Carbon-enhanced Metal-poor Research Articles

Learning about the Intermediate Neutron-capture Process from Lead Abundances*

Abstract Lead (Pb) is predominantly produced by the slow neutron-capture process (s process) in asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. In contrast to significantly enhanced Pb abundances predicted by low-mass, low-metallicity AGB models, observations of Magellanic post-AGB stars show incompatibly low Pb abundances. Observations of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars whose s-process enrichments are accompanied by heavy elements traditionally associated with the rapid neutron-capture process (r process) have raised the need for a neutron-capture process operating at neutron densities intermediate to the s and r process: the so-called i process. We study i-process nucleosynthesis with single-zone nuclear-network calculations. Our i-process models can explain the heavy-element abundance patterns measured in Magellanic post-AGB stars including their puzzlingly low Pb abundances. Furthermore, the heavy-element enhancements in the post-AGB and CEMP-i stars, particularly their Pb abundance, allow us to characterize the neutron densities and exposures of the i process that produced the observed abundance patterns. We find that the lower-metallicity CEMP-i stars ( ) have heavy-element abundances best matched by models with higher neutron densities and exposures (τ > 2.0 mbarn−1) compared to the higher-metallicity post-AGB stars ( , τ < 1.3 mbarn−1). This offers new constraints and insights regarding the properties of i-process sites and demonstrates that the responsible process operates on timescales of the order of a few years or less.

Chemical Cartography. II. The Assembly History of the Galactic Stellar Halo Traced by Carbon-enhanced Metal-poor Stars

Abstract We present an analysis of the kinematic properties of stellar populations in the Galactic halo, making use of over 100,000 main-sequence turnoff (MSTO) stars observed in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. After dividing the Galactic halo into an inner-halo region (IHR) and outer-halo region (OHR), based on the spatial variation of carbon-to-iron ratios in the sample, we find that stars in the OHR exhibit a clear retrograde motion of −49 ± 4 km s−1 and a more spherical distribution of stellar orbits, while stars in the IHR have zero net rotation (−3 ± 1 km s−1) with a much more radially biased distribution of stellar orbits. Furthermore, we classify the carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars among the MSTO sample in each halo component into CEMP-no and CEMP-s subclasses, based on their absolute carbon abundances, A(C), and examine the spatial distributions and kinematics associated with each subclass. The CEMP-no stars are the majority subclass of CEMP stars in the OHR (∼65%), and the minority subclass in the IHR (∼44%), similar to the results of several previous analyses. The CEMP-no stars in each halo region exhibit slightly higher counterrotation than the CEMP-s stars, but within statistical errors. The CEMP-no stars also show a more spherical distribution of orbits than the CEMP-s stars in each halo region. These distinct characteristics provide strong evidence that numerous low-mass satellite galaxies (similar to the ultra-faint dwarf galaxies) have donated stars to the OHR, while more massive dwarf galaxies provided the dominant contribution to the IHR.

The CEMP star SDSS J0222–0313: the first evidence of proton ingestion in very low-metallicity AGB stars?

Context. Carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars are common objects in the metal-poor regime. The lower the metallicity we look at, the larger the fraction of CEMP stars with respect to metal-poor stars with no enhancement in carbon. The chemical pattern of CEMP stars is diversified, strongly suggesting a different origin of the C enhancement in the different types of CEMP stars. Aims. We selected a CEMP star, SDSS J0222–0313, with a known high carbon abundance and, from a low-resolution analysis, a strong enhancement in neutron-capture elements of the first peak (Sr and Y) and of the second peak (Ba). The peculiarity of this object is a greater overabundance (with respect to iron) of the first s-process peak than the second s-process peak. Methods. We analysed a high-resolution spectrum obtained with the Mike spectrograph at the Clay Magellan 6.5 m telescope in order to derive the detailed chemical composition of this star. Results. We confirmed the chemical pattern we expected; we derived abundances for a total of 18 elements and significant upper limits. Conclusions. We conclude that this star is a carbon-enhanced metal-poor star enriched in elements produced by s-process (CEMP-s), whose enhancement in heavy elements is due to mass transfer from the more evolved companion in its asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase. The abundances imply that the evolved companion had a low main sequence mass and it suggests that it experienced a proton ingestion episode at the beginning of its AGB phase.

