Observations of neutron-capture elements in the early galaxy

Abstract

Neutron-capture elements in low metallicity Galactic halo stars vary widely both in overall contents and detailed abundance patterns. This review discusses recent observational results of the n-capture elements, discussing the implications for early Galactic nucleosynthesis of: (a) the star-to-star “bulk” variations in the n-capture/Fe abundance ratios; (b) the distinct signature of rapid n-capture synthesis events in many (most?) of the lowest metallicity stars; (c) the existence of metal-poor stars heavily enriched in the products of slow n-capture synthesis reactions; and (d) the now-routine detection of radioactive thorium (and even uranium in one and possibly two cases) in the spectra of metal-poor stars.