Carbon Abundances Research Articles

Soil fertilization affects the abundance and distribution of carbon and nitrogen cycling genes in the maize rhizosphere

Soil microbes perform important functions in nitrogen and carbon cycling in the biosphere. Microbial communities in the rhizosphere enhance plants’ health and promote nutrient turnover and cycling in the soil. In this study, we evaluated the effects of soil fertilization with organic and inorganic fertilizers on the abundances and distribution of carbon and nitrogen cycling genes within the rhizosphere of maize plants. Our result showed that maize plants through rhizosphere effects selected and enriched the same functional genes glnA, gltB, gudB involved in nitrogen cycle as do high compost and low inorganic fertilizer treatments. This observation was significantly different from those of high doses of inorganic fertilizer and low compost manure treated soil. Only alpha amylase encoding genes were selectively enriched by low compost and high inorganic fertilized soil. The other treatments only selected xynB (in Cp8), lacZ (Cp4), bglA, pldB, trpA (N2), uidA (N1) and glgC, vanA (Cn0) carbon cycling genes in the rhizosphere of maize. Also Actinomycetales are selected by high compost, low inorganic fertilizer and control. The control was without any fertilization and the soil was planted with maize. Bacillales are also promoted by low compost and high inorganic fertilizer. This indicated that only microbes capable of tolerating the stress of high dose of inorganic fertilizer will thrive under such condition. Therefore, soil fertilization lowers nitrogen gas emission as seen with the high abundance of nitrogen assimilation genes or microbial anabolic genes, but increases carbon dioxide evolution in the agricultural soil by promoting the abundance of catabolic genes involve in carbon cycling.

Modeling Nitrogen Fractionation in the Protoplanetary Disk around TW Hya: Model Constraints on Grain Population and Carbon-to-oxygen Elemental Abundance Ratio

Abstract Observations conducted using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array on the protoplanetary disk around TW Hya show the nitrogen fractionation of HCN molecules in HC14N/HC15N ∼ 120 at a radius of ∼20 au. In this study, we investigate the physical and chemical conditions that control this nitrogen fractionation process. To this end, a new disk model was developed, in which the isotope-selective photodissociation of N2 and isotope-exchange chemical reactions have been incorporated. Our model can successfully reproduce the observed HCN column density when the elemental abundances of gas-phase carbon and oxygen are depleted by two orders of magnitude relative to those in the interstellar medium and carbon is more abundant than oxygen ([C/O]elem > 1). The isotope-selective photodissociation of N2 is the dominant nitrogen fractionation process in our models. The observed HC14N/HC15N ratio, which increases outwards, can also be reproduced by the model by assuming that the small dust grains in the atmosphere of the outer disk are depleted more than those in the inner disk. This is consistent with grain evolution models, according to which small dust grains are continuously replenished in the inner disk due to fragmentation of the large dust grains that radially drift from the outer disk.

White Dwarf Photospheric Abundances in Cataclysmic Variables. I. SS Aurigae and TU Mensae*

Abstract Chemical abundance studies of cataclysmic variables have revealed high nitrogen to carbon ratios in a number of cataclysmic variable white dwarfs (based on ultraviolet emission and absorption lines), as well as possible carbon deficiency in many secondaries (based on the absence of infrared CO absorption lines). These indicate that the accreted material on the white dwarf surface and the donor itself might be contaminated with CNO processed material. To further understand the origin of this abundance anomaly, there is a need for further chemical abundance study. In the present work, we carry out a far-ultraviolet spectral analysis of the extreme SU UMa dwarf nova TU Men and the U Gem dwarf nova SS Aur using archival spectra. We derive the mass and temperature of the WD using the recently available DR2 Gaia parallaxes. The analysis of HST STIS spectra yields a WD mass with a temperature of 27,750 ± 1000 K for TU Men and a WD mass M wd ∼ 0.80 ± 0.15 M ⊙ with a temperature of ∼30,000 ± 1000 K for SS Aur. However, the analysis of a FUSE spectrum for SS Aur gives a higher temperature of ∼33,375 ± 1875 K, yielding a higher WD mass of ∼1 ± 0.25 M ⊙, which could be due to the effect of a second hot emitting component present in the short wavelengths of FUSE. Most importantly, based on the white dwarf far-ultraviolet absorption lines, we find that both systems have subsolar carbon and silicon abundances. For TU Men, we also find suprasolar nitrogen abundance, evidence of CNO processing.

