Heavy-element abundances in seven SC stars and several related stars

Abstract

We employ spectra of resolution 20–35000 of seven SC stars, four S stars, two Ba stars and two K–M stars to derive abundances of a variety of elements from Sr to Eu relative to iron. Special attention is paid to Rb and Tc, and to the ratio of the heavy s-process species to the light s-process elements. Abundances are derived in LTE, both by using model atmospheres in which the carbon and oxygen abundances are nearly equal and by using curves of growth. Spectrum synthesis is used for critical lines such as the 5924-A line of Tc and the 7800-A line of Rb. For most of the heavy-element stars the enhancement of the s-process elements is about a factor of 10. The ratio of the heavy to light s-process species is not far from solar, except for RR Her for which the same ratio is +0.45 dex. For Tc the blending by other lines is severe. While we have probably detected the 5924-A line, we can only present abundances in the less-than-or-equal-to category. For Rb, whose abundance is sensitive to the 85Rb/87Rb ratio and hence to the neutron density during s-process production, we find a considerable range of abundances, indicating a neutron density from 106 to ≳108 cm−3 for the SC stars. For the four S stars the range is from 107 to ≳108 cm−3. Recent calculations by Gallino et al. show that neutron densities near 107 cm−3 favour the 13C source for neutrons, while densities greater than 108 cm−3 may be associated with neutrons from the 22Ne source.