Slowly, slowly in the wind

Wind mass transfer in binary systems with asymptotic giant branch (AGB) donor stars plays a fundamental role in the formation of a variety of objects, including barium stars and carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars. In an attempt to better understand the properties of these systems, we carry out a comprehensive set of smoothed-particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations of wind-losing AGB stars in binaries for a variety of binary mass ratios, orbital separations, initial wind velocities, and rotation rates of the donor star. The initial parameters of the simulated systems are chosen to match the expected progenitors of CEMP stars. We find that the strength of interaction between the wind and the stars depends on the ratio of wind velocity to orbital velocity (v∞/vorb) and on the binary mass ratio. Strong interaction occurs for close systems and comparable mass ratios, and gives rise to a complex morphology of the outflow and substantial angular-momentum loss, which leads to a shrinking of the orbit. As the orbital separation increases and the mass of the companion star decreases, the morphology of the outflow and the angular-momentum loss become more similar to the spherically symmetric wind case. We also explore the effects of tidal interaction and find that for orbital separations up to 7−10 AU, depending on mass ratio, spin-orbit coupling of the donor star occurs at some point during the AGB phase. If the initial wind velocity is relatively low, we find that corotation of the donor star results in a modified outflow morphology that resembles wind Roche-lobe overflow. In this case the mass-accretion efficiency and angular-momentum loss differ from those found for a non-rotating donor. Finally, we provide relations for the mass-accretion efficiency and angular-momentum loss as a function of v∞/vorb and the binary mass ratio that can be easily implemented in a population synthesis code to study populations of barium stars, CEMP stars, and other products of interaction in AGB binaries, such as cataclysmic binaries and type Ia supernovae.

Evidence for an Aspherical Population III Supernova Explosion Inferred from the Hyper-metal-poor Star HE 1327–2326∗

Abstract We present observational evidence that an aspherical supernova explosion could have occurred in the first stars in the early universe. Our results are based on the first determination of a Zn abundance in a Hubble Space Telescope/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph high-resolution UV spectrum of a hyper-metal-poor (HMP) star, HE 1327−2326, with . We determine [Zn/Fe] = 0.80 ± 0.25 from a UV Zn i line at 2138 Å, detected at 3.4σ. Yields of a 25 M ⊙ aspherical supernova model with artificially modified densities exploding with E = 5 × 1051 erg best match the entire abundance pattern of HE 1327−2326. Such high-entropy hypernova explosions are expected to produce bipolar outflows, which could facilitate the external enrichment of small neighboring galaxies. This has already been predicted by theoretical studies of the earliest star-forming minihalos. Such a scenario would have significant implications for the chemical enrichment across the early universe, as HMP carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars such as HE 1327−2326 might have formed in such externally enriched environments.

On Neutron Star Mergers as the Source of r-process-enhanced Metal-poor Stars in the Milky Way

Abstract We model the history of Galactic r-process enrichment using high-redshift, high-resolution zoom cosmological simulations of a Milky Way–type halo. We assume that all r-process sources are neutron star mergers (NSMs) with a power-law delay time distribution. We model the time to mix pollutants at subgrid scales, which allows us to better compute the properties of metal-poor (MP) and carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars, along with statistics of their r-process-enhanced subclasses. Our simulations underpredict the cumulative ratios of r-process-enhanced MP and CEMP stars (MP-r, CEMP-r) over MP and CEMP stars by about one order of magnitude, even when the minimum coalescence time of the double neutron stars (DNSs), t min, is set to 1 Myr. No r-process-enhanced stars form if t min = 100 Myr. Our results show that even when we adopt the r-process yield estimates observed in GW170817, NSMs by themselves can only explain the observed frequency of r-process-enhanced stars if the birth rate of DNSs per unit mass of stars is boosted to .

