Elements In Metal-poor Stars Research Articles

Trans-iron Ge, As, Se, and heavier elements in the dwarf metal-poor stars HD 19445, HD 84937, HD 94028, HD 140283, and HD 160617

Context. The spectra of unevolved metal-poor halo stars uniquely reflect the elemental abundances incorporated during the earliest Galactic epoch. Their heavy-element content is well understood as the products of neutron capture on iron-peak elements. However, for the lightest trans-iron elements with atomic number 30 < Z < 52, they show striking abundance patterns that defy model predictions. Understanding their sources may illuminate the diverse halo, thick disk, or extragalactic origins of metal-poor stars. Aims. The primary goal is the derivation of halo dwarf abundances and their uncertainties for six trans-iron elements from UV spectra, plus optical abundances for four additional trans-Fe elements and two well-understood heavier elements. Methods. For five metal-poor dwarfs, we analyzed high-resolution UV spectra from the Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph, supplemented by archival optical echelle spectra. Two independent analyses adopted different programs, models, and line lists, clarifying systematic errors. Results. The results from the separate UV analyses are in good agreement. The largest source of discrepancy is the placement of the UV continuum. Once rectified, the separate results agree to 0.2 dex for moderately unblended, moderately strong lines. Similar agreement is found with previous works, except where new data and line selection become important, notably our exclusion of trans-Fe lines blended by newly identifed Fe I lines. Conclusions. Improved line lists lead to low As/Ge ratios that no longer require an early arsenic enhancement. All five stars exhibit a high Mo/Ge abundance ratio, independent of Mo/Fe. The trans-Fe elements show an odd-even effect: an odd-Z element abundance is depressed relative to those of adjacent even-Z elements. Its suggested metallicity dependence is supported by previous studies of Sr-Y-Zr. Some theoretical yields show a metallicity-dependent odd-even effect, but none have predicted a constant Mo/Ge abundance ratio. Our work thus highlights the complexity of predicting the production of light trans-Fe elements in metal-poor stars.

Chemical Abundances in the Ultra-faint Dwarf Galaxies Grus I and Triangulum II: Neutron-capture Elements as a Defining Feature of the Faintest Dwarfs*

Abstract We present high-resolution spectroscopy of four stars in two candidate ultra-faint dwarf galaxies (UFDs), Grus I (Gru I) and Triangulum II (Tri II). Neither object currently has a clearly determined velocity dispersion, placing them in an ambiguous region of parameter space between dwarf galaxies and globular clusters (GCs). No significant metallicity difference is found for the two Gru I stars, but both stars are deficient in neutron-capture elements. We verify previous results that Tri II displays significant spreads in metallicity and [α/Fe]. Neutron-capture elements are not detected in our Tri II data, but we place upper limits at the lower envelope of Galactic halo stars, consistent with previous very low detections. Stars with similarly low neutron-capture element abundances are common in UFDs but rare in other environments. This signature of low neutron-capture element abundances traces chemical enrichment in the least massive star-forming dark matter halos and further shows that the dominant sources of neutron-capture elements in metal-poor stars are rare. In contrast, all known GCs have similar ratios of neutron-capture elements to those of halo stars, suggesting that GCs do not form at the centers of their own dark matter halos. The low neutron-capture element abundances may be the strongest evidence that Gru I and Tri II are (or once were) galaxies rather than GCs, and we expect future observations of these systems to robustly find nonzero velocity dispersions or signs of tidal disruption. However, the nucleosynthetic origin of this low neutron-capture element floor remains unknown.

Abundance patterns of the light neutron-capture elements in very and extremely metal-poor stars

Aims. The abundance patterns of the neutron-capture elements in metal-poor stars provide a unique record of the nucleosynthesis products of the earlier massive primitive objects. Methods. We measured new abundances of so-called light neutron-capture of first peak elements using local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) 1D analysis; this analysis resulted in a sample of 11 very metal-poor stars, from [Fe/H] = –2.5 to [Fe/H] = –3.4, and one carbon-rich star, CS 22949-037 with [Fe/H] = –4.0. The abundances were compared to those observed in two classical metal-poor stars: the typical r-rich star CS 31082-001 ([Eu/Fe] > +1.0) