Abstract
We present Cu and Zn abundances for 38 FGK stars, mostly dwarfs, spanning a metallicity range between solar and (Fe/H) = −3. The abundances were obtained using Kurucz's local thermal equilibrium (LTE) model atmospheres and the near-UV lines of Cu 3273.95 A and Zn 3302.58 A observed at high spectral resolution. The trend of (Cu/Fe) versus (Fe/H) is almost solar for (Fe/H) > −1 and then decreases to a plateau � (Cu/Fe)� = −0.98 at (Fe/H) −2 and then slightly increases at lower metallicities to an average value of � (Zn/Fe)� =+ 0.18. We compare our results with previous work on these elements, and briefly discuss them in terms of nucleosynthesis processes. Predictions of halo chemical evolution fairly reproduce the trends, especially the (Cu/Fe) plateau at very low metallicities, but to a lesser extent the higher (Zn/Fe) ratios at low metallicities, indicating possibly missing yields.
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