s/k {sub b} {approx} 15-40 is ejected as much as {approx}0.06 M {sub sun}, even normal SNe can reproduce the abundance of EMP stars, though it requires fine-tuning of Y {sub e}. On the other hand, HNe can more easily reproduce the observations of EMP stars without fine-tuning. Our results imply that HNe are the most likely origin of the abundance pattern of EMP stars.« less

Classification of extremely metal-poor stars: absent region in A(C)-[Fe/H] plane and the role of dust cooling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiaki, Gen; Tominaga, Nozomu; Nozawa, Takaya

2017-11-01

Extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars are the living fossils with records of chemical enrichment history at the early epoch of galaxy formation. By the recent large observation campaigns, statistical samples of EMP stars have been obtained. This motivates us to reconsider their classification and formation conditions. From the observed lower limits of carbon and iron abundances of Acr(C) ∼ 6 and [Fe/H]cr ∼ -5 for C-enhanced EMP (CE-EMP) and C-normal EMP (CN-EMP) stars, we confirm that gas cooling by dust thermal emission is indispensable for the fragmentation of their parent clouds to form such low mass, i.e. long-lived stars, and that the dominant grain species are carbon and silicate, respectively. We constrain the grain radius r_i^cool of a species i and condensation efficiency fij of a key element j as r_C^cool / f_C,C = 10 {μ m} and r_Sil^cool / f_Sil,Mg = 0.1 {μ m} to reproduce Acr(C) and [Fe/H]cr, which give a universal condition 10[C/H] - 2.30 + 10[Fe/H] > 10-5.07 for the formation of every EMP star. Instead of the conventional boundary [C/Fe] = 0.7 between CE-EMP and CN-EMP stars, this condition suggests a physically meaningful boundary [C/Fe]b = 2.30 above and below which carbon and silicate grains are dominant coolants, respectively.

s-Process in low metallicity Pb stars.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bisterzo, S.; Gallino, R.; Straniero, O.; Ivans, I. I.; Käppeler, F.; Aoki, W.

We consider a sample of very metal-poor, C-rich, s-rich and lead-rich stars observed at high-resolution spectroscopy, and some recent spectroscopic data of C+s-rich stars obtained at moderate resolution. The spectroscopic data of these stars are interpreted with AGB theoretical models of different 13C-pocket efficiencies, initial mass and initial r-enrichment. When lead is not measured we give our theoretical prediction. The observed stars are not on the AGB phase, but are main sequence or giant stars. They acquired the C and s enrichments by mass transfer in a close binary system from the more massive companion while on the AGB (now a white dwarf). A considerable fraction of the stars show both high s and r enrichments. To explain the s+r enriched stars we assume a parental cloud already enriched in r-elements. The measurement of Nb is an indicator of an extrinsic AGB in a binary system. The intrinsic indicator [hs/ls] constrains the initial mass, while [Pb/hs] and [Pb/ls] are a measure of the s-process efficiency. The apparent discrepancies of C and N abundances may be reconciled by assuming a strong cool bottom process occurring during the AGB. An important primary production of light elements, from Ne to Si, increasing with the star mass, is predicted for AGB models at very low metallicity, induced by n capture on primary 22Ne and its progenies.

EXTREMELY METAL-POOR STARS AND A HIERARCHICAL CHEMICAL EVOLUTION MODEL

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Komiya, Yutaka

2011-07-20

Early phases of the chemical evolution of the Galaxy and formation history of extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars are investigated using hierarchical galaxy formation models. We build a merger tree of the Galaxy according to the extended Press-Schechter theory. We follow the chemical evolution along the tree and compare the model results to the metallicity distribution function and abundance ratio distribution of the Milky Way halo. We adopt three different initial mass functions (IMFs). In a previous study, we argued that the typical mass, M{sub md}, of EMP stars should be high, M{sub md} {approx} 10 M{sub sun}, based on studiesmore » of binary origin carbon-rich EMP stars. In this study, we show that only the high-mass IMF can explain an observed small number of EMP stars. For relative element abundances, the high-mass IMF and the Salpeter IMF predict similar distributions. We also investigate dependence on nucleosynthetic yields of supernovae (SNe). The theoretical SN yields by Kobayashi et al. and Chieffi and Limongi show reasonable agreement with observations for {alpha}-elements. Our model predicts a significant scatter of element abundances at [Fe/H] < -3. We adopted the stellar yields derived in the work of Francois et al., which produce the best agreement between the observational data and the one-zone chemical evolution model. Their yields well reproduce a trend of the averaged abundances of EMP stars but predict much larger scatter than do the observations. The model with hypernovae predicts Zn abundance, in agreement with the observations, but other models predict lower [Zn/Fe]. Ejecta from the hypernovae with large explosion energy is mixed in large mass and decreases the scatter of the element abundances.« less

Neutral oxygen spectral line formation revisited with new collisional data: large departures from LTE at low metallicity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fabbian, D.; Asplund, M.; Barklem, P. S.; Carlsson, M.; Kiselman, D.

2009-06-01

Aims: A detailed study is presented, including estimates of the impact on elemental abundance analysis, of the non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) formation of the high-excitation neutral oxygen 777 nm triplet in model atmospheres representative of stars with spectral types F to K. Methods: We have applied the statistical equilibrium code MULTI to a number of plane-parallel MARCS atmospheric models covering late-type stars (4500 ≤ T_eff ≤ 6500 K, 2 ≤ log g ≤ 5 [cgs], and -3.5 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ 0). The atomic model employed includes, in particular, recent quantum-mechanical electron collision data. Results: We confirm that the O i triplet lines form under non-LTE conditions in late-type stars, suffering negative abundance corrections with respect to LTE. At solar metallicity, the non-LTE effect, mainly attributed in previous studies to photon losses in the triplet itself, is also driven by an additional significant contribution from line opacity. At low metallicity, the very pronounced departures from LTE are due to overpopulation of the lower level (3s ^5S^o) of the transition. Large line opacity stems from triplet-quintet intersystem electron collisions, a form of coupling previously not considered or seriously underestimated. The non-LTE effects generally become severe for models (both giants and dwarfs) with higher T_eff. Interestingly, in metal-poor turn-off stars, the negative non-LTE abundance corrections tend to rapidly become more severe towards lower metallicity. When neglecting H collisions, they amount to as much as |Δlog ɛ_O| ~ 0.9 dex and ~1.2 dex, respectively at [Fe/H] = -3 and [Fe/H] = -3.5. Even when such collisions are included, the LTE abundance remains a serious overestimate, correspondingly by |Δlog ɛ_O| ~ 0.5 dex and ~0.9 dex at such low metallicities. Although the poorly known inelastic hydrogen collisions thus remain an important uncertainty, the large metallicity-dependent non-LTE effects seem to point to a resulting “low” (compared to LTE) [O/Fe] in metal-poor halo stars. Conclusions: Our results may be important in solving the long-standing [O/Fe] debate. When applying the derived non-LTE corrections, the LTE oxygen abundance inferred from the 777 nm permitted triplet will be decreased substantially at low metallicity. If the classical Drawin formula is employed for O+H collisions, the derived [O/Fe] trend becomes almost flat below [Fe/H] ~ -1, in better agreement with recent literature estimates generally obtained from other oxygen abundance indicators. A value of [O/Fe] ⪉ +0.5 may therefore be appropriate, as suggested by standard theoretical models of type II supernovae nucleosynthetic yields. If neglecting impacts with H atoms instead, [O/Fe] decreases towards lower [Fe/H], which would open new questions. Our tests using ATLAS model atmospheres show that, though non-LTE corrections for metal-poor dwarfs are smaller (by ~0.2 dex when adopting efficient H collisions) than in the MARCS case, our main conclusions are preserved, and that the LTE approach tends to seriously overestimate the O abundance at low metallicity. However, in order to finally reach consistency between oxygen abundances from the different available spectral features, it is of high priority to reduce the large uncertainty regarding H collisions, to undertake a full investigation of the interplay of non-LTE and 3D effects, and to clarify the issue of the temperature scale at low metallicity.

Abundance patterns of evolved stars with Hipparcos parallaxes and ages based on the APOGEE data base

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Y. P.; Chen, Y. Q.; Zhao, G.; Bari, M. A.; Zhao, J. K.; Tan, K. F.

2018-01-01

We investigate the abundance patterns for four groups of stars at evolutionary phases from sub-giant to red clump (RC) and trace the chemical evolution of the disc by taking 21 individual elemental abundances from APOGEE and ages from evolutionary models with the aid of Hipparcos distances. We find that the abundances of six elements (Si, S, K, Ca, Mn and Ni) are similar from the sub-giant phase to the RC phase. In particular, we find that a group of stars with low [C/N] ratios, mainly from the second sequence of RC stars, show that there is a difference in the transfer efficiency of the C-N-O cycle between the main and the secondary RC sequences. We also compare the abundance patterns of C-N, Mg-Al and Na-O with giant stars in globular clusters from APOGEE and find that field stars follow similar patterns as M107, a metal-rich globular cluster with [M/H] ∼- 1.0, which shows that the self-enrichment mechanism represented by strong C-N, Mg-Al and Na-O anti-correlations may not be important as the metallicity reaches [M/H] > -1.0 dex. Based on the abundances of above-mentioned six elements and [Fe/H], we investigate age versus abundance relations and find some old super-metal-rich stars in our sample. Their properties of old age and being rich in metal are evidence for stellar migration. The age versus metallicity relations in low-[α/M] bins show unexpectedly positive slopes. We propose that the fresh metal-poor gas infalling on to the Galactic disc may be the precursor for this unexpected finding.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Very metal poor stars in MW halo (Mashonkina+, 2017)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mashonkina, L.; Jablonka, P.; Sitnova, T.; Pakhomov, Yu; North, P.

2017-10-01

Tables 3 and 4 from the article are presented. They include the LTE and NLTE abundances from individual lines and average abundances of the investigated stars in the dSphs Sculptor (Scl), Ursa Minor (UMi), Fornax (Fnx), Sextans (Sex), Bootes I (Boo), UMa II, and Leo IV and the Milky Way (MW) halo. (3 data files).

DETECTION OF ELEMENTS AT ALL THREE r-PROCESS PEAKS IN THE METAL-POOR STAR HD 160617

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roederer, Ian U.; Lawler, James E., E-mail: iur@obs.carnegiescience.edu, E-mail: jelawler@wisc.edu

2012-05-01

We report the first detection of elements at all three r-process peaks in the metal-poor halo star HD 160617. These elements include arsenic and selenium, which have not been detected previously in halo stars, and the elements tellurium, osmium, iridium, and platinum, which have been detected previously. Absorption lines of these elements are found in archive observations made with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope. We present up-to-date absolute atomic transition probabilities and complete line component patterns for these elements. Additional archival spectra of this star from several ground-based instruments allow us to derive abundancesmore » or upper limits of 45 elements in HD 160617, including 27 elements produced by neutron-capture reactions. The average abundances of the elements at the three r-process peaks are similar to the predicted solar system r-process residuals when scaled to the abundances in the rare earth element domain. This result for arsenic and selenium may be surprising in light of predictions that the production of the lightest r-process elements generally should be decoupled from the heavier r-process elements.« less

Stellar Multiplicity Meets Stellar Evolution and Metallicity: The APOGEE View

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badenes, Carles; Mazzola, Christine; Thompson, Todd A.; Covey, Kevin; Freeman, Peter E.; Walker, Matthew G.; Moe, Maxwell; Troup, Nicholas; Nidever, David; Allende Prieto, Carlos; Andrews, Brett; Barbá, Rodolfo H.; Beers, Timothy C.; Bovy, Jo; Carlberg, Joleen K.; De Lee, Nathan; Johnson, Jennifer; Lewis, Hannah; Majewski, Steven R.; Pinsonneault, Marc; Sobeck, Jennifer; Stassun, Keivan G.; Stringfellow, Guy S.; Zasowski, Gail

2018-02-01

We use the multi-epoch radial velocities acquired by the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) survey to perform a large-scale statistical study of stellar multiplicity for field stars in the Milky Way, spanning the evolutionary phases between the main sequence (MS) and the red clump. We show that the distribution of maximum radial velocity shifts (ΔRVmax) for APOGEE targets is a strong function of log g, with MS stars showing ΔRVmax as high as ∼300 {km} {{{s}}}-1, and steadily dropping down to ∼30 {km} {{{s}}}-1 for log g ∼ 0, as stars climb up the red giant branch (RGB). Red clump stars show a distribution of ΔRVmax values comparable to that of stars at the tip of the RGB, implying they have similar multiplicity characteristics. The observed attrition of high ΔRVmax systems in the RGB is consistent with a lognormal period distribution in the MS and a multiplicity fraction of 0.35, which is truncated at an increasing period as stars become physically larger and undergo mass transfer after Roche Lobe overflow during H-shell burning. The ΔRVmax distributions also show that the multiplicity characteristics of field stars are metallicity-dependent, with metal-poor ([Fe/H] ≲ ‑0.5) stars having a multiplicity fraction a factor of 2–3 higher than metal-rich ([Fe/H] ≳ 0.0) stars. This has profound implications for the formation rates of interacting binaries observed by astronomical transient surveys and gravitational wave detectors, as well as the habitability of circumbinary planets.

Planets around the evolved stars 24 Boötis and γ Libra: A 30 d-period planet and a double giant-planet system in possible 7:3 MMR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takarada, Takuya; Sato, Bun'ei; Omiya, Masashi; Harakawa, Hiroki; Nagasawa, Makiko; Izumiura, Hideyuki; Kambe, Eiji; Takeda, Yoichi; Yoshida, Michitoshi; Itoh, Yoichi; Ando, Hiroyasu; Kokubo, Eiichiro; Ida, Shigeru

2018-05-01

We report the detection of planets around two evolved giant stars from radial velocity measurements at Okayama Astrophysical observatory. 24 Boo (G3 IV) has a mass of 0.99 M_{⊙}, a radius of 10.64 R_{⊙}, and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = -0.77. The star hosts one planet with a minimum mass of 0.91 MJup and an orbital period of 30.35 d. The planet has one of the shortest orbital periods among those ever found around evolved stars using radial-velocity methods. The stellar radial velocities show additional periodicity with 150 d, which can probably be attributed to stellar activity. The star is one of the lowest-metallicity stars orbited by planets currently known. γ Lib (K0 III) is also a metal-poor giant with a mass of 1.47 M_{⊙}, a radius of 11.1 R_{⊙}, and [Fe/H] = -0.30. The star hosts two planets with minimum masses of 1.02 MJup and 4.58 MJup, and periods of 415 d and 964 d, respectively. The star has the second-lowest metallicity among the giant stars hosting more than two planets. Dynamical stability analysis for the γ Lib system sets the minimum orbital inclination angle to be about 70° and suggests that the planets are in 7:3 mean-motion resonance, though the current best-fitting orbits for the radial-velocity data are not totally regular.

Investigating the diversity of supernovae type Iax: a MUSE and NOT spectroscopic study of their environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyman, J. D.; Taddia, F.; Stritzinger, M. D.; Galbany, L.; Leloudas, G.; Anderson, J. P.; Eldridge, J. J.; James, P. A.; Krühler, T.; Levan, A. J.; Pignata, G.; Stanway, E. R.

2018-01-01

SN 2002cx-like Type Ia supernovae (also known as SNe Iax) represent one of the most numerous peculiar SN classes. They differ from normal SNe Ia by having fainter peak magnitudes, faster decline rates and lower photospheric velocities, displaying a wide diversity in these properties. We present both integral-field and long-slit visual-wavelength spectroscopy of the host galaxies and explosion sites of SNe Iax to provide constraints on their progenitor formation scenarios. The SN Iax explosion-site metallicity distribution is similar to that of core-collapse SNe and metal poor compared to either normal SNe Ia or SN 1991T-like events. Fainter members, speculated to form distinctly from brighter SN Iax, are found at a range of metallicities, extending to very metal poor environments. Although the SN Iax explosion-sites' ages and star formation rates are comparatively older and less intense than the distribution of star-forming regions across their host galaxies, we confirm the presence of young stellar populations (SPs) at explosion environments for most SNe Iax, expanded here to a larger sample. Ages of the young SPs (several × 107 to 108 yr) are consistent with predictions for young thermonuclear and electron-capture SN progenitors. The lack of extremely young SPs at the explosion sites disfavours very massive progenitors such as Wolf-Rayet explosions with significant fallback. We find weak ionized gas in the only SN Iax host without obvious signs of star formation. The source of the ionization remains ambiguous but appears unlikely to be mainly due to young, massive stars.

Insights into the chemical composition of the metal-poor Milky Way halo globular cluster NGC 6426

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanke, M.; Koch, A.; Hansen, C. J.; McWilliam, A.

2017-03-01

We present our detailed spectroscopic analysis of the chemical composition of four red giant stars in the halo globular cluster NGC 6426. We obtained high-resolution spectra using the Magellan2/MIKE spectrograph, from which we derived equivalent widths and subsequently computed abundances of 24 species of 22 chemical elements. For the purpose of measuring equivalent widths, we developed a new semi-automated tool, called EWCODE. We report a mean Fe content of [Fe/H] =-2.34 ± 0.05 dex (stat.) in accordance with previous studies. At a mean α-abundance of [(Mg, Si, Ca)/3 Fe] = 0.39 ± 0.03 dex, NGC 6426 falls on the trend drawn by the Milky Way halo and other globular clusters at comparably low metallicities. The distribution of the lighter α-elements as well as the enhanced ratio [Zn/Fe] = 0.39 dex could originate from hypernova enrichment of the pre-cluster medium. We find tentative evidence for a spread in the elements Mg, Si, and Zn, indicating an enrichment scenario, where ejecta of evolved massive stars of a slightly older population have polluted a newly born younger one. The heavy element abundances in this cluster fit well into the picture of metal-poor globular clusters, which in that respect appear to be remarkably homogeneous. The pattern of the neutron-capture elements heavier than Zn points toward an enrichment history governed by the r-process with little, if any, sign of s-process contributions. This finding is supported by the striking similarity of our program stars to the metal-poor field star HD 108317. This paper includes data gathered with the 6.5-m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile.Equivalent widths and full Table 2 are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/599/A97

Detecting metal-poor gas accretion in the star-forming dwarf galaxies UM 461 and Mrk 600

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lagos, P.; Scott, T. C.; Nigoche-Netro, A.; Demarco, R.; Humphrey, A.; Papaderos, P.

2018-06-01

Using VIsible MultiObject Spectrograph (VIMOS)-integral field unit (IFU) observations, we study the interstellar medium (ISM) of two star-forming dwarf galaxies, UM 461 and Mrk 600. Our aim was to search for the existence of metallicity inhomogeneities that might arise from infall of nearly pristine gas feeding ongoing localized star formation. The IFU data allowed us to study the impact of external gas accretion on the chemical evolution as well as the ionized gas kinematics and morphologies of these galaxies. Both systems show signs of morphological distortions, including cometary-like morphologies. We analysed the spatial variation of 12 + log(O/H) abundances within both galaxies using the direct method (Te), the widely applied HII-CHI-mistry code, as well as by employing different standard calibrations. For UM 461, our results show that the ISM is fairly well mixed, at large scales; however, we find an off-centre and low-metallicity region with 12 + log(O/H) < 7.6 in the SW part of the brightest H II region, using the direct method. This result is consistent with the recent infall of a metal-poor H I cloud into the region now exhibiting the lowest metallicity, which also displays localized perturbed neutral and ionized gas kinematics. Mrk 600 in contrast, appears to be chemically homogeneous on both large and small scales. The intrinsic differences in the spatially resolved properties of the ISM in our analysed galaxies are consistent with these systems being at different evolutionary stages.

Lab Astro and the Origins of the Chemical Elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawler, James E.

2010-03-01

Interpretation of the spectra of metal-poor Galactic halo stars is dependent on AMO laboratory data [1,2]. Metal-poor Galactic halo stars were born when the Milky Way was young and they provide a record of the chemical evolution of the Galaxy. Elements heavier than iron are produced via r(apid)-process and s(low)-process n(eutron)-capture mechanisms. The s-process mechanism, which occurs in certain AGB stars, is relatively well understood. The explosive r-process is not well understood. The r-process n-capture mechanism was dominant early in the Galaxy's history [3]. New large aperture telescopes make it possible to record high-resolution spectra with high signal-to-noise ratios on a growing number of metal-poor stars. In addition to mapping the chemical evolution of the Galaxy, these studies are yielding an increasingly well-defined r-process elemental abundance pattern which constrains models of r-process nucleosynthesis [1]. The next phase of this ongoing research will address challenges in modeling stellar photospheres. Peculiar trends in abundances of specific Fe-group elements as a function of stellar age or metallicity may be due to limitations in traditional one dimensional (1d) local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) models of stellar photospheres or may be due to poorly understood nucleosynthesis [4]. Efforts are now underway to test the Saha or ionization equilibrium in a variety of stellar atmospheres for several Fe-group elements using the best available spectroscopic data for selected transitions. More comprehensive spectroscopic data of improved accuracy and accurate collisional data, especially for inelastic collisions of H atoms with metal atoms and ions, will be needed to fully develop 3d/non-LTE models of photospheres [e.g. 5]. [4pt] [1] C. Sneden, J. E. Lawler, J. J. Cowan, I. I. Ivans, and E. A. Den Hartog, Astrophys. J. Suppl. Ser. 182, 80-96 (2009). [0pt] [2] J. E. Lawler, C. Sneden, J. J. Cowan, I. I. Ivans, and E. A. Den Hartog, Astrophys. J. Suppl. Ser. 182, 51-79 (2009). [0pt] [3] J. Simmerer, C. Sneden, J. J. Cowan, J. Collier, V. M. Woolf, and J. E. Lawler, Astrophys. J. 617, 1091-1114 (2004). [0pt] [4] A. McWilliam, Ann. Rev. Astron. & Astrophys. 35, 503 (1997). [0pt] [5] M. Asplund, Ann. Rev. Astron. & Astrophys. 43, 481 (2005).

TRACING THE ORPHAN STREAM TO 55 kpc WITH RR LYRAE STARS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sesar, Branimir; Cohen, Judith G.; Bellm, Eric C.

2013-10-10

We report positions, velocities, and metallicities of 50 ab-type RR Lyrae (RRab) stars observed in the vicinity of the Orphan stellar stream. Using about 30 RRab stars classified as being likely members of the Orphan stream, we study the metallicity and the spatial extent of the stream. We find that RRab stars in the Orphan stream have a wide range of metallicities, from –1.5 dex to –2.7 dex. The average metallicity of the stream is –2.1 dex, identical to the value obtained by Newberg et al. using blue horizontal branch stars. We find that the most distant parts of themore » stream (40-50 kpc from the Sun) are about 0.3 dex more metal-poor than the closer parts (within ∼30 kpc), suggesting a possible metallicity gradient along the stream's length. We have extended the previous studies and have mapped the stream up to 55 kpc from the Sun. Even after a careful search, we did not identify any more distant RRab stars that could plausibly be members of the Orphan stream. If confirmed with other tracers, this result would indicate a detection of the end of the leading arm of the stream. We have compared the distances of Orphan stream RRab stars with the best-fit orbits obtained by Newberg et al. We find that model 6 of Newberg et al. cannot explain the distances of the most remote Orphan stream RRab stars, and conclude that the best fit to distances of Orphan stream RRab stars and to the local circular velocity is provided by potentials where the total mass of the Galaxy within 60 kpc is M{sub 60} ∼ 2.7 × 10{sup 11} M{sub ☉}, or about 60% of the mass found by previous studies. More extensive modeling that would consider non-spherical potentials and the possibility of misalignment between the stream and the orbit is highly encouraged.« less

Evidence for a Sizable Age Spread among Galaxies from the Ultraviolet-Upturn Phenomenon in Early-type Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Jang-Hyun; Lee, Young-Wook

1997-02-01

The suggestion of Lee that the age spread among galaxies is responsible for the systematic variation of the ultraviolet upturn among early-type systems is examined here with detailed population synthesis models. Our models differ from previous ones by including (1) the effect of metallicity spreads and (2) detailed modeling of the variations in H-R diagram morphology (including the helium-burning phase) with age and metallicity. Our models suggest that the far-UV radiation of these systems is dominated by a minority population of metal-poor, hot horizontal-branch (HB) stars and their post-HB progeny, with some contribution from metal-rich post-asymptotic giant branch stars, while the optical radiation is dominated by a metal-rich population. The systematic variation of the UV upturn depends on the contribution from metal-poor, hot HB stars and their post-HB progeny, which in turn depends on the ages of old stellar populations in galaxies. Our result implies a prolonged epoch of galaxy formation, in the sense that more massive galaxies (in denser environments) formed first. With the assumption that the UV-upturn phenomenon is solely due to the age variations among galaxies, we estimate the difference in age between the giant elliptical galaxies and the spiral bulges of the Local Group to be ~3 Gyr. This suggests that the best estimate for the lower limit of the age of the universe is ~19 Gyr, which of course would be in conflict with the current estimate of H0, together with the standard cosmological models with zero cosmological constant.

SDSS-III MARVELS Planet Candidate RV Follow-up

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Jian; Thomas, Neil; Ma, Bo; Li, Rui; SIthajan, Sirinrat

2014-02-01

Planetary systems, discovered by the radial velocity (RV) surveys, reveal strong correlations between the planet frequency and stellar properties, such as metallicity and mass, and a greater diversity in planets than found in the solar system. However, due to the sample sizes of extant surveys (~100 to a few hundreds of stars) and their heterogeneity, many key questions remained to be addressed: Do metal poor stars obey the same trends for planet occurrence as metal rich stars? What is the distribution of giant planets around intermediate- mass stars and binaries? Is the ``planet desert'' within 0.6 AU in the planet orbital distribution of intermediate-mass stars real? The MARVELS survey has produced the largest homogeneous RV measurements of 3300 V=7.6-12 FGK stars. The latest data pipeline effort at UF has been able to remove long term systematic errors suffered in the earlier data pipeline. 18 high confident giant planet candidates have been identified among newly processed data. We propose to follow up these giant planet candidates with the KPNO EXPERT instrument to confirm the detection and also characterize their orbits. The confirmed planets will be used to measure occurrence rates, distributions and multiplicity of giants planets around F,G,K stars with a broad range of mass (~0.6-2.5 M_⊙) and metallicity ([Fe/H]~-1.5-0.5). The well defined MARVELS survey cadence allows robust determinations of completeness limits for rigorously testing giant planet formation theories and constraining models.

Early chemo-dynamical evolution of dwarf galaxies deduced from enrichment of r-process elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirai, Yutaka; Ishimaru, Yuhri; Saitoh, Takayuki R.; Fujii, Michiko S.; Hidaka, Jun; Kajino, Toshitaka

2017-04-01

The abundance of elements synthesized by the rapid neutron-capture process (r-process elements) of extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars in the Local Group galaxies gives us clues to clarify the early evolutionary history of the Milky Way halo. The Local Group dwarf galaxies would have similarly evolved with building blocks of the Milky Way halo. However, how the chemo-dynamical evolution of the building blocks affects the abundance of r-process elements is not yet clear. In this paper, we perform a series of simulations using dwarf galaxy models with various dynamical times and total mass, which determine star formation histories. We find that galaxies with dynamical times longer than 100 Myr have star formation rates less than 10-3 M⊙ yr-1 and slowly enrich metals in their early phase. These galaxies can explain the observed large scatters of r-process abundance in EMP stars in the Milky Way halo regardless of their total mass. On the other hand, the first neutron star merger appears at a higher metallicity in galaxies with a dynamical time shorter than typical neutron star merger times. The scatters of r-process elements mainly come from the inhomogeneity of the metals in the interstellar medium whereas the scatters of α-elements are mostly due to the difference in the yield of each supernova. Our results demonstrate that the future observations of r-process elements in EMP stars will be able to constrain the early chemo-dynamical evolution of the Local Group galaxies.

A CATALOG OF ULTRA-COMPACT HIGH VELOCITY CLOUDS FROM THE ALFALFA SURVEY: LOCAL GROUP GALAXY CANDIDATES?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Adams, Elizabeth A. K.; Giovanelli, Riccardo; Haynes, Martha P., E-mail: betsey@astro.cornell.edu, E-mail: riccardo@astro.cornell.edu, E-mail: haynes@astro.cornell.edu

2013-05-01

We present a catalog of 59 ultra-compact high velocity clouds (UCHVCs) extracted from the 40% complete ALFALFA HI-line survey. The ALFALFA UCHVCs have median flux densities of 1.34 Jy km s{sup -1}, median angular diameters of 10', and median velocity widths of 23 km s{sup -1}. We show that the full UCHVC population cannot easily be associated with known populations of high velocity clouds. Of the 59 clouds presented here, only 11 are also present in the compact cloud catalog extracted from the commensal GALFA-HI survey, demonstrating the utility of this separate dataset and analysis. Based on their sky distributionmore » and observed properties, we infer that the ALFALFA UCHVCs are consistent with the hypothesis that they may be very low mass galaxies within the Local Volume. In that case, most of their baryons would be in the form of gas, and because of their low stellar content, they remain unidentified by extant optical surveys. At distances of {approx}1 Mpc, the UCHVCs have neutral hydrogen (H I) masses of {approx}10{sup 5}-10{sup 6} M{sub Sun }, H I diameters of {approx}2-3 kpc, and indicative dynamical masses within the H I extent of {approx}10{sup 7}-10{sup 8} M{sub Sun }, similar to the Local Group ultra-faint dwarf Leo T. The recent ALFALFA discovery of the star-forming, metal-poor, low mass galaxy Leo P demonstrates that this hypothesis is true in at least one case. In the case of the individual UCHVCs presented here, confirmation of their extragalactic nature will require further work, such as the identification of an optical counterpart to constrain their distance.« less

Evolution and nucleosynthesis of extremely metal-poor and metal-free low- and intermediate-mass stars. II. s-process nucleosynthesis during the core He flash

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, S. W.; Lugaro, M.; Karakas, A. I.

2010-11-01

Context. Models of primordial and hyper-metal-poor stars that have masses similar to the Sun are known to experience an ingestion of protons into the hot core during the core helium flash phase at the end of their red giant branch evolution. This produces a concurrent secondary flash powered by hydrogen burning that gives rise to further nucleosynthesis in the core. Aims: We aim to model the nucleosynthesis occurring during the proton ingestion event to ascertain if any significant neutron-capture nucleosynthesis occurs. Methods: We perform post-process nucleosynthesis calculations on a one-dimensional stellar evolution calculation of a star with mass 1 M_⊙ and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = -6.5 that suffers a proton ingestion episode. Our network includes 320 nuclear species and 2366 reactions and treats mixing and burning simultaneously. Results: We find that the mixing and burning of protons into the hot convective core leads to the production of 13C, which then burns via the 13C(α, n)16O reaction, releasing a large number of free neutrons. During the first two years of neutron production the neutron poison 14N abundance is low, allowing the prodigious production of heavy elements such as strontium, barium, and lead via slow neutron captures (the s process). These nucleosynthetic products are later carried to the stellar surface and ejected via stellar winds. We compare our results with observations of the hyper-metal-poor halo star HE 1327-2326, which shows a strong Sr overabundance. Conclusions: Our model provides the possibility of self-consistently explaining the Sr overabundance in HE 1327-2326 together with its C, N, and O overabundances (all within a factor of ˜ ~4) if the material were heavily diluted, for example, via mass transfer in a wide binary system. The model produces at least 18 times too much Ba than observed, but this may be within the large modelling uncertainties. In this scenario, binary systems of low mass must have formed in the early Universe. If this is true, it puts constraints on the primordial initial mass function.

Serendipitous Discovery of RR Lyrae Stars in the Leo V Ultra-faint Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medina, Gustavo E.; Muñoz, Ricardo R.; Vivas, A. Katherina; Förster, Francisco; Carlin, Jeffrey L.; Martinez, Jorge; Galbany, Lluis; González-Gaitán, Santiago; Hamuy, Mario; de Jaeger, Thomas; Maureira, Juan Carlos; San Martín, Jaime

2017-08-01

During the analysis of RR Lyrae stars (RRLs) discovered in the High Cadence Transient Survey (HiTS) taken with the Dark Energy Camera at the 4 m telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, we found a group of three very distant, fundamental mode pulsator RR Lyrae (type ab). The location of these stars agrees with them belonging to the Leo V ultra-faint satellite galaxy, for which no variable stars have been reported to date. The heliocentric distance derived for Leo V based on these stars is 173 ± 5 kpc. The pulsational properties (amplitudes and periods) of these stars locate them within the locus of the Oosterhoff II group, similar to most other ultra-faint galaxies with known RRLs. This serendipitous discovery shows that distant RRLs may be used to search for unknown faint stellar systems in the outskirts of the Milky Way.

The R-process Alliance: First Release from the Southern Search for R-process-enhanced Stars in the Galactic Halo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, Terese T.; Holmbeck, Erika M.; Beers, Timothy C.; Placco, Vinicius M.; Roederer, Ian U.; Frebel, Anna; Sakari, Charli M.; Simon, Joshua D.; Thompson, Ian B.

2018-05-01

The recent detection of a binary neutron star merger and the clear evidence of the decay of radioactive material observed in this event have, after 60 years of effort, provided an astrophysical site for the rapid neutron-capture (r-) process which is responsible for the production of the heaviest elements in our universe. However, observations of metal-poor stars with highly enhanced r-process elements have revealed abundance patterns suggesting that multiple sites may be involved. To address this issue, and to advance our understanding of the r-process, we have initiated an extensive search for bright (V < 13.5), very metal-poor ([Fe/H] < ‑2) stars in the Milky Way halo exhibiting strongly enhanced r-process signatures. This paper presents the first sample collected in the southern hemisphere using the echelle spectrograph on du Pont 2.5 m telescope at Las Campanas Observatory. We have observed and analyzed 107 stars with ‑3.13 < [Fe/H] < ‑0.79. Of those, 12 stars are strongly enhanced in heavy r-process elements (r-II), 42 stars show moderate enhancements of heavy r-process material (r-I), and 20 stars exhibit low abundances of the heavy r-process elements and higher abundances of the light r-process elements relative to the heavy ones (limited-r). This search is more successful at finding r-process-enhanced stars compared to previous searches, primarily due to a refined target selection procedure that focuses on red giants. This paper includes data gathered with the 2.5 m du Pont telescope located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile.

Metal-poor Type II Cepheids with Periods Less Than Three Days

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovtyukh, V.; Wallerstein, G.; Yegorova, I.; Andrievsky, S.; Korotin, S.; Saviane, I.; Belik, S.; Davis, C. E.; Farrell, E. M.

2018-05-01

We have analyzed 10 high-resolution spectra of Type II Cepheids with periods less than 3 days. We find that they clearly separate into two groups: those with near or slightly below solar metallicities, and those with [Fe/H] between ‑1.5 and ‑2.0. While the former are usually called BL Her stars, we suggest that the latter be called UY Eri stars. The UY Eri subclass appears to be similar to the short period variables in globular clusters of the Galactic Halo. Globular clusters with [Fe/H] > ‑1.0 almost never have Type II Cepheids.

Chemical evolution of Mg isotopes versus the time variation of the fine structure constant.

PubMed

Ashenfelter, T; Mathews, Grant J; Olive, Keith A

2004-01-30

We show that the synthesis of (25,26)Mg at the base of the convective envelope in low-metallicity asymptotic giant branch stars can produce the isotopic ratios needed to explain the low-z subset (with z<1.8) of the many-multiplet data from quasar absorption systems without invoking a time variation of the fine structure constant. This is supported by observations of high abundances of the neutron-rich Mg isotopes in metal-poor globular-cluster stars. We conclude that the quasar absorption spectra may be providing interesting information on the nucleosynthetic history of such systems.

The VIMOS Ultra Deep Survey: Nature, ISM properties, and ionizing spectra of CIII]λ1909 emitters at z = 2-4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakajima, K.; Schaerer, D.; Le Fèvre, O.; Amorín, R.; Talia, M.; Lemaux, B. C.; Tasca, L. A. M.; Vanzella, E.; Zamorani, G.; Bardelli, S.; Grazian, A.; Guaita, L.; Hathi, N. P.; Pentericci, L.; Zucca, E.

2018-05-01

Context. Ultraviolet (UV) emission-line spectra are used to spectroscopically confirm high-z galaxies and increasingly also to determine their physical properties. Aims: We construct photoionization models to interpret the observed UV spectra of distant galaxies in terms of the dominant radiation field and the physical condition of the interstellar medium (ISM). These models are applied to new spectroscopic observations from the VIMOS Ultra Deep Survey (VUDS). Methods: We construct a large grid of photoionization models, which use several incident radiation fields (stellar populations, active galactic nuclei (AGNs), mix of stars and AGNs, blackbodies, and others), and cover a wide range of metallicities and ionization parameters. From these models we derive new spectral UV line diagnostics using equivalent widths (EWs) of [CIII]λ1909 doublet, CIVλ1549 doublet and the line ratios of [CIII], CIV, and He IIλ1640 recombination lines. We apply these diagnostics to a sample of 450 [CIII]-emitting galaxies at redshifts z = 2-4 previously identified in VUDS. Results: We demonstrate that our photoionization models successfully reproduce observations of nearby and high-redshift sources with known radiation field and/or metallicity. For star-forming galaxies our models predict that [CIII] EW peaks at sub-solar metallicities, whereas CIV EW peaks at even lower metallicity. Using the UV diagnostics, we show that the average star-forming galaxy (EW([CIII]) 2 Å) based on the composite of the 450 UV-selected galaxies' spectra The inferred metallicity and ionization parameter is typically Z = 0.3-0.5 Z⊙ and logU = -2.7 to - 3, in agreement with earlier works at similar redshifts. The models also indicate an average age of 50-200 Myr since the beginning of the current star-formation, and an ionizing photon production rate, ξion, of logξion/erg-1 Hz = 25.3-25.4. Among the sources with EW([CIII]) >= 10 Å, approximately 30% are likely dominated by AGNs. The metallicity derived for galaxies with EW(CIII) = 10-20 Å is low, Z = 0.02-0.2 Z⊙, and the ionization parameter higher (logU -1.7) than the average star-forming galaxy. To explain the average UV observations of the strongest but rarest [CIII] emitters (EW([CIII]) > 20 Å), we find that stellar photoionization is clearly insufficient. A radiation field consisting of a mix of a young stellar population (logξion/erg-1 Hz 25.7) plus an AGN component is required. Furthermore an enhanced C/O abundance ratio (up to the solar value) is needed for metallicities Z = 0.1-0.2 Z⊙ and logU = -1.7 to - 1.5. Conclusions: A large grid of photoionization models has allowed us to propose new diagnostic diagrams to classify the nature of the ionizing radiation field (star formation or AGN) of distant galaxies using UV emission lines, and to constrain their ISM properties. We have applied this grid to a sample of [CIII]-emitting galaxies at z = 2-4 detected in VUDS, finding a range of physical properties and clear evidence for significant AGN contribution in rare sources with very strong [CIII] emission. The UV diagnostics we propose should also serve as an important basis for the interpretation of upcoming observations of high-redshift galaxies. Based on data obtained with the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope, Paranal, Chile, under Large Program 185.A-0791.JSPS Overseas Research Fellow.

Stellar Parameters, Chemical composition and Models of chemical evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishenina, T.; Pignatari, M.; Côté, B.; Thielemann, F.-K.; Soubiran, C.; Basak, N.; Gorbaneva, T.; Korotin, S. A.; Kovtyukh, V. V.; Wehmeyer, B.; Bisterzo, S.; Travaglio, C.; Gibson, B. K.; Jordan, C.; Paul, A.; Ritter, C.; Herwig, F.

2018-04-01

We present an in-depth study of metal-poor stars, based high resolution spectra combined with newly released astrometric data from Gaia, with special attention to observational uncertainties. The results are compared to those of other studies, including Gaia benchmark stars. Chemical evolution models are discussed, highlighting few puzzles that are still affecting our understanding of stellar nucleosynthesis and of the evolution of our Galaxy.

The origin of ultra-compact binaries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hachisu, Izumi; Miyaji, Shigeki; Saio, Hideyuki

1987-01-01

The origin of ultra-compact binaries composed of a neutron star and a low-mass (about 0.06 solar mass) white dwarf is considered. Taking account of the systemic losses of mass and angular momentum, it was found that a serious difficulty exists in the scenarios which involve tidal captures of a normal star (a main sequence star or a red giant) by a neutron star. This difficulty can be avoided if a red giant star is captured by a massive white dwarf (M is approx. greater than 1.2 solar masses), which becomes a neutron star through the accretion induced collapse.

Chemical abundances in the globular clusters M3, M13, and NGC 6752

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bell, R.A.; Dickens, R.J.

The abundances of iron, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen have been investigated in red giant stars in the globular clusters M3, M13, and NGC 6752. The results are based on application of spectrum synthesis and theoretical colors to observed spectra, DDO colors, and infrared CO measurements. Carbon is depleted by a factor of about 3 relative to other metals in most giants studied, with no evidence for the discontinuity along the giant branch at M/sub v/approx. =-0.7 found for more metal-poor clusters. This contrasts with the greater depletion of about a factor of 6 for the more metal-poor cluster stars, amore » difference which is expected if meridional mixing is responsible for the carbon depletion. The spectroscopic results for nitrogen are imprecise, but the colors suggest enhancements of a factor of 3. The iron abundances for M3 and M13 stars have been determined from published equivalent widths, yielding (Fe/H) close to -1.4 for both clusters. The uncertainties in M3 and M13 CO colors and (O I) equivalent widths make it impossible to derive accurate oxygen abundances, but the depletion of carbon is real and is not caused by an overabundance of oxygen.« less

On the Nature of Bright Infrared Sources in the Small Magellanic Cloud: Interpreting MSX through the Lens of Spitzer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kraemer, Kathleen E.; Sloan, G. C.

2015-01-01

We compare infrared observations of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) by the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) and the Spitzer Space Telescope to better understand what components of a metal-poor galaxy dominate radiative processes in the infrared. The SMC, at a distance of ~60 kpc and with a metallicity of ~0.1-0.2 solar, can serve as a nearby proxy for metal-poor galaxies at high redshift. The MSX Point Source Catalog contains 243 objects in the SMC that were detected at 8.3 microns, the most sensitive MSX band. Multi-epoch, multi-band mapping with Spitzer, supplemented with observations from the Two-Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), provides variability information, and, together with spectra from Spitzer for ~15% of the sample, enables us to determine what these luminous sources are. How many remain simple point sources? What fraction break up into multiple stars? Which are star forming regions, with both bright diffuse emission and point sources? How do evolved stars and stellar remnants contribute at these wavelengths? What role do young stellar objects and HII regions play? Answering these questions sets the stage for understanding what we will see with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roederer, Ian U., E-mail: iur@umich.edu

The heaviest metals found in stars in most ultra-faint dwarf (UFD) galaxies in the Milky Way halo are generally underabundant by an order of magnitude or more when compared with stars in the halo field. Among the heavy elements produced by n -capture reactions, only Sr and Ba can be detected in red giant stars in most UFD galaxies. This limited chemical information is unable to identify the nucleosynthesis process(es) responsible for producing the heavy elements in UFD galaxies. Similar [Sr/Ba] and [Ba/Fe] ratios are found in three bright halo field stars, BD−18°5550, CS 22185–007, and CS 22891–200. Previous studiesmore » of high-quality spectra of these stars report detections of additional n -capture elements, including Eu. The [Eu/Ba] ratios in these stars span +0.41 to +0.86. These ratios and others among elements in the rare Earth domain indicate an r -process origin. These stars have some of the lowest levels of r -process enhancement known, with [Eu/H] spanning −3.95 to −3.32, and they may be considered nearby proxies for faint stars in UFD galaxies. Direct confirmation, however, must await future observations of additional heavy elements in stars in the UFD galaxies themselves.« less

Abundance Ratios in a Large Sample of Emps with VLT+UVES

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, Vanessa; Cayrel, Roger; Spite, Monique; Bonifacio, Piercarlo; Eric, Depagne; Patrick, François; Timothy, Beers C.; Johannes, Andersen; Beatriz, Barbuy; Birgitta, Nordström

Constraints on Early Galactic Enrichement from a large sample of Extremely Metal Poor Stars I will present the overall results from an large effort conducted at ESO-VLT+UVES to measure abundances in a sample of extremely metal-poor stars (EMPS) from high-resolution and high signal to noise spectra. More than 70 EMPS with [Fe/H]<-2.7 were observed equally distributed between turnoff and giants stars and very precise abundance ratios could be derived thanks to the high quality of the data. Among the results those of specific interest are lithium measurements in unevolved EMPS the much debated abundance of oxygen in the early galaxy (we present [OI] line measurements down to [O/Fe]=-3.5) and the trends of alpha elements iron group elements and Zinc. The scatter around these trends will also be discussed taking advantage of the small observationnal error-bars of this dataset. The implications on the early Galactic enrichement will be rewiewed while more specific topics covered by this large effort (and large team) will be adressed in devoted posters.

The Gaia-ESO Survey: Churning through the Milky Way

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayden, M. R.; Recio-Blanco, A.; de Laverny, P.; Mikolaitis, S.; Guiglion, G.; Hill, V.; Gilmore, G.; Randich, S.; Bayo, A.; Bensby, T.; Bergemann, M.; Bragaglia, A.; Casey, A.; Costado, M.; Feltzing, S.; Franciosini, E.; Hourihane, A.; Jofre, P.; Koposov, S.; Kordopatis, G.; Lanzafame, A.; Lardo, C.; Lewis, J.; Lind, K.; Magrini, L.; Monaco, L.; Morbidelli, L.; Pancino, E.; Sacco, G.; Stonkute, E.; Worley, C. C.; Zwitter, T.

2018-01-01

Context. There have been conflicting results with respect to the extent that radial migration has played in the evolution of the Galaxy. Additionally, observations of the solar neighborhood have shown evidence of a merger in the past history of the Milky Way that drives enhanced radial migration. Aims: We attempt to determine the relative fraction of stars that have undergone significant radial migration by studying the orbital properties of metal-rich ([Fe/H] > 0.1) stars within 2 kpc of the Sun. We also aim to investigate the kinematic properties, such as velocity dispersion and orbital parameters, of stellar populations near the Sun as a function of [Mg/Fe] and [Fe/H], which could show evidence of a major merger in the past history of the Milky Way. Methods: We used a sample of more than 3000 stars selected from the fourth internal data release of the Gaia-ESO Survey. We used the stellar parameters from the Gaia-ESO Survey along with proper motions from PPMXL to determine distances, kinematics, and orbital properties for these stars to analyze the chemodynamic properties of stellar populations near the Sun. Results: Analyzing the kinematics of the most metal-rich stars ([Fe/H] > 0.1), we find that more than half have small eccentricities (e< 0.2) or are on nearly circular orbits. Slightly more than 20% of the metal-rich stars have perigalacticons Rp> 7 kpc. We find that the highest [Mg/Fe], metal-poor populations have lower vertical and radial velocity dispersions compared to lower [Mg/Fe] populations of similar metallicity by 10 km s-1. The median eccentricity increases linearly with [Mg/Fe] across all metallicities, while the perigalacticon decreases with increasing [Mg/Fe] for all metallicities. Finally, the most [Mg/Fe]-rich stars are found to have significant asymmetric drift and rotate more than 40 km s-1 slower than stars with lower [Mg/Fe] ratios. Conclusions: While our results cannot constrain how far stars have migrated, we propose that migration processes are likely to have played an important role in the evolution of the Milky Way, with metal-rich stars migrating from the inner disk toward to solar neighborhood and past mergers potentially driving enhanced migration of older stellar populations in the disk.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roederer, Ian U.; Karakas, Amanda I.; Pignatari, Marco

We present a detailed analysis of the composition and nucleosynthetic origins of the heavy elements in the metal-poor ([Fe/H] = −1.62 ± 0.09) star HD 94028. Previous studies revealed that this star is mildly enhanced in elements produced by the slow neutron-capture process (s process; e.g., [Pb/Fe] = +0.79 ± 0.32) and rapid neutron-capture process (r process; e.g., [Eu/Fe] = +0.22 ± 0.12), including unusually large molybdenum ([Mo/Fe] = +0.97 ± 0.16) and ruthenium ([Ru/Fe] = +0.69 ± 0.17) enhancements. However, this star is not enhanced in carbon ([C/Fe] = −0.06 ± 0.19). We analyze an archival near-ultraviolet spectrum of HD 94028, collected using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope, and other archival optical spectra collected frommore » ground-based telescopes. We report abundances or upper limits derived from 64 species of 56 elements. We compare these observations with s-process yields from low-metallicity AGB evolution and nucleosynthesis models. No combination of s- and r-process patterns can adequately reproduce the observed abundances, including the super-solar [As/Ge] ratio (+0.99 ± 0.23) and the enhanced [Mo/Fe] and [Ru/Fe] ratios. We can fit these features when including an additional contribution from the intermediate neutron-capture process (i process), which perhaps operated through the ingestion of H in He-burning convective regions in massive stars, super-AGB stars, or low-mass AGB stars. Currently, only the i process appears capable of consistently producing the super-solar [As/Ge] ratios and ratios among neighboring heavy elements found in HD 94028. Other metal-poor stars also show enhanced [As/Ge] ratios, hinting that operation of the i process may have been common in the early Galaxy.« less

Systematic features of axisymmetric neutrino-driven core-collapse supernova models in multiple progenitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakamura, Ko; Takiwaki, Tomoya; Kuroda, Takami; Kotake, Kei

2015-12-01

We present an overview of two-dimensional (2D) core-collapse supernova simulations employing a neutrino transport scheme by the isotropic diffusion source approximation. We study 101 solar-metallicity, 247 ultra metal-poor, and 30 zero-metal progenitors covering zero-age main sequence mass from 10.8 M⊙ to 75.0 M⊙. Using the 378 progenitors in total, we systematically investigate how the differences in the structures of these multiple progenitors impact the hydrodynamics evolution. By following a long-term evolution over 1.0 s after bounce, most of the computed models exhibit neutrino-driven revival of the stalled bounce shock at ˜200-800 ms postbounce, leading to the possibility of explosion. Pushing the boundaries of expectations in previous one-dimensional studies, our results confirm that the compactness parameter ξ that characterizes the structure of the progenitors is also a key in 2D to diagnosing the properties of neutrino-driven explosions. Models with high ξ undergo high ram pressure from the accreting matter onto the stalled shock, which affects the subsequent evolution of the shock expansion and the mass of the protoneutron star under the influence of neutrino-driven convection and the standing accretion-shock instability. We show that the accretion luminosity becomes higher for models with high ξ, which makes the growth rate of the diagnostic explosion energy higher and the synthesized nickel mass bigger. We find that these explosion characteristics tend to show a monotonic increase as a function of the compactness parameter ξ.

The young stellar population of IC 1613. III. New O-type stars unveiled by GTC-OSIRIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, M.; Herrero, A.

2013-03-01

Context. Very low-metallicity massive stars are key to understanding the reionization epoch. Radiation-driven winds, chief agents in the evolution of massive stars, are consequently an important ingredient in our models of the early-Universe. Recent findings hint that the winds of massive stars with poorer metallicity than the SMC may be stronger than predicted by theory. Besides calling the paradigm of radiation-driven winds into question, this result would affect the calculated ionizing radiation and mechanical feedback of massive stars, as well as the role these objects play at different stages of the Universe. Aims: The field needs a systematic study of the winds of a large sample of very metal-poor massive stars. The sampling of spectral types is particularly poor in the very early types. This paper's goal is to increase the list of known O-type stars in the dwarf irregular galaxy IC 1613, whose metallicity is lower than the SMC's roughly by a factor 2. Methods: Using the reddening-free Q pseudo-colour, evolutionary masses, and GALEX photometry, we built a list of very likely O-type stars. We obtained low-resolution (R ~ 1000) GTC-OSIRIS spectra for a fraction of them and performed spectral classification, the only way to unequivocally confirm candidate OB-stars. Results: We have discovered 8 new O-type stars in IC 1613, increasing the list of 7 known O-type stars in this galaxy by a factor of 2. The best quality spectra were analysed with the model atmosphere code FASTWIND to derive stellar parameters. We present the first spectral type - effective temperature scale for O-stars beyond the SMC. Conclusions: The target selection method is successful. From the pre-selected list of 13 OB star candidates, we have found 8 new O-stars and 4 early-B stars and provided a similar type for a formerly known early-O star. Further tests are needed, but the presented procedure can eventually make preliminary low-resolution spectroscopy to confirm candidates unnecessary. The derived effective temperature calibration for IC 1613 is about 1000 K hotter than the scale at the SMC. The analysis of an increased list of O-type stars will be crucial for studies of the winds and feedback of massive stars at all ages of the Universe. Based on observations made with the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC), installed in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, on the island of La Palma. Programme ID GTC59-11B.Figures 4, 6 and Appendix A are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.orgSpectra as FITS files are available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/551/A74

A New Sample of Cool Subdwarfs from SDSS: Properties and Kinematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savcheva, Antonia; West, Andrew A.; Bochanski, John J.

2014-06-01

We present a new sample of M subdwarfs compiled from the 7th data re- lease of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. With 3517 new subdwarfs, this new sample significantly increases the number the existing sample of low-mass subdwarfs. This catalog includes unprecedentedly large numbers of extreme and ultra sudwarfs. Here, we present the catalog and the statistical analysis we perform. Subdwarf template spectra are derived. We show color-color and reduced proper motion diagrams of the three metallicity classes, which are shown to separate from the disk dwarf population. The extreme and ultra subdwarfs are seen at larger values of reduced proper motion as expected for more dynamically heated populations. We determine 3D kinematics for all of the stars with proper motions. The color-magnitude diagrams show a clear separation of the three metallicity classes with the ultra and extreme subdwarfs being significantly closer to the main sequence than the ordinary subdwarfs. All subdwarfs lie below and to the blue of the main sequence. Based on the average (U, V, W ) velocities and their dispersions, the extreme and ultra subdwarfs likely belong to the Galactic halo, while the ordinary subdwarfs are likely part of the old Galactic (or thick) disk. An extensive activity analy- sis of subdwarfs is performed using chromospheric Hα emission and 208 active subdwarfs are found. We show that while the activity fraction of subdwarfs rises with spectral class and levels off at the latest spectral classes, consistent with the behavior of M dwarfs, the extreme and ultra subdwarfs are basically flat.

A New Sample of Cool Subdwarfs from SDSS: Properties and Kinematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savcheva, Antonia S.; West, Andrew A.; Bochanski, John J.

2014-10-01

We present a new sample of M subdwarfs compiled from the seventh data release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. With 3517 new subdwarfs, this new sample significantly increases the number of spectroscopically confirmed low-mass subdwarfs. This catalog also includes 905 extreme and 534 ultra sudwarfs. We present the entire catalog, including observed and derived quantities, and template spectra created from co-added subdwarf spectra. We show color-color and reduced proper motion diagrams of the three metallicity classes, which are shown to separate from the disk dwarf population. The extreme and ultra subdwarfs are seen at larger values of reduced proper motion, as expected for more dynamically heated populations. We determine 3D kinematics for all of the stars with proper motions. The color-magnitude diagrams show a clear separation of the three metallicity classes with the ultra and extreme subdwarfs being significantly closer to the main sequence than the ordinary subdwarfs. All subdwarfs lie below (fainter) and to the left (bluer) of the main sequence. Based on the average (U, V, W) velocities and their dispersions, the extreme and ultra subdwarfs likely belong to the Galactic halo, while the ordinary subdwarfs are likely part of the old Galactic (or thick) disk. An extensive activity analysis of subdwarfs is performed using Hα emission, and 208 active subdwarfs are found. We show that while the activity fraction of subdwarfs rises with spectral class and levels off at the latest spectral classes, consistent with the behavior of M dwarfs, the extreme and ultra subdwarfs are basically flat.

Effect of atomic parameters on determination of aluminium abundance in atmospheres of late-type stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menzhevitski, V. S.; Shimanskaya, N. N.; Shimansky, V. V.; Kudryavtsev, D. O.

2014-04-01

We study the effect of the photoionization cross sections for the ground state of Al I on the inferred aluminium abundance in stellar atmospheres. We match the theoretical and observed line profiles of the resonance λλ 3944.01, 3961.52 Å and subordinate λλ 6696.03, 6698.68 Å doublets in high-resolution spectra of the metal-poor solar-type stars HD22879 and HD201889. We determine the parameters of these stars from their photometric and spectroscopic data. Our computations show that the profiles can be matched and a single aluminium abundance inferred simultaneously from both groups of spectral lines only with low photoionization cross sections (about 10-12 Mb). Larger cross sections (about 58-65 Mb) make such fits impossible. We therefore conclude that small photoionization cross sections should be preferred for the determination of aluminium abundances in metal-poor stars. We redetermine the aluminium abundances in the atmospheres of halo stars. The resulting abundances prove to be lower by 0.1-0.15 dex than our earlier determinations which does not affect the conclusions based on our earlier estimates. In particular, the NLTE [Al/Fe]-[Fe/H] dependence, on the whole, agrees only qualitatively with the results of theoretical predictions. Therefore further refinement of the theory of nuclear synthesis of aluminium in the process of the chemical evolution of the Galaxy remains a task of current importance.

Non-local Thermodynamic Equilibrium Stellar Spectroscopy with 1D and >3D< Models. II. Chemical Properties of the Galactic Metal-poor Disk and the Halo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergemann, Maria; Collet, Remo; Schönrich, Ralph; Andrae, Rene; Kovalev, Mikhail; Ruchti, Greg; Hansen, Camilla Juul; Magic, Zazralt

2017-09-01

From exploratory studies and theoretical expectations it is known that simplifying approximations in spectroscopic analysis (local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE), 1D) lead to systematic biases of stellar parameters and abundances. These biases depend strongly on surface gravity, temperature and, in particular, for LTE versus non-LTE (NLTE), on metallicity of the stars. Here we analyze the [Mg/Fe] and [Fe/H] plane of a sample of 326 stars, comparing LTE and NLTE results obtained using 1D hydrostatic models and averaged <3D> models. We show that compared to the <3D> NLTE benchmark, the other three methods display increasing biases toward lower metallicities, resulting in false trends of [Mg/Fe] against [Fe/H], which have profound implications for interpretations by chemical evolution models. In our best <3D> NLTE model, the halo and disk stars show a clearer behavior in the [Mg/Fe]-[Fe/H] plane, from the knee in abundance space down to the lowest metallicities. Our sample has a large fraction of thick disk stars and this population extends down to at least [Fe/H] ˜ -1.6 dex, further than previously proven. The thick disk stars display a constant [Mg/Fe] ≈ 0.3 dex, with a small intrinsic dispersion in [Mg/Fe] that suggests that a fast SN Ia channel is not relevant for the disk formation. The halo stars reach higher [Mg/Fe] ratios and display a net trend of [Mg/Fe] at low metallicities, paired with a large dispersion in [Mg/Fe]. These indicate the diverse origin of halo stars from accreted low-mass systems to stochastic/inhomogeneous chemical evolution in the Galactic halo.

β-decay studies of r-process nuclei at NSCL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pereira, J.; Aprahamian, A.; Arndt, O.; Becerril, A.; Elliot, T.; Estrade, A.; Galaviz, D.; Hennrich, S.; Hosmer, P.; Schnorrenberger, L.; Kessler, R.; Kratz, K.-L.; Lorusso, G.; Mantica, P. F.; Matos, M.; Montes, F.; Pfeiffer, B.; Quinn, M.; Santi, P.; Schatz, H.; Schertz, F.; Smith, E.; Tomlin, B. E.; Walters, W. B.; Wöhr, A.

2008-06-01

Observed neutron-capture elemental abundances in metal-poor stars, along with ongoing analysis of the extremely metal-poor Eu-enriched sub-class provide new guidance for astrophysical models aimed at finding the r-process sites. The present paper emphasizes the importance of nuclear physics parameters entering in these models, particularly β-decay properties of neutron-rich nuclei. In this context, several r-process motivated β-decay experiments performed at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) are presented, including a summary of results and impact on model calculations.