Extended theoretical transition data in C i–iv

ABSTRACT Accurate atomic data are essential for opacity calculations and for abundance analyses of the Sun and other stars. The aim of this work is to provide accurate and extensive results of energy levels and transition data for C i–iv. The Multiconfiguration Dirac–Hartree–Fock and relativistic configuration interaction methods were used in this work. To improve the quality of the wavefunctions and reduce the relative differences between length and velocity forms for transition data involving high Rydberg states, alternative computational strategies were employed by imposing restrictions on the electron substitutions when constructing the orbital basis for each atom and ion. Transition data, for example, weighted oscillator strengths and transition probabilities, are given for radiative electric dipole (E1) transitions involving levels up to 1s22s22p6s for C i, up to 1s22s27f for C ii, up to 1s22s7f for C iii, and up to 1s28g for C iv. Using the difference between the transition rates in length and velocity gauges as an internal validation, the average uncertainties of all presented E1 transitions are estimated to be 8.05 per cent, 7.20 per cent, 1.77 per cent, and 0.28 per cent, respectively, for C i–iv. Extensive comparisons with available experimental and theoretical results are performed and good agreement is observed for most of the transitions. In addition, the C i data were employed in a re-analysis of the solar carbon abundance. The new transition data give a line-by-line dispersion similar to the one obtained when using transition data that are typically used in stellar spectroscopic applications today.

Controls on the abundance, provenance and age of organic carbon buried in continental margin sediments

Continental margins play a fundamental role in the carbon cycle as primary oceanic locations of organic carbon (OC) burial. However, gaps remain in our understanding of factors controlling the distribution and preservation of organic matter (OM) in these heterogeneous and dynamic systems. In particular, the impact of hydrodynamic processes on the age, abundance, and stable isotopic composition of sedimentary OC is poorly constrained. Here, we characterize the OC present in bulk and grain-size sediment fractions from seven continental margin settings. Our results reveal that hydrodynamic particle sorting processes exert a ubiquitous influence on the radiocarbon age of OC. Both, hydrodynamic characteristics of mineral particles and the nature of their interactions with OM influence sedimentary OC content, whereas no significant influence of either effect is manifested in corresponding δ13C values. Since OC preferentially resides within the fine silt fraction (2-8 μm), and this fraction accounts for a substantial fraction of the bulk sediment mass, translocation and subsequent re-deposition of distant fine silt has the greatest potential to distort local OC signatures relative to those associated with clay or coarse silt fractions. We suggest that the magnitude of differences in 14C-age and OC content among grain-size fractions, determined by the interplay of hydrodynamic sorting and other site-specific processes, allow three different categories of depositional environment to be defined: initial, stable, and mature. Each domain is characterized by different degrees of vertical and lateral OC supply that reflect influences of local biological productivity and carbon export from overlying surface waters and physical forcing that drive hydrodynamic processes. This generic framework may serve as a guide to refine assessment of OC burial and to constrain the magnitude of potential aliasing among co-eval proxy signals in continental margin sedimentary sequences.

A late-Holocene multiproxy fire record from a tropical savanna, eastern Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia

Fire has a long history in Australia and is a key driver of vegetation dynamics in the tropical savanna ecosystems that cover one quarter of the country. Fire reconstructions are required to understand ecosystem dynamics over the long term but these data are lacking for the extensive savannas of northern Australia. This paper presents a multiproxy palaeofire record for Marura sinkhole in eastern Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. The record is constructed by combining optical methods (counts and morphology of macroscopic and microscopic charcoal particles) and chemical methods (quantification of abundance and stable isotope composition of pyrogenic carbon by hydrogen pyrolysis). This novel combination of measurements enables the generation of a record of relative fire intensity to investigate the interplay between natural and anthropogenic influences. The Marura palaeofire record comprises three main phases: 4600–2800 cal BP, 2800–900 cal BP and 900 cal BP to present. Highest fire incidence occurs at ~4600–4000 cal BP, coinciding with regional records of high effective precipitation, and all fire proxies decline from that time to the present. 2800–900 cal BP is characterised by variable fire intensities and aligns with archaeological evidence of occupation at nearby Blue Mud Bay. All fire proxies decline significantly after 900 cal BP. The combination of charcoal and pyrogenic carbon measures is a promising proxy for relative fire intensity in sedimentary records and a useful tool for investigating potential anthropogenic fire regimes.

The role of faint population III supernovae in forming CEMP stars in ultra-faint dwarf galaxies

ABSTRACT Carbon enhanced metal poor (CEMP)-no stars, a subset of CEMP stars ($\rm [C/Fe]\ge 0.7$ and $\rm [Fe/H]\lesssim -1$) have been discovered in ultra-faint dwarf (UFD) galaxies, with $M_{\rm vir}\approx 10^8{\, \mathrm{ M}_\odot }$ and $M_{\ast }\approx 10^3-10^4{\, \mathrm{ M}_\odot }$ at z = 0, as well as in the halo of the Milky Way (MW). These CEMP-no stars are local fossils that may reflect the properties of the first (Pop III) and second (Pop II) generation of stars. However, cosmological simulations have struggled to reproduce the observed level of carbon enhancement of the known CEMP-no stars. Here, we present new cosmological hydrodynamic zoom-in simulations of isolated UFDs that achieve a gas mass resolution of $m_{\rm gas}\approx 60{\, \mathrm{ M}_\odot }$. We include enrichment from Pop III faint supernovae (SNe), with ESN = 0.6 × 1051 erg, to understand the origin of CEMP-no stars. We confirm that Pop III and Pop II stars are mainly responsible for the formation of CEMP and C-normal stars, respectively. New to this study, we find that a majority of CEMP-no stars in the observed UFDs and the MW halo can be explained by Pop III SNe with normal explosion energy (ESN = 1.2 × 1051 erg) and Pop II enrichment, but faint SNe might also be needed to produce CEMP-no stars with $\rm [C/Fe]\gtrsim 2$, corresponding to the absolute carbon abundance of $\rm A(C)\gtrsim 6.0$. Furthermore, we find that while we create CEMP-no stars with high carbon ratio $\rm [C/Fe]\approx 3-4$, by adopting faint SNe, it is still challenging to reproduce CEMP-no stars with extreme level of carbon abundance of $\rm A(C)\approx 7.0-7.5$, observed both in the MW halo and UFDs.

Emissions and Chemical Components of PM2.5 from Simulated Cooking Conditions Using Traditional Cookstoves and Fuels under a Dilution Tunnel System

Despite the considerable cost associated with estimating household emissions from solid fuel, which are frequently undetected by air quality monitoring systems, compiling such an inventory is critical to identifying the link between indoor pollution and health effects. Therefore, this study used the UP Diliman dilution tunnel system (UPDDTS) to characterize the composition of particulate matter in the smoke and quantify the PM2.5 emitted by traditional Philippine cooking systems, viz., a charcoal-burning cement stove (CCP), a sawdust-burning tin-can stove (KKP), a fuelwood-burning metal-grill stove (MFP), a kerosene-burning metal stove (MKP), and a charcoal-burning metal-grill stove (MCC). Forty-three sampling tests revealed that water-soluble K+ (23.0 ± 1.9 µg m–3), Cl– (12.3 ± 1.0 µg m–3), and Na+ (43 ± 22 µg m–3) contributed to the majority of the ionic mass concentrations generated by the CCP and MKP, respectively, whereas levoglucosan—a signature of biomass burning—dominated the PM2.5-bound monosugars emitted by the KKP (78.72 ± 6.96 µg m–3), MFP (0.76 ± 0.34 µg m–3), and MCC (10.21 ± 2.64 µg m–3). The abundance of the water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) in all of the samples, except those from the MKP, depended on the surface area—and thus the facet—of the fuel. Additionally, the elemental compositions of the PM2.5 from the CCP, KKP, and MCC mainly consisted of Pb (1.96 ± 1.04 to 76.02 ± 151.42 ng min–1), but those for the MFP and KKP primarily contained Cu (2.23 ± 1.18 ng min–1) and As (5.51 ± 1.08 ng min–1), respectively. The PM2.5 emission rates exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO)’s emission rate target guideline for ventilated conditions (0.8 mg min–1) by 1.9 × 106 to 23 × 106 mg min–1, and the highest PM2.5 emission factor, 0.032 ± 0.016 kg-PM2.5 kg-fuel–1 y–1, which was exhibited by the MKP, surpassed values in the literature by three orders of magnitude.