Metal-poor Stars Observed with the Automated Planet Finder Telescope. I. Discovery of Five Carbon-enhanced Metal-poor Stars from LAMOST

Abstract We report on the discovery of five carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars in the metallicity range of −3.3 < [Fe/H] < −2.4. These stars were selected from the LAMOST DR3 low-resolution (R ∼ 2000) spectroscopic database as metal-poor candidates and followed up with high-resolution spectroscopy (R ∼ 110,000) with the Lick/APF. Stellar parameters and individual abundances for 25 chemical elements (from Li to Eu) are presented for the first time. These stars exhibit chemical abundance patterns that are similar to those reported in other literature studies of very and extremely metal-poor stars. One of our targets, J2114−0616, shows high enhancement in carbon ([C/Fe] = 1.37), nitrogen ([N/Fe] = 1.88), barium ([Ba/Fe] = 1.00), and europium ([Eu/Fe] = 0.84). Such chemical abundance pattern suggests that J2114−0616 can be classified as CEMP-r/s star. In addition, the star J1054+0528 can be classified as a CEMP-rI star, with [Eu/Fe] = 0.44 and [Ba/Fe] = −0.52. The other stars in our sample show no enhancements in neutron-capture elements and can be classified as CEMP-no stars. We also performed a kinematic and dynamical analysis of the sample stars based on Gaia DR2 data. The kinematic parameters, orbits, and binding energy of these stars show that J2114−0616 is member of the outer-halo population, while the remaining stars belong to the inner-halo population but with an accreted origin. Collectively, these results add important constraints on the origin and evolution of CEMP stars as well as on their possible formation scenarios.

Abundances and kinematics of carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars in the Galactic halo

Carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars span a wide range of stellar populations, from bona fide second-generation stars to later-forming stars that provide excellent probes of binary mass transfer and stellar evolution. Here we analyse 11 metal-poor stars (8 of which are new to the literature), and demonstrate that 10 are CEMP stars. Based on high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) X-shooter spectra, we derive abundances of 20 elements (C, N, O, Na, Mg, Ca, Sc, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Sr, Y, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, and Eu). From the high-S/N spectra, we were able to trace the chemical contribution of the rare earth elements (REE) from various possible production sites, finding a preference for metal-poor low-mass asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars of 1.5 M⊙ in CEMP-s stars, while CEMP-r/s stars may indicate a more massive AGB contribution (2–5 M⊙). A contribution from the r-process – possibly from neutron star–neutron star mergers (NSM) – is also detectable in the REE stellar abundances, especially in the CEMP-r/s sub-group rich in both slow(s) and rapid(r) neutron-capture elements. Combining spectroscopic data with Gaia DR2 astrometric data provides a powerful chemodynamical tool for placing CEMP stars in the various Galactic components, and classifying CEMP stars into the four major elemental-abundance sub-groups, which are dictated by their neutron-capture element content. The derived orbital parameters indicate that all but one star in our sample (and the majority of the selected literature stars) belong to the Galactic halo. These stars exhibit a median orbital eccentricity of 0.7, and are found on both prograde and retrograde orbits. We find that the orbital parameters of CEMP-no and CEMP-s stars are remarkably similar in the 98 stars we study. A special case is the CEMP-no star HE 0020−1741, with very low Sr and Ba content, which possesses the most eccentric orbit among the stars in our sample, passing close to the Galactic centre. Finally, we propose an improved scheme to sub-classify the CEMP stars, making use of the Sr/Ba ratio, which can also be used to separate very metal-poor stars from CEMP stars. We explore the use of [Sr/Ba] versus [Ba/Fe] in 93 stars in the metallicity range −4.2 ≲ [Fe/H] < −2. We show that the Sr/Ba ratio can also be successfully used for distinguishing CEMP-s, CEMP-r/s, and CEMP-no stars. Additionally, the Sr/Ba ratio is found to be a powerful astro-nuclear indicator, since the metal-poor AGB stars exhibit very different Sr/Ba ratios compared to fast-rotating massive stars and NSM, and is also reasonably unbiased by NLTE and 3D corrections.