Roche-lobe overflow systems powered by black holes in young star clusters: the importance of dynamical exchanges

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mapelli, Michela; Zampieri, Luca, E-mail: michela.mapelli@oapd.inaf.it

2014-10-10

We have run 600 N-body simulations of intermediate-mass (∼3500 M {sub ☉}) young star clusters (SCs; with three different metallicities (Z = 0.01, 0.1, and 1 Z {sub ☉}). The simulations include the dependence of stellar properties and stellar winds on metallicity. Massive stellar black holes (MSBHs) with mass >25 M {sub ☉} are allowed to form through direct collapse of very massive metal-poor stars (Z < 0.3 Z {sub ☉}). We focus on the demographics of black hole (BH) binaries that undergo mass transfer via Roche lobe overflow (RLO). We find that 44% of all binaries that undergo anmore » RLO phase (RLO binaries) formed through dynamical exchange. RLO binaries that formed via exchange (RLO-EBs) are powered by more massive BHs than RLO primordial binaries (RLO-PBs). Furthermore, the RLO-EBs tend to start the RLO phase later than the RLO-PBs. In metal-poor SCs (0.01-0.1 Z {sub ☉}), >20% of all RLO binaries are powered by MSBHs. The vast majority of RLO binaries powered by MSBHs are RLO-EBs. We have produced optical color-magnitude diagrams of the simulated RLO binaries, accounting for the emission of both the donor star and the irradiated accretion disk. We find that RLO-PBs are generally associated with bluer counterparts than RLO-EBs. We compare the simulated counterparts with the observed counterparts of nine ultraluminous X-ray sources. We discuss the possibility that IC 342 X-1, Ho IX X-1, NGC 1313 X-2, and NGC 5204 X-1 are powered by an MSBH.« less

CN anomalies in extremely metal-deficient red giants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anthony-Twarog, Barbara J.; Shawl, Stephen J.; Twarog, Bruce A.

1992-01-01

New photometric and UV spectroscopic data for the metal-deficient red giants CD -38 deg 245 and BD -18 deg 5550 are presented and discussed in light of recently noted photometric anomalies. From the IUE spectra it is aparent that the UV excess found in BD -18 deg 5550 is not the result of a hot companion. The IUE spectra, in conjunction with other observations, point to anomalous nitrogen abundances as the source of the discrepancies between the photometric and spectroscopic abundances for these stars. CD -38 deg 245 appears to be exceptionally nitrogen-rich while BD -18 deg 5550 is anomalously nitrogen-poor with respect to stars of comparable metallicities. While BD -18 deg 5550 appears to be an exception to the rule for its metallicity, the confirmation of a similar photometric pattern for CS 22885-96 may be an indication that the nitrogen overabundance in CD -38 deg 245 is typical for giants of extreme metal-deficiency.

Fifteen DO, PG 1159 and related white dwarf stars in the SDSS, including two DO stars with ultra-high excitation ion lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krzesiński, J.; Nitta, A.; Kleinman, S. J.; Harris, H. C.; Liebert, J.; Schmidt, G.; Lamb, D. Q.; Brinkmann, J.

2004-04-01

We report on observations of 15 spectroscopically-identified DO stars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) database, 13 of which are new discoveries. There are four PG 1159 type stars, two DO stars showing ultra-high excitation ion features (CVI, NVII, OVII, OVIII, NeIX, NeX) likely formed in stellar winds, 6 normal DO stars, one DBO and DBAO star, and one DAO star, which may also be magnetic. Since roughly 60 DO stars were known up to now, this new finding substantially increases the number of known DO white dwarf stars and we expect to at least double the current number of known DO stars by the end of the SDSS. We present each spectrum and provide catalog information (magnitudes, proper motion, coordinates) for each star.

A Glimpse of the Young Milky Way

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2002-10-01

VLT UVES Observes Most Metal-Deficient Star Known [1] Summary A faint star in the southern Milky Way, designated HE 0107-5240 , has been found to consist virtually only of hydrogen and helium . It has the lowest abundance of heavier elements ever observed , only 1/200,000 of that of the Sun - 20 times less than the previous record-holding star. This is the result of a major ongoing research project by an international team of astronomers [2]. It is based on a decade-long survey of the southern sky, with detailed follow-up observations by means of the powerful UV-Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) on the 8.2-m VLT KUEYEN telescope at the ESO Paranal Observatory in Chile. This significant discovery now opens a new window towards the early times when the Milky Way galaxy was young, possibly still in the stage of formation. It proves that, contrary to most current theories, comparatively light stars like HE 0107-5240 (with 80% of the mass of the Sun) may form in environments (nearly) devoid of heavier elements. Since some years, astronomers have been desperately searching for stars of the very first stellar generation in the Milky Way, consisting only of hydrogen and helium from the Big Bang. None have been detected so far and doubts have arisen that they exist at all. The present discovery provides new hope that it will ultimately be possible to find such stellar relics from the young Universe and thereby to study "unpolluted" Big Bang material. PR Photo 25a/02 : The sky region around the very metal-deficient star HE 0107-5240 . PR Photo 25b/02 : Comparison of UVES spectra of stars with different metal abundances. Stellar generations in the Milky Way galaxy The Milky Way galaxy in which we live formed from a gigantic cloud of gas, when the Universe was still young, soon after the initial Big Bang. At the beginning, this gas was presumably composed almost exclusively of hydrogen and helium atoms produced during the Big Bang. However, once the first stars formed by contraction in that gas, many heavier elements were built up by nuclear processes in their interiors. As time passed, many of the stars of this and following stellar generations returned the processed matter to their surroundings at the ends of their lives, either during violent supernova explosions or via strong "stellar winds". In this way, the interstellar gas in the Milky Way system has ever since been continuously enriched with heavier elements. Stars of later generations like our Sun now contain those elements produced by their ancestors and we are indeed ourselves made up of them. Consequently, the early (and hence, old) stars in the Milky Way mainly differ from younger stars by containing very small amounts of such elements . Hunting the earliest stars Have some of those earliest stars survived to our days? In theory, at least, it would be possible that some of the lighter ones - having the longest lifetimes - are still around. But if so, where are they? During the past three decades, astronomers have desperately tried to find bona-fide representatives of the very first stellar generation(s) in the Milky Way, i.e. stars with no or, at most, extremely low abundance of elements other than hydrogen and helium. The researchers usually refer to such objects as Population III stars , the other two populations being stars with heavy-element abundances like the Sun (Population I) or somewhat less (Population II) [3]. The Hamburg/ESO survey Now, a group of astronomers from Germany, Sweden, Australia, Brazil and the USA [2] has found a giant star that has a concentration of heavy elements 200,000 times lower than the Sun, or about 20 times less than the previous "record" for this kind of star. It thus provides the researchers with a unique window towards the early stages of the formation of the Milky Way and a fine opportunity to study stellar gas with a composition close to that produced during the Big Bang. This is one important outcome of a systematic search for the most metal-deficient stars that is currently being carried out at Hamburger Sternwarte [4]. Over a period of more than 10 years, a large collection of photographic pictures of the southern sky were obtained with the ESO 1-m Schmidt Telescope, a wide-angle telescope at the La Silla observatory in Chile that has now been decommissioned. Thanks to a large glass prism in the front of the telescope, every object in the observed sky field - stars as well as galaxies - was imaged as a small spectrum, providing a first rough idea about its type and composition. The main aim of this "Hamburg/ESO survey" (with Dieter Reimers , Associate Director of the Hamburger Sternwarte, as Principal Investigator and Lutz Wisotzki , now at Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam, Germany, as Project Scientist) was to find quasars (particularly active centres of galaxies), a task that was accomplished most successfully, cf. e.g., ESO PR 10/97 and ESO PR 08/00 (Report F). A very welcome by-product of this survey has been a rich harvest of very metal-poor stars . This part of the project is led by Norbert Christlieb , also from the Hamburg Observatory, and now on sabbatical leave at the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics of the Australian National University (Canberra, Australia). Using fast computers and advanced pattern-recognition software to analyze the photographic exposures and thus to sift through millions of registered stellar spectra, about 8000 candidates for very metal-poor stars were found. These stars are now being scrutinized spectroscopically one-by-one with many medium-sized telescopes all over the world. Confirmed candidates are then observed with the largest telescopes in the world in order to obtain very detailed spectra (of high spectral resolution), which allow the astronomers to determine their chemical composition accurately. The very metal-deficient star HE 0107-5240 ESO PR Photo 25a/02 ESO PR Photo 25a/02 [Preview - JPEG: 400 x 458 pix - 86k [Normal - JPEG: 800 x 915 pix - 648k] ESO PR Photo 25b/02 ESO PR Photo 25b/02 [Preview - JPEG: 494 x 400 pix - 55k [Normal - JPEG: 987 x 800 pix - 216k] Caption : PR Photo 25a/02 shows a small sky field with the very metal-deficient star HE 0107-5240 at the centre (reproduced from the Digital Sky Survey [STScI Digitized Sky Survey, (C) 1993, 1994, AURA, Inc. all rights reserved - cf. http://archive.eso.org/dss/dss]). PR Photo 25b/02 displays a comparison of a region of the spectrum of the Sun (top) with that of CD -38 245 , the previously most iron-deficient star known (2nd from top), the new record-holder HE 0107-5240 (3rd from top), and a (hypothetical) Population III star [4], consisting only of elements produced in the Big Bang, i.e. hydrogen and helium, and traces of lithium. As can be seen, the spectral absorption lines become progressively weaker with decreasing content of heavier elements. While there is 1 iron atom for every 31,000 hydrogen atoms in the atmosphere of the Sun, in HE 0107-5240 this ratio is about 200,000 times smaller, or only 1 iron atom for every 6.8 billion hydrogen atoms! The two spectra in the middle show that HE 0107-5240 is indeed much more metal-poor than the previous record-holder CD -38 245 - the iron (Fe) lines in the spectrum of HE 0107-5240 are weaker (or absent) and the Nickel (Ni) line is not visible at all. One of these stars has been designated HE 0107-5240 ("HE" stands for Hamburg/ESO Survey, and the number denotes the approximate position of the star on the sky). It is about ten thousand times fainter than the faintest stars that can be seen with the unaided eye. It is located in the direction of the southern constellation Phoenix, at a distance of about 36,000 light-years. This star was observed in December 2001 with the UV-Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) on the 8.2-m VLT KUEYEN telescope at the ESO Paranal Observatory (Chile). From these spectra, Norbert Christlieb and his colleagues at the Dept. of Astronomy and Space Physics, University of Uppsala (Sweden) and at the Munich University Observatory (Germany) were able to determine the chemical composition of the star. The implications HE 0107-5240 turns out to be the most metal-poor star known to date . " This is, in a way, the closest we have ever come to the conditions directly after the Big Bang by studying stars ", says Norbert Christlieb . " But obviously, a lot must have happened between the Big Bang and the formation of this star. In spite of its extreme metal-poorness, it evidently contains some metals, and they were most probably formed in a even earlier, massive star that exploded as a supernova ". Bengt Gustafsson from the University of Uppsala, who lead the chemical analysis jointly with Christlieb, adds that " this star also has an abnormally large content of carbon and nitrogen. Those elements may possibly have been formed by nuclear reactions with helium and hydrogen deep inside the star and subsequently transported upwards to the stellar surface where they can now be observed. It is also possible that a neigbouring star at the end of its life 'polluted' our star by transferring some of its enriched material to HE 0107-5240 at that moment. The ongoing observations with UVES will help us to decide which scenario is the most probable ." Renewed hope to find first-generation stars The mass of HE 0107-5240 is about 80% of that of the Sun. This discovery thus clearly demonstrates that stars with masses slightly less than the Sun can form from very metal-poor gas. This is unexpected, as most current theoretical calculations indicate that it is very difficult to form low-mass stars shortly after the Big Bang, because metals are needed to efficiently cool gas clouds as they contract into stars. But now HE 0107-5240 reveals that Nature has found a way to achieve the necessary cooling. It therefore appears that many of the model calculations must be refined. Equally important: if a star like HE 0107-5240 , with about 0.8 solar mass and 1/200,000 of the metal content of the Sun, did indeed form in the early Universe, then it should also have been possible for low-mass Population III stars to form . If so, they would have survived until today. This implies that there is new hope to find them by means of large, systematic searches like the Hamburg/ESO Survey. Until now, follow-up spectroscopic observations - which are necessarily quite time-consuming - have only been made of about one-quarter of the 8000 low-metal-abundance candidate stars identified in that survey. It is therefore not excluded that a bona-fide Population III star may eventually be found in the course of this programme. More information The information presented in this Press Release is based on a research article ("A stellar relic from the early Milky Way" by Norbert Christlieb et al.) that appears in the research journal "Nature" on October 31, 2002. Notes [1]: This press release is issued in coordination between ESO and Hamburger Sternwarte in Germany. [2]: The team consists of Norbert Christlieb (Hamburger Sternwarte, University of Hamburg, Germany; on sabbatical leave at the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Mount Stromlo Observatory, Australia), Michael S. Bessell (Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Mount Stromlo Observatory, Australia), Timothy C. Beers (Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA), Bengt Gustafsson, Paul S. Barklem, Torgny Karlsson, Michelle Mizuno-Wiedner (Department of Astronomy and Space Physics, University of Uppsala, Sweden), Andreas Korn (University Observatory Munich, Germany) and Silvia Rossi (Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciencias Atmosféricas, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil). [3]: Most stars in the Milky Way galaxy move within the disk, and for most of these, 1 to 2 percent of their mass consists of chemical elements that are heavier than hydrogen and helium; this is also the case for the Sun, which at 4.6 billion years is about one third of the age of our galaxy. There exists, however, another population of stars for which the heavy-element abundance is only 1/10 - 1/1000 of that of the Sun. Those stars are found in globular clusters, but most move in a huge swarm around the disk, in the halo of the Galaxy. These "halo stars" were born when the Milky Way galaxy was young and their motions still carry the imprint of the process by which our galaxy formed, when gravity brought the gas together and the first stars appeared. The "halo stars" are said to belong to "Population II", in contrast to the younger stars in the disk (like the Sun) that are referred to as "Population I" stars. But what is then the origin of the small amount of heavy elements in Population II stars? There must have been supernovae and other exploding stars in the very early (or even pre-) Milky Way gas, out of which Population II stars were formed. This first (still hypothetical) stellar generation has been named "Population III". There have been many attempts to find Population III stars, which are then presumably totally void of metals, but those searches have not succeeded so far. [4]: Astronomers refer to elements heavier than hydrogen and helium as "metals". Stars with a low abundance of heavier elements are thus referred to as "metal-poor" stars .

SDSS-IV MaNGA: properties of galaxies with kinematically decoupled stellar and gaseous components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Yifei; Chen, Yanmei; Shi, Yong; Tremonti, C. A.; Bershady, M. A.; Merrifield, M.; Emsellem, E.; Fu, Hai; Wake, D.; Bundy, K.; Lin, Lihwai; Argudo-Fernandez, M.; Huang, Song; Stark, D. V.; Storchi-Bergmann, T.; Bizyaev, D.; Brownstein, J.; Chisholm, J.; Guo, Qi; Hao, Lei; Hu, Jian; Li, Cheng; Li, Ran; Masters, K. L.; Malanushenko, E.; Pan, Kaike; Riffel, R. A.; Roman-Lopes, A.; Simmons, A.; Thomas, D.; Wang, Lan; Westfall, K.; Yan, Renbin

2016-11-01

We study the properties of 66 galaxies with kinematically misaligned gas and stars from MaNGA survey. The fraction of kinematically misaligned galaxies varies with galaxy physical parameters, I.e. M*, SFR and sSFR. According to their sSFR, we further classify these 66 galaxies into three categories, 10 star-forming, 26 `Green Valley' and 30 quiescent ones. The properties of different types of kinematically misaligned galaxies are different in that the star-forming ones have positive gradient in Dn4000 and higher gas-phase metallicity, while the green valley/quiescent ones have negative Dn4000 gradients and lower gas-phase metallicity on average. There is evidence that all types of the kinematically misaligned galaxies tend to live in more isolated environment. Based on all these observational results, we propose a scenario for the formation of star-forming galaxies with kinematically misaligned gas and stars - the progenitor accretes misaligned gas from a gas-rich dwarf or cosmic web, the cancellation of angular momentum from gas-gas collisions between the pre-existing gas and the accreted gas largely accelerates gas inflow, leading to fast centrally concentrated star formation. The higher metallicity is due to enrichment from this star formation. For the kinematically misaligned green valley and quiescent galaxies, they might be formed through gas-poor progenitors accreting kinematically misaligned gas from satellites which are smaller in mass.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars sample (Caffau+, 2018)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caffau, E.; Gallagher, A. J.; Bonifacio, P.; Spite, M.; Duffau, S.; Spite, F.; Monaco, L.; Sbordone, L.

2018-06-01

We selected a sample of turn-off stars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS York et al. 2000AJ....120.1579Y; Yanny et al. 2009, Cat. J/AJ/137/4377) that were bright enough (g<17) to allow us to secure a reasonable spectrum quality in a single observing block of 1h. The FORS spectra have been observed in service mode during the ESO Programme 099.D-0791, between 01/04/2017 and 16/08/2017. The GMOS spectra were acquired in service mode on the nights of 21/07/2017 and 25/07/2017. Table 1 lists the stars we examined here, along with their coordinates, g-mag, and metallicities derived from Fe abundances computed using SDSS and FORS/GMOS spectra. (2 data files).

A Differential Chemical Element Analysis of the Metal-poor Globular Cluster NGC 6397

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koch, Andreas; McWilliam, Andrew

2011-08-01

We present chemical abundances in three red giants and two turnoff (TO) stars in the metal-poor Galactic globular cluster (GC) NGC 6397 based on spectroscopy obtained with the Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle high-resolution spectrograph on the Magellan 6.5 m Clay telescope. Our results are based on a line-by-line differential abundance analysis relative to the well-studied red giant Arcturus and the Galactic halo field star Hip 66815. At a mean of -2.10 ± 0.02 (stat.) ±0.07 (sys.), the differential iron abundance is in good agreement with other studies in the literature based on gf-values. As in previous differential works we find a distinct departure from ionization equilibrium in that the abundances of Fe I and Fe II differ by ~0.1 dex, with opposite signs for the red giant branch (RGB) and TO stars. The α-element ratios are enhanced to 0.4 (RGB) and 0.3 dex (TO), respectively, and we also confirm strong variations in the O, Na, and Al/Fe abundance ratios. Accordingly, the light-element abundance patterns in one of the red giants can be attributed to pollution by an early generation of massive Type II supernovae. TO and RGB abundances are not significantly different, with the possible exception of Mg and Ti, which are, however, amplified by the patterns in one TO star additionally belonging to this early generation of GC stars. We discuss interrelations of these light elements as a function of the GC metallicity. This paper includes data gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile.

Atypical Mg-poor Milky Way Field Stars with Globular Cluster Second-generation-like Chemical Patterns

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fernández-Trincado, J. G.; Geisler, D.; Tang, B.

We report the peculiar chemical abundance patterns of 11 atypical Milky Way (MW) field red giant stars observed by the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE). These atypical giants exhibit strong Al and N enhancements accompanied by C and Mg depletions, strikingly similar to those observed in the so-called second-generation (SG) stars of globular clusters (GCs). Remarkably, we find low Mg abundances ([Mg/Fe] < 0.0) together with strong Al and N overabundances in the majority (5/7) of the metal-rich ([Fe/H] ≳ −1.0) sample stars, which is at odds with actual observations of SG stars in Galactic GCs of similarmore » metallicities. This chemical pattern is unique and unprecedented among MW stars, posing urgent questions about its origin. These atypical stars could be former SG stars of dissolved GCs formed with intrinsically lower abundances of Mg and enriched Al (subsequently self-polluted by massive AGB stars) or the result of exotic binary systems. We speculate that the stars Mg-deficiency as well as the orbital properties suggest that they could have an extragalactic origin. This discovery should guide future dedicated spectroscopic searches of atypical stellar chemical patterns in our Galaxy, a fundamental step forward to understanding the Galactic formation and evolution.« less

Atypical Mg-poor Milky Way Field Stars with Globular Cluster Second-generation-like Chemical Patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández-Trincado, J. G.; Zamora, O.; García-Hernández, D. A.; Souto, Diogo; Dell'Agli, F.; Schiavon, R. P.; Geisler, D.; Tang, B.; Villanova, S.; Hasselquist, Sten; Mennickent, R. E.; Cunha, Katia; Shetrone, M.; Allende Prieto, Carlos; Vieira, K.; Zasowski, G.; Sobeck, J.; Hayes, C. R.; Majewski, S. R.; Placco, V. M.; Beers, T. C.; Schleicher, D. R. G.; Robin, A. C.; Mészáros, Sz.; Masseron, T.; García Pérez, Ana E.; Anders, F.; Meza, A.; Alves-Brito, A.; Carrera, R.; Minniti, D.; Lane, R. R.; Fernández-Alvar, E.; Moreno, E.; Pichardo, B.; Pérez-Villegas, A.; Schultheis, M.; Roman-Lopes, A.; Fuentes, C. E.; Nitschelm, C.; Harding, P.; Bizyaev, D.; Pan, K.; Oravetz, D.; Simmons, A.; Ivans, Inese I.; Blanco-Cuaresma, S.; Hernández, J.; Alonso-García, J.; Valenzuela, O.; Chanamé, J.

2017-09-01

We report the peculiar chemical abundance patterns of 11 atypical Milky Way (MW) field red giant stars observed by the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE). These atypical giants exhibit strong Al and N enhancements accompanied by C and Mg depletions, strikingly similar to those observed in the so-called second-generation (SG) stars of globular clusters (GCs). Remarkably, we find low Mg abundances ([Mg/Fe] < 0.0) together with strong Al and N overabundances in the majority (5/7) of the metal-rich ([Fe/H] ≳ -1.0) sample stars, which is at odds with actual observations of SG stars in Galactic GCs of similar metallicities. This chemical pattern is unique and unprecedented among MW stars, posing urgent questions about its origin. These atypical stars could be former SG stars of dissolved GCs formed with intrinsically lower abundances of Mg and enriched Al (subsequently self-polluted by massive AGB stars) or the result of exotic binary systems. We speculate that the stars Mg-deficiency as well as the orbital properties suggest that they could have an extragalactic origin. This discovery should guide future dedicated spectroscopic searches of atypical stellar chemical patterns in our Galaxy, a fundamental step forward to understanding the Galactic formation and evolution.

CHROMOSPHERIC MODELS AND THE OXYGEN ABUNDANCE IN GIANT STARS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dupree, A. K.; Avrett, E. H.; Kurucz, R. L., E-mail: dupree@cfa.harvard.edu

Realistic stellar atmospheric models of two typical metal-poor giant stars in Omega Centauri, which include a chromosphere (CHR), influence the formation of optical lines of O i: the forbidden lines (λ6300, λ6363) and the infrared triplet (λλ7771−7775). One-dimensional semi-empirical non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) models are constructed based on observed Balmer lines. A full non-LTE formulation is applied for evaluating the line strengths of O i, including photoionization by the Lyman continuum and photoexcitation by Lyα and Lyβ. Chromospheric models (CHR) yield forbidden oxygen transitions that are stronger than those in radiative/convective equilibrium (RCE) models. The triplet oxygen lines from highmore » levels also appear stronger than those produced in an RCE model. The inferred oxygen abundance from realistic CHR models for these two stars is decreased by factors of ∼3 as compared to values derived from RCE models. A lower oxygen abundance suggests that intermediate-mass AGB stars contribute to the observed abundance pattern in globular clusters. A change in the oxygen abundance of metal-poor field giants could affect models of deep mixing episodes on the red giant branch. Changes in the oxygen abundance can impact other abundance determinations that are critical to astrophysics, including chemical tagging techniques and galactic chemical evolution.« less

Fluctuations in radiation backgrounds at high redshift and the first stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holzbauer, Lauren Nicole

The first stars to light up our universe are as yet unseen, but there have been many attempts to elucidate their properties. The characteristics of these stars (`Population/Pop III' stars) that we do know lie mostly within theory; they formed out of metal-free hydrogen and helium gas contained in dark matter minihalos at redshifts z 20-30. The extent to which Pop III star formation reached into later times is unknown. Current and near future instruments are incapable of resolving individual Pop III stars. Consequently, astronomers must devise creative means with which to indirectly predict and measure and their properties. In this thesis, we will investigate a few of those means. We use a new method to model fluctuations of the Lyman-Werner (LW) and Lyman-alpha radiation backgrounds at high redshift. At these early epochs the backgrounds are symptoms of a universe newly lit with its first stars. LW photons (11.5-13.6 eV) are of particular interest because they dissociate molecular hydrogen, the primary coolant in the first minihalos that is necessary for star formation. By using a variation of the `halo model', which describes the spatial distribution and clustering of halos, we can efficiently generate power spectra for these backgrounds. Spatial fluctuations in the LW and (indirectly) the Lyman-alpha BG can tell us about the transition from primordial star formation to a more metal-enriched mode that marks the beginning of the second generation of stars in our Universe. The Near Infrared Background (NIRB) has for some time been considered a potential tool with which to indirectly observe the first stars. Ultraviolet (UV) emission from these stars is redshifted into the NIR band, making the NIRB amenable for hunting Pop III stellar signatures. There have been several measurements of the NIRB and subsequent theoretical studies attempting to explain them in recent years. Though controversial, residual levels of the mean NIRB intensity and anisotropies have been detected after subtracting all known foreground stars and galaxies. Pop III stars have been the leading candidates thought responsible for this observed NIRB excess. We model the Pop III stellar contribution to the NIRB mean intensity and fluctuations and generate observationally motivated values of the star formation (SF) efficiency using high redshift measurements of the UV luminosity density with UDF09, UDF12, and WMAP-9 data. This allows us to characterize the properties of a Pop III stellar population that are required to produce the measured excess. Finally, we propose a new method for detecting primordial metal-free and very metal-poor stellar populations by cross-correlating fluctuations in the intensity of Lyman-alpha and He II &λ;1640A emission sourced from high redshifts. Pop III stars are expected to be more massive and more compact than later generations of stars. This results in a much harder ionizing spectrum. A large portion of the ionizing photons have energies with hnu > 54.4 eV that carve out substantial patches of doubly ionized helium, He III. These photoionized regions then begin to shine brightly in He II recombination emission. Due to the lack of heavy elements in these regions, Pop III stars must rely on hydrogen and helium for cooling, enhancing both the Lyman-alpha and He II emission lines. In this regard, Pop III stars can be characterized as `dual emitters,' i.e. producers of both Lyman-alpha and He II emission signatures. Though Lyman-alpha emission is characteristic of both metal-free and metal-enriched stars, He II emission appears to be unique to extremely metal poor stars and metal-free stars, making it a very strong signature of the first stars. Detecting Lyman-alpha + He II dual emission in individual galaxies at high redshift is difficult and so far rare. The astrophysical engines powering the few Lyman-alpha + He II dual emitters that have been discovered have still not been clearly identified. Alternatively, we may be able to map fluctuations in the total intensity of the Lyman-alpha and He II lambda1640 lines, which will allow us to indirectly assess sources that are below typical luminosity thresholds of deep surveys. Cross-correlating these lines can provide us with a useful new tool for inferring properties of the first stars, since the two lines together allow us to better isolate the redshift of source emission and the presence of He II lambda1640 emission is extremely sensitive to stellar metallicity.

A new model for the multiple stellar populations within Terzan 5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKenzie, M.; Bekki, K.

2018-06-01

Recent observational studies have demonstrated that the complex stellar system Terzan 5 (Ter 5) harbours multiple populations of stars. Several models have attempted to interpret the large age difference of several Gyrs between the dominant populations, but none have been universally accepted. We propose a new scenario whereby a collision between a metal-poor Ter 5 and a giant molecular cloud (GMC) serves as a catalyst for the generation of a super-solar population of stars. Using numerical simulations of this new "GC-GMC" collision scenario we demonstrate that, within a time frame of several Gyrs, our synthetic Ter 5 was capable of interacting with a metal-rich GMC in the central region of the Galaxy. As a consequence of this, our simulated globular cluster (GC) is able to capture enough gas from the colliding GMC to form a new population of metal-rich stars. Furthermore, the younger population created from the high-density regions of the captured gas is shown to have a stronger central mass concentration than the older metal-poor one, which is consistent with observations. A chemical link between Ter 5 and the bulge population of the Milky Way has long been observed and these simulations finally provide evidence for their similarities. Our model rationalises the 5 Gyrs of quiescence observed between the two dominant populations of Ter 5 and justifies the existence of the young generation. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the new scenario in the context of the observed physical properties of Ter 5.

An independent view?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lambert, David L.

The current dispute over the oxygen abundance in metal-poor stars has been viewed from a distance by this observer who would claim a measure of independence despite an intermittent interest in oxygen abundance determinations over 3 decades. This summary attempts to persuade all participants whether they advocate a "high" or "low" oxygen abundance or are simply bemused by the dispute that in resolving the present disagreements we shall learn not only about the oxygen abundance of these oldest Galactic stars but shall achieve a deeper understanding of the atmospheres of the stars.

Chemical Abundance Measurements of Ultra-Faint Dwarf Galaxies Discovered by the Dark Energy Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagasawa, Daniel; Marshall, Jennifer L.; Simon, Joshua D.; Hansen, Terese; Li, Ting; Bernstein, Rebecca; Balbinot, Eduardo; Drlica-Wagner, Alex; Pace, Andrew; Strigari, Louis; Pellegrino, Craig; DePoy, Darren L.; Suntzeff, Nicholas; Bechtol, Keith; Dark Energy Suvey

2018-01-01

We present chemical abundance analysis results derived from high-resolution spectroscopy of ultra-faint dwarfs discovered by the Dark Energy Survey. Ultra-faint dwarf galaxies preserve a fossil record of the chemical abundance patterns imprinted by the first stars in the Universe. High-resolution spectroscopic observations of member stars in several recently discovered Milky Way satellites reveal a range of abundance patterns among ultra-faint dwarfs suggesting that star formation processes in the early Universe were quite diverse. The chemical content provides a glimpse not only of the varied nucleosynthetic processes and chemical history of the dwarfs themselves, but also the environment in which they were formed. We present the chemical abundance analysis of these objects and discuss possible explanations for the observed abundance patterns.

