Α-enhanced Stars Research Articles

The APO-K2 Catalog. II. Accurate Stellar Ages for Red Giant Branch Stars across the Milky Way

We present stellar age determinations for 4661 red giant branch stars in the APO-K2 catalog, derived using mass estimates from K2 asteroseismology from the K2 Galactic Archaeology Program and elemental abundances from the Apache Point Galactic Evolution Experiment survey. Our sample includes 17 of the 19 fields observed by K2, making it one of the most comprehensive catalogs of accurate stellar ages across the Galaxy in terms of the wide range of populations spanned by its stars, enabling rigorous tests of Galactic chemical evolution models. Taking into account the selection functions of the K2 sample, the data appear to support the age−chemistry morphology of stellar populations predicted by both inside-out and late-burst scenarios. We also investigate trends in age versus stellar chemistry and Galactic position, which are consistent with previous findings. Comparisons against APOKASC-3 asteroseismic ages show agreement to within ∼3%. We also discuss offsets between our ages and spectroscopic ages. Finally, we note that ignoring the effects of α-enhancement on stellar opacity (either directly or with the Salaris metallicity correction) results in an ∼10% offset in age estimates for the most α-enhanced stars, which is an important consideration for continued tests of Galactic models with this and other asteroseismic age samples.

Geometric properties of galactic discs with clumpy episodes

ABSTRACT A scenario for the formation of the bi-modality in the chemical space [α/Fe] versus [Fe/H] of the Milky Way was recently proposed in which α-enhanced stars are produced early and quickly in clumps. Besides accelerating the enrichment of the medium with α-elements, these clumps scatter the old stars, converting in-plane to vertical motion, forming a geometric thick disc. In this paper, by means of a detailed analysis of the data from smooth particle hydrodynamical simulations, we investigate the geometric properties (in particular of the chemical thick disc) produced in this scenario. For mono-age populations we show that the surface radial density profiles of high-[α/Fe] stars are well described by single exponentials, while that of low-[α/Fe] stars require broken exponentials. This break is sharp for young populations and broadens for older ones. The position of the break does not depend significantly on age. The vertical density profiles of mono-age populations are characterized by single exponentials, which flare significantly for low-[α/Fe] stars but only weakly (or not at all) for high-[α/Fe] stars. For low-[α/Fe] stars, the flaring level decreases with age, while for high-[α/Fe] stars it weakly increases with age (although with large uncertainties). All these properties are in agreement with observational results recently reported for the Milky Way, making this a plausible scenario for the formation of the Galactic thick disc.

Effective temperatures of red giants in the APOKASC catalogue and the mixing length calibration in stellar models

Red giants in the updated APOGEE-Kepler catalogue, with estimates of mass, chemical composition, surface gravity and effective temperature, have recently challenged stellar models computed under the standard assumption of solar calibrated mixing length. In this work, we critically reanalyse this sample of red giants, adopting our own stellar model calculations. Contrary to previous results, we find that the disagreement between the Teff scale of red giants and models with solar calibrated mixing length disappears when considering our models and the APOGEE-Kepler stars with scaled solar metal distribution. However, a discrepancy shows up when α-enhanced stars are included in the sample. We have found that assuming mass, chemical composition and effective temperature scale of the APOGEE-Kepler catalogue, stellar models generally underpredict the change of temperature of red giants caused by α-element enhancements at fixed [Fe/H]. A second important conclusion is that the choice of the outer boundary conditions employed in model calculations is critical. Effective temperature differences (metallicity dependent) between models with solar calibrated mixing length and observations appear for some choices of the boundary conditions, but this is not a general result.

NGC 6705 a young α-enhanced open cluster from OCCASO data

Context. The stellar [α/Fe] abundance is sometimes used as a proxy for stellar age, following standard chemical evolution models for the Galaxy, as seen by different observational results. Aim. In this work, we aim to show that the open cluster NGC 6705/M 11 has a significant α-enhancement [α/Fe] > 0.1 dex, despite its young age (~300 Myr), challenging the current paradigm. Methods. We used high resolution (R > 65 000) high signal-to-noise (~70) spectra of eight red clump stars, acquired within the OCCASO survey. We determined very accurate chemical abundances of several α elements, using an equivalent width methodology (Si, Ca and Ti), and spectral synthesis fits (Mg and O). Results. We obtain [Si/Fe] = 0.13 ± 0.05, [Mg/Fe] = 0.14 ± 0.07, [O/Fe] = 0.17 ± 0.07, [Ca/Fe] = 0.06 ± 0.05, and [Ti/Fe] = 0.03 ± 0.03. Our results place these clusters within the group of young [α/Fe]-enhanced field stars recently found by several authors in the literature. The ages of our stars have an uncertainty of around 50 Myr, much more precise than for field stars. By integrating the cluster’s orbit in several non-axisymmetric Galactic potentials, we establish the M 11’s most likely birth radius as lying between 6.8–7.5 kpc from the Galactic centre, not far from its current position. Conclusions. With the robust open cluster age scale, our results prove that a moderate [α/Fe]-enhancement is no guarantee for a star to be old, and that not all α-enhanced stars can be explained with an evolved blue straggler scenario. Based on our orbit calculations, we further argue against a Galactic bar origin of M 11.

Equilibrium and Sudden Events in Chemical Evolution

Abstract We present new analytic solutions for one-zone (fully mixed) chemical evolution models that incorporate a realistic delay time distribution for Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) and can therefore track the separate evolution of α-elements produced by core collapse supernovae (CCSNe) and iron peak elements synthesized in both CCSNe and SNe Ia. Our solutions allow constant, exponential, or linear–exponential ( ) star formation histories, or combinations thereof. In generic cases, α and iron abundances evolve to an equilibrium at which element production is balanced by metal consumption and gas dilution, instead of continuing to increase over time. The equilibrium absolute abundances depend principally on supernova yields and the outflow mass loading parameter η, while the equilibrium abundance ratio depends mainly on yields and secondarily on star formation history. A stellar population can be metal-poor either because it has not yet evolved to equilibrium or because high outflow efficiency makes the equilibrium abundance itself low. Systems with ongoing gas accretion develop metallicity distribution functions (MDFs) that are sharply peaked, while “gas starved” systems with rapidly declining star formation, such as the conventional “closed box” model, have broadly peaked MDFs. A burst of star formation that consumes a significant fraction of a system’s available gas and retains its metals can temporarily boost by 0.1–0.3 dex, a possible origin for rare, α-enhanced stars with intermediate age and/or high metallicity. Other sudden transitions in system properties can produce surprising behavior, including backward evolution of a stellar population from high to low metallicity.

A RADIAL AGE GRADIENT IN THE GEOMETRICALLY THICK DISK OF THE MILKY WAY

ABSTRACT In the Milky Way, the thick disk can be defined using individual stellar abundances, kinematics, or age, or geometrically, as stars high above the midplane. In nearby galaxies, where only a geometric definition can be used, thick disks appear to have large radial scale lengths, and their red colors suggest that they are uniformly old. The Milky Way’s geometrically thick disk is also radially extended, but it is far from chemically uniform: α-enhanced stars are confined within the inner Galaxy. In simulated galaxies, where old stars are centrally concentrated, geometrically thick disks are radially extended, too. Younger stellar populations flare in the simulated disks’ outer regions, bringing those stars high above the midplane. The resulting geometrically thick disks therefore show a radial age gradient, from old in their central regions to younger in their outskirts. Based on our age estimates for a large sample of giant stars in the APOGEE survey, we can now test this scenario for the Milky Way. We find that the geometrically defined thick disk in the Milky Way has indeed a strong radial age gradient: the median age for red clump stars goes from ∼9 Gyr in the inner disk to 5 Gyr in the outer disk. We propose that at least some nearby galaxies could also have thick disks that are not uniformly old, and that geometrically thick disks might be complex structures resulting from different formation mechanisms in their inner and outer parts.