Unusual neutron-capture nucleosynthesis in a carbon-rich Galactic bulge star

Metal-poor stars in the Galactic halo often show strong enhancements in carbon and/or neutron-capture elements. However, the Galactic bulge is notable for its paucity of these carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) and/or CH-stars, with only two such objects known to date. This begs the question whether the processes that produced their abundance distribution were governed by a comparable nucleosynthesis in similar stellar sites as for their more numerous counterparts in the halo. Recently, two contenders of these classes of stars were discovered in the bulge, at [Fe/H] = −1.5 and −2.5 dex, both of which show enhancements in [C/Fe] of 0.4 and 1.4 dex (respectively), [Ba/Fe] in excess of 1.3 dex, and also elevated nitrogen. The more metal-poor of the stars can be well matched by standard s-process nucleosynthesis in low-mass asymptotic giant branch (AGB) polluters. The other star shows an abnormally high [Rb/Fe] ratio. Here, we further investigate the origin of the abundance peculiarities in the Rb-rich star by new, detailed measurements of heavy element abundances and by comparing the chemical element ratios of 36 species to several models of neutron-capture nucleosynthesis. The i-process with intermediate neutron densities between those of the slow (s-) and rapid (r)-neutron-capture processes has been previously found to provide good matches of CEMP stars with enhancements in both r- and s-process elements (class CEMP-r/s), rather than invoking a superposition of yields from the respective individual processes. However, the peculiar bulge star is incompatible with a pure i-process from a single ingestion event. Instead, it can, statistically, be better reproduced by more convoluted models accounting for two proton ingestion events, or by an i-process component in combination with s-process nucleosynthesis in low-to-intermediate mass (2–3 M⊙) AGB stars, indicating multiple polluters. Finally, we discuss the impact of mixing during stellar evolution on the observed abundance peculiarities.

The R-Process Alliance: Spectroscopic Follow-up of Low-metallicity Star Candidates from the Best & Brightest Survey

Abstract We present results from an observing campaign to identify low-metallicity stars in the Best & Brightest Survey. From medium-resolution (R ∼ 1200–2000) spectroscopy of 857 candidates, we estimate the stellar atmospheric parameters ( , , and ), as well as carbon and α-element abundances. We find that 69% of the observed stars have ≤ −1.0, 39% have ≤ −2.0, and 2% have ≤ −3.0. There are also 133 carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars in this sample, with 97 CEMP Group I and 36 CEMP Group II stars identified in the A(C) versus [Fe/H] diagram. A subset of the confirmed low-metallicity stars were followed-up with high-resolution spectroscopy, as part of the R-process Alliance, with the goal of identifying new highly and moderately r-process-enhanced stars. Comparison between the stellar atmospheric parameters estimated in this work and from high-resolution spectroscopy exhibit good agreement, confirming our expectation that medium-resolution observing campaigns are an effective way of selecting interesting stars for further, more targeted, efforts.

Binarity among CEMP-no stars: an indication of multiple formation pathways?

Carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars comprise a high percentage of stars at the lowest metallicities. The stars in the CEMP-no subcategory do not show any s-process enhancement and therefore cannot easily be explained by transfer of carbon and s-process elements from a binary AGB companion. We have performed radial velocity monitoring of a sample of 22 CEMP-no stars to further study the role that binarity plays in this type of CEMP star. We find four new binary CEMP-no stars based on their radial velocity variations; this significantly enlarges the population of known binaries to a total of 11. One of the new stars found to be in a binary system is HE 0107–5240, which is one of the most iron-poor stars known. This supports the binary transfer model for the origin of the abundance pattern of this star. We find a difference in binary fraction in our sample that depends on the absolute carbon abundance, with a binary fraction of 47 +15−14% for stars with a higher absolute carbon abundance and 18 +14−9% for stars with a lower absolute carbon abundance. This might imply a relation between a high carbon abundance and the binarity of a metal-poor star. Although binarity does not equate to mass transfer, there is a possibility that a CEMP-no star in a binary system has been polluted, and care has to be taken in the interpretation of their abundance patterns. We furthermore demonstrate the potential of Gaia of discovering additional binary candidates.