Deep Imaging of the HCG 95 Field. I. Ultra-diffuse Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Dong Dong; Zheng, Xian Zhong; Zhao, Hai Bin; Pan, Zhi Zheng; Li, Bin; Zou, Hu; Zhou, Xu; Guo, KeXin; An, Fang Xia; Li, Yu Bin

2017-09-01

We present a detection of 89 candidates of ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) in a 4.9 degree2 field centered on the Hickson Compact Group 95 (HCG 95) using deep g- and r-band images taken with the Chinese Near Object Survey Telescope. This field contains one rich galaxy cluster (Abell 2588 at z = 0.199) and two poor clusters (Pegasus I at z = 0.013 and Pegasus II at z = 0.040). The 89 candidates are likely associated with the two poor clusters, giving about 50-60 true UDGs with a half-light radius {r}{{e}}> 1.5 {kpc} and a central surface brightness μ (g,0)> 24.0 mag arcsec-2. Deep z\\prime -band images are available for 84 of the 89 galaxies from the Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey (DECaLS), confirming that these galaxies have an extremely low central surface brightness. Moreover, our UDG candidates are spread over a wide range in g - r color, and ˜26% are as blue as normal star-forming galaxies, which is suggestive of young UDGs that are still in formation. Interestingly, we find that one UDG linked with HCG 95 is a gas-rich galaxy with H I mass 1.1× {10}9 M ⊙ detected by the Very Large Array, and has a stellar mass of {M}\\star ˜ 1.8× {10}8 M ⊙. This indicates that UDGs at least partially overlap with the population of nearly dark galaxies found in deep H I surveys. Our results show that the high abundance of blue UDGs in the HCG 95 field is favored by the environment of poor galaxy clusters residing in H I-rich large-scale structures.

Variable Stars in the Field of the Hydra II Ultra-Faint Dwarf Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vivas, Anna Katherina; Olsen, Knut A.; Blum, Robert D.; Nidever, David L.; Walker, Alistair R.; Martin, Nicolas; Besla, Gurtina; Gallart, Carme; Van Der Marel, Roeland P.; Majewski, Steven R.; Munoz, Ricardo; Kaleida, Catherine C.; Saha, Abhijit; Conn, Blair; Jin, Shoko

2016-06-01

We searched for variable stars in Hydra II, one of the recently discovered ultra-faint dwarf satellites of the Milky Way, using gri time-series obtained with the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Chile. We discovered one RR Lyrae star in the galaxy which was used to derive a distance of 154±8 kpc to this system and to re-calculate its absolute magnitude and half-light radius.A comparison with other RR Lyrae stars in ultra-faint systems indicates similar pulsational properties among them, which are different to those found among halo field stars and those in the largest of the Milky Way satellites. We also report the discovery of 31 additional short period variables in the field of view (RR Lyrae, SX Phe, eclipsing binaries, and a likely anomalous cepheid) which are likely not related with Hydra II.

Stars Too Old to be Trusted?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2006-08-01

Analysing a set of stars in a globular cluster with ESO's Very Large Telescope, astronomers may have found the solution to a critical cosmological and stellar riddle. Until now, an embarrassing question was why the abundance of lithium produced in the Big Bang is a factor 2 to 3 times higher than the value measured in the atmospheres of old stars. The answer, the researchers say, lies in the fact that the abundances of elements measured in a star's atmosphere decrease with time. ESO PR Photo 30/06 ESO PR Photo 30/06 Globular cluster NGC 6397, with some of the FLAMES-UVES target stars highlighted "Such trends are predicted by models that take into account the diffusion of elements in a star", said Andreas Korn, lead-author of the paper reporting the results in this week's issue of the journal Nature [1,2]. "But an observational confirmation was lacking. That is, until now." Lithium is one of the very few elements to have been produced in the Big Bang. Once astronomers know the amount of ordinary matter present in the Universe [3], it is rather straightforward to derive how much lithium was created in the early Universe. Lithium can also be measured in the oldest, metal-poor stars, which formed from matter similar to the primordial material. But the cosmologically predicted value is too high to reconcile with the measurements made in the stars. Something is wrong, but what? Diffusive processes altering the relative abundances of elements in stars are well known to play a role in certain classes of stars. Under the force of gravity, heavy elements will tend to sink out of visibility into the star over the course of billions of years. "The effects of diffusion are expected to be more pronounced in old, very metal-poor stars", said Korn. "Given their greater age, diffusion has had more time to produce sizeable effects than in younger stars like the Sun." The astronomers thus set up an observational campaign to test these model predictions, studying a variety of stars in different stages of evolution in the metal-poor globular cluster NGC 6397. Globular clusters [4] are useful laboratories in this respect, as all the stars they contain have identical age and initial chemical composition. The diffusion effects are predicted to vary with evolutionary stage. Therefore, measured atmospheric abundance trends with evolutionary stage are a signature of diffusion. Eighteen stars were observed for between 2 and 12 hours with the multi-object spectrograph FLAMES-UVES on ESO's Very Large Telescope. The FLAMES spectrograph is ideally suited as it allows astronomers to obtain spectra of many stars at a time. Even in a nearby globular cluster like NGC 6397, the unevolved stars are very faint and require rather long exposure times. The observations clearly show systematic abundance trends along the evolutionary sequence of NGC 6397, as predicted by diffusion models with extra mixing. Thus, the abundances measured in the atmospheres of old stars are not, strictly speaking, representative of the gas the stars originally formed from. "Once this effect is corrected for, the abundance of lithium measured in old, unevolved stars agrees with the cosmologically predicted value", said Korn. "The cosmological lithium discrepancy is thus largely removed." "The ball is now in the camp of the theoreticians," he added. "They have to identify the physical mechanism that is at the origin of the extra mixing."

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kudritzki, R. P.; Ho, I.-T.; Bresolin, F.

Low-resolution (4.5–5 Å) spectra of 58 blue supergiant stars distributed over the disk of the Magellanic spiral galaxy NGC 55 in the Sculptor group are analyzed by means of non-LTE techniques to determine stellar temperatures, gravities, and metallicities (from iron peak and α -elements). A metallicity gradient of −0.22 ± 0.06 dex/ R {sub 25} is detected. The central metallicity on a logarithmic scale relative to the Sun is [ Z ] = −0.37 ± 0.03. A chemical evolution model using the observed distribution of column densities of the stellar and interstellar medium gas mass reproduces the observed metallicity distributionmore » well and reveals a recent history of strong galactic mass accretion and wind outflows with accretion and mass-loss rates of the order of the star formation rate. There is an indication of spatial inhomogeneity in metallicity. In addition, the relatively high central metallicity of the disk confirms that two extraplanar metal-poor H ii regions detected in previous work 1.13 to 2.22 kpc above the galactic plane are ionized by massive stars formed in situ outside the disk. For a subsample of supergiants, for which Hubble Space Telescope photometry is available, the flux-weighted gravity–luminosity relationship is used to determine a distance modulus of 26.85 ± 0.10 mag.« less

Optical-near-IR analysis of globular clusters in the IKN dwarf spheroidal: a complex star formation history

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tudorica, A.; Georgiev, I. Y.; Chies-Santos, A. L.

2015-09-01

Context. Age, metallicity, and spatial distribution of globular clusters (GCs) provide a powerful tool for reconstructing major star-formation episodes in galaxies. IKN is a faint dwarf spheroidal (dSph) in the M 81 group of galaxies. It contains five old GCs, which makes it the galaxy with the highest known specific frequency (SN = 126). Aims: We estimate the photometric age, metallicity, and spatial distribution of the poorly studied IKN GCs. We search SDSS for GC candidates beyond the HST/ACS field of view, which covers half of IKN. Methods: To break the age-metallicity degeneracy in the colour, we used WHT/LIRIS KS-band photometry and derived photometric ages and metallicities by comparison with SSP models in the V,I,Ks colour space. Results: IKN GCs' VIKs colours are consistent with old ages (≥8 Gyr) and a metallicity distribution with a higher mean than is typical for such a dSph ([Fe/H] ≃ -1.4-0.2+0.6 dex). Their photometric mass range (0.5 < ℳGC< 4 × 105 M⊙) implies an unusually high mass ratio between GCs and field stars, of 10.6%. Mixture model analysis of the RGB field stars' metallicity suggests that 72% of the stars may have formed together with the GCs. Using the most massive GC-SFR relation, we calculated a star formation rate (SFR) of ~10 M⊙/yr during its formation epoch. We note that the more massive GCs are closer to the galaxy photometric centre. IKN GCs also appear spatially aligned along a line close to the major axis of the IKN and nearly orthogonal to the plane of spatial distribution of galaxies in the M 81 group. We identify one new IKN GC candidate based on colour and the PSF analysis of the SDSS data. Conclusions: The evidence of i) broad and high metallicity distribution of the field IKN RGB stars and its GCs, ii) high fraction, and iii) spatial alignment of IKN GCs supports a scenario for tidally triggered, complex IKN's star formation history in the context of interactions with galaxies in the M 81 group.

The Evolution of Low-Metallicity Massive Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szécsi, Dorottya

2016-07-01

Massive star evolution taking place in astrophysical environments consisting almost entirely of hydrogen and helium - in other words, low-metallicity environments - is responsible for some of the most intriguing and energetic cosmic phenomena, including supernovae, gamma-ray bursts and gravitational waves. This thesis aims to investigate the life and death of metal-poor massive stars, using theoretical simulations of the stellar structure and evolution. Evolutionary models of rotating, massive stars (9-600 Msun) with an initial metal composition appropriate for the low-metallicity dwarf galaxy I Zwicky 18 are presented and analyzed. We find that the fast rotating models (300 km/s) become a particular type of objects predicted only at low-metallicity: the so-called Transparent Wind Ultraviolet INtense (TWUIN) stars. TWUIN stars are fast rotating massive stars that are extremely hot (90 kK), very bright and as compact as Wolf-Rayet stars. However, as opposed to Wolf-Rayet stars, their stellar winds are optically thin. As these hot objects emit intense UV radiation, we show that they can explain the unusually high number of ionizing photons of the dwarf galaxy I Zwicky 18, an observational quantity that cannot be understood solely based on the normal stellar population of this galaxy. On the other hand, we find that the most massive, slowly rotating models become another special type of object predicted only at low-metallicity: core-hydrogen-burning cool supergiant stars. Having a slow but strong stellar wind, these supergiants may be important contributors in the chemical evolution of young galactic globular clusters. In particular, we suggest that the low mass stars observed today could form in a dense, massive and cool shell around these, now dead, supergiants. This scenario is shown to explain the anomalous surface abundances observed in these low mass stars, since the shell itself, having been made of the mass ejected by the supergiant’s wind, contains nuclear burning products in the same ratio as observed today in globular clusters stars. Further elaborating the fast rotating TWUIN star models, we predict that some of them will become Wolf-Rayet stars near the end of their lives. From this we show that our models can self-consistently explain both the high ionizing flux and the number of Wolf-Rayet stars in I Zwicky 18. Moreover, some of our models are predicted to explode as long-duration gamma-ray bursts. Thus, we speculate that the high ionizing flux observed can be a signpost for upcoming gamma-ray bursts in dwarf galaxies. Although our models have been applied to interpret observations of globular clusters and dwarf galaxies, we point out that they could also be used in the context of other low-metallicity environments as well. Understanding the early Universe, for example, requires to have a solid knowledge of how massive stars at low-metallicity live and interact with their environments. Thus, we expect that the models and results presented in this thesis will be beneficial for not only the massive star community, but for the broader astronomy and cosmology community as well.

THE SEGUE K GIANT SURVEY. III. QUANTIFYING GALACTIC HALO SUBSTRUCTURE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Janesh, William; Morrison, Heather L.; Ma, Zhibo

2016-01-10

We statistically quantify the amount of substructure in the Milky Way stellar halo using a sample of 4568 halo K giant stars at Galactocentric distances ranging over 5–125 kpc. These stars have been selected photometrically and confirmed spectroscopically as K giants from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey’s Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration project. Using a position–velocity clustering estimator (the 4distance) and a model of a smooth stellar halo, we quantify the amount of substructure in the halo, divided by distance and metallicity. Overall, we find that the halo as a whole is highly structured. We also confirm earliermore » work using blue horizontal branch (BHB) stars which showed that there is an increasing amount of substructure with increasing Galactocentric radius, and additionally find that the amount of substructure in the halo increases with increasing metallicity. Comparing to resampled BHB stars, we find that K giants and BHBs have similar amounts of substructure over equivalent ranges of Galactocentric radius. Using a friends-of-friends algorithm to identify members of individual groups, we find that a large fraction (∼33%) of grouped stars are associated with Sgr, and identify stars belonging to other halo star streams: the Orphan Stream, the Cetus Polar Stream, and others, including previously unknown substructures. A large fraction of sample K giants (more than 50%) are not grouped into any substructure. We find also that the Sgr stream strongly dominates groups in the outer halo for all except the most metal-poor stars, and suggest that this is the source of the increase of substructure with Galactocentric radius and metallicity.« less

VizieR Online Data Catalog: The SEGUE K giant survey. III. Galactic halo (Janesh+, 2016)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janesh, W.; Morrison, H. L.; Ma, Z.; Rockosi, C.; Starkenburg, E.; Xue, X. X.; Rix, H.-W.; Harding, P.; Beers, T. C.; Johnson, J.; Lee, Y. S.; Schneider, D. P.

2016-03-01

We statistically quantify the amount of substructure in the Milky Way stellar halo using a sample of 4568 halo K giant stars at Galactocentric distances ranging over 5-125kpc. These stars have been selected photometrically and confirmed spectroscopically as K giants from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey's Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE) project. Using a position-velocity clustering estimator (the 4distance) and a model of a smooth stellar halo, we quantify the amount of substructure in the halo, divided by distance and metallicity. Overall, we find that the halo as a whole is highly structured. We also confirm earlier work using blue horizontal branch (BHB) stars which showed that there is an increasing amount of substructure with increasing Galactocentric radius, and additionally find that the amount of substructure in the halo increases with increasing metallicity. Comparing to resampled BHB stars, we find that K giants and BHBs have similar amounts of substructure over equivalent ranges of Galactocentric radius. Using a friends-of-friends algorithm to identify members of individual groups, we find that a large fraction (~33%) of grouped stars are associated with Sgr, and identify stars belonging to other halo star streams: the Orphan Stream, the Cetus Polar Stream, and others, including previously unknown substructures. A large fraction of sample K giants (more than 50%) are not grouped into any substructure. We find also that the Sgr stream strongly dominates groups in the outer halo for all except the most metal-poor stars, and suggest that this is the source of the increase of substructure with Galactocentric radius and metallicity. (2 data files).

A High-precision Trigonometric Parallax to an Ancient Metal-poor Globular Cluster

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, T. M.; Casertano, S.; Strader, J.; Riess, A.; VandenBerg, D. A.; Soderblom, D. R.; Kalirai, J.; Salinas, R.

2018-03-01

Using the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), we have obtained a direct trigonometric parallax for the nearest metal-poor globular cluster, NGC 6397. Although trigonometric parallaxes have been previously measured for many nearby open clusters, this is the first parallax for an ancient metal-poor population—one that is used as a fundamental template in many stellar population studies. This high-precision measurement was enabled by the HST/WFC3 spatial-scanning mode, providing hundreds of astrometric measurements for dozens of stars in the cluster and also for Galactic field stars along the same sightline. We find a parallax of 0.418 ± 0.013 ± 0.018 mas (statistical, systematic), corresponding to a true distance modulus of 11.89 ± 0.07 ± 0.09 mag (2.39 ± 0.07 ± 0.10 kpc). The V luminosity at the stellar main-sequence turnoff implies an absolute cluster age of 13.4 ± 0.7 ± 1.2 Gyr. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with programs GO-13817, GO-14336, and GO-14773.

Chemical evolution of Local Group dwarf galaxies in a cosmological context - I. A new modelling approach and its application to the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romano, Donatella; Starkenburg, Else

2013-09-01

We present a new approach for chemical evolution modelling, specifically designed to investigate the chemical properties of dwarf galaxies in a full cosmological framework. In particular, we focus on the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy, for which a wealth of observational data exists, as a test bed for our model. We select four candidate Sculptor-like galaxies from the satellite galaxy catalogue generated by implementation of a version of the Munich semi-analytic model for galaxy formation on the level 2 Aquarius dark matter simulations and use the mass assembly and star formation histories predicted for these four systems as an input for the chemical evolution code. We follow explicitly the evolution of several chemical elements, both in the cold gas out of which the stars form and in the hot medium residing in the halo. We take into account in detail the lifetimes of stars of different initial masses, the distribution of the delay times for Type Ia supernova explosions and the dependence of the stellar yields from the initial metallicity of the stars. We allow large fractions of metals to be deposited into the hot phase, either directly as stars die or through reheated gas flows powered by supernova explosions. We find that, in order to reproduce both the observed metallicity distribution function and the observed abundance ratios of long-lived stars of Sculptor, large fractions of the reheated metals must never re-enter regions of active star formation. With this prescription, all the four analogues to the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy extracted from the simulated satellites catalogue on the basis of luminosity and stellar population ages are found to reasonably match the detailed chemical properties of real Sculptor stars. However, all model galaxies do severely underestimate the fraction of very metal poor stars observed in Sculptor. Our analysis thus sets further constraints on the semi-analytical models and, at large, on possible metal enrichment scenarios for the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy.

Colliding Neutron Stars as the Source of Heavy Elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2016-09-01

Where do the heavy elements the chemical elements beyond iron in our universe come from? One of the primary candidate sources is the merger of two neutron stars, but recent observations have cast doubt on this model. Can neutron-star mergers really be responsible?Elements from Collisions?Periodic table showing the origin of each chemical element. Those produced by the r-process are shaded orange and attributed to supernovae in this image; though supernovae are one proposed source of r-process elements, an alternative source is the merger of two neutron stars. [Cmglee]When a binary-neutron-star system inspirals and the two neutron stars smash into each other, a shower of neutrons are released. These neutrons are thought to bombard the surrounding atoms, rapidly producing heavy elements in what is known as r-process nucleosynthesis.So could these mergers be responsible for producing the majority of the universes heavy r-process elements? Proponents of this model argue that its supported by observations. The overall amount of heavy r-process material in the Milky Way, for instance, is consistent with the expected ejection amounts from mergers, based both on predicted merger rates for neutron stars in the galaxy, and on the observed rates of soft gamma-ray bursts (which are thought to accompany double-neutron-star mergers).Challenges from Ultra-Faint DwarfsRecently, however, r-process elements have been observed in ultra-faint dwarf satellite galaxies. This discovery raises two major challenges to the merger model for heavy-element production:When neutron stars are born during a core-collapse supernova, mass is ejected, providing the stars with asymmetric natal kicks. During the second collapse in a double-neutron-star binary, wouldnt the kick exceed the low escape velocity of an ultra-faint dwarf, ejecting the binary before it could merge and enrich the galaxy?Ultra-faint dwarfs have very old stellar populations and the observation of r-process elements in these stars requires mergers to have occurred very early in the galaxys history. Can double-neutron-star systems merge quickly enough to account for the observed chemical enrichment?Small Kicks and Fast MergersFraction of double-neutron-star systems that remain bound, vs. the magnitude of the kick they receive. A typical escape velocity for an ultra-faint dwarf is ~15 km/s; roughly 55-65% of binaries receive smaller kicks than that and wouldnt be ejected from an ultra-faint dwarf. [Beniamini et al. 2016]Led by Paz Beniamini, a team of scientists from the Racah Institute of Physics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has set out to answer these questions. Using the statistics of our galaxys double-neutron-star population, the team performed Monte Carlo simulations to estimate the distributions of mass ejection and kick velocities for the systems.Beniamini and collaborators find that, for typical initial separations, more than half of neutron star binaries are born with small enough kicks that they remain bound and arent ejected even from small, ultra-faint dwarf galaxies.The team also used their statistics to calculate the time until merger for the population of binaries, finding that ~90% of the double-neutron-star systems merge within 300 Myr, and around 15% merge within 100 Myr quick enough to enrich even the old population of stars.This population of systems that remain confined to the galaxy and merge rapidly can therefore explain the observations of r-process material in ultra-faint dwarf galaxies. Beniamini and collaborators work suggests that the merger of neutron stars is indeed a viable model for the production of heavy elements in our universe.CitationPaz Beniamini et al 2016 ApJ 829 L13. doi:10.3847/2041-8205/829/1/L13

OPTICAL–NEAR-INFRARED PHOTOMETRIC CALIBRATION OF M DWARF METALLICITY AND ITS APPLICATION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hejazi, N.; Robertis, M. M. De; Dawson, P. C., E-mail: nedahej@yorku.ca, E-mail: mmdr@yorku.ca, E-mail: pdawson@trentu.ca

2015-04-15

Based on a carefully constructed sample of dwarf stars, a new optical–near-infrared photometric calibration to estimate the metallicity of late-type K and early-to-mid-type M dwarfs is presented. The calibration sample has two parts; the first part includes 18 M dwarfs with metallicities determined by high-resolution spectroscopy and the second part contains 49 dwarfs with metallicities obtained through moderate-resolution spectra. By applying this calibration to a large sample of around 1.3 million M dwarfs from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and 2MASS, the metallicity distribution of this sample is determined and compared with those of previous studies. Using photometric parallaxes, themore » Galactic heights of M dwarfs in the large sample are also estimated. Our results show that stars farther from the Galactic plane, on average, have lower metallicity, which can be attributed to the age–metallicity relation. A scarcity of metal-poor dwarf stars in the metallicity distribution relative to the Simple Closed Box Model indicates the existence of the “M dwarf problem,” similar to the previously known G and K dwarf problems. Several more complicated Galactic chemical evolution models which have been proposed to resolve the G and K dwarf problems are tested and it is shown that these models could, to some extent, mitigate the M dwarf problem as well.« less

Gaia Confirms that SDSS J102915+172927 is a Dwarf Star

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonifacio, P.; Caffau, E.; Spite, M.; Spite, F.; François, P.; Zaggia, S.; Arenou, F.; Haigron, R.; Leclerc, N.; Marchal, O.; Panuzzo, P.; Plum, G.; Sartoretti, P.

2018-05-01

The Gaia Data Release 2 provides a parallax of 0.734+/-0.073 mas for SDSS J102915+172927, currently the most metal-poor known object. This parallax implies that it is dwarf star, ruling out the scenario that it is a subgiant. The subgiant scenario had as a corollary that the star had been formed in a medium highly enriched in C, thus making line cooling efficient during the collapse, that was also highly enriched in Fe by Type Ia SNe. This scenario can also now be ruled out for this star, reinforcing the need of dust cooling and fragmentation to explain its formation.

STELLAR LOCI. I. METALLICITY DEPENDENCE AND INTRINSIC WIDTHS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yuan, Haibo; Liu, Xiaowei; Xiang, Maosheng

2015-02-01

Stellar loci are widely used for selection of interesting outliers, reddening determinations, and calibrations. However, until now, the dependence of stellar loci on metallicity has not been fully explored, and their intrinsic widths are unclear. In this paper, by combining the spectroscopic and recalibrated imaging data of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe 82, we have built a large, clean sample of dwarf stars with accurate colors and well-determined metallicities to investigate the metallicity dependence and intrinsic widths of the SDSS stellar loci. Typically, 1 dex decrease in metallicity causes 0.20 and 0.02 mag decrease in colors u – g and g – rmore » and 0.02 and 0.02 mag increase in colors r – i and i – z, respectively. The variations are larger for metal-rich stars than for metal-poor ones, and larger for F/G/K stars than for A/M ones. Using the sample, we have performed two-dimensional polynomial fitting to the u – g, g – r, r – i, and i – z colors as a function of color g – i and metallicity [Fe/H]. The residuals, at the level of 0.029, 0.008, 0.008, and 0.011 mag for the u – g, g – r, r – i, and i – z colors, respectively, can be fully accounted for by the photometric errors and metallicity uncertainties, suggesting that the intrinsic widths of the loci are at maximum a few millimagnitudes. The residual distributions are asymmetric, revealing that a significant fraction of stars are binaries. In a companion paper, we will present an unbiased estimate of the binary fraction for field stars. Other potential applications of the metallicity-dependent stellar loci are briefly discussed.« less

On the formation age of the first planetary system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hara, T.; Kunitomo, S.; Shigeyasu, M.; Kajiura, D.

2008-05-01

Recently, it has been observed the extreme metal-poor stars in the Galactic halo, which must be formed just after Pop III objects. On the other hand, the first gas clouds of mass 106 M are supposed to be formed at z 10, 20, and 30 for the 1σ, 2σ and 3σ, where the density perturbations are assumed of the standard ΛCDM cosmology. Usually it is approximated that the distribution of the density perturbation amplitudes is gaussian where σ means the standard deviation. If we could apply this gaussian distribution to the extreme small probability, the gas clouds would be formed at z 40, 60, and 80 for the 4σ, 6σ, and 8σ where the probabilities are approximately 3 × 10-5, 10-9, and 10-15. Within our universe, there are almost 1016 ( 1022M/106M) clouds of mass 106M. Then the first gas clouds must be formed around z 80, where the time is 20 Myr ( 13.7/(1 + z)3/2 Gyr). Even within our galaxy, there are 105 ( 1011M/106M) clouds, then the first gas clouds within our galaxy must be formed around z 40, where the time is 54 Myr ( 13.7/(1+z)3/2Gyr). The evolution time for massive star ( 102 M) is 3 Myr and the explosion of the massive supernova distributes the metal within a cloud. The damping time of the supernova shock wave in the adiabatic and isothermal era is several Myr and stars of the second generation (Pop II) are formed within a free fall time 20 Myr. Even if the gas cloud is metal poor, there is a lot of possibility to form the planets around such stars. The first planetary systems could be formed within 6 × 107 years after the Big Bang in the universe. Even in our galaxies, the first planetary systems could be formed within 1.7 × 108 years. If the abundance of heavy elements such as Fe is small compared to the elements of C, N, O, the planets must be the one where the rock fraction is small. It is interesting to wait the observations of planets around metal-poor stars. For the panspermia theory, the origin of life could be expected in such systems.

Stellar metallicity variations across spiral arms in disk galaxies with multiple populations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khoperskov, S.; Di Matteo, P.; Haywood, M.; Combes, F.

2018-03-01

This Letter studies the formation of azimuthal metallicity variations in the disks of spiral galaxies in the absence of initial radial metallicity gradients. Using high-resolution N-body simulations, we model composite stellar discs, made of kinematically cold and hot stellar populations, and study their response to spiral arm perturbations. We find that, as expected, disk populations with different kinematics respond differently to a spiral perturbation, with the tendency for dynamically cooler populations to show a larger fractional contribution to spiral arms than dynamically hotter populations. By assuming a relation between kinematics and metallicity, namely the hotter the population, the more metal-poor it is, this differential response to the spiral arm perturbations naturally leads to azimuthal variations in the mean metallicity of stars in the simulated disk. Thus, azimuthal variations in the mean metallicity of stars across a spiral galaxy are not necessarily a consequence of the reshaping, by radial migration, of an initial radial metallicity gradient. They indeed arise naturally also in stellar disks which have initially only a negative vertical metallicity gradient.

On the lithium dip in the metal poor open cluster NGC 2243

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

François, P.; Pasquini, L.; Biazzo, K.; Bonifacio, P.; Palsa, R.

2014-05-01

Lithium is a key element for studying the mixing mechanisms operating in stellar interiors. It can also be used to probe the chemical evolution of the Galaxy and the Big Bang nucleosynthesis. Measuring the abundance of Lithium in stars belonging to Open Clusters (hereafter OC) allows a detailed comparison with stellar evolutionary models. NGC 2243 is particularly interesting thanks to its relative low metallicity ([Fe/H]=-0.54 ± 0.10 dex). We performed a detailed analysis of high-resolution spectra obtained with the multi-object facility FLAMES at the VLT 8.2m telescope. Lithium abundance has been measured in 27 stars. We found a Li dip center of 1.06 M⊙, which is significantly smaller than that observed in solar metallicity and metal-rich clusters. This finding confirms and strengthens the conclusion that the mass of the stars in the Li dip strongly depends on stellar metallicity. The mean Li abundance of the cluster is log n(Li) = 2.70 dex, which is substantially higher than that observed in 47 Tue. We derived an iron abundance of [Fe/H]=-0.54±0.10 dex for NGC 2243, in agreement (within the errors) with previous findings.

Metal Abundances, Radial Velocities, and Other Physical Characteristics for the RR Lyrae Stars in The Kepler Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nemec, James M.; Cohen, Judith G.; Ripepi, Vincenzo; Derekas, Aliz; Moskalik, Pawel; Sesar, Branimir; Chadid, Merieme; Bruntt, Hans

2013-08-01

Spectroscopic iron-to-hydrogen ratios, radial velocities, atmospheric parameters, and new photometric analyses are presented for 41 RR Lyrae stars (and one probable high-amplitude δ Sct star) located in the field-of-view of the Kepler space telescope. Thirty-seven of the RR Lyrae stars are fundamental-mode pulsators (i.e., RRab stars) of which sixteen exhibit the Blazhko effect. Four of the stars are multiperiodic RRc pulsators oscillating primarily in the first-overtone mode. Spectroscopic [Fe/H] values for the 34 stars for which we were able to derive estimates range from -2.54 ± 0.13 (NR Lyr) to -0.05 ± 0.13 dex (V784 Cyg), and for the 19 Kepler-field non-Blazhko stars studied by Nemec et al. the abundances agree will with their photometric [Fe/H] values. Four non-Blazhko RR Lyrae stars that they identified as metal-rich (KIC 6100702, V2470 Cyg, V782 Cyg and V784 Cyg) are confirmed as such, and four additional stars (V839 Cyg, KIC 5520878, KIC 8832417, KIC 3868420) are also shown here to be metal-rich. Five of the non-Blazhko RRab stars are found to be more metal-rich than [Fe/H] ~-0.9 dex while all of the 16 Blazhko stars are more metal-poor than this value. New P-\\phi _31^s-[Fe/H] relationships are derived based on ~970 days of quasi-continuous high-precision Q0-Q11 long- and short-cadence Kepler photometry. With the exception of some Blazhko stars, the spectroscopic and photometric [Fe/H] values are in good agreement. Several stars with unique photometric characteristics are identified, including a Blazhko variable with the smallest known amplitude and frequency modulations (V838 Cyg). Based in part on observations made at the W.M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Keck Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W.M. Keck Foundation. Also, based in part on observations obtained at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) which is operated by the National Research Council of Canada, the Institut National Des Sciences de l'Univers of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique of France, and the University of Hawaii.