Asteroseismic analysis of two α-enhanced stars KIC 7976303 and KIC 8694723

We intent to use stellar models with and without alpha-enhancement, as well as asteroseismic analysis, to study two alpha-enhanced stars, KIC 7976303 and KIC 8694723. For the alpha-enhanced models, we adopt [alpha/Fe] = 0.2, and 0.4. For the evolved sub-giant KIC 7976303 with mixed-modes, alpha-enhanced models fit the observations better than the models without alpha-enhancement, and point to a star with M = 1.20 $\pm$ 0.02 M_odot, t = 4.88 $\pm$ 0.08 Gyr, R = 2.04 $\pm$ 0.01 R_odot, and L = 5.07 $\pm$ 0.05 L_odot. For the post turnoff star KIC 8694723, we find that the models fit the observations well in all three cases ([alpha/Fe] = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4). According to the observed metal abundances, only alpha- enhanced models are used to estimate the stellar parameters, which are M = 1.13 $\pm$ 0.06 M_odot, t = 5.47 $\pm$ 0.43 Gyr, R = 1.55 $\pm$ 0.13 R_odot, and L = 3.18 $\pm$ 0.26 L_odot. Our alpha-enhanced models indicate KIC 7976303 has a larger mass and younger age than in previous works based on standard models. Furthermore, the differences of estimated mass and age between the three cases are $\sim$ 0.1 M_odot and $\sim$ 0.5 - 1.3 Gyr. These results suggest that we include alpha-enhancement in the modeling of alpha-enhanced stars, such as members of GCs (Globular Clusters), metal-poor stars in the disc and in the halo.

Synthetic Lick Indices and Detection of α‐enhanced Stars. III. F, G, and K Stars with [Fe/H] > 0.00

A sample of 119 F, G, and K solar neighborhood stars, selected under the condition [Fe/H] > 0.00, is investigated in order to detect which of them, if any, present α-enhanced characteristics. According to the kinematics, the sample represents stars of the thin-disk component of the Galaxy. The search of α-enhanced characteristics is performed by adopting an already tested procedure that does not require previous knowledge of the stellar main atmospheric parameters. The analysis is based on the comparison of spectral indices in the Lick IDS system, coming from different observational data sets, with synthetic ones computed with solar-scaled abundances and with α-element enhancement. The main result of the analysis is the extreme paucity (likely just one in 119) of α-enhanced stars in our sample, thus suggesting [α/Fe] = 0.0 for thin-disk stars with [Fe/H] > 0.00. This result, which is in agreement with the standard evolutionary picture of the disk of the Galaxy, is compared with recent results from high-resolution analysis reported in the literature. The role of the atmospheric parameter assumptions in the analysis of high-resolution spectroscopic data is discussed, and a possible explanation of discrepant results about α-enhancement for stars with [Fe/H] > 0.00 is presented.

Synthetic Lick Indices and Detection of α‐enhanced Stars. II. F, G, and K Stars in the −1.0 < [Fe/H] < +0.50 Range

We present an analysis of 402 F, G, and K solar neighborhood stars, with accurate estimates of [Fe/H] in the range -1.0 to +0.5 dex, aimed at the detection of α-enhanced stars and at the investigation of their kinematical properties. The analysis is based on the comparison of 571 sets of spectral indices in the Lick/IDS system, coming from four different observational data sets, with synthetic indices computed with solar-scaled abundances and with α-element enhancement. We use selected combinations of indices to single out α-enhanced stars without requiring previous knowledge of their main atmospheric parameters. By applying this approach to the total data set, we obtain a list of 60 bona fide α-enhanced stars and of 146 stars with solar-scaled abundances. The properties of the detected α-enhanced and solar-scaled abundance stars with respect to their [Fe/H] values and kinematics are presented. A clear kinematic distinction between solar-scaled and α-enhanced stars was found, although a one-to-one correspondence to thin disk and thick disk components cannot be supported with the present data.

Synthetic Lick Indices and Detection of α‐Enhanced Stars

Synthetic Lick indices computed with solar scaled abundances and with α-element enhancement are presented and compared with predictions from both theoretical computations (Tripicco & Bell; Thomas, Maraston, & Bender; Barbuy et al.) and empirical fitting functions (de Freitas Pacheco). We propose selected combinations of indices capable of singling out α-enhanced stars without requiring previous knowledge of their main atmospheric parameters. By applying this approach to the 460 stars in the Worthey et al. catalog, we detected a list of 82 candidate α-enhanced stars. The confirmation of α-enhancement was obtained by searching the literature for individual element abundance determinations from high-resolution spectroscopy for a subsample of 34 stars. Preliminary discussion of the properties of the detected α-enhanced stars with respect to their [Fe/H] values and kinematics is presented.