Optically thin circumstellar medium in theβLyr A system

The complex binary systemβLyr A has an extensive observational dataset: light curves (from far UV to far IR), interferometric squared visibility, closure phase, triple product measurements, spectral-energy distribution, high-resolution spectroscopy, differential visibility amplitude, and also a differential phase. In particular, we used spectra from the Ondřejov 2m telescope from 2013 to 2015 to measure the emission in Hα, He I, Si II, Ne I, or C IIlines, and differential interferometry by CHARA/VEGA from the 2013 campaign to measure wavelength-dependent sizes across Hαand He I6678. This allowed us to constrain not only optically thick objects (primary, secondary, accretion disc), but also optically thin objects (disc atmosphere, jets, shell). We extended our modelling tool, Pyshellspec (based on Shellspec; a 1D local thermodynamical equilibrium radiative transfer code), to include all new observables, to compute differential visibilities/phases, to perform a Doppler tomography, and to determine a jointχ2metric. After an optimisation of 38 free parameters, we derived a robust model of theβLyr A system. According to the model, the emission is formed in an extended atmosphere of the disc, two perpendicular jets expanding at ∼700 km s−1, and a symmetric shell with the radius ∼70 R⊙. The spectroscopy indicates a low abundance of carbon, 10−2of the solar value. We also quantified systematic differences between datasets, and we discuss here alternative models with higher resolutions, additional asymmetries, or He-rich abundances.

Stellar population astrophysics (SPA) with the TNG

Context. High-resolution spectroscopy in the near-infrared (NIR) is a powerful tool for characterising the physical and chemical properties of cool-star atmospheres. The current generation of NIR echelle spectrographs enables the sampling of many spectral features over the full 0.9–2.4 μm range for a detailed chemical tagging. Aims. Within the Stellar Population Astrophysics Large Program at the TNG, we used a high-resolution (R = 50 000) NIR spectrum of Arcturus acquired with the GIANO-B echelle spectrograph as a laboratory to define and calibrate an optimal line list and new diagnostic tools to derive accurate stellar parameters and chemical abundances. Methods. We inspected several hundred NIR atomic and molecular lines to derive abundances of 26 different chemical species, including CNO, iron-group, alpha, Z-odd, and neutron-capture elements. We then performed a similar analysis in the optical using Arcturus VLT-UVES spectra. Results. Through the combined NIR and optical analysis we defined a new thermometer and a new gravitometer for giant stars, based on the comparison of carbon (for the thermometer) and oxygen (for the gravitometer) abundances, as derived from atomic and molecular lines. We then derived self-consistent stellar parameters and chemical abundances of Arcturus over the full 4800–24 500 Å spectral range and compared them with previous studies in the literature. We finally discuss a number of problematic lines that may be affected by deviations from thermal equilibrium and/or chromospheric activity, as traced by the observed variability of He I at 10 830 Å.

Soil carbon degradation during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum in the Piceance Basin, USA

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) warming event is marked by a negative carbon isotope excursion (CIE). The magnitude and shape of the CIE differs among carbon archives, but bulk organic carbon isotopes (δ13Corg) in terrestrial sections are often particularly variable and attenuated. Multiple lines of evidence from the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, USA have revealed that extensive organic carbon degradation and increased refractory or allochthonous carbon inputs diminished the δ13Corg excursion magnitude. To test if this was a spatially widespread phenomenon and to understand possible underlying mechanisms, we examined the abundance of total organic carbon (%TOC) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as metrics of soil degradation at a neighboring terrestrial basin, the Piceance Basin in Colorado. Outcrop samples reveal both diminished %TOC and PAH concentrations across the Paleocene-Eocene boundary. Using PAHs as a proxy for intermediate refractory carbon, such as found in mineral soils, evidence from the Piceance Basin supports increased organic carbon degradation and greater proportions of refractory allochthonous carbon remaining. Correlations between %TOC and elemental oxides (e.g., Al2O3 and TiO2) suggest soil organic carbon was stabilized by its association with clay minerals. We hypothesize that decreased clay content in the soils (which reduced soil capacity to stabilize fresh carbon) and increased fluctuations in soil moisture (which destabilized older, refractory carbon), in conjunction with increased temperatures (which increased microbial decomposition rates), contributed to reduced soil organic matter preservation during the PETM. These mechanisms destabilized carbon on millennial timescales and, with sustained higher temperatures across the PETM (~150,000 years), increased soil carbon degradation persisted for tens of thousands of years.

Evidence for GN-z11 as a luminous galaxy at redshift 10.957

GN-z11 was photometrically selected as a luminous star-forming galaxy candidate at redshift z > 10 based on Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging data. Follow-up HST near-infrared grism observations detected a continuum break that was explained as the Ly-alpha break corresponding to z = 11.09 (+0.08-0.12). However, its accurate redshift remained unclear. Here we report a probable detection of three ultraviolet (UV) emission lines from GN-z11, which can be interpreted as the [C III] 1907, C III] 1909 doublet and O III] 1666 at z = 10.957+/-0.001 (when the Universe was only ~420 Myr old, or ~3% of its current age). This is consistent with the redshift of the previous grism observations, supporting GN-z11 as the most distant galaxy known to date. Its UV lines likely originate from dense ionized gas that is rarely seen at low redshifts, and its strong [C III] and C III] emission is partly due to an active galactic nucleus (AGN) or enhanced carbon abundance. GN-z11 is luminous and young, yet moderately massive, implying a rapid build-up of stellar mass in the past. Future facilities will be able to find the progenitors of such galaxies at higher redshift and probe the cosmic epoch in the beginning of re-ionization.

The Gaia-ESO Survey: Oxygen Abundance in the Galactic Thin and Thick Disks*

Abstract We analyze the oxygen abundances of a stellar sample representative of the two major Galactic populations: the thin and thick disks. The aim is to investigate the differences between members of the Galactic disks and contribute to the understanding of the origin of oxygen chemical enrichment in the Galaxy. The analysis is based on the [O i] = 6300.30 Å oxygen line in high-resolution spectra (R ∼ 52,500) obtained from the Gaia-ESO public spectroscopic Survey (GES). By comparing the observed spectra with a theoretical data set computed in LTE with the SPECTRUM synthesis and ATLAS12 codes, we derive the oxygen abundances of 516 FGK dwarfs for which we have previously measured carbon abundances. Based on kinematic, chemical, and dynamical considerations, we identify 20 thin and 365 thick disk members. We study the potential trends of both subsamples in terms of their chemistry ([O/H], [O/Fe], [O/Mg], and [C/O] versus [Fe/H] and [Mg/H]), age, and position in the Galaxy. The main results are that (a) [O/H] and [O/Fe] ratios versus [Fe/H] show systematic differences between thin and thick disk stars with an enhanced O abundance of thick disk stars with respect to thin disk members and a monotonic decrement of [O/Fe] with increasing metallicity, even at metal-rich regime; (b) there is a smooth correlation of [O/Mg] with age in both populations, suggesting that this abundance ratio can be a good proxy of stellar ages within the Milky Way; and (c) thin disk members with [Fe/H] ≃ 0 display a [C/O] ratio smaller than the solar value, suggesting a possibly outward migration of the Sun from lower Galactocentric radii.

Essential nature of pedogenic concentrations for differentiation soil taxa

The current study was undertaken to elucidate and give more attention about the nature of pedogenic concentrations and their relation for differentiated soil taxonomic units. Fourteen soil profiles were selected to represent some soils developed under the environmental conditions of some common geomorphic units in Egypt. The abundance and nature of pedogenic calcium carbonate, gypsum, soluble salts and gley phenomena were morphologically described and discussed geomorphological. These pedogenic features are the most factors used for the subdivisions of soil master horizons designations. The selected 14 soil profiles were classified to 14 soil families differentiated under 12 subgroups belonging to 3 suborders of Aridisols and 2 suborders of Vertisols. The diagnostic of both soil horizons and characteristics related to soil concentrations are the most common factors for identified the obtained soil taxa. The soil series differentia within families are the most important level related to agriculture land use. The narrowly total concentrations content, depth and thickness of diagnostic horizons are the commonly criteria used for soil series. Relevant to potential uses of soils, some additional properties such as fractionation of total CaCo3 and active fraction, size, shape, color and hardness of secondary crystalline of different concentrations should be taken into account to differentiate between soil series or for phase distinctions.