Spectroscopic study of the Carbon-Enhanced Metal-Poor star: HE 0110-0406

The halo system of the Milky way comprises the vast majority of the presently observed metal-poor ([Fe/H] <1.0) and very metal-poor ([Fe/H] <2.0) stars. A sizable fraction (~ 30%) of the metal-poor stars with carbon enhancement ([C/Fe] ≤0.7) are called the Carbon-Enhanced Metal-Poor (CEMP) stars. Studies on these objects are of special interest, as they bear the fossil records of nucleosynthesis of the earliest generation of stars. Thus they provide insight into the nucleosynthesis and chemical evolution of the early universe. In the recent past, although these stars have drawn considerable attention as far as their spectroscopic studies are concerned, several questions still remain poorly understood such as the origin, production mechanism(s) and distribution of carbon and neutron-capture elements abundances exhibited by these objects. A comprehensive study of the abundance patterns of various heavy elements in these objects can give important clues to these questions. We have undertaken to perform chemical composition studies of a selected sample of CEMP stars using Hanle Echelle Spectrograph on the 2-m Himalayan Chandra Telescope. In this work, we present abundance results for HE 01100406. Our analysis shows this object to exhibit characteristic properties of CH giants. The abundance distribution patterns and the elemental abundance ratios are critically examined based on existing theories to understand their origin and evolution.

Formation of Carbon-enhanced Metal-poor Stars As a Consequence of Inhomogeneous Metal Mixing

Abstract We present a novel scenario for the formation of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars. Carbon enhancement at low stellar metallicities is usually considered a consequence of faint or other exotic supernovae. An analytical estimate of cooling times in low-metallicity gas demonstrates a natural bias, which favors the formation of CEMP stars as a consequence of inhomogeneous metal mixing: carbon-rich gas has a shorter cooling time and can form stars prior to a potential nearby pocket of carbon-normal gas, in which star formation is then suppressed due to energetic photons from the carbon-enhanced protostars. We demonstrate that this scenario provides a natural formation mechanism for CEMP stars from carbon-normal supernovae, if inhomogeneous metal mixing provides carbonicity differences of at least one order of magnitude separated by >10 pc. In our fiducial (optimistic) model, 8% (83%) of observed CEMP-no stars ([Ba/Fe] < 0) can be explained by this formation channel. This new scenario may change our understanding of the first supernovae and thereby our concept of the first stars. Future 3D simulations are required to assess the likelihood of this mechanism to occur in typical high-redshift galaxies.

The GALAH survey: a catalogue of carbon-enhanced stars and CEMP candidates

Swan bands - characteristic molecular absorption features of the C$_2$ molecule - are a spectroscopic signature of carbon-enhanced stars. They can also be used to identify carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars. The GALAH (GALactic Archaeology with Hermes) is a magnitude-limited survey of stars producing high-resolution, high signal-to-noise spectra. We used 627,708 GALAH spectra to search for carbon-enhanced stars with a supervised and unsupervised classification algorithm, relying on the imprint of the Swan bands. We identified 918 carbon-enhanced stars, including 12 already described in the literature. An unbiased selection function of the GALAH survey allows us to perform a population study of carbon-enhanced stars. Most of them are giants, out of which we find 28 CEMP candidates. A large fraction of our carbon-enhanced stars with repeated observations show variation in radial velocity, hinting that there is a large fraction of variables among them. 32 of the detected stars also show strong Lithium enhancement in their spectra.

