Abstract
Aims. We analyzed the C I lines associated with the damped Lya system observed at z abs = 1.15 in the spectrum of HE 0515-4414 to derive the 12 C/ 13 C ratio. Methods. The spectrum was obtained by means of the UV-Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) at the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT). Results. The obtained lower limit 12 C/ 13 C > 80 (2σ C.L.) shows for the first time that the abundance of 13 C in the extragalactic intervening clouds is very low. This rules out a significant contribution from intermediate-mass stars to the chemical evolution of matter sampled by this line of sight. The estimated low amount of 13 C is in agreement with low abundances of nitrogen observed in damped Lya systems - the element produced in the same nuclear cycles and from about the same stars as 13 C.
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