What shapes stellar metallicity gradients of massive galaxies at large radii?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirschmann, Michaela

2017-03-01

We investigate the differential impact of physical mechanisms, mergers and internal energetic phenomena, on the evolution of stellar metallicity gradients in massive, present-day galaxies employing sets of high-resolution, cosmological zoom simulations. We demonstrate that negative metallicity gradients at large radii (>2Reff) originate from the accretion of metal-poor stellar systems. At larger radii, galaxies become typically more dominated by stars accreted from satellite galaxies in major and minor mergers. However, only strong galactic, stellar-driven winds can sufficiently reduce the metallicity content of the accreted stars to realistically steepen the outer metallicity gradients in agreement with observations. In contrast, the gradients of the models without winds are inconsistent with observations. Moreover, we discuss the impact of additional AGN feedback. This analysis greatly highlights the importance of both energetic processes and merger events for stellar population properties of massive galaxies at large radii. Our results are expected to significantly contribute to the interpretation of current and up-coming IFU surveys (e.g. MaNGA, CALIFA).

Dynamical effects of the spiral arms on the velocity distribution of disc stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hattori, Kohei; Gouda, Naoteru; Yano, Taihei; Sakai, Nobuyuki; Tagawa, Hiromichi

2018-04-01

Nearby disc stars in Gaia DR1 (TGAS) and RAVE DR5 show a bimodal velocity distribution in the metal-rich region (characterized by the Hercules stream) and mono-modal velocity distribution in the metal-poor region. We investigate the origin of this [Fe/H] dependence of the local velocity distribution by using 2D test particle simulations. We found that this [Fe/H] dependence can be well reproduced if we assume fast rotating bar models with Ωbar ~= 52 km s-1 kpc-1. A possible explanation for this result is that the metal-rich, relatively young stars are more likely to be affected by bar's outer Lindblad resonance due to their relatively cold kinematics. We also found that slowly rotating bar models with Ωbar ~= 39 km s-1 kpc-1 can not reproduce the observed data. Interestingly, when we additionally consider spiral arms, some models can reproduce the observed velocity distribution even when the bar is slowly rotating.

Lick slit spectra of thirty-eight objective prism quasar candidates and low metallicity halo stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tytler, David; Fan, Xiao-Ming; Junkkarinen, Vesa T.; Cohen, Ross D.

1993-01-01

Lick Observatory slit spectra of 38 objects which were claimed to have pronounced UV excess and emission lines are presented. Eleven QSOs, four galaxies at z of about 0.1, 22 stars, and one unidentified object with a low S/N spectrum were found. Of 11 objects which Zhan and Chen (1987, 1989) suggested were QSO with z(prism) not greater than 2.8; eight are QSOs. Six of the QSOs show absorption systems, including Q0000+027A with a relatively strong associated C IV absorption system, and Q0008+008 with a damped Ly-alpha system with an H I column density of 10 exp 21/sq cm. The equivalent widths of the Ca II K line, the G band, and the Balmer lines in 10 stars with the best spectra are measured, and metallicities are derived. Seven of them are in the range -2.5 to -1.7, while the others are less metal-poor.

Chemistry and structure of giant molecular clouds in energetic environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, Crystal Nicole

2016-09-01

Throughout the years many studies on Galactic star formation have been conducted. This resulted in the idea that giant molecular clouds (GMCs) are hierarchical in nature with substructures spanning a large range of sizes. The physical processes that determine how molecular clouds fragment, form clumps/cores and then stars depends strongly on both recent radiative and mechanical feed- back from massive stars and, on longer term, from enhanced cooling due to the buildup of metals. Radiative and mechanical energy input from stellar populations can alter subsequent star formation over a large part of a galaxy and hence is relevant to the evolution of galaxies. Much of our knowledge of star formation on galaxy wide scales is based on scaling laws and other parametric descriptions. But to understand the overall evolution of star formation in galaxies we need to watch the feedback processes at work on giant molecular cloud (GMC) scales. By doing this we can begin to answer how strong feedback environments change the properties of the substructure in GMCs. Tests of Galactic star formation theory to other galaxies has been a challenging process due to the lack of resolution with current instruments. Thus, only the nearest galaxies allow us to resolve GMCs and their substructures. The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), is one of the closest low metallicity dwarf galaxies (D˜ 50 kpc) and is close enough that current instruments can resolve the sub- structure of its GMCs to <1pc. The LMC has a star cluster located near the GMC, 30Doradus, producing high levels of far ultra violet (FUV) radiation in the inter- stellar medium (ISM). The dwarf galaxy, NGC 5253, is also a close low metallicity galaxy (3.8 Mpc) with a super star cluster, which appears to be composed of several newborn globular clusters, located within the center of the galaxy. These huge, compact collections of massive stars and their supernovae have the potential to dump large amounts of FUV radiation and momentum into the ISM. Under such hostile conditions, we cannot expect star formation to evolve in the same fashion as it does across much of the Galaxy. With the advancement of radio interferometry instruments like ALMA and the ATCA, we are able to observe nearby dwarf galaxies at 1.5-40 pc scales. Also, with the advancement of the instruments, astrochemistry is becoming an exciting and dominant field in studying star forming regions at varying densities and evolutionary stages outside the Galaxy. In this dissertation, I discuss observations of molecular gas tracers (e.g. HCO+, HCN, HNC, CS, C2H, N2H+) detected in the LMC at 1.5-40 pc scales and in NGC 5253 at 40 pc scales. I then compare the molecular gas detections to the Central Molecular Zone in our Galaxy. Dense molecular gas was detected in all of the sources. For the regions in the LMC, molecular lines of CS, N2H+, C 2H, HNC, HCO+ and HCN were all detected in N159W and N113 while only HCN, HCO+, HNC, and C2H were detected in 30Dor-10. Toward NGC 5253 only HCO+, HCN, C2H and CS were detected. I observe anomalously large HCO+/HCN line ratios of >5 for the NGC 5253 SSC, 30Dor-10 and N159W clumps. However the ratio is <2 for N113, the least energetic source, on clump scales. NGC 5253, 30Dor-10 and N159W have anomalously faint HCN. The CMZ however, does not have anomalously faint HCN it actually has HCO+/HCN common of high metallicity environments, active galactic nuclei and ultra luminous infrared galaxies. These observations suggest the reason HCN has fainter emission than HCO+ must be a combination of low metallicity and energetics contributing to the change in the HCO+/HCN ratio. I find that the impact of the massive star forming regions on surrounding gas in different galaxies from small to large scales changes the chemistry within these regions. A more energetic region's chemistry seems to be different from a less energetic region. There is a richer chemistry within a less energetic region; which may suggest that the chemistry in an energetic environment is quenched due to increased photodissociation.

New detections of arsenic, selenium, and other heavy elements in two metal-poor stars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roederer, Ian U.; Schatz, Hendrik; Beers, Timothy C.

2014-08-10

We use the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope to obtain new high-quality spectra covering the 1900 ≤λ ≤ 2360 Å wavelength range for two metal-poor stars, HD 108317 and HD 128279. We derive abundances of Cu II, Zn II, As I, Se I, Mo II, and Cd II, which have not been detected previously in either star. Abundances derived for Ge I, Te I, Os II, and Pt I confirm those derived from lines at longer wavelengths. We also derive upper limits from the non-detection of W II, Hg II, Pb II, and Bi I.more » The mean [As/Fe] ratio derived from these two stars and five others in the literature is unchanged over the metallicity range –2.8 < [Fe/H] <–0.6, ([As/Fe]) = +0.28 ± 0.14 (σ = 0.36 dex). The mean [Se/Fe] ratio derived from these two stars and six others in the literature is also constant, ([Se/Fe]) = +0.16 ± 0.09 (σ = 0.26 dex). The As and Se abundances are enhanced relative to a simple extrapolation of the iron-peak abundances to higher masses, suggesting that this mass region (75 ≤A ≤ 82) may be the point at which a different nucleosynthetic mechanism begins to dominate the quasi-equilibrium α-rich freezeout of the iron peak. ([Cu II/Cu I]) = +0.56 ± 0.23 in HD 108317 and HD 128279, and we infer that lines of Cu I may not be formed in local thermodynamic equilibrium in these stars. The [Zn/Fe], [Mo/Fe], [Cd/Fe], and [Os/Fe] ratios are also derived from neutral and ionized species, and each ratio pair agrees within the mutual uncertainties, which range from 0.15 to 0.52 dex.« less

Low-energy Population III supernovae and the origin of extremely metal-poor stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Ke-Jung; Heger, Alexander; Whalen, Daniel J.; Moriya, Takashi J.; Bromm, Volker; Woosley, S. E.

2017-06-01

Some ancient, dim, metal-poor stars may have formed in the ashes of the first supernovae (SNe). If their chemical abundances can be reconciled with the elemental yields of specific Population III (Pop III) explosions, they could reveal the properties of primordial stars. But multidimensional simulations of such explosions are required to predict their yields because dynamical instabilities can dredge material up from deep in the ejecta that would otherwise be predicted to fall back on to the central remnant and be lost in one-dimensional (1D) models. We have performed two-dimensional (2D) numerical simulations of two low-energy Pop III SNe, a 12.4 M⊙ explosion and a 60 M⊙ explosion, and find that they produce elemental yields that are a good fit to those measured in the most iron-poor star discovered to date, SMSS J031300.36-670839.3 (J031300). Fallback on to the compact remnant in these weak explosions accounts for the lack of measurable iron in J031300 and its low iron-group abundances in general. Our 2D explosions produce higher abundances of heavy elements (atomic number Z > 20) than their 1D counterparts due to dredge-up by fluid instabilities. Since almost no 56Ni is ejected by these weak SNe, their low luminosities will prevent their detection in the near-infrared with the James Webb Space Telescope and future 30-m telescopes on the ground. The only evidence that they ever occurred will be in the fossil abundance record.

Complexity on Small Scales. III. Iron and α Element Abundances in the Carina Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koch, Andreas; Grebel, Eva K.; Gilmore, Gerard F.; Wyse, Rosemary F. G.; Kleyna, Jan T.; Harbeck, Daniel R.; Wilkinson, Mark I.; Wyn Evans, N.

2008-04-01

We have obtained high-resolution spectroscopy of ten red giants in the Carina dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxy with the ultraviolet and visual echelle spectrograph at the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope in order to study the detailed chemical evolution of this Galactic satellite. Here we present the abundances of O, Na, Mg, Si, Ca, Ti, and Fe. By comparison of the derived iron abundances [Fe/H] with metallicities based on the well-established calcium triplet (CaT) calibration, [Fe/H]CaT, we show that the empirical CaT technique yields good agreement with the high-resolution data for [Fe/H] gsim 2 dex, but tends to deviate from these data at lower metallicities. With [Fe/H] ~ 1.7 dex the mean iron abundance of our targets is fully consistent with the peak metallicity of Carina as derived from medium-resolution spectroscopy and previous photometric studies, all calibrated onto iron via Galactic globular cluster scales. We identify two metal-poor stars with iron abundances of 2.72 and 2.50 dex. These stars are found to have enhanced [α/Fe] ratios similar to the elemental ratios of stars in the Milky Way halo. In this context, it is conceivable that the moderately metal-poor halo stars may originate from an early dSph accretion event. The bulk of the Carina red giants exhibit a depletion in the [α/Fe] abundance ratios with respect to the Galactic halo at a given metallicity. One of our targets with a moderately low [Fe/H] of 1.5 dex is considerably depleted in almost all of the α-elements by ~0.5 dex compared to the solar values. Such low values of the ratio of α-elements to iron can be produced by stochastical fluctuations in terms of an incomplete mixing of single type Ia and type II supernova (SN) events into the interstellar medium. Moreover, the system's slow star-formation (SF) rate grants sufficient time for SNe I to occur. Our derived chemical element ratios are consistent with the episodic and extended SF in Carina previously derived from analyses of its color-magnitude diagram. We find a considerable star-to-star scatter in the abundance ratios. This suggests that Carina's SF history varies with position within the galaxy, with incomplete mixing. In addition, or alternatively, the SF rate is so low that the high-mass stellar initial mass function is sparsely populated, as expected on statistical grounds in low-mass star clusters, leading to true scatter in the resultant mass-integrated yields. Both ideas are consistent with slow stochastic SF in dissolving associations or star clusters, so that one may not speak prima facie of a single "SF history" at a detailed level. Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory at Paranal, Chile; Large Programme proposal 171.B-0520(A).

SINFONI-HiZELS: the dynamics, merger rates and metallicity gradients of 'typical' star-forming galaxies at z = 0.8-2.2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molina, J.; Ibar, Edo; Swinbank, A. M.; Sobral, D.; Best, P. N.; Smail, I.; Escala, A.; Cirasuolo, M.

2017-04-01

We present adaptive optics (AO) assisted SINFONI integral field unit (IFU) spectroscopy of 11 Hα emitting galaxies selected from the High-Z Emission Line Survey (HiZELS). We obtain spatially resolved dynamics on ˜kpc-scales of star-forming galaxies [stellar mass M⋆ = 109.5 - 10.5 M⊙ and star formation rate (SFR) = 2-30 M⊙ yr-1] near the peak of the cosmic star formation rate history. Combining these observations with our previous SINFONI-HiZELS campaign, we construct a sample of 20 homogeneously selected galaxies with IFU AO-aided observations - the 'SHiZELS' survey, with roughly equal number of galaxies per redshift slice, at z = 0.8, 1.47 and 2.23. We measure the dynamics and identify the major kinematic axis by modelling their velocity fields to extract rotational curves and infer their inclination-corrected rotational velocities. We explore the stellar mass Tully-Fisher relationship, finding that galaxies with higher velocity dispersions tend to deviate from this relation. Using kinemetry analyses, we find that galaxy interactions might be the dominant mechanism controlling the star formation activity at z = 2.23 but they become gradually less important down to z = 0.8. Metallicity gradients derived from the [N II]/Hα emission line ratio show a median negative gradient for the SHiZELS survey of Δlog(O/H)/ΔR = -0.026 ± 0.008 dex kpc-1. We find that metal-rich galaxies tend to show negative gradients, whereas metal-poor galaxies tend to exhibit positive metallicity gradients. This result suggests that the accretion of pristine gas in the periphery of galaxies plays an important role in replenishing the gas in 'typical' star-forming galaxies.

A correlation between the heavy element content of transiting extrasolar planets and the metallicity of their parent stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guillot, T.; Santos, N. C.; Pont, F.; Iro, N.; Melo, C.; Ribas, I.

2006-07-01

Context.Nine extrasolar planets with masses between 110 and 430 M_⊕ are known to transit their star. The knowledge of their masses and radii allows an estimate of their composition, but uncertainties on equations of state, opacities and possible missing energy sources imply that only inaccurate constraints can be derived when considering each planet separately.Aims.We seek to better understand the composition of transiting extrasolar planets by considering them as an ensemble, and by comparing the obtained planetary properties to that of the parent stars.Methods.We use evolution models and constraints on the stellar ages to derive the mass of heavy elements present in the planets. Possible additional energy sources like tidal dissipation due to an inclined orbit or to downward kinetic energy transport are considered.Results.We show that the nine transiting planets discovered so far belong to a quite homogeneous ensemble that is characterized by a mass of heavy elements that is a relatively steep function of the stellar metallicity, from less than 20 earth masses of heavy elements around solar composition stars, to up to ~100 M_⊕ for three times the solar metallicity (the precise values being model-dependant). The correlation is still to be ascertained however. Statistical tests imply a worst-case 1/3 probability of a false positive.Conclusions.Together with the observed lack of giant planets in close orbits around metal-poor stars, these results appear to imply that heavy elements play a key role in the formation of close-in giant planets. The large masses of heavy elements inferred for planets orbiting metal rich stars was not anticipated by planet formation models and shows the need for alternative theories including migration and subsequent collection of planetesimals.

THE INTERMEDIATE NEUTRON-CAPTURE PROCESS AND CARBON-ENHANCED METAL-POOR STARS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hampel, Melanie; Stancliffe, Richard J.; Lugaro, Maria

Carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars in the Galactic Halo display enrichments in heavy elements associated with either the s (slow) or the r (rapid) neutron-capture process (e.g., barium and europium, respectively), and in some cases they display evidence of both. The abundance patterns of these CEMP- s / r stars, which show both Ba and Eu enrichment, are particularly puzzling, since the s and the r processes require neutron densities that are more than ten orders of magnitude apart and, hence, are thought to occur in very different stellar sites with very different physical conditions. We investigate whether the abundance patternsmore » of CEMP- s / r stars can arise from the nucleosynthesis of the intermediate neutron-capture process (the i process), which is characterized by neutron densities between those of the s and the r processes. Using nuclear network calculations, we study neutron capture nucleosynthesis at different constant neutron densities n ranging from 10{sup 7}–10{sup 15} cm{sup -3}. With respect to the classical s process resulting from neutron densities on the lowest side of this range, neutron densities on the highest side result in abundance patterns, which show an increased production of heavy s -process and r -process elements, but similar abundances of the light s -process elements. Such high values of n may occur in the thermal pulses of asymptotic giant branch stars due to proton ingestion episodes. Comparison to the surface abundances of 20 CEMP- s / r stars shows that our modeled i -process abundances successfully reproduce observed abundance patterns, which could not be previously explained by s -process nucleosynthesis. Because the i -process models fit the abundances of CEMP- s / r stars so well, we propose that this class should be renamed as CEMP- i .« less

Medium-resolution Spectroscopy of Red Giant Branch Stars in ω Centauri

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

An, Deokkeun; Lee, Young Sun; In Jung, Jae; Rey, Soo-Chang; Rhee, Jaehyon; Lee, Jae-Woo; Lee, Young-Wook; Joe, Young Hoon

2017-10-01

We present [Fe/H] and [Ca/Fe] of ˜600 red giant branch (RGB) members of the globular cluster Omega Centauri (ω {Cen}). We collect medium-resolution (R˜ 2000) spectra using the Blanco 4 m telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory equipped with Hydra, the fiber-fed multi-object spectrograph. We demonstrate that blending of stellar light in optical fibers severely limits the accuracy of spectroscopic parameters in the crowded central region of the cluster. When photometric temperatures are taken in the spectroscopic analysis, our kinematically selected cluster members, excluding those that are strongly affected by flux from neighboring stars, include relatively fewer stars at intermediate metallicity ([{Fe}/{{H}}]˜ -1.5) than seen in the previous high-resolution survey for brighter giants in Johnson & Pilachowski. As opposed to the trend of increasing [Ca/Fe] with [Fe/H] found by those authors, our [Ca/Fe] estimates, based on Ca II H & K measurements, show essentially the same mean [Ca/Fe] for most of the metal-poor and metal-intermediate populations in this cluster, suggesting that mass- or metallicity-dependent SN II yields may not be necessary in their proposed chemical evolution scenario. Metal-rich cluster members in our sample show a large spread in [Ca/Fe], and do not exhibit a clear bimodal distribution in [Ca/Fe]. We also do not find convincing evidence for a radial metallicity gradient among RGB stars in ω {Cen}.

Wolf-Rayet stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud as testbed for massive star evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schootemeijer, A.; Langer, N.

2018-03-01

Context. The majority of the Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars represent the stripped cores of evolved massive stars who lost most of their hydrogen envelope. Wind stripping in single stars is expected to be inefficient in producing WR stars in metal-poor environments such as the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). While binary interaction can also produce WR stars at low metallicity, it is puzzling that the fraction of WR binaries appears to be about 40%, independent of the metallicity. Aim. We aim to use the recently determined physical properties of the twelve known SMC WR stars to explore their possible formation channels through comparisons with stellar models. Methods: We used the MESA stellar evolution code to construct two grids of stellar models with SMC metallicity. One of these consists of models of rapidly rotating single stars, which evolve in part or completely chemically homogeneously. In a second grid, we analyzed core helium burning stellar models assuming constant hydrogen and helium gradients in their envelopes. Results: We find that chemically homogeneous evolution is not able to account for the majority of the WR stars in the SMC. However, in particular the apparently single WR star SMC AB12, and the double WR system SMC AB5 (HD 5980) appear consistent with this channel. We further find a dichotomy in the envelope hydrogen gradients required to explain the observed temperatures of the SMC WR stars. Shallow gradients are found for the WR stars with O star companions, while much steeper hydrogen gradients are required to understand the group of hot apparently single WR stars. Conclusions: The derived shallow hydrogen gradients in the WR component of the WR+O star binaries are consistent with predictions from binary models where mass transfer occurs early, in agreement with their binary properties. Since the hydrogen profiles in evolutionary models of massive stars become steeper with time after the main sequence, we conclude that most of the hot (Teff > 60 kK ) apparently single WR stars lost their envelope after a phase of strong expansion, e.g., as the result of common envelope evolution with a lower mass companion. The so far undetected companions, either main sequence stars or compact objects, are then expected to still be present. A corresponding search might identify the first immediate double black hole binary progenitor with masses as high as those detected in GW150914.

Low-Metallicity Lead Stars: Comparison between Theory and Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bisterzo, S.; Gallino, R.; Straniero, O.; Aoki, W.; Ryan, S.; Beers, T. C.

2006-07-01

We compare AGB theoretical models with spectroscopic abundances of a sample of very metal-poor, C-rich, s-rich and lead-rich stars observed at high-resolution spectroscopy. Fits are obtained for AGB models with different 13C-pocket efficiencies and initial masses. The two intrinsic indicators, [hs/ls] and [Pb/hs] versus [Fe/H], are analyzed. An extended analysis of all the observed elements is made, outlining apparent discrepancies for a few elements. The analysis of C and N abundances strengthen the need of a strong cool bottom process occurring during the AGB. A significant number of these stars are both s-enriched and r-enriched. For them, the envelope abundances are predicted by mass transfer from the more massive AGB companion in a binary system from a parental cloud already enriched in r-elements.

An r-process enhanced star in the dwarf galaxy Tucana III

DOE PAGES

Hansen, T. T.; Simon, J. D.; Marshall, J. L.; ...

2017-03-20

Chemically peculiar stars in dwarf galaxies provide a window for exploring the birth environment of stars with varying chemical enrichment. We present a chemical abundance analysis of the brightest star in the newly discovered ultra-faint dwarf galaxy candidate Tucana III. Because it is particularly bright for a star in an ultra-faint Milky Way (MW) satellite, we are able to measure the abundance of 28 elements, including 13 neutron-capture species. This star, DES J235532.66–593114.9 (DES J235532), shows a mild enhancement in neutron-capture elements associated with the r-process and can be classified as an r-I star. DES J235532 is the first r-Imore » star to be discovered in an ultra-faint satellite, and Tuc III is the second extremely low-luminosity system found to contain r-process enriched material, after Reticulum II. Comparison of the abundance pattern of DES J235532 with r-I and r-II stars found in other dwarf galaxies and in the MW halo suggests a common astrophysical origin for the neutron-capture elements seen in all r-process enhanced stars. Furthermore, we explore both internal and external scenarios for the r-process enrichment of Tuc III and show that with abundance patterns for additional stars, it should be possible to distinguish between them.« less

An r-process enhanced star in the dwarf galaxy Tucana III

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hansen, T. T.; Simon, J. D.; Marshall, J. L.

Chemically peculiar stars in dwarf galaxies provide a window for exploring the birth environment of stars with varying chemical enrichment. We present a chemical abundance analysis of the brightest star in the newly discovered ultra-faint dwarf galaxy candidate Tucana III. Because it is particularly bright for a star in an ultra-faint Milky Way (MW) satellite, we are able to measure the abundance of 28 elements, including 13 neutron-capture species. This star, DES J235532.66–593114.9 (DES J235532), shows a mild enhancement in neutron-capture elements associated with the r-process and can be classified as an r-I star. DES J235532 is the first r-Imore » star to be discovered in an ultra-faint satellite, and Tuc III is the second extremely low-luminosity system found to contain r-process enriched material, after Reticulum II. Comparison of the abundance pattern of DES J235532 with r-I and r-II stars found in other dwarf galaxies and in the MW halo suggests a common astrophysical origin for the neutron-capture elements seen in all r-process enhanced stars. Furthermore, we explore both internal and external scenarios for the r-process enrichment of Tuc III and show that with abundance patterns for additional stars, it should be possible to distinguish between them.« less

Through thick and thin: Structure of the Galactic thick disc from extragalactic surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kordopatis, G.; Hill, V.; Irwin, M.; Gilmore, G.; Wyse, R. F. G.; Tolstoy, E.; de Laverny, P.; Recio-Blanco, A.; Battaglia, G.; Starkenburg, E.

2013-07-01

Context. We aim to understand the accretion history of the Milky Way by exploring the vertical and radial properties of the Galactic thick disc. Aims: We study the chemical and kinematic properties of roughly a thousand spectra of faint magnitude foreground Galactic stars observed serendipitously during extra-galactic surveys in four lines-of-sight: three in the southern Galactic hemisphere (surveys of the Carina, Fornax and Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxies) and one in the northern Galactic hemisphere (a survey of the Sextans dwarf spheroidal galaxy). The foreground stars span distances up to ~3 kpc from the Galactic plane and Galactocentric radii up to 11 kpc. Methods: The stellar atmospheric parameters (effective temperature, surface gravity, metallicity) are obtained by an automated parameterisation pipeline and the distances of the stars are then derived by a projection of the atmospheric parameters on a set of theoretical isochrones using a Bayesian approach. The metallicity gradients are estimated for each line-of-sight and compared with predictions from the Besançon model of the Galaxy, in order to test the chemical structure of the thick disc. Finally, we use the radial velocities in each line-of-sight to derive a proxy for either the azimuthal or the vertical component of the orbital velocity of the stars. Results: Only three lines-of-sight have a sufficient number of foreground stars for a robust analysis. Towards Sextans in the Northern Galactic hemisphere and Sculptor in the South, we measure a consistent decrease in mean metallicity with height from the Galactic plane, suggesting a chemically symmetric thick disc. This decrease can either be due to an intrinsic thick disc metallicity gradient, or simply due to a change in the thin disc/thick disc population ratio and no intrinsic metallicity gradients for the thick disc. We favour the latter explanation. In contrast, we find evidence of an unpredicted metal-poor population in the direction of Carina. This population was earlier detected, but our more detailed analysis provides robust estimates of its location (|Z| < 1 kpc), metallicity (-2 < [M/H] < -1 dex) and azimuthal orbital velocity (Vφ ~ 120 km s-1). Conclusions: Given the chemo-dynamical properties of the over-density towards the Carina line-of-sight, we suggest that it represents the metal-poor tail of the canonical thick disc. In spite of the small number of stars available, we suggest that this metal-weak thick disc follows the often suggested canonical thick disc velocity-metallicity correlation of ∂Vφ/∂ [M/H] ~ 40-50 km s-1 dex-1. Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory at Paranal, Chile, ESO Large Programme 171.B-0588 (DART) and 171.B-0520(A).Full Tables 2 and 4 are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/555/A12

Have We Finally Found Pop III Stars?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2015-08-01

Elusive Population: Population III stars — the theoretical generation of extremely metal-poor stars that should have been formed in the early universe before metals existed — have been conspicuously absent in observations. But a team led by David Sobral (Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences, University of Lisbon, and Leiden Observatory) may have changed this paradigm with their recent detection of an extremely bright galaxy in the early universe. The team's broad survey of distant galaxies using ESO's Very Large Telescope provides a glimpse of the universe as it was only 800 million years after the Big Bang. The survey uncovered several unusually bright galaxies — including the brightest galaxy ever seen at this distance, an important discovery by itself. But further scrutiny of this galaxy, named CR7, produced an even more exciting find: a bright pocket of the galaxy contained no sign of any metals. Follow-up with other telescopes confirmed this initial detection. Formation Waves: Sobral and his team postulate that we are observing this galaxy at just the right time to have caught a cluster of Population III stars — the bright, metal-free region of the galaxy — at the end of a wave of early star formation. The observations of CR7 also suggest the presence of regular stars in clumps around the metal-free pocket. These older, surrounding clusters may have formed stars first, helping to ionize a local bubble in the galaxy and allowing us to now observe the light from CR7. It was previously thought that Population III stars might only be found in small, dim galaxies, making them impossible for us to detect. But CR7 provides an interesting alternative: this galaxy is bright, and the candidate Population III stars are surrounded by clusters of normal stars. This suggests that these first-generation stars might in fact be easier to detect than was originally thought. Additional follow-up observations with other telescopes will help to confirm the identity of these stars. In particular, the James Webb Space Telescope is expected to further advance the pursuit of the earliest galaxies and stars in the universe. Citation: David Sobral et al. 2015, ApJ, 808, 139. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/808/2/139

6Li in metal-poor halo stars: real or spurious?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steffen, M.; Cayrel, R.; Bonifacio, P.; Ludwig, H.-G.; Caffau, E.

2010-03-01

The presence of convective motions in the atmospheres of metal-poor halo stars leads to systematic asymmetries of the emergent spectral line profiles. Since such line asymmetries are very small, they can be safely ignored for standard spectroscopic abundance analysis. However, when it comes to the determination of the 6Li/7Li isotopic ratio, q(Li)=n(6Li)/n(7Li), the intrinsic asymmetry of the 7Li line must be taken into account, because its signature is essentially indistinguishable from the presence of a weak 6Li blend in the red wing of the 7Li line. In this contribution we quantity the error of the inferred 6Li/7Li isotopic ratio that arises if the convective line asymmetry is ignored in the fitting of the λ6707 Å lithium blend. Our conclusion is that 6Li/7Li ratios derived by Asplund et al. (2006), using symmetric line profiles, must be reduced by typically Δq(Li) ≈ 0.015. This diminishes the number of certain 6Li detections from 9 to 4 stars or less, casting some doubt on the existence of a 6Li plateau.