Application of the Calculating Formula for the Mean Neutron Exposure in CEPM-s and CEPM-r/s Starstwo

Recent studies have shown that for the current s-process nucleosynthesis models of low-mass asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars with a radiatively burning C13 pocket in the interpulse period, the neutron exposure distribution in the nucleosynthesis region can be regarded as an exponential function, and the relation between the mean neutron exposure τ0 and the model parameters is τ0=−Δτ/ln[q/(1−r+q)], in which Δτ is the exposure value of each neutron irradiation, r is the overlap factor, and q is the mass ratio of the C13 pocket to the He intershell. Using the published data resulted from fitting the observed abundances of neutron-capture elements in 20 CEMP (Carbon-Enhanced Metal-Poor)-s and CEMP-s/r stars with the parameterized s-process nucleosynthesis model of AGB stars, the reliability of the formula for calculating the mean neutron exposure is tested, and further more the application of the formula in the study of heavy-element s-process nucleosynthesis is explored preliminarily. Our results show that under the radiative s-process nucleosynthesis mechanism, the formula is suitable for the CEMP stars experienced multiple successive neutron irradiations. Combined with the parameterized AGB star nucleosynthesis model, the formula could be regarded as an effective tool to select the CEMP stars of single neutron exposure or special type. But considered the uncertainty of the C13 pocket, the role of this formula in understanding the physical conditions necessary for reproducing the observed abundances of neutron-capture elements in CEMP stars needs further studies.

A Catalog of 10,000 Very Metal-poor Stars from LAMOST DR3

Abstract We present the result of a search for very metal-poor (VMP, ) stars in the Milky Way based on low-resolution spectra from Large sky Area Multi-Object fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) DR3, significantly enlarging the current candidate sample of these low-metallicity objects. The selection procedure results in a sample of 10,008 VMP stars covering a large area of sky in the Northern Hemisphere, and includes over 6800 targets brighter than V ∼ 16. This LAMOST DR3 VMP sample provides the largest number of VMP candidates to date that are sufficiently bright for follow-up high-resolution observation with 4–10 m telescopes, greatly expanding the VMP stars discovered in the northern sky, and can be used to balance the spatial distribution of VMP stars with high-resolution spectroscopic analyses. Comparison with stars having existing high-resolution analyses and Tycho Gaia Astrometric Solution parallaxes indicates that the derived stellar parameters and distance estimates are reliable. The sample reaches beyond 40 kpc in the halo, and contains over 670 candidates of extremely metal-poor ( ) and ultra-metal-poor ( ) stars. The distribution of V ϕ indicates that the sample consists of two halo components, with the retrograde component likely to be associated with the outer-halo population. A new criterion is proposed to select carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) star candidates, using line indices G1 and EGP over the range 4000 K < < 7000 K, resulting in 636 CEMP candidates from the LAMOST DR3 VMP sample.

LAMOST J221750.59+210437.2: A new member of carbon-enhanced extremely metal-poor stars with excesses of Mg and Si

Abstract We report on the elemental abundances of the carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) star J2217+2104, discovered through our metal-poor star survey with LAMOST and Subaru. This object is a red giant and has extremely low Fe abundance ([Fe/H] = −4.0) and very large enhancement of C, N, and O with excesses of Na, Mg, Al, and Si. This star is a new example of a small group of such CEMP stars identified by previous studies. We find a very similar abundance pattern for O–Zn in this class of objects that shows enhancement of elements up to Si and normal abundance of Ca and Fe-group elements. Whereas the C/N ratio is different among these stars, the (C + N)/O ratio is similar. This suggests that similar abundance ratios of C were also yielded, relative to O–Zn in progenitors, and was later affected by the CN-cycle. By contrast, the heavy neutron-capture elements Sr and Ba are deficient in J2217+2104, compared to the four objects in this class previously studied. This indicates that the neutron-capture process in the early Galaxy, presumably the r-process, has no direct connection to the phenomenon that has formed such CEMP stars. Comparisons of the abundance pattern that are well determined for such CEMP stars with those of supernova nucleosynthesis models constrain the progenitor mass to be about 25 M⊙, which is not particularly different from the typical mass of progenitors expected for extremely metal-poor stars in general.