Oxygen abundances of carbon-enhanced stellar population in the halo

The large fraction of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars at lower metallicities makes them an interesting class of objects to be probed further in greater detail. They show different abundance patterns of neutron-capture elements and based on that CEMP stars are further divided into four categories. Abundances of C, N and O, along with other elements, are required to understand the different nucleosynthetic origins of the subclasses and their progenitors. We studied nine bright carbon-enhanced stars from the Milky Way halo in a metallicity range from −0.8 to −2.5. They show enhancement in C, N, O and Ba and exhibit radial velocity variation. This indicates the presence of a binary companion which might have contributed to the enhanced carbon and s-process abundance through mass transfer during its asymptotic-giant-branch (AGB) phase of evolution. Their abundance pattern of C, N and O favors low-mass nature for their binary companion.

Abundances of neutron-capture elements in CH and carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars

All the elements heavier than Fe are produced either by slow (-s) or rapid (-r) neutron-capture process. Neutron density prevailing in the stellar sites is one of the major factors that determines the type of neutron-capture processes. We present the results based on the estimates of corrected value of absolute carbon abundance, [C/N] ratio, carbon isotopic ratio and [hs/ls] ratio obtained from the high resolution spectral analysis of six stars that include both CH stars and CEMP stars. All the stars show enhancement of neutron-capture elements. Location of these objects in the A(C) vs. [Fe/H] diagram shows that they are Group I objects, with external origin of carbon and neutron-capture elements. Low values of carbon isotopic ratios estimated for these objects may also be attributed to some external sources. As the carbon isotopic ratio is a good indicator of mixing, we have used the estimates of 12C/13C ratios to examine the occurance of mixing in the stars. While the object HD 30443 might have experienced an extra mixing process that usually occurs after red giant branch (RGB) bump for stars with log(L/L0) > 2.0, the remaining objects do not show any evidence of having undergone any such mixing process. The higher values of [C/N] ratios obtained for these objects also indicate that none of these objects have experienced any strong internal mixing processes. Based on the estimated abundances of carbon and the neutron-capture elements, and the abundance ratios, we have classified the objects into different groups. While the objects HE 0110-0406, HD 30443 and CD-38 2151 are found to be CEMP-s stars, HE 0308-1612 and HD 176021 show characteristic properties of CH stars with moderate enhancement of carbon. The object CD-28 1082 with enhancement of both r- and s-process elements is found to belong to the CEMP-r/s group.

Dust continuum, CO, and [C i] 1 − 0 lines: self-consistent H2 mass estimates and the possibility of globally CO-‘dark’ galaxies at z = 0.35

ABSTRACT We present Atacama Large Millimetre Array observations of a small but statistically complete sample of 12 250-μm-selected galaxies at z = 0.35 designed to measure their dust submillimeter continuum emission as well as their $\rm {^{12}CO(1-0)}$ and atomic carbon [C i](3P1−3P0) spectral lines. This is the first sample of galaxies with global measures of all three H2-mass tracers and that shows star formation rates (4–26 $\rm M_{\odot}$ yr−1) and infrared luminosities ($1\!-\!6\times 10^{11}\,\rm L_{\odot}$) typical of star-forming galaxies in their era. We find a surprising diversity of morphology and kinematic structure; one third of the sample have evidence for interaction with nearby smaller galaxies, several sources have disjoint dust and gas morphology. Moreover, two galaxies have very high $L^{\prime }_{\rm C\,{\small I}}$ / $L^{\prime }_{\rm {CO}}$ ratios for their global molecular gas reservoirs; if confirmed, such extreme intensity ratios in a sample of dust-selected, massive star-forming galaxies present a challenge to our understanding of interstellar medium. Finally, we use the emission of the three molecular gas tracers, to determine the carbon abundance, $\rm {X_{C\,{\small I}}}$ , and CO–$\rm {H_2}$ conversion αCO in our sample, using a weak prior that the gas-to-dust ratio is similar to that of the Milky Way for these massive and metal-rich galaxies. Using a likelihood method that simultaneously uses all three gas tracer measurements, we find mean values and errors on the mean of $\langle\alpha _{\rm {CO}}\rangle = 3.0\pm 0.5\, \rm {M}_{\odot }\, (\rm{K}\, \rm{kms}^{-1}\, \rm{pc}^2)^{-1}$ and $\langle \rm{X}_{\rm{CI}} \rangle =1.6\pm 0.1\times 10^{-5}$ (or $\alpha _{\rm{CI}} = 18.8\,\rm {M}_{\odot }\, (\rm{K}\, \rm{kms}^{-1}\, \rm{pc}^2)^{-1}$) and $\delta _{\rm {GDR}} = 128\pm 16$ (or $\alpha _{850} = 5.9\times 10^{12}\, \rm {W}\, \rm{Hz}^{-1}\,\rm {M}_{\odot }\,^{-1}$), where our starting assumption is that these metal-rich galaxies have an average gas-to-dust ratio similar to that of the Milky Way centred on $\rm{\delta} _{\rm {GDR}} =135$.

The impact of pre-main sequence stellar evolution on mid-plane snowline locations and C/O in planet forming discs

ABSTRACT We investigate the impact of pre-main sequence stellar luminosity evolution on the thermal and chemical properties of disc mid-planes. We create template disc models exemplifying initial conditions for giant planet formation for a variety of stellar masses and ages. These models include the 2D physical structure of gas as well as 1D chemical structure in the disc mid-plane. The disc temperature profiles are calculated using fully physically consistent radiative transfer models for stars between 0.5 and 3 M⊙ and ages up to 10 Myr. The resulting temperature profiles are used to determine how the chemical conditions in the mid-plane change over time. We therefore obtain gas and ice-phase abundances of the main carbon and oxygen carrier species. While the temperature profiles produced are not markedly different for the stars of different masses at early stages (≤1 Myr), they start to diverge significantly beyond 2 Myr. Discs around stars with mass ≥1.5 M⊙ become warmer over time as the stellar luminosity increases, whereas low-mass stars decrease in luminosity leading to cooler discs. This has an observable effect on the location of the CO snowline, which is located >200 au in most models for a 3 M⊙ star, but is always within 80 au for 0.5 M⊙ star. The chemical compositions calculated show that a well-defined stellar mass and age range exists in which high C/O gas giants can form. In the case of the exoplanet HR8799b, our models show that it must have formed before the star was 1 Myr old.

Variability of Carbonate Isotope Signatures in a Hydrothermally Influenced System: Insights from the Pastos Grandes Caldera (Bolivia)

Laguna Pastos Grandes (Bolivia), nesting in a volcanic caldera, is a large, palustrine-to-lacustrine system fed by meteoric and hydrothermal calco–carbonic fluids. These different fluid inputs favor a complex mosaic of depositional environments, including hydrothermal springs, pools, and an ephemeral lake, producing abundant present-day carbonates developing over a Holocene carbonate crust dated by U–Th. Present-day carbonates (muds, concretions, and microbialites) recorded a large range of isotope variations, reaching 13.9‰ in δ13C and 11.1‰ in δ18O. Sedimentological and geochemical data indicated that the main processes influencing the isotope record were: (i) rapid CO2 degassing and temperature decreases along hydrothermal discharges; (ii) strong evaporation favored by the arid high-altitude Andean climate, locally enhanced by capillary water rise within microbial mats or by wind-induced spray falling on vadose concretions. Unlike past or present perennial lake systems in Central Andes, the short residence time of brine waters in the ephemeral central lake prevents enrichment of lacustrine carbonates in 13C and 18O. The very low fraction modern F14C in these present-day carbonates demonstrates that incorporation of fossil magmatic carbon related to the volcanic context also prevents any radiocarbon dating. The use of isotopes for the interpretation of ancient continental series should always be accompanied by a thorough characterization of the environmental setting.

Tc-rich M stars: platypuses of low-mass star evolution

AbstractThe technetium-rich (Tc-rich) M stars reported in the literature (Little-Marenin & Little 1979; Uttenthaler et al. 2013) are puzzling objects since no isotope of technetium has a half-life longer than a few million years, and 9999Tc, the longest-lived isotope along the s-process path, is expected to be detected only in thermally-pulsing stars enriched with other s-process elements (like zirconium). Carbon should also be enriched, since it is dredged up at the same time, after each thermal pulse on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB). However, these Tc-enriched objects are classified as M stars, meaning that they neither have any significant zirconium enhancement (otherwise they would be tagged as S-type stars) nor any large carbon overabundance (in which case they would be carbon stars).Here we present the first detailed chemical analysis of a Tc-rich M-type star, namely S Her. We first confirm the detection of the Tc lines, and then analyze its carbon and s-process abundances, and draw conclusions on its evolutionary status. Understanding these Tc-rich M stars is an important step to constrain the threshold luminosity for the first occurrence of the third dredge-up and the composition of s-process ejecta during the very first thermal pulses on the AGB.