Unraveling the Chemical Evolution of the Magellanic Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nidever, David L.; Hasselquist, Sten; Rochford Hayes, Christian; Majewski, Steven R.; Anguiano, Borja; Stringfellow, Guy S.; APOGEE Team

2018-06-01

How galaxies form and evolve remains one of the cornerstone questions in our understanding of the universe on grand scales. While much progress has been made in understanding the formation and chemical evolution of larger galaxies by studying the Milky Way and other nearby galaxies, our knowledge of the evolution of dwarf galaxies, especially the chemical component, is far more limited because these small galaxies and their constituent stars are quite faint. The SDSS-IV/APOGEE survey will dramatically improve the situation by conducting a large spectroscopic survey of 5,000 giant stars, sampling a large range of radius and position angle, in the nearby Magellanic Clouds (MCs). The main scientific goals of the project are to map out the chemical abundance patterns across the MCs, search for chemical and kinematical substructures, and unravel the chemical evolution of the MCs by comparing the APOGEE abundances to chemical evolution models and sophisticated chemo-hydrodynamical simulations. The observational campaign has just begun but we have already obtained high-quality data for several thousand stars. I will present some initial results of the APOGEE MC campaign including chemical abundance gradients, the metal-poor knee, and the origion of the retrograde metal-poor "Olsen" stellar stream in the LMC disk.

Dust-enshrouded super star-clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sauvage, Marc; Plante, Stéphanie

2003-04-01

With the advent of either sensitive space-born infrared cameras, or their high-resolution ground-based siblings, we are uncovering a new category of star clusters: the dust-enshrouded super-star clusters. These manifest themselves only beyond a few microns, as their shroud of dust is able to block all light emitted by the stars themselves. Here we present our results on the spectacular cluster in SBS 0335-052, a very metal-poor galaxy. We also point to the growing number of galaxy analogs to SBS 0335-052, revealing the possibility that these clusters signal a major mode of star formation in starbursts. We conclude by listing a number of open points these clusters raise, in particular with respect to high-redshift counterparts.

Planet formation: constraints from transiting extrasolar planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guillot, T.; Santos, N.; Pont, F.; Iro, N.; Melo, C.; Ribas, I.

Ten extrasolar planets with masses between 105 and 430M⊕ are known to transit their star. The knowledge of their mass and radius allows an estimate of their composition, but uncertainties on equations of state, opacities and possible missing energy sources imply that only inaccurate constraints can be derived when considering each planet separately. This is illustrated by HD209458b and XO-1b, two planets that appear to be larger than models would predict. Using a relatively simple evolution model, we show that the radius anomaly, i.e. the difference between the measured and theoretically calculated radii, is anticorrelated with the metallicity of the parent star. This implies that the present size, structure and composition of these planets is largely determined by the initial metallicity of the protoplanetary disk, and not, or to a lesser extent, by other processes such as the differences in the planets' orbital evolutions, tides due to finite eccentricities/inclinations and planet evaporation. Using evolution models including the presence of a core and parametrized missing physics, we show that all nine planets belong to a same ensemble characterized by a mass of heavy elements MZ that is a steep function of the stellar metallicity: from ˜ 10 M⊕ around a solar composition star, to ˜ 100 M⊕ for twice the solar metallicity. Together with the observed lack of giant planets in close orbits around metal-poor stars, these results imply that heavy elements play a key role in the formation of close-in giant planets. The large values of MZ and of the planet enrichments for metal-rich stars shows the need for alternative theories of planet formation including migration and subsequent collection of planetesimals.

A window on first-stars models from studies of dwarf galaxies and galactic halo stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venkatesan, Aparna

2018-06-01

Dwarf galaxies dominate the local universe by number and are predicted to be even more dominant at early times, with many having large star formation rates per unit mass. The cosmological role of dwarf galaxies in the metal enrichment and the reionization of the universe is an important but unresolved problem at present. Nearby low-mass galaxies are much more accessible observationally for detailed study and may be local analogs of the types of galaxies that hosted the first-light sources relevant for reionization. I will share recent results on UV studies of the escaping radiation from nearby low-mass starforming galaxies, as well as the tantalizing similarities in element abundance patterns between local dwarf galaxies and the latest data compilations on extremely metal-poor stars in galactic halos. I will highlight trends of interest in a variety of individual elements at values of [Fe/H] between -7 and -3, including alpha-elements, elements originating mostly in intermediate-mass stars, lithium, titanium, and r-process elements. These trends constrain not only models of the first stars and their supernovae, but provide a window into the physical conditions in early galaxies and when metal-free star formation may have ceased in the early universe.This work was supported by the University of San Francisco Faculty Development Fund, and NSF grant AST-1637339. We thank the Aspen Center for Physics, where some of this work was conducted, and which is supported by National Science Foundation grant PHY-1607611.

AGES OF 70 DWARFS OF THREE POPULATIONS IN THE SOLAR NEIGHBORHOOD: CONSIDERING O AND C ABUNDANCES IN STELLAR MODELS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ge, Z. S.; Bi, S. L.; Liu, K.

2016-12-20

Oxygen and carbon are important elements in stellar populations. Their behavior refers to the formation history of the stellar populations. C and O abundances would also obviously influence stellar opacities and the overall metal abundance Z . With observed high-quality spectroscopic properties, we construct stellar models with C and O elements to give more accurate ages for 70 metal-poor dwarfs, which have been determined to be high- α halo, low- α halo, and thick-disk stars. Our results show that high- α halo stars are somewhat older than low- α halo stars by around 2.0 Gyr. The thick-disk population has anmore » age range in between the two halo populations. The age distribution profiles indicate that high- α halo and low- α halo stars match the in situ accretion simulation by Zolotov et al., and the thick-disk stars might be formed in a relatively quiescent and long-lasting process. We also note that stellar ages are very sensitive to O abundance, since the ages clearly increase with increasing [O/Fe] values. Additionally, we obtain several stars with peculiar ages, including 2 young thick-disk stars and 12 stars older than the universe age.« less

Dust & Abundances of Metal-Poor Planetary Nebulae in the Galactic Anti-Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pagomenos, George J. S.; Bernard-Salas, Jeronimo; Sloan, G. C.

2017-10-01

Much of the new dust in the local ISM is produced in the last phases of stellar evolution of low- and intermediate-mass stars on the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB). Despite its importance, our knowledge of how dust properties depend on metallicity is limited. Studies of planetary nebulae in irregular galaxies in the Local Group (mostly focused on the LMC and SMC) have revealed a diverse spectral zoo and shown that low metallicity favours carbon-rich dust production by AGB stars. However, at ~1/3 and ~1/5 times the solar metallicity respectively, they provide two snapshots of dust composition at low metallicity, emphasising the need to investigate a region with a range of metallicity values. With its abundance gradient, the Milky Way fits this criterion and provides a good opportunity to observe the dust composition over a large metallicity range. In particular the Galactic anti-center, which is largely unexplored beyond galactocentric distances of 10 kpc, allows us to study the AGB dust a priori assumed to be metal-poor as well as exploring the extent of the Galactic abundance gradient. We analyse a Spitzer spectroscopic sample of 23 planetary nebulae towards the anti-center in order to understand how the metallicity gradient extends beyond 10 kpc from the Galactic center and to observe the dust composition in this region of our Galaxy. We find that the abundance gradients of Ne, S and Ar continue to distances of around 20 kpc (albeit with a large scatter) and the dust emission shows a carbon-rich chemistry similar to that in the Magellanic Clouds.

Metal abundances in hot white dwarfs with signatures of a superionized wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Werner, K.; Rauch, T.; Kruk, J. W.

2018-01-01

About a dozen hot white dwarfs with effective temperatures Teff = 65 000-120 000 K exhibit unusual absorption features in their optical spectra. These objects were tentatively identified as Rydberg lines of ultra-high excited metals in ionization stages v-x, indicating line formation in a dense environment with temperatures near 106 K. Since some features show blueward extensions, it was argued that they stem from a superionized wind. A unique assignment of the lines to particular elements is not possible, although they probably stem from C, N, O, and Ne. To further investigate this phenomenon, we analyzed the ultraviolet spectra available from only three stars of this group; that is, two helium-rich white dwarfs, HE 0504-2408 and HS 0713+3958 with spectral type DO, and a hydrogen-rich white dwarf, HS 2115+1148 with spectral type DAO. We identified light metals (C, N, O, Si, P, and S) with generally subsolar abundances and heavy elements from the iron group (Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) with solar or oversolar abundance. The abundance patterns are not unusual for hot WDs and can be interpreted as the result of gravitational settling and radiative levitation of elements. As to the origin of the ultra-high ionized metals lines, we discuss the possible presence of a multicomponent radiatively driven wind that is frictionally heated.

The RR Lyrae variables in the globular cluster M68

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clement, Christine M.; Ferance, Stephen; Simon, Norman R.

1993-01-01

New observations, made with the Helen Sawyer Hogg telescope at Las Campanas, have been analyzed in a search for double-mode pulsators (RRd stars) in the metal-poor globular cluster, Messier 68. Of the 30 stars studied, nine have been identified as RRd stars; V33, which exhibited the characteristics of an RRd star in 1950, now appears to be an RRc star. Reliable periods and period ratios have been determined for six of the RRd stars. Masses for these RRd stars, calculated from fitting formulas given by Kovacs et al. (1991), range from 0.75 to 0.90 solar mass, depending on the assumed luminosity and metal abundance. These masses are in the same range as those for the RRd stars in M 15, whose RRd sample resembles that of M68 very closely. Fourier parameters determined for the light curves of the M68 variables show that the RRc stars in the two clusters are also very similar. In particular, on the plot of phase parameter phi sub 31 with period, the M15 and M68 RRc samples are virtually indistinguishable. A comparison of the new M68 observations with observations made 40 yr ago shows that the periods of some of the stars have changed, but the 40 yr interval is too short for detecting period changes caused by evolutionary effects.

Discovery of a Metal-poor, Luminous Post-AGB Star that Failed the Third Dredge-up

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kamath, D.; Winckel, H. Van; Wood, P. R.

Post-asymptotic giant branch (post-AGB) stars are known to be chemically diverse. In this paper we present the first observational evidence of a star that has failed the third dredge-up (TDU). J005252.87-722842.9 is an A-type ( T {sub eff} = 8250 ± 250 K) luminous (8200 ± 700 L {sub ⊙}) metal-poor ([Fe/H] = −1.18 ± 0.10) low-mass ( M {sub initial} ≈ 1.5–2.0 M {sub ⊙}) post-AGB star in the Small Magellanic Cloud. Through a systematic abundance study, using high-resolution optical spectra from UVES, we found that this likely post-AGB object shows an intriguing photospheric composition with no confirmed carbon-enhancementmore » (upper limit of [C/Fe] < 0.50) nor enrichment of s -process elements. We derived an oxygen abundance of [O/Fe] = 0.29 ± 0.1. For Fe and O, we took the effects of nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium into account. We could not derive an upper limit for the nitrogen abundance as there are no useful nitrogen lines within our spectral coverage. The chemical pattern displayed by this object has not been observed in single or binary post-AGBs. Based on its derived stellar parameters and inferred evolutionary state, single-star nucleosynthesis models predict that this star should have undergone TDU episodes while on the AGB, and it should be carbon enriched. However, our observations are in contrast with these predictions. We identify two possible Galactic analogs that are likely to be post-AGB stars, but the lack of accurate distances (hence luminosities) to these objects does not allow us to confirm their post-AGB status. If they have low luminosities, then they are likely to be dusty post-RGB stars. The discovery of J005252.87-722842.9 reveals a new stellar evolutionary channel whereby a star evolves without any TDU episodes.« less

OV Bootis: Forty Nights Of World-Wide Photometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patterson, Joseph; de Miguel, Enrique; Barret, Douglas; Brincat, Stephen; Boardman, James, Jr.; Buczynski, Denis; Campbell, Tut; Cejudo, David; Cook, Lew; Cook, Michael J.; Collins, Donald; Cooney, Walt; Dubois, Franky; Dvorak, Shawn; Halpern, Jules P.; Kroes, Anthony J.; Lemay, Damien; Licchelli, Domenico; Mankel, Dylan; Marshall, Matt; Novak, Rudolf; Oksanen, Arto; Roberts, George; Seargeant, Jim; Sears, Huei; Silcox, Austin; Slauson, Douglas; Stone, Geoff; Thorstensen, J. R.; Ulowetz, Joe; Vanmunster, Tonny; Wallgren, John; Wood, Matt

2017-06-01

Among the 1000 known cataclysmic variables, only one appears to belong to the "Galactic halo" - the Population II stars. We report round-the-world photometry of this star (OV Boo) during March-April 2017, when it staged its first certified dwarf-nova outburst. The star is remarkable for its short binary period (66 minutes), high proper motion, metal-poor composition, substellar secondary, sharp white-dwarf eclipses, and nonradial pulsations. Something for everybody...... and it even had the good manners to erupt in northern springtime, when it transits near local midnight. Move over, SS Cyg and WZ Sge; there's a new celebrity in town!

Unusual void galaxy DDO 68: implications of the HST-resolved photometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makarov, D. I.; Makarova, L. N.; Pustilnik, S. A.; Borisov, S. B.

2017-04-01

DDO 68 (UGC 5340) is an unusual dwarf galaxy with extremely low gas metallicity [12 + log (O/H) = 7.14] residing in the nearby Lynx-Cancer void. Despite its apparent isolation, it shows both optical and H I morphological evidence for strong tidal disturbance. Here, we study the resolved stellar populations of DDO 68 using deep images from the HST archive. We determined a distance of 12.75 ± 0.41 Mpc using the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB). The star formation history reconstruction reveals that about 60 per cent of stars formed during the initial period of star formation, about 12-14 Gyr ago. During the next 10 Gyr, DDO 68 was in the quenched state, with only slight traces of star formation. The onset of the most recent burst of star formation occurred about 300 Myr ago. We find that young populations with ages of several million to a few hundred million years are widely spread across various parts of DDO 68, indicating an intense star formation episode with a high mean rate of 0.15 M⊙ yr-1. A major fraction of the visible stars in the whole system (˜80 per cent) have low metallicities: Z = Z⊙/50-Z⊙/20. The properties of the northern periphery of DDO 68 can be explained by an ongoing burst of star formation induced by the minor merger of a small, gas-rich, extremely metal-poor galaxy with a more typical dwarf galaxy. The current TRGB-based distance of DDO 68 implies a total negative peculiar velocity of ≈500 km s-1.

An elemental abundance analysis of the superficially normal A star Vega

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adelman, Saul J.; Gulliver, Austin F.

1990-01-01

An elemental abundance analysis of Vega has been performed using high-signal-to-noise 2.4 A/mm Reticon observations of the region 4313-4809 A. Vega is found to be a metal-poor star with a mean underabundance of 0.60 dex. The He/H ratio of 0.03 as derived from He I 4472 A suggests that the superficial helium convection zone has disappeared and that radiative diffusion is producing the photospheric abundance anomalies.

The Gaia-ESO Survey: Separating disk chemical substructures with cluster models. Evidence of a separate evolution in the metal-poor thin disk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rojas-Arriagada, A.; Recio-Blanco, A.; de Laverny, P.; Schultheis, M.; Guiglion, G.; Mikolaitis, Š.; Kordopatis, G.; Hill, V.; Gilmore, G.; Randich, S.; Alfaro, E. J.; Bensby, T.; Koposov, S. E.; Costado, M. T.; Franciosini, E.; Hourihane, A.; Jofré, P.; Lardo, C.; Lewis, J.; Lind, K.; Magrini, L.; Monaco, L.; Morbidelli, L.; Sacco, G. G.; Worley, C. C.; Zaggia, S.; Chiappini, C.

2016-02-01

Context. Recent spectroscopic surveys have begun to explore the Galactic disk system on the basis of large data samples, with spatial distributions sampling regions well outside the solar neighborhood. In this way, they provide valuable information for testing spatial and temporal variations of disk structure kinematics and chemical evolution. Aims: The main purposes of this study are to demonstrate the usefulness of a rigorous mathematical approach to separate substructures of a stellar sample in the abundance-metallicity plane, and provide new evidence with which to characterize the nature of the metal-poor end of the thin disk sequence. Methods: We used a Gaussian mixture model algorithm to separate in the [Mg/Fe] vs. [Fe/H] plane a clean disk star subsample (essentially at RGC< 10 kpc) from the Gaia-ESO survey (GES) internal data release 2 (iDR2). We aim at decomposing it into data groups highlighting number density and/or slope variations in the abundance-metallicity plane. An independent sample of disk red clump stars from the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) was used to cross-check the identified features. Results: We find that the sample is separated into five groups associated with major Galactic components; the metal-rich end of the halo, the thick disk, and three subgroups for the thin disk sequence. This is confirmed with the sample of red clump stars from APOGEE. The three thin disk groups served to explore this sequence in more detail. The two metal-intermediate and metal-rich groups of the thin disk decomposition ([Fe/H] > -0.25 dex) highlight a change in the slope at solar metallicity. This holds true at different radial regions of the Milky Way. The distribution of Galactocentric radial distances of the metal-poor part of the thin disk ([Fe/H] < -0.25 dex) is shifted to larger distances than those of the more metal-rich parts. Moreover, the metal-poor part of the thin disk presents indications of a scale height intermediate between those of the thick and the rest of the thin disk, and it displays higher azimuthal velocities than the latter. These stars might have formed and evolved in parallel and/or dissociated from the inside-out formation taking place in the internal thin disk. Their enhancement levels might be due to their origin from gas pre-enriched by outflows from the thick disk or the inner halo. The smooth trends of their properties (their spatial distribution with respect to the plane, in particular) with [Fe/H] and [Mg/Fe] suggested by the data indicates a quiet dynamical evolution, with no relevant merger events. Based on data products from observations made with ESO Telescopes at the La Silla Paranal Observatory under programme ID 188.B-3002. These data products have been processed by the Cambridge Astronomy Survey Unit (CASU) at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, and by the FLAMES/UVES reduction team at INAF/Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri. These data have been obtained from the Gaia-ESO Survey Data Archive, prepared and hosted by the Wide Field Astronomy Unit, Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, which is funded by the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council.

A GMOS-N IFU study of the central H II region in the blue compact dwarf galaxy NGC 4449: kinematics, nebular metallicity and star formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumari, Nimisha; James, Bethan L.; Irwin, Mike J.

2017-10-01

We use integral field spectroscopic (IFS) observations from the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph North (GMOS-N) to study the central H II region in a nearby blue compact dwarf (BCD) galaxy NGC 4449. The IFS data enable us to explore the variation of physical and chemical conditions of the star-forming region and the surrounding gas on spatial scales as small as 5.5 pc. Our kinematical analysis shows possible signatures of shock ionization and shell structures in the surroundings of the star-forming region. The metallicity maps of the region, created using direct Te and indirect strong line methods (R23, O3N2 and N2), do not show any chemical variation. From the integrated spectrum of the central H II region, we find a metallicity of 12 + log(O/H) = 7.88 ± 0.14 ({˜ }0.15^{+0.06}_{-0.04} Z⊙) using the direct method. Comparing the central H II region metallicity derived here with those of H II regions throughout this galaxy from previous studies, we find evidence of increasing metallicity with distance from the central nucleus. Such chemical inhomogeneities can be due to several mechanisms, including gas loss via supernova blowout, galactic winds or metal-poor gas accretion. However, we find that the localized area of decreased metallicity aligns spatially with the peak of star-forming activity in the galaxy, suggesting that gas accretion may be at play here. Spatially resolved IFS data for the entire galaxy are required to confirm the metallicity inhomogeneity found in this study and determine its possible cause.

The outskirts of spiral galaxies: touching stellar halos at z˜0 and z˜1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakos, J.; Trujillo, I.

Taking advantage of ultra-deep imaging of SDSS Stripe82 and the Hubble Ultra Deep Field by HST, we explore the properties of stellar halos at two relevant epochs of cosmic history. At z˜0 we find that the radial surface brightness profiles of disks have a smooth continuation into the stellar halo that starts to affect the surface brightness profiles at mu r'˜28 {mag arcsec-2}, and at a radial distance of gtrsim 4-10 inner scale-lengths. The light contribution of the stellar halo to the total galaxy light varies from ˜1% to ˜5%, but in case of ongoing mergers, the halo light fraction can be as high as ˜10%. The integrated (g'-r') color of the stellar halo of our galaxies range from ˜0.4 to ˜1.2. By confronting these colors with model predictions, these halos can be attributed to moderately aged and metal-poor populations, however the extreme red colors (˜1) cannot be explained by populations of conventional IMFs. Very red halo colors can be attributed to stellar populations dominated by very low mass stars of low to intermediate metallicity produced by bottom-heavy IMFs. At z˜1 stellar halos appear to be ˜2 magnitudes brighter than their local counterparts, meanwhile they exhibit bluer colors ((g'-r')≲0.3 mag), as well. The stellar populations corresponding to these colors are compatible with having ages ≲1 Gyr. This latter observation strongly suggests the possibility that these halos were formed between z˜1 and z˜2. This result matches very well the theoretical predictions that locate most of the formation of the stellar halos at those early epochs. A pure passive evolutionary scenario, where the stellar populations of our high-z haloes simply fade to match the stellar halo properties found in the local universe, is consistent with our data.

Evidence of a Non-universal Stellar Initial Mass Function. Insights from HST Optical Imaging of Six Ultra-faint Dwarf Milky Way Satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gennaro, Mario; Tchernyshyov, Kirill; Brown, Thomas M.; Geha, Marla; Avila, Roberto J.; Guhathakurta, Puragra; Kalirai, Jason S.; Kirby, Evan N.; Renzini, Alvio; Simon, Joshua D.; Tumlinson, Jason; Vargas, Luis C.

2018-03-01

Using deep observations obtained with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), we demonstrate that the sub-solar stellar initial mass function (IMF) of six ultra-faint dwarf Milky Way satellites (UFDs) is more bottom light than the IMF of the Milky Way disk. Our data have a lower-mass limit of ∼0.45 M ⊙, while the upper limit is ∼0.8 M ⊙, set by the turnoff mass of these old, metal-poor systems. If formulated as a single power law, we obtain a shallower IMF slope than the Salpeter value of ‑2.3, ranging from ‑1.01 for Leo IV to ‑1.87 for Boötes I. The significance of these deviations depends on the galaxy and is typically 95% or more. When modeled as a log-normal, the IMF fit results in a higher peak mass than in the Milky Way disk, but a Milky Way disk value for the characteristic system mass (∼0.22 M ⊙) is excluded at only 68% significance, and only for some UFDs in the sample. We find that the IMF slope correlates well with the galaxy mean metallicity, and to a lesser degree, with the velocity dispersion and the total mass. The strength of the observed correlations is limited by shot noise in the number of observed stars, but future space-based missions like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope ( WFIRST) will enhance both the number of dwarf Milky Way satellites that can be studied in such detail and the observation depth for individual galaxies. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with program GO-12549.

Integrated light chemical tagging analyses of seven M31 outer halo globular clusters from the Pan-Andromeda Archaeological Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakari, Charli M.; Venn, Kim A.; Mackey, Dougal; Shetrone, Matthew D.; Dotter, Aaron; Ferguson, Annette M. N.; Huxor, Avon

2015-04-01

Detailed chemical abundances are presented for seven M31 outer halo globular clusters (with projected distances from M31 greater than 30 kpc), as derived from high-resolution integrated light spectra taken with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. Five of these clusters were recently discovered in the Pan-Andromeda Archaeological Survey (PAndAS) - this paper presents the first determinations of integrated Fe, Na, Mg, Ca, Ti, Ni, Ba, and Eu abundances for these clusters. Four of the target clusters (PA06, PA53, PA54, and PA56) are metal poor ([Fe/H] < -1.5), α-enhanced (though they are possibly less α-enhanced than Milky Way stars at the 1σ level), and show signs of star-to-star Na and Mg variations. The other three globular clusters (H10, H23, and PA17) are more metal rich, with metallicities ranging from [Fe/H] = -1.4 to -0.9. While H23 is chemically similar to Milky Way field stars, Milky Way globular clusters, and other M31 clusters, H10 and PA17, have moderately low [Ca/Fe], compared to Milky Way field stars and clusters. Additionally, PA17's high [Mg/Ca] and [Ba/Eu] ratios are distinct from Milky Way stars, and are in better agreement with the stars and clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud. None of the clusters studied here can be conclusively linked to any of the identified streams from PAndAS; however, based on their locations, kinematics, metallicities, and detailed abundances, the most metal-rich PAndAS clusters H23 and PA17 may be associated with the progenitor of the Giant Stellar Stream, H10 may be associated with the SW cloud, and PA53 and PA56 may be associated with the eastern cloud.

Impact of the uncertainty in α-captures on {sup 22}Ne on the weak s-process in massive stars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nishimura, N.; Hirschi, R.; Pignatari, M.

2014-05-02

Massive stars at solar metallicity contribute to the production of heavy elements with atomic masses between A = 60 and A = 90 via the so-called weak s-process (which takes place during core He and shell C burning phases). Furthermore, recent studies have shown that rotation boosts the s-process production in massive stars at low metallicities, with a production that may reach the barium neutron-magic peak. These results are very sensitive to neutron source and neutron poison reaction rates. For the weak s-process, the main neutron source is the reaction {sup 22}Ne(α,n){sup 25}Mg, which is in competition with {sup 22}Ne(α,γ){supmore » 26}Mg. The uncertainty of both rates strongly affects the nucleosynthesis predictions from stellar model calculations. In this study, we investigate the impact of the uncertainty in α-captures on {sup 22}Ne on the s-process nucleosynthesis in massive stars both at solar and at very low metallicity. For this purpose, we post-process, with the Nugrid mppnp code, non-rotating and rotating evolutionary models 25M{sub ⊙} stars at two different metallicities: Z = Z{sub ⊙} and Z = 10{sup −5}Z{sub ⊙}, respectively. Our results show that uncertainty of {sup 22}Ne(α,n){sup 25}Mg and {sup 22}Ne(α,γ){sup 26}Mg rates have a significant impact on the final elemental production especially for metal poor rotating models. Beside uncertainties in the neutron source reactions, for fast rotating massive stars at low metallicity we revisit the impact of the neutron poisoning effect by the reaction chain {sup 16}O(n,γ){sup 17}O(α,γ){sup 21}Ne, in competition with the {sup 17}O(α,n){sup 20}Ne, recycling the neutrons captured by {sup 16}O.« less

A DEEP STUDY OF THE DWARF SATELLITES ANDROMEDA XXVIII AND ANDROMEDA XXIX

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Slater, Colin T.; Bell, Eric F.; Martin, Nicolas F.

We present the results of a deep study of the isolated dwarf galaxies Andromeda XXVIII and Andromeda XXIX with Gemini/GMOS and Keck/DEIMOS. Both galaxies are shown to host old, metal-poor stellar populations with no detectable recent star formation, conclusively identifying both of them as dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs). And XXVIII exhibits a complex horizontal branch morphology, which is suggestive of metallicity enrichment and thus an extended period of star formation in the past. Decomposing the horizontal branch into blue (metal-poor, assumed to be older) and red (relatively more metal-rich, assumed to be younger) populations shows that the metal-rich are alsomore » more spatially concentrated in the center of the galaxy. We use spectroscopic measurements of the calcium triplet, combined with the improved precision of the Gemini photometry, to measure the metallicity of the galaxies, confirming the metallicity spread and showing that they both lie on the luminosity–metallicity relation for dwarf satellites. Taken together, the galaxies exhibit largely typical properties for dSphs despite their significant distances from M31. These dwarfs thus place particularly significant constraints on models of dSph formation involving environmental processes such as tidal or ram pressure stripping. Such models must be able to completely transform the two galaxies into dSphs in no more than two pericentric passages around M31, while maintaining a significant stellar population gradient. Reproducing these features is a prime requirement for models of dSph formation to demonstrate not just the plausibility of environmental transformation but the capability of accurately recreating real dSphs.« less

Revisiting Zirconium: New Abundance Determinations with Improved Oscillator Strengths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burris, Debra L.; Jones, M.; Nichols, R.

2006-12-01

The element Zirconium is produced via neutron capture (n-capture). It resides in the mass range where there is uncertainty about the production mechanism at early time. The rapid n-capture process (r-process) was believed to be responsible for the production, but no study (Burris et al 2000, Gilroy et al 1988 and others) has been able to successfully use the r-process to reproduce the abundance signature for elements in this mass range for metal-poor halo stars. It has been suggested (Sneden and Cowan 2003) that there may be an undiscovered component to the r-process. New transition probabilities for Zr II have been reported by Malcheva et al (2006). We utilize these values to make new abundance determinations for Zr in the Sun and the metal-poor halo star BD +17 3248. This work is supported in part by the AAS Small Grant Program, the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium and the UCA Undergraduate Research Council.

A single low-energy, iron-poor supernova as the source of metals in the star SMSS J031300.36-670839.3.

PubMed

Keller, S C; Bessell, M S; Frebel, A; Casey, A R; Asplund, M; Jacobson, H R; Lind, K; Norris, J E; Yong, D; Heger, A; Magic, Z; Da Costa, G S; Schmidt, B P; Tisserand, P

2014-02-27

The element abundance ratios of four low-mass stars with extremely low metallicities (abundances of elements heavier than helium) indicate that the gas out of which the stars formed was enriched in each case by at most a few--and potentially only one--low-energy supernova. Such supernovae yield large quantities of light elements such as carbon but very little iron. The dominance of low-energy supernovae seems surprising, because it had been expected that the first stars were extremely massive, and that they disintegrated in pair-instability explosions that would rapidly enrich galaxies in iron. What has remained unclear is the yield of iron from the first supernovae, because hitherto no star has been unambiguously interpreted as encapsulating the yield of a single supernova. Here we report the optical spectrum of SMSS J031300.36-670839.3, which shows no evidence of iron (with an upper limit of 10(-7.1) times solar abundance). Based on a comparison of its abundance pattern with those of models, we conclude that the star was seeded with material from a single supernova with an original mass about 60 times that of the Sun (and that the supernova left behind a black hole). Taken together with the four previously mentioned low-metallicity stars, we conclude that low-energy supernovae were common in the early Universe, and that such supernovae yielded light-element enrichment with insignificant iron. Reduced stellar feedback both chemically and mechanically from low-energy supernovae would have enabled first-generation stars to form over an extended period. We speculate that such stars may perhaps have had an important role in the epoch of cosmic reionization and the chemical evolution of early galaxies.

