Abundances of the heavy elements in the Magellanic Clouds. I - Metal abundances of F-type supergiants

Abstract

Metal abundances of eight F-type supergiants in each of the Magellanic Clouds were determined using the results of high-resolution spectroscopy analysis of these stars, together with new Stromgren uvby and Cousins (1980) BVRI photometry. It was found that the mean Fe abundance (Fe/H) for the SMC is -0.65 + or - 0.2 dex, and the mean Fe abundance for the LMC is -0.30 + or - 0.2 dex. The abundances of stars in both the SMC and LMC appear relatively uniform, and the abundances of the elements relative to Fe are very similar in both Magellanic Clouds and in Canopus (the carbon-to-iron abundances are the same for all three). It was also found that Nd and Sm are overabundant in both clouds, supporting the trends found by Spite et al. (1988) for the three SMC stars they studied. 140 refs.