Elemental abundance analyses with coadded DAO spectrograms - I. The field horizontal-branch stars HD-64488, 109995 and 161817

Abstract

It is possible to improve the quality of elemental-abundance analyses by using higher-S/N data than has been the practice at high resolution. The procedures developed at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory to coadd high-dispersion coude spectrograms are used with a minimum of 10 6.5-A/mm IIa-O spectrograms of each of three field hoorizontal-branch (FHB) A stars to increase the S/N of the photographic data over a considerable wavelength region. Fine analyses of the sharp-lined prototype FHB stars HD 109995 and 161817 show an internal consistency which justifies this effort. Their photospheric elemental abundances are similar to those of Population II globular cluster giants. As their photometric and spectrophotometric properties are similar to blue HB stars in such clusters, they are confirmed to be the brighter analogs of such stars. HD 64488, which is photometrically and spectrophotometrically similar to the FHB stars, is found to be metal-poor (Fe/H = -1) with much broader lines (v sin i = 147 km/s). The implications of the abundance anomalies of all three stars are discussed.