Designable ultra-smooth ultra-thin solid-electrolyte interphases of three alkali metal anodes.

PubMed

Gu, Yu; Wang, Wei-Wei; Li, Yi-Juan; Wu, Qi-Hui; Tang, Shuai; Yan, Jia-Wei; Zheng, Ming-Sen; Wu, De-Yin; Fan, Chun-Hai; Hu, Wei-Qiang; Chen, Zhao-Bin; Fang, Yuan; Zhang, Qing-Hong; Dong, Quan-Feng; Mao, Bing-Wei

2018-04-09

Dendrite growth of alkali metal anodes limited their lifetime for charge/discharge cycling. Here, we report near-perfect anodes of lithium, sodium, and potassium metals achieved by electrochemical polishing, which removes microscopic defects and creates ultra-smooth ultra-thin solid-electrolyte interphase layers at metal surfaces for providing a homogeneous environment. Precise characterizations by AFM force probing with corroborative in-depth XPS profile analysis reveal that the ultra-smooth ultra-thin solid-electrolyte interphase can be designed to have alternating inorganic-rich and organic-rich/mixed multi-layered structure, which offers mechanical property of coupled rigidity and elasticity. The polished metal anodes exhibit significantly enhanced cycling stability, specifically the lithium anodes can cycle for over 200 times at a real current density of 2 mA cm -2 with 100% depth of discharge. Our work illustrates that an ultra-smooth ultra-thin solid-electrolyte interphase may be robust enough to suppress dendrite growth and thus serve as an initial layer for further improved protection of alkali metal anodes.

Advanced microscopy of star-shaped gold nanoparticles and their adsorption-uptake by macrophages

PubMed Central

Plascencia-Villa, Germán; Bahena, Daniel; Rodríguez, Annette R.; Ponce, Arturo; José-Yacamán, Miguel

2013-01-01

Metallic nanoparticles have diverse applications in biomedicine, as diagnostics, image contrast agents, nanosensors and drug delivery systems. Anisotropic metallic nanoparticles possess potential applications in cell imaging and therapy+diagnostics (theranostics), but controlled synthesis and growth of these anisotropic or branched nanostructures has been challenging and usually require use of high concentrations of surfactants. Star-shaped gold nanoparticles were synthesized in high yield through a seed mediated route using HEPES as a precise shape-directing capping agent. Characterization was performed using advanced electron microscopy techniques including atomic resolution TEM, obtaining a detailed characterization of nanostructure and atomic arrangement. Spectroscopy techniques showed that particles have narrow size distribution, monodispersity and high colloidal stability, with absorbance into NIR region and high efficiency for SERS applications. Gold nanostars showed to be biocompatible and efficiently adsorbed and internalized by macrophages, as revealed by advanced FE-SEM and backscattered electron imaging techniques of complete unstained uncoated cells. Additionally, low voltage STEM and X-ray microanalysis revealed the ultra-structural location and confirmed stability of nanoparticles after endocytosis with high spatial resolution. PMID:23443314

Dead Star Warps Light of Red Star Artist Animation

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-04-04

This artist concept depicts an ultra-dense dead star, called a white dwarf, passing in front of a small red star. NASA planet-hunting Kepler was able to detect gravitational lensing by measuring a strangely subtle dip in the star brightness.

KECK ECHELLETTE SPECTROGRAPH AND IMAGER OBSERVATIONS OF METAL-POOR DAMPED Ly{alpha} SYSTEMS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Penprase, Bryan E.; Toro-Martinez, Irene; Beeler, Daniel J.

2010-09-20

We present the first results from a survey of SDSS quasars selected for strong H I damped Ly{alpha} (DLA) absorption with corresponding low equivalent width absorption from strong low-ion transitions (e.g., C II {lambda}1334 and Si II {lambda}1260). These metal-poor DLA candidates were selected from the SDSS fifth release quasar spectroscopic database, and comprise a large new sample for probing low-metallicity galaxies. Medium-resolution echellette spectra from the Keck Echellette Spectrograph and Imager spectrograph for an initial sample of 35 systems were obtained to explore the metal-poor tail of the DLA distribution and to investigate the nucleosynthetic patterns at these metallicities.more » We have estimated saturation corrections for the moderately underresolved spectra, and systems with very narrow Doppler parameters (b {<=} 5 km s{sup -1}) will likely have underestimated abundances. For those systems with Doppler parameters b > 5 km s{sup -1}, we have measured low-metallicity DLA gas with [X/H] <-2.4 for at least one of C, O, Si, or Fe. Assuming non-saturated components, we estimate that several DLA systems have [X/H] <-2.8, including five DLA systems with both low equivalent widths and low metallicity in transitions of both C II and O I. All of the measured DLA metallicities, however, exceed or are consistent with a metallicity of at least 1/1000 of solar, regardless of the effects of saturation in our spectra. Our results indicate that the metal-poor tail of galaxies at z {approx} 3 drops exponentially at [X/H] {approx}<-3. If the distribution of metallicity is Gaussian, the probability of identifying interstellar medium gas with lower abundance is extremely small, and our results suggest that DLA systems with [X/H] < -4.0 are extremely rare, and could comprise only 8 x 10{sup -7} of DLA systems. The relative abundances of species within these low-metallicity DLA systems are compared with stellar nucleosynthesis models, and are consistent with stars having masses of 30 M{sub sun} < M{sub *} < 100 M{sub sun}. The observed ratio of [C/O] for values of [O/H] <-2.5 exceeds values seen in moderate metallicity DLA systems, and also exceeds theoretical nucleosynthesis predictions for higher mass Population III stars. We also have observed a correlation between the column density N(C IV) with [Si/H] metallicity, suggestive of a trend between mass of the DLA system and its metallicity.« less

The Milky Way Halo in Action Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myeong, G. C.; Evans, N. W.; Belokurov, V.; Sanders, J. L.; Koposov, S. E.

2018-04-01

We analyze the structure of the local stellar halo of the Milky Way using ∼60000 stars with full phase space coordinates extracted from the SDSS–Gaia catalog. We display stars in action space as a function of metallicity in a realistic axisymmetric potential for the Milky Way Galaxy. The metal-rich population is more distended toward high radial action J R as compared to azimuthal or vertical action, J ϕ or J z . It has a mild prograde rotation (< {v}φ > ≈ 25 {km} {{{s}}}-1), is radially anisotropic and highly flattened, with axis ratio q ≈ 0.6–0.7. The metal-poor population is more evenly distributed in all three actions. It has larger prograde rotation (< {v}φ > ≈ 50 {km} {{{s}}}-1), a mild radial anisotropy, and a roundish morphology (q ≈ 0.9). We identify two further components of the halo in action space. There is a high-energy, retrograde component that is only present in the metal-rich stars. This is suggestive of an origin in a retrograde encounter, possibly the one that created the stripped dwarf galaxy nucleus, ωCentauri. Also visible as a distinct entity in action space is a resonant component, which is flattened and prograde. It extends over a range of metallicities down to [Fe/H] ≈ ‑3. It has a net outward radial velocity < {v}R> ≈ 12 {km} {{{s}}}-1 within the solar circle at | z| < 3.5 {kpc}. The existence of resonant stars at such extremely low metallicities has not been seen before.

Using dust, gas and stellar mass-selected samples to probe dust sources and sinks in low-metallicity galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Vis, P.; Gomez, H. L.; Schofield, S. P.; Maddox, S.; Dunne, L.; Baes, M.; Cigan, P.; Clark, C. J. R.; Gomez, E. L.; Lara-López, M.; Owers, M.

2017-10-01

We combine samples of nearby galaxies with Herschel photometry selected on their dust, metal, H I and stellar mass content, and compare these to chemical evolution models in order to discriminate between different dust sources. In a companion paper, we used an H I-selected sample of nearby galaxies to reveal a subsample of very gas-rich (gas fraction >80 per cent) sources with dust masses significantly below predictions from simple chemical evolution models, and well below Md/M* and Md/Mgas scaling relations seen in dust and stellar-selected samples of local galaxies. We use a chemical evolution model to explain these dust-poor, but gas-rich, sources as well as the observed star formation rates (SFRs) and dust-to-gas ratios. We find that (I) a delayed star formation history is required to model the observed SFRs; (II) inflows and outflows are required to model the observed metallicities at low gas fractions; (III) a reduced contribution of dust from supernovae (SNe) is needed to explain the dust-poor sources with high gas fractions. These dust-poor, low stellar mass galaxies require a typical core-collapse SN to produce 0.01-0.16 M⊙ of dust. To match the observed dust masses at lower gas fractions, significant grain growth is required to counteract the reduced contribution from dust in SNe and dust destruction from SN shocks. These findings are statistically robust, though due to intrinsic scatter it is not always possible to find one single model that successfully describes all the data. We also show that the dust-to-metal ratio decreases towards lower metallicity.

ASTROBIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF GAMMA-RAY BURSTS IN THE MILKY WAY GALAXY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gowanlock, Michael G., E-mail: gowanloc@mit.edu

A planet having protective ozone within the collimated beam of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) may suffer ozone depletion, potentially causing a mass extinction event to existing life on a planet’s surface and oceans. We model the dangers of long GRBs to planets in the Milky Way and utilize a static statistical model of the Galaxy, which matches major observable properties, such as the inside-out star formation history (SFH), metallicity evolution, and three-dimensional stellar number density distribution. The GRB formation rate is a function of both the SFH and metallicity. However, the extent to which chemical evolution reduces the GRB ratemore » over time in the Milky Way is still an open question. Therefore, we compare the damaging effects of GRBs to biospheres in the Milky Way using two models. One model generates GRBs as a function of the inside-out SFH. The other model follows the SFH, but generates GRB progenitors as a function of metallicity, thereby favoring metal-poor host regions of the Galaxy over time. If the GRB rate only follows the SFH, the majority of the GRBs occur in the inner Galaxy. However, if GRB progenitors are constrained to low-metallicity environments, then GRBs only form in the metal-poor outskirts at recent epochs. Interestingly, over the past 1 Gyr, the surface density of stars (and their corresponding planets), which survive a GRB is still greatest in the inner galaxy in both models. The present-day danger of long GRBs to life at the solar radius ( R {sub ⊙} = 8 kpc) is low. We find that at least ∼65% of stars survive a GRB over the past 1 Gyr. Furthermore, when the GRB rate was expected to have been enhanced at higher redshifts, such as z ≳ 0.5, our results suggest that a large fraction of planets would have survived these lethal GRB events.« less

Extinction Mapping and Dust-to-Gas Ratios of Nearby Galaxies using LEGUS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kahre, Lauren; Walterbos, Rene; Kim, Hwihyun; Thilker, David; Lee, Janice; LEGUS Team

2018-01-01

Dust is commonly used as a tracer for cold dense gas, either through IR and NIR emission maps or through extinction mapping, and dust abundance and gas metallicity are critical constraints for chemical and galaxy evolution models. Extinction mapping has been used to trace dust column densities in the Milky Way, the Magellanic Clouds, and M31. The maps for M31 use IR and NIR photometry of red giant branch stars, which is more difficult to obtain for more distant galaxies. Work by Kahre et al. (in prep) uses the extinctions derived for individual massive stars using the isochrone-matching method described by Kim et al. (2012) to generate extinction maps for these more distant galaxies.Isochrones of massive stars lie in the same location on a color-color diagram with little dependence on metallicity and luminosity class, so the extinction can be directly derived from the observed photometry. We generate extinction maps using photometry of massive stars from the Hubble Space Telescope for several of the nearly 50 galaxies observed by the Legacy Extragalactic Ultraviolet Survey (LEGUS). The derived extinction maps will allow us to correct ground-based and HST Halpha maps for extinction, and will be used to constrain changes in the dust-to-gas ratio across the galaxy sample and in different star formation, metallicity and morphological environments. Previous studies have found links between galaxy metallicity and the dust-to-gas mass ratio. We present a study of LEGUS galaxies spanning a range of distances, metallicities, and galaxy morphologies, expanding on our previous study of metal-poor dwarfs Holmberg I and II and giant spirals NGC 6503 and NGC 628. We see clear evidence for changes in the dust-to-gas mass ratio with changing metallicity. We also examine changes in the dust-to-gas mass ratio with galactocentric radius. Ultimately, we will provide constraints on the dust-to-gas mass ratio across a wide range of galaxy environments.

The Magellanic Bridge Cluster NGC 796: Deep Optical AO Imaging Reveals the Stellar Content and Initial Mass Function of a Massive Open Cluster

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalari, Venu M.; Carraro, Giovanni; Evans, Christopher J.; Rubio, Monica

2018-04-01

NGC 796 is a massive young cluster located 59 kpc from us in the diffuse intergalactic medium of the 1/5–1/10 Z⊙ Magellanic Bridge, allowing us to probe variations in star formation and stellar evolution processes as a function of metallicity in a resolved fashion, and providing a link between resolved studies of nearby solar-metallicity and unresolved distant metal-poor clusters located in high-redshift galaxies. In this paper, we present adaptive optics griHα imaging of NGC 796 (at 0.″5, which is ∼0.14 pc at the cluster distance) along with optical spectroscopy of two bright members to quantify the cluster properties. Our aim is to explore whether star formation and stellar evolution vary as a function of metallicity by comparing the properties of NGC 796 to higher-metallicity clusters. We find an age of {20}-5+12 Myr from isochronal fitting of the cluster main sequence in the color–magnitude diagram. Based on the cluster luminosity function, we derive a top-heavy stellar initial mass function (IMF) with a slope α = 1.99 ± 0.2, hinting at a metallicity and/or environmental dependence of the IMF, which may lead to a top-heavy IMF in the early universe. Study of the Hα emission-line stars reveals that classical Be stars constitute a higher fraction of the total B-type stars when compared with similar clusters at greater metallicity, providing some support to the chemically homogeneous theory of stellar evolution. Overall, NGC 796 has a total estimated mass of 990 ± 200 M⊙, and a core radius of 1.4 ± 0.3 pc, which classifies it as a massive young open cluster, unique in the diffuse interstellar medium of the Magellanic Bridge.

EXPLORING SYSTEMATIC EFFECTS IN THE RELATION BETWEEN STELLAR MASS, GAS PHASE METALLICITY, AND STAR FORMATION RATE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Telford, O. Grace; Dalcanton, Julianne J.; Skillman, Evan D.

2016-08-10

There is evidence that the well-established mass–metallicity relation in galaxies is correlated with a third parameter: star formation rate (SFR). The strength of this correlation may be used to disentangle the relative importance of different physical processes (e.g., infall of pristine gas, metal-enriched outflows) in governing chemical evolution. However, all three parameters are susceptible to biases that might affect the observed strength of the relation between them. We analyze possible sources of systematic error, including sample bias, application of signal-to-noise ratio cuts on emission lines, choice of metallicity calibration, uncertainty in stellar mass determination, aperture effects, and dust. We presentmore » the first analysis of the relation between stellar mass, gas phase metallicity, and SFR using strong line abundance diagnostics from Dopita et al. for ∼130,000 star-forming galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and provide a detailed comparison of these diagnostics in an appendix. Using these new abundance diagnostics yields a 30%–55% weaker anti-correlation between metallicity and SFR at fixed stellar mass than that reported by Mannucci et al. We find that, for all abundance diagnostics, the anti-correlation with SFR is stronger for the relatively few galaxies whose current SFRs are elevated above their past average SFRs. This is also true for the new abundance diagnostic of Dopita et al., which gives anti-correlation between Z and SFR only in the high specific star formation rate (sSFR) regime, in contrast to the recent results of Kashino et al. The poorly constrained strength of the relation between stellar mass, metallicity, and SFR must be carefully accounted for in theoretical studies of chemical evolution.« less

The Not So Simple Globular Cluster ω Cen. I. Spatial Distribution of the Multiple Stellar Populations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Calamida, A.; Saha, A.; Strampelli, G.

2017-04-01

We present a multi-band photometric catalog of ≈1.7 million cluster members for a field of view of ≈2° × 2° across ω Cen. Photometry is based on images collected with the Dark Energy Camera on the 4 m Blanco telescope and the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope . The unprecedented photometric accuracy and field coverage allowed us, for the first time, to investigate the spatial distribution of ω Cen multiple populations from the core to the tidal radius, confirming its very complex structure. We found that the frequency of blue main-sequence stars is increasing compared to red main-sequencemore » stars starting from a distance of ≈25′ from the cluster center. Blue main-sequence stars also show a clumpy spatial distribution, with an excess in the northeast quadrant of the cluster pointing toward the direction of the Galactic center. Stars belonging to the reddest and faintest red-giant branch also show a more extended spatial distribution in the outskirts of ω Cen, a region never explored before. Both these stellar sub-populations, according to spectroscopic measurements, are more metal-rich compared to the cluster main stellar population. These findings, once confirmed, make ω Cen the only stellar system currently known where metal-rich stars have a more extended spatial distribution compared to metal-poor stars. Kinematic and chemical abundance measurements are now needed for stars in the external regions of ω Cen to better characterize the properties of these sub-populations.« less

CEMPlifying reionization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Mahavir; Theuns, Tom; Frenk, Carlos

2018-05-01

The massive stars that ionised the Universe have short lifetimes and can only be studied near the time of formation, but any low mass stars that formed contemporaneously might be observable in the local Universe today. We study the abundance pattern and spatial distribution of these `siblings of reionizers' (SoRs) in the EAGLE cosmological hydrodynamical simulation. SoRs tend to be enriched to super-solar levels in α-elements compared to iron. In EAGLE galaxies resembling the Milky Way, ˜40 percent of carbon-enhanced metal poor (CEMP) stars are SoRs. Conversely, ˜10 percent of all SoRs are CEMP stars. This fraction increases to ≳ 50 percent for SoRs of metallicity [Fe/H]<-4, and at such low metallicities, most of the CEMP stars are of CEMP-no subtype that are lacking neutron capture elements. Although these numbers may well depend on the details of the physical models implemented in EAGLE, the trends we describe are robust as they result from the strong feedback from star formation in early galaxies, itself a key ingredient of most current models of galaxy formation. We further find that most SoRs today reside in halos with mass Mh≳1012 M⊙, and 50 percent of them are in the halo of their central galaxy (distance >10 kpc), mainly because they were accreted onto their current host rather than formed in-situ. To a good approximation, the SoRs are CEMP-no stars that reside in the stellar halos of massive galaxies, with nearly half of them contributing to the intracluster light in groups and clusters.

Formation of the Galactic Stellar Halo: Origin of the Metallicity-Eccentricity Relation.

PubMed

Bekki; Chiba

2000-05-01

Motivated by the recently improved knowledge on the kinematic and chemical properties of the Galactic metal-poor stars, we present the numerical simulation for the formation of the Galactic stellar halo to interpret the observational results. As a model for the Galaxy contraction, we adopt the currently standard theory of galaxy formation based on the hierarchical assembly of the cold dark matter fluctuations. We find, for the simulated stars with &sqbl0;Fe&solm0;H&sqbr0;

OV Bootis: Forty Nights of World-Wide Photometry (Abstract)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patterson, J.; de Miguel, E.; Barret, D.; Brincat, S.; Boardman, J., Jr.; Buczynski, D.; Campbell, T.; Cejudo, D.; Cook, L.; Cook, M. J.; Collins, D.; Cooney, W.; Dubois, F.; Dvorak, S.; Halpern, J. P.; Kroes, A. J.; Lemay, D.; Licchelli, D.; Mankel, D.; Marshall, M.; Novak, R.; Oksanen, A.; Roberts, G.; Seargeant, J.; Sears, H.; Silcox, A.; Slauson, D.; Stone, G.; Thorstensen, J. R.; Ulowetz, J.; Vanmunster, T.; Wallgren, J.; Wood, M.

2017-12-01

(Abstract only) Among the 1000 known cataclysmic variables, only one appears to belong to the "Galactic halo"-the Population II stars. We report round-the-world photometry of this star (OV Boo) during March-April 2017, when it staged its first certified dwarf-nova outburst. The star is remarkable for its short binary period (66 minutes), high proper motion, metal-poor composition, substellar secondary, sharp white-dwarf eclipses, and nonradial pulsations. Something for everybody - and it even had the good manners to erupt in northern springtime, when it transits near local midnight. Move over, SS Cyg and WZ Sge; there's a new celebrity in town!

On the nature of the dwarf carbon star G77-61

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dearborn, D. S. P.; Liebert, J.; Aaronson, M.; Dahn, C. C.; Harrington, R.

1986-01-01

In the present study of astrometric, photometric, and spectrophotometric data for the low luminosity carbon star G77-61, radial velocity variations are detected which have a binary period of 245 days. The unseen companion is probably a cool white dwarf of much higher mass than the visible object. The most straightforward evolutionary hypothesis is that this star has an extremely metal-poor composition, and that it accreted a small amount of carbon-rich material when the now-unseen primary was at maximum radius. This may have inverted the C/O abundance of the secondary without achieving common envelope evolution and a sorter period.

Underwater smelling by the star-nosed mole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Alexander; Spencer, Thomas; Hu, David

2017-11-01

The star-nosed mole can sniff underwater objects by rapidly blowing and inhaling bubbles. How these mammals manipulate bubbles without losing them is poorly understood. In this experimental study, we show that the peculiar shape of the mole's nose can stabilize bubbles. We laser-cut a series of star-shaped plastic templates and measure the largest angle they can be titled before bubbles are released. The arms of the star anchor the bubbles in place by enabling the buoyancy forces between the arms to counter the effects of tilt. Based on this finding, we design and construct a mole-inspired underwater sniffing device that uses oscillation of bubbles to feed a metal oxide chemical sensor, a first step in expanding machine olfaction to underwater applications

The mass spectrum of the first stars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Susa, Hajime; Tominaga, Nozomu; Hasegawa, Kenji, E-mail: susa@konan-u.ac.jp

2014-09-01

We perform cosmological hydrodynamics simulations with non-equilibrium primordial chemistry to obtain 59 minihalos that host first stars. The obtained minihalos are used as the initial conditions of local three-dimensional radiation hydrodynamics simulations to investigate the formation of the first stars. We find that two-thirds of the minihalos host multiple stars, while the other third has single stars. The mass of the stars found in our simulations are in the range of 1 M {sub ☉} ≲ M ≲ 300 M {sub ☉}, peaking at several× 10 M {sub ☉}. Most of the very massive stars of ≳ 140 M {submore » ☉} are born as single stars, although not all of the single stars are very massive. We also find a few stars of ≲ 1 M {sub ☉} that are kicked by the gravitational three body interactions to the position distant from the center of mass. The frequency that a star forming minihalo contains a binary system is ∼50%. We also investigate the abundance pattern of the stellar remnants by summing up the contributions from the first stars in the simulations. Consequently, the pattern is compatible with that of the low metallicity damped Lyα systems or the extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars, if the mass spectrum obtained in our experiment is shifted to the low mass side by 0.2 dex. If we consider the case that an EMP star is born in the remnant of the individual minihalo without mixing with others, the chemical signature of the pair instability supernova is more prominent, because most of them are born as single stars.« less

Heavy-element yields and abundances of asymptotic giant branch models with a Small Magellanic Cloud metallicity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karakas, Amanda I.; Lugaro, Maria; Carlos, Marília; Cseh, Borbála; Kamath, Devika; García-Hernández, D. A.

2018-06-01

We present new theoretical stellar yields and surface abundances for asymptotic giant branch (AGB) models with a metallicity appropriate for stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC, Z = 0.0028, [Fe/H] ≈ -0.7). New evolutionary sequences and post-processing nucleosynthesis results are presented for initial masses between 1 and 7 M⊙, where the 7 M⊙ is a super-AGB star with an O-Ne core. Models above 1.15 M⊙ become carbon rich during the AGB, and hot bottom burning begins in models M ≥ 3.75 M⊙. We present stellar surface abundances as a function of thermal pulse number for elements between C to Bi and for a selection of isotopic ratios for elements up to Fe and Ni (e.g. 12C/13C), which can be compared to observations. The integrated stellar yields are presented for each model in the grid for hydrogen, helium, and all stable elements from C to Bi. We present evolutionary sequences of intermediate-mass models between 4 and 7 M⊙ and nucleosynthesis results for three masses (M = 3.75, 5, and 7 M⊙) including s-process elements for two widely used AGB mass-loss prescriptions. We discuss our new models in the context of evolved AGB and post-AGB stars in the SMCs, barium stars in our Galaxy, the composition of Galactic globular clusters including Mg isotopes with a similar metallicity to our models, and to pre-solar grains which may have an origin in metal-poor AGB stars.

Nanowire decorated, ultra-thin, single crystalline silicon for photovoltaic devices.

PubMed

Aurang, Pantea; Turan, Rasit; Unalan, Husnu Emrah

2017-10-06

Reducing silicon (Si) wafer thickness in the photovoltaic industry has always been demanded for lowering the overall cost. Further benefits such as short collection lengths and improved open circuit voltages can also be achieved by Si thickness reduction. However, the problem with thin films is poor light absorption. One way to decrease optical losses in photovoltaic devices is to minimize the front side reflection. This approach can be applied to front contacted ultra-thin crystalline Si solar cells to increase the light absorption. In this work, homojunction solar cells were fabricated using ultra-thin and flexible single crystal Si wafers. A metal assisted chemical etching method was used for the nanowire (NW) texturization of ultra-thin Si wafers to compensate weak light absorption. A relative improvement of 56% in the reflectivity was observed for ultra-thin Si wafers with the thickness of 20 ± 0.2 μm upon NW texturization. NW length and top contact optimization resulted in a relative enhancement of 23% ± 5% in photovoltaic conversion efficiency.

Dwarf galaxies: a lab to investigate the neutron capture elements production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cescutti, Gabriele

2018-06-01

In this contribution, I focus on the neutron capture elements observed in the spectra of old halo and ultra faint galaxies stars. Adopting a stochastic chemical evolution model and the Galactic halo as a benchmark, I present new constraints on the rate and time scales of r-process events, based on the discovery of the r-process rich stars in the ultra faint galaxy Reticulum 2. I also show that an s-process activated by rotation in massive stars can play an important role in the production of heavy elements.

New and updated stellar parameters for 71 evolved planet hosts. On the metallicity-giant planet connection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mortier, A.; Santos, N. C.; Sousa, S. G.; Adibekyan, V. Zh.; Delgado Mena, E.; Tsantaki, M.; Israelian, G.; Mayor, M.

2013-09-01

Context. It is still being debated whether the well-known metallicity-giant planet correlation for dwarf stars is also valid for giant stars. For this reason, having precise metallicities is very important. Precise stellar parameters are also crucial to planetary research for several other reasons. Different methods can provide different results that lead to discrepancies in the analysis of planet hosts. Aims: To study the impact of different analyses on the metallicity scale for evolved stars, we compare different iron line lists to use in the atmospheric parameter derivation of evolved stars. Therefore, we use a sample of 71 evolved stars with planets. With these new homogeneous parameters, we revisit the metallicity-giant planet connection for evolved stars. Methods: A spectroscopic analysis based on Kurucz models in local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) was performed through the MOOG code to derive the atmospheric parameters. Two different iron line list sets were used, one built for cool FGK stars in general, and the other for giant FGK stars. Masses were calculated through isochrone fitting, using the Padova models. Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests (K-S tests) were then performed on the metallicity distributions of various different samples of evolved stars and red giants. Results: All parameters compare well using a line list set, designed specifically for cool and solar-like stars to provide more accurate temperatures. All parameters derived with this line list set are preferred and are thus adopted for future analysis. We find that evolved planet hosts are more metal-poor than dwarf stars with giant planets. However, a bias in giant stellar samples that are searched for planets is present. Because of a colour cut-off, metal-rich low-gravity stars are left out of the samples, making it hard to compare dwarf stars with giant stars. Furthermore, no metallicity enhancement is found for red giants with planets (log g < 3.0 dex) with respect to red giants without planets. The data presented here are based on observations collected at the La Silla Paranal Observatory, ESO (Chile) with the FEROS spectrograph at the 2.2 m telescope (ESO runs ID 70.C-0084, 088.C-0892, 089.C-0444, and 090.C-0146) and the HARPS spectrograph at the 3.6 m telescope (ESO run ID 72.C-0488); at the Paranal Observatory, ESO (Chile) with the UVES spectrograph at the VLT Kueyen telescope (ESO runs ID 074.C-0134, 079.C-0131, 380.C-0083, and 083.C-0174); at the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias with the FIES spectrograph at the Nordic Optical Telescope, operated on the island of La Palma jointly by Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden (program ID 44-210); and at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence (OHP, CNRS/OAMP), France with the SOPHIE spectrographs at the 1.93 m telescope (program ID 11B.DISC.SOUS).Tables 1, 5, 6 and Appendix A are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.orgTables 5, 6, and A.1 are also available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/557/A70

Massive stars in advanced evolutionary stages, and the progenitor of GW150914

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamann, Wolf-Rainer; Oskinova, Lidia; Todt, Helge; Sander, Andreas; Hainich, Rainer; Shenar, Tomer; Ramachandran, Varsha

2017-11-01

The recent discovery of a gravitational wave from the merging of two black holes of about 30 solar masses each challenges our incomplete understanding of massive stars and their evolution. Critical ingredients comprise mass-loss, rotation, magnetic fields, internal mixing, and mass transfer in close binary systems. The imperfect knowledge of these factors implies large uncertainties for models of stellar populations and their feedback. In this contribution we summarize our empirical studies of Wolf-Rayet populations at different metallicities by means of modern non-LTE stellar atmosphere models, and confront these results with the predictions of stellar evolution models. At the metallicity of our Galaxy, stellar winds are probably too strong to leave remnant masses as high as ~30 M⊙, but given the still poor agreement between evolutionary tracks and observation even this conclusion is debatable. At the low metallicity of the Small Magellanic Cloud, all WN stars which are (at least now) single are consistent with evolving quasi-homogeneously. O and B-type stars, in contrast, seem to comply with standard evolutionary models without strong internal mixing. Close binaries which avoided early merging could evolve quasi-homogeneously and lead to close compact remnants of relatively high masses that merge within a Hubble time.

Carbon and oxygen abundances from recombination lines in low-metallicity star-forming galaxies. Implications for chemical evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esteban, C.; García-Rojas, J.; Carigi, L.; Peimbert, M.; Bresolin, F.; López-Sánchez, A. R.; Mesa-Delgado, A.

2014-09-01

We present deep echelle spectrophotometry of the brightest emission-line knots of the star-forming galaxies He 2-10, Mrk 1271, NGC 3125, NGC 5408, POX 4, SDSS J1253-0312, Tol 1457-262, Tol 1924-416 and the H II region Hubble V in the Local Group dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 6822. The data have been taken with the Very Large Telescope Ultraviolet-Visual Echelle Spectrograph in the 3100-10420 Å range. We determine electron densities and temperatures of the ionized gas from several emission-line intensity ratios for all the objects. We derive the ionic abundances of C2+ and/or O2+ from faint pure recombination lines in several of the objects, permitting to derive their C/H and C/O ratios. We have explored the chemical evolution at low metallicities analysing the C/O versus O/H, C/O versus N/O and C/N versus O/H relations for Galactic and extragalactic H II regions and comparing with results for Galactic halo stars and damped Lyα systems. We find that H II regions in star-forming dwarf galaxies occupy a different locus in the C/O versus O/H diagram than those belonging to the inner discs of spiral galaxies, indicating their different chemical evolution histories, and that the bulk of C in the most metal-poor extragalactic H II regions should have the same origin than in halo stars. The comparison between the C/O ratios in H II regions and in stars of the Galactic thick and thin discs seems to give arguments to support the merging scenario for the origin of the Galactic thick disc. Finally, we find an apparent coupling between C and N enrichment at the usual metallicities determined for H II regions and that this coupling breaks in very low metallicity objects.

Young stellar clumps in the interacting system Arp 305

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zasov, Anatoly V.; Saburova, Anna S.; Egorov, Oleg V.; Afanasiev, Viktor L.

2018-07-01

We present the results from optical long-slit spectral observations of the interacting system Arp 305 that were carried out at the 6-m Big Telescope Alt-azimuth (BTA) at the Special Astrophysical Observatory, Russian Academy of Sciences. We look at the radial variation of gas kinematics and oxygen abundance. This study continues the series of spectral observations of tidal debris in interacting galaxies. Here we pay special attention to the star-forming region between the interacting galaxies - a tidal dwarf galaxy (TDG) candidate. This star-forming system appears to be gravitationally bound, or close to this condition. We show that the TDG is metal-poor in comparison to the parental galaxy. This can indicate that either the origin of the TDG's star-forming gas was very far from the centre of the parent galaxy or its gas has been diluted by the accretion of metal-poor intergalactic gas. Nevertheless, the region of the brightest emission clump in the TDG, where current star formation takes place, reveals a noticeable colour excess, which might indicate a local gas concentration. We note that the TDG is situated in the region where two gas flows intersect and that it is in a process of formation probably caused by the collision of these flows. The small difference in the velocity of the TDG, NGC 4017 and the gaseous bridge between them indicates that the lifetime of the TDG is restricted by the time of its fall back on to the parent galaxy.

Lighting the universe with filaments.

PubMed

Gao, Liang; Theuns, Tom

2007-09-14

The first stars in the universe form when chemically pristine gas heats as it falls into dark-matter potential wells, cools radiatively because of the formation of molecular hydrogen, and becomes self-gravitating. Using supercomputer simulations, we demonstrated that the stars' properties depend critically on the currently unknown nature of the dark matter. If the dark-matter particles have intrinsic velocities that wipe out small-scale structure, then the first stars form in filaments with lengths on the order of the free-streaming scale, which can be approximately 10(20) meters (approximately 3 kiloparsecs, corresponding to a baryonic mass of approximately 10(7) solar masses) for realistic "warm dark matter" candidates. Fragmentation of the filaments forms stars with a range of masses, which may explain the observed peculiar element abundance pattern of extremely metal-poor stars, whereas coalescence of fragments and stars during the filament's ultimate collapse may seed the supermassive black holes that lurk in the centers of most massive galaxies.

Abundances of the light elements from UV (HST) and red (ESO) spectra in the very old star HD 84937

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spite, M.; Peterson, R. C.; Gallagher, A. J.; Barbuy, B.; Spite, F.

2017-04-01

Aims: In order to provide a better basis for the study of mechanisms of nucleosynthesis of the light elements beyond hydrogen and helium in the oldest stars, the abundances of C, O, Mg, Si, P, S, K, and Ca have been derived from UV-HST and visible-ESO high resolution spectra in the old, very metal-poor star HD 84937, at a metallicity that is 1/200 that of the Sun's. For this halo main-sequence turnoff star, the abundance determination of P and S are the first published determinations. Methods: The LTE profiles of the lines were computed and fitted to the observed spectra. Wherever possible, we compared the abundances derived from the UV spectrum to abundances derived from the visible or near-infrared spectra, and also corrected the derived abundances for non-LTE effects. Three-dimensional (3D) CO5BOLD model atmospheres have been used to determine the abundances of C and O from molecular CH and OH bands. Results: The abundances of these light elements relative to iron in HD 84937 are found to agree well with the abundances of these elements in classical metal-poor stars. Our HD 84937 carbon abundance determination points toward a solar (or mildly enhanced above solar) value of [C/Fe]. The modest overabundance of the α elements of even atomic number Z, typical of halo turnoff stars, is confirmed in this example. The odd-Z element P is found to be somewhat deficient in HD 84937, at [P/Fe] = -0.32, which is again consistent with the handful of existing determinations for turnoff stars of such low metallicity. We show that the abundance of oxygen, deduced from the OH band from 3D computations, is not compatible with the abundance deduced from the red oxygen triplet. This incompatibility is explained by the existence of a chromosphere heating the shallow layers of the atmosphere where the OH band, in 3D computations, is mainly formed. Conclusions: The abundance ratios are compared to the predictions of models of galactic nucleosynthesis and evolution. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope obtained under program GO-14161 at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) and on observations collected at the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (Archives of programmes 080.D-0347(A), 082.B-0610(A), 266.D-5655(A), and 073.D-0024(A) ).

The Metal-poor non-Sagittarius (?) Globular Cluster NGC 5053: Orbit and Mg, Al, and Si Abundances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Baitian; Fernández-Trincado, J. G.; Geisler, Doug; Zamora, Olga; Mészáros, Szabolcs; Masseron, Thomas; Cohen, Roger E.; García-Hernández, D. A.; Dell’Agli, Flavia; Beers, Timothy C.; Schiavon, Ricardo P.; Sohn, Sangmo Tony; Hasselquist, Sten; Robin, Annie C.; Shetrone, Matthew; Majewski, Steven R.; Villanova, Sandro; Schiappacasse Ulloa, Jose; Lane, Richard R.; Minnti, Dante; Roman-Lopes, Alexandre; Almeida, Andres; Moreno, E.

2018-03-01

Metal-poor globular clusters (GCs) exhibit intriguing Al–Mg anti-correlations and possible Si–Al correlations, which are important clues to decipher the multiple-population phenomenon. NGC 5053 is one of the most metal-poor GCs in the nearby universe and has been suggested to be associated with the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf galaxy, due to its similarity in location and radial velocity with one of the Sgr arms. In this work, we simulate the orbit of NGC 5053, and argue against a physical connection between Sgr and NGC 5053. On the other hand, the Mg, Al, and Si spectral lines, which are difficult to detect in the optical spectra of NGC 5053 stars, have been detected in the near-infrared APOGEE spectra. We use three different sets of stellar parameters and codes to derive the Mg, Al, and Si abundances. Regardless of which method is adopted, we see a large Al variation, and a substantial Si spread. Along with NGC 5053, metal-poor GCs exhibit different Mg, Al, and Si variations. Moreover, NGC 5053 has the lowest cluster mass among the GCs that have been identified to exhibit an observable Si spread until now.

Weighing Ultra-Cool Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2004-05-01

Large Ground-Based Telescopes and Hubble Team-Up to Perform First Direct Brown Dwarf Mass Measurement [1] Summary Using ESO's Very Large Telescope at Paranal and a suite of ground- and space-based telescopes in a four-year long study, an international team of astronomers has measured for the first time the mass of an ultra-cool star and its companion brown dwarf. The two stars form a binary system and orbit each other in about 10 years. The team obtained high-resolution near-infrared images; on the ground, they defeated the blurring effect of the terrestrial atmosphere by means of adaptive optics techniques. By precisely determining the orbit projected on the sky, the astronomers were able to measure the total mass of the stars. Additional data and comparison with stellar models then yield the mass of each of the components. The heavier of the two stars has a mass around 8.5% of the mass of the Sun and its brown dwarf companion is even lighter, only 6% of the solar mass. Both objects are relatively young with an age of about 500-1,000 million years. These observations represent a decisive step towards the still missing calibration of stellar evolution models for very-low mass stars. PR Photo 19a/04: Orbit of the ultra-cool stars in 2MASSW J0746425+2000321. PR Photo 19b/04: Animated Gif of the orbital motion. Telephone number star Even though astronomers have found several hundreds of very low mass stars and brown dwarfs, the fundamental properties of these extreme objects, such as masses and surface temperatures, are still not well known. Within the cosmic zoo, these ultra-cool stars represent a class of "intermediate" objects between giant planets - like Jupiter - and "normal" stars less massive than our Sun, and to understand them well is therefore crucial to the field of stellar astrophysics. The problem with these ultra-cool stars is that contrary to normal stars that burn hydrogen in their central core, no unique relation exists between the luminosity of the star and its mass. Indeed, luminosities and surface temperatures of ultra-cool dwarf stars depend both on their age and their mass. An older, somewhat more massive ultra-cool dwarf can thus have exactly the same temperature as a younger, less massive one. It is therefore a basic goal of modern astrophysics to obtain independently the masses of an ultra-cool dwarf star. This is in principle possible by studying such objects that are members in a binary system. This is precisely what an international team of astronomers [2] has now done in a four-year long study of a binary stellar system with an ultra-cool dwarf star, using a plethora of top telescopic facilities, including ESO's Very Large Telescope, as well as Keck I and Gemini North in Hawaii and also the Hubble Space Telescope. This system - with the telephone number name of 2MASSW J0746425+2000321 [3]- is located at a distance of 40 light-years. Beating the seeing ESO PR Photo 19a/04 ESO PR Photo 19a/04 Orbit of the ultra-cool stars in 2MASSW J0746425+2000321 [Preview - JPEG: 400 x 548 pix - 121k] [Normal - JPEG: 800 x 1095 pix - 320k] [Hires - JPEG: 2591 x 3546 pix - 1.8M] [Hires - TIFF: 2591 x 3546 pix - 36.8M] ESO PR Photo 19b/04 ESO PR Photo 19b/04 Animated GIF showing the orbital motion (size: 416 kb) Caption: ESO PR Photo 19a/04 shows the orbit of the brown dwarf around the ultra-cool dwarf. Each red dot on the orbit corresponds to one observation made with a ground- or space-based telescope. The observations cover 60% of the whole orbit. ESO PR Photo 19b/04 is an animated Gif showing the motion of the brown dwarf and the various high-resolution images obtained by the astronomers. The astronomers used high-angular-resolution imaging to see both stars in the binary system and to measure their motion over a four-year period. However, this is more easily said than done, as the separation on the sky between the two stars is quite small: between 0.13 and 0.22 arcsec. This corresponds to the size of a 1-Euro coin, seen at a distance of about 25 km. This separation is so small that it is normally not possible to differentiate the two stars due to the blurring effect of atmospheric turbulence (the "seeing"). It is therefore necessary to use the technique of adaptive optics. This wonderful method is based on the measurement of the image quality in real-time and sending corresponding corrective signals up to 100 times every second to a small deformable mirror, located in front of the detector. As the mirror continuously modifies its shape, the disturbing effect of the turbulence is neutralised. Applied at the VLT, this technique has resulted in images which are at least ten times sharper than the "seeing" and which therefore show many more details in the observed objects. At the Very Large Telescope, the astronomers used the state-of-the-art adaptive optics NACO instrument [4]. Says Hervé Bouy, principal author of the paper presenting the results described here: "NACO offers the possibility to work in the infrared and is therefore ideally suited for the study of ultra-cool stars, which emit most of their light in this wavelength range. With the combination of the high efficiency of NACO and the VLT, and the excellent atmospheric conditions prevailing at Paranal, we were able to achieve very sharp images of this binary stellar system, almost as good as if the telescope were located in space." Ultra-cool and on diet During their four-year long study, seven different relative positions of the two components of the binary system were measured and Hervé Bouy and his co-workers were able to determine with good precision the stellar orbits. They find that the two stars revolve around each other once every 10 years and that their physical separation is only 2.5 times the distance of the Earth to the Sun - as astronomers say, 2.5 Astronomical Units. Using Kepler's laws, it is then straightforward to derive the total mass of the system. The obtained value is less than 15 % of the mass of the Sun. The astronomers then used the photometric data of each star obtained in several wavebands, as well as spectra obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope to study the two objects in more detail. Using the latest stellar models of the group of the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, they found that both stars have roughly the same surface temperature, around 1500 °C (1800 K). For a star, this is ultra-cool indeed - by comparison, the surface temperature of the Sun is more than three times higher. Using theoretical models, the team also found that the two stars are rather young (in astrophysical terms) - their age is between 500 and 1,000 million years only. The more massive of the two has a mass between 7.5 and 9.5% the mass of the Sun, while its companion has a mass between 5 and 7% of the solar mass. Objects weighing less than about 7% of our Sun have been variously called "Brown Dwarfs", "Failed Stars" or "Super Planets". Indeed, since they have no sustained energy generation by thermal nuclear reactions in their interior, many of their properties are more similar to those of giant gas planets in our own solar system such as Jupiter, than to stars like the Sun. The system 2MASSW J0746425+2000321 is thus apparently made up of a brown dwarf orbiting a slightly more massive ultra-cool dwarf star. It is a true "Rosetta stone" in the new field of low-mass stellar astrophysics and further studies will surely provide more valuable information about these objects in the transitional zone between stars and planets. More information The research described in this press release is published in the research journal Astronomy & Astrophysics ("First determination of the dynamical mass of a binary L1.5 dwarf" by H. Bouy et al.). The paper is available in PDF format on the publisher web site.

Extended Schmidt law holds for faint dwarf irregular galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roychowdhury, Sambit; Chengalur, Jayaram N.; Shi, Yong

2017-12-01

Context. The extended Schmidt law (ESL) is a variant of the Schmidt which relates the surface densities of gas and star formation, with the surface density of stellar mass added as an extra parameter. Although ESL has been shown to be valid for a wide range of galaxy properties, its validity in low-metallicity galaxies has not been comprehensively tested. This is important because metallicity affects the crucial atomic-to-molecular transition step in the process of conversion of gas to stars. Aims: We empirically investigate for the first time whether low metallicity faint dwarf irregular galaxies (dIrrs) from the local universe follow the ESL. Here we consider the "global" law where surface densities are averaged over the galactic discs. dIrrs are unique not only because they are at the lowest end of mass and star formation scales for galaxies, but also because they are metal-poor compared to the general population of galaxies. Methods: Our sample is drawn from the Faint Irregular Galaxy GMRT Survey (FIGGS) which is the largest survey of atomic hydrogen in such galaxies. The gas surface densities are determined using their atomic hydrogen content. The star formation rates are calculated using GALEX far ultraviolet fluxes after correcting for dust extinction, whereas the stellar surface densities are calculated using Spitzer 3.6 μm fluxes. The surface densities are calculated over the stellar discs defined by the 3.6 μm images. Results: We find dIrrs indeed follow the ESL. The mean deviation of the FIGGS galaxies from the relation is 0.01 dex, with a scatter around the relation of less than half that seen in the original relation. In comparison, we also show that the FIGGS galaxies are much more deviant when compared to the "canonical" Kennicutt-Schmidt relation. Conclusions: Our results help strengthen the universality of the ESL, especially for galaxies with low metallicities. We suggest that models of star formation in which feedback from previous generations of stars set the pressure in the interstellar medium and affect ongoing star formation, are promising candidates for explaining the ESL. We also confirm that ESL is an independent relation and not a form of a relation between star formation efficiency and metallicity.

An Unusual Transient in the Extremely Metal-Poor Galaxy SDSS J094332.35+332657.6 (Leoncino Dwarf)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filho, Mercedes E.; Sánchez Almeida, J.

2018-05-01

We have serendipitously discovered that Leoncino Dwarf, an ultra-faint, low-metallicity record-holder dwarf galaxy, may have hosted a transient source, and possibly exhibited a change in morphology, a shift in the center of brightness, and peak variability of the main (host) source in images taken approximately 40 yr apart; it is highly likely that these phenomena are related. Scenarios involving a Solar System object, a stellar cluster, dust enshrouding, and accretion variability have been considered, and discarded, as the origin of the transient. Although a combination of time-varying strong and weak lensing effects, induced by an intermediate mass black hole (104 - 5 × 105 M⊙) moving within the Milky Way halo (0.1 - 4 kpc), can conceivably explain all of the observed variable galaxy properties, it is statistically highly unlikely according to current theoretical predictions, and, therefore, also discarded. A cataclysmic event such as a supernova/hypernova could have occurred, as long as the event was observed towards the later/late-stage descent of the light curve, but this scenario fails to explain the absence of a post-explosion source and/or host HII region in recent optical images. An episode related to the giant eruption of a luminous blue variable star, a stellar merger or a nova, observed at, or near, peak magnitude may explain the transient source and possibly the change in morphology/center of brightness, but can not justify the main source peak variability, unless stellar variability is evoked.

Chemo-Dynamical Evolution of r-process Elements in the Local Group Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirai, Yutaka; Ishimaru, Yuhri; Saitoh, Takayuki R.; Fujii, Michiko S.; Hidaka, Jun; Kajino, Toshitaka

The astrophysical site(s) of r-process is not yet identified over half a century. Astronomical high dispersion observations have shown that extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars in the Milky Way (MW) halo have large star-to-star dispersions in the abundance of r-process elements. Binary neutron star mergers (NSMs) are one of the most promising sites of r-process. However, several studies suggested that it is difficult to reproduce the dispersions by NSMs due to their long merger times and low rates. In this study, we performed a series of N-body/smoothed particle hydrodynamic simulations of dwarf galaxies. We show that NSMs can explain the dispersions with long merger times (˜100 Myr). We find that the metallicity of our simulated galaxies does not correlate with time in their early phase due to slow chemical enrichment. This slow chemical enrichment produces [Eu/Fe] distribution which is consistent with the observation. Our results suggest that stars in the MW halo formed with a low star formation rate of less than 10 - 3M ⊙ yr-1, which is common for typical dwarf galaxies in the MW. Our simulations support the scenario that early enrichment of the MW halo occurred in the framework of hierarchical structure formation.

The Unexplored Domains of the s-Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roederer, Ian

2016-10-01

Understanding the origin of the elements is one of the major challenges of modern astrophysics. Abundance measurements in late-type stars are used to test nucleosynthesis models, and the models in turn reveal the nature of the progenitor star(s) that produced the metals observed today. Elements listed along the bottom two-thirds of the periodic table are produced by neutron-capture reactions, such as the r-process or s-process. Previous studies have expanded the chemical inventory of individual r-process-enhanced stars to >50 elements per star. Here, we propose to do the same for an s-process-enhanced star.We propose new high-resolution STIS/E230H observations (2024-2301 Angstroms) of the star HD 196944, the UV-brightest s-process-enhanced metal-poor star in the sky. Lines of Se I, Mo II, Cd I, Cd II, Sn I, Sb I, Te I, Yb II, W II, Re II, Os II, Pt I, Pb II, and Bi I should be detectable in these observations because of the high spectral resolution and S/N. No star offers the opportunity to simultaneously detect all of these elements, and several of them could be detected for the first time. We will combine these NUV detections with optical detections to test many specific predictions of the s-process nucleosynthesis models in a way that has not been possible until now. This is particularly timely, for example, because s-process models have recently been shown to be uncertain at the termination point around Pb-Bi.

High-resolution Spectroscopic Abundances of Red Giant Branch Stars in NGC 6584 and NGC 7099

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O’Malley, Erin M.; Chaboyer, Brian

2018-04-01

We obtain high-resolution spectra of red giant branch stars in NGC 6584 and NGC 7099 to perform a detailed abundance analysis. We confirm cluster membership for these stars based on consistent radial velocities measured in this study and small pixel offsets between the observations of Sarajedini et al. and Piotto et al. We find mean metallicities of [Fe/H] = ‑1.53 ± 0.08 dex and [Fe/H] = ‑2.29 ± 0.07 dex for NGC 6584 and NGC 7099, respectively. We also find these clusters to be enhanced in their [α/Fe] ratios, consistent with what is expected for metal-poor globular clusters. Additionally, we find evidence of a statistically significant Na–O anti-correlation in both clusters. Finally, with the use of HST photometry, we compare the location of the enhanced and pristine populations in chromosome maps of the clusters to confirm previous photometric evidence of multiple stellar populations. Although we cannot confirm the nature of the polluter stars responsible for the abundance differences, our results can be used to constrain pollution models.

A non-local thermodynamical equilibrium line formation for neutral and singly ionized titanium in model atmospheres of reference A-K stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sitnova, T. M.; Mashonkina, L. I.; Ryabchikova, T. A.

2016-09-01

We construct a model atom for Ti I-II using more than 3600 measured and predicted energy levels of Ti I and 1800 energy levels of Ti II, and quantum mechanical photoionization cross-sections. Non-local thermodynamical equilibrium (NLTE) line formation for Ti I and Ti II is treated through a wide range of spectral types from A to K, including metal-poor stars with [Fe/H] down to -2.6 dex. NLTE leads to weakened Ti I lines and positive abundance corrections. The magnitude of NLTE corrections is smaller compared to the literature data for FGK atmospheres. NLTE leads to strengthened Ti II lines and negative NLTE abundance corrections. For the first time, we have performed NLTE calculations for Ti I-II in the 6500 ≤ Teff ≤ 13 000 K range. For four A-type stars, we derived in LTE an abundance discrepancy of up to 0.22 dex between Ti I and Ti II, which vanishes in NLTE. For four other A-B stars, with only Ti II lines observed, NLTE leads to a decrease of line-to-line scatter. An efficiency of inelastic Ti I + H I collisions was estimated from an analysis of Ti I and Ti II lines in 17 cool stars with -2.6 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ 0.0. Consistent NLTE abundances from Ti I and Ti II were obtained by applying classical Drawinian rates for the stars with log g ≥ 4.1, and neglecting inelastic collisions with H I for the very metal-poor (VMP) giant HD 122563. For the VMP turn-off stars ([Fe/H] ≤ -2 and log g ≤ 4.1), we obtained the positive abundance difference Ti I-II already in LTE, which increases in NLTE. Accurate collisional data for Ti I and Ti II are necessary to help solve this problem.

(Almost) Dark Galaxies in the ALFALFA Survey: HI-bearing Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies, and Beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leisman, Luke; Haynes, Martha P.; Giovanelli, Riccardo; ALFALFA Almost Darks Team

2017-01-01

Scaling relations between HI and stars in galaxies suggest strong ties between their atomic gas content and star formation laws. The Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA (ALFALFA) blind extragalactic HI survey is well positioned to locate very low surface brightness sources that lie off these relations, the most extreme of which may fall below optical detection limits. Thus, the ALFALFA (Almost) Darks Project has been investigating extreme outliers from these relations by studying the ~1% of ALFALFA sources without apparent stellar counterparts in major optical surveys. We have obtained deep HI and optical imaging of 25 of these candidate "dark" sources. We find that most "dark" sources are not extreme "(almost) dark" galaxies. A few are rare OH Megamasers, redshifted into the ALFALFA bandpass, and many are part of large galactic plumes, stretching as far as 600 kpc from their host galaxy. However, a small handful of sources appear to be galaxies with extreme stellar systems. We find multiple systems with HI mass to stellar mass ratios an order of magnitude larger than typical gas rich dwarfs. Further, we find an isolated population of HI-bearing "ultra diffuse" galaxies (UDGs), with stellar masses of dwarfs, but HI and optical radii of L* galaxies. We suggest that these sources may be related to recently reported gas poor, quiescent UDGs.

Dwarf carbon stars are likely metal-poor binaries and unlikely hosts to carbon planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitehouse, Lewis J.; Farihi, J.; Green, P. J.; Wilson, T. G.; Subasavage, J. P.

2018-06-01

Dwarf carbon stars make up the largest fraction of carbon stars in the Galaxy with ≈1200 candidates known to date primarily from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. They either possess primordial carbon-enhancements, or are polluted by mass transfer from an evolved companion such that C/O is enhanced beyond unity. To directly test the binary hypothesis, a radial velocity monitoring survey has been carried out on 28 dwarf carbon stars, resulting in the detection of variations in 21 targets. Using Monte Carlo simulations,this detection fraction is found to be consistent with a 100% binary population and orbital periods on the order of hundreds of days. This result supports the post-mass transfer nature of dwarf carbon stars, and implies they are not likely hosts to carbon planets.

The large, oxygen-rich halos of star-forming galaxies are a major reservoir of galactic metals.

PubMed

Tumlinson, J; Thom, C; Werk, J K; Prochaska, J X; Tripp, T M; Weinberg, D H; Peeples, M S; O'Meara, J M; Oppenheimer, B D; Meiring, J D; Katz, N S; Davé, R; Ford, A B; Sembach, K R

2011-11-18

The circumgalactic medium (CGM) is fed by galaxy outflows and accretion of intergalactic gas, but its mass, heavy element enrichment, and relation to galaxy properties are poorly constrained by observations. In a survey of the outskirts of 42 galaxies with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph onboard the Hubble Space Telescope, we detected ubiquitous, large (150-kiloparsec) halos of ionized oxygen surrounding star-forming galaxies; we found much less ionized oxygen around galaxies with little or no star formation. This ionized CGM contains a substantial mass of heavy elements and gas, perhaps far exceeding the reservoirs of gas in the galaxies themselves. Our data indicate that it is a basic component of nearly all star-forming galaxies that is removed or transformed during the quenching of star formation and the transition to passive evolution.

Chemical Enrichment and Physical Conditions in IZw18*

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lebouteiller, V.; Heap, S.; Hubeny, I.; Kunth, D.

2013-01-01

Low-metallicity star-forming dwarf galaxies are prime targets to understand the chemical enrichment of the interstellar medium. The H I region contains the bulk of the mass in blue compact dwarfs, and it provides important constraints on the dispersal and mixing of heavy elements released by successive star-formation episodes. The metallicity of the H I region is also a critical parameter to investigate the future star-formation history, as metals provide most of the gas cooling that will facilitate and sustain star formation. Aims. Our primary objective is to study the enrichment of the H I region and the interplay between star-formation history and metallicity evolution. Our secondary obje ctive is to constrain the spatial- and time-scales over which the HI and H II regions are enriched, and the mass range of stars responsible for the heavy element production. Finally, we aim to examine the gas heating and cooling mechanisms in the H I region. Methods. We observed the most metal-poor star-forming galaxy in the Local Universe, I Zw 18, with the Cosmic Origin Spectrograph onboard Hubble. The abundances in the neutral gas are derived from far-ultraviolet absorption-lines (H I, CIII, CIIi*, N I, OI,...) and are compared to the abundances in the H II region. Models are constructed to calculate the ionization structure and the thermal processes. We investigate the gas cooling in the HIi region through physical diagnostics drawn from the fine-structure level of C+. Results. We find that H I region abundances are lower by a factor of approx 2 as compared to the H II region. There is no differential depletion on dust between the H I and H II region. Using sulfur as a metallicity tracer, we calculate a metallicity of 1/46 Z(solar) (vs. 1/31 Z(solar) in the H II region). From the study of the C/O, [O/Fe], and N/O abundance ratios, we propose that C, N, O, and Fe are mainly produced in massive stars. We argue that the H I envelope may contain pockets of pristine gas with a metallicity essentially null. Finally, we derive the physical conditions in the H I region by investigating the C II* absorption line. The cooling rate derived from C II* is consistent with collisions with H(sup 0) atoms in the diffuse neutral gas. We calculate the star-formation rate from the CII* cooling rate assuming that photoelectric effect on dust is the dominant gas heating mechanism. Our determination is in good agreement with the values in the literature if we assume a low dust-to-gas ratio (approx 2000 times lower than the Milky Way value).

Dynamical Constraints on the Dark Matter Distribution of the Sculptor Dwarf Spheroidal from Stellar Proper Motions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strigari, Louis E.; Frenk, Carlos S.; White, Simon D. M.

2018-06-01

We compare the transverse velocity dispersions recently measured within the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy to the predictions of our previously published dynamical model. This was designed to fit the observed number count and velocity dispersion profiles of both metal-rich and metal-poor stars, both in cored and in cusped potentials. At the projected radius where the proper motions (PMs) were measured, this model (with no change in parameters) predicts transverse dispersions in the range of 6–9.5 km s‑1, with the tangential dispersion about 1 km s‑1 larger than the (projected) radial dispersion. Both dispersions are predicted to be about 1 km s‑1 larger for metal-poor than for metal-rich stars. At this projected radius, cored and cusped potentials predict almost identical transverse dispersions. The measured tangential dispersion (8.5 ± 3.2 km s‑1) agrees remarkably well with these predictions, while the measured radial dispersion (11.5 ± 4.3 km s‑1) differs only at about the 1σ level. Thus, the PM data are in excellent agreement with previous data, but do not help to distinguish between cored and cusped potentials. This will require velocity dispersion data (either from PMs or from radial velocities) with uncertainties well below 1 km s‑1 over a range of projected radii.