A CEMP-no star in the ultra-faint dwarf galaxy Pisces II

Aims. A probable carbon enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) star, Pisces II 10694, was discovered recently in the ultra-faint (UFD) galaxy Pisces II. This galaxy is supposed to be very old, suspected to include dark matter, and likely formed the bulk of its stars before the reionisation of the Universe. Methods. New abundances have been obtained from observations of Pisces II 10694 at the Kueyen ESO VLT telescope, using the high-efficiency spectrograph: X-shooter. Results. We found that Pisces II 10694 is a CEMP-no star with [Fe/H] = −2.60 dex. Careful measurements of the CH and C2 bands confirm the enhancement of the C abundance ([C/Fe] = +1.23). This cool giant has very probably undergone extra mixing and thus its original C abundance could be even higher. Nitrogen, O, Na, and Mg are also strongly enhanced, but from Ca to Ni the ratios [X/Fe] are similar to those observed in classical very metal-poor stars. With its low Ba abundance ([Ba/Fe] = −1.10 dex) Pisces II 10694 is a CEMP-no star. No variation in the radial velocity could be detected between 2015 and 2017. The pattern of the elements has a shape similar to the pattern found in galactic CEMP-no stars like CS 22949-037 ([Fe/H] = −4.0) or SDSS J1349+1407 ([Fe/H] = −3.6). Conclusions. The existence of a CEMP-no star in the UFD galaxy Pisc II suggests that this small galaxy likely hosted zero-metallicity stars. This is consistent with theoretical predictions of cosmological models supporting the idea that UFD galaxies are the living fossils of the first star-forming systems.

S-Process in Massive Carbon-Enhanced Metal-Poor Stars

Observations suggest that the interstellar medium (ISM) might have been highly enriched in carbon at very early times. We explore nucleosynthesis in massive carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars of $12$--$40\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$ formed from such an ISM with ${\rm [Fe]}\leq-2$. We find substantial production of elements heavier than Fe, mostly up to Sr, by the weak \textsl{s}-process in stars with initial abundances of ${\rm [CNO]}\gtrsim-1.5$. Even heavier elements, up to Ba, can be produced for ${\rm [CNO]}\gtrsim-0.5$. The efficiency of this \textsl{s}-process is sensitive to the initial enhancement of C (or more generally, CNO) and mass of the star, with the yield increasing approximately linearly with the initial Fe abundance. The \textsl{s}-process in CEMP stars of $\gtrsim 20 \,\mathrm{M}_\odot$ with ${\rm [CNO]}\gtrsim -1.5$ can be an important source for heavy elements in the Early Galaxy.

Thermohaline Mixing in Extremely Metal-poor Stars

Abstract Extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars are an integral piece in the puzzle that is the early universe, and although anomolous subclasses of EMP stars such as carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars are well studied, they make up less than half of all EMP stars with [Fe/H] ∼ −3.0. The amount of carbon depletion occurring on the red giant branch (carbon offset) is used to determine the evolutionary status of EMP stars, and this offset will differ between CEMP and normal EMP stars. The depletion mechanism employed in stellar models (from which carbon offsets are derived) is very important; however, the only widely available carbon offsets in the literature are derived from stellar models using a thermohaline mixing mechanism that cannot simultaneously match carbon and lithium abundances to observations for a single diffusion coefficient. Our stellar evolution models utilize a modified thermohaline mixing model that can match carbon and lithium in the metal-poor globular cluster NGC 6397. We compare our models to the bulk of the EMP star sample at [Fe/H] = −3 and show that our modified models follow the trend of the observations and deplete less carbon compared to the standard thermohaline mixing theory. We conclude that stellar models that employ the standard thermohaline mixing formalism overestimate carbon offsets and hence CEMP star frequencies, particularly at metallicities where carbon-normal stars dominate the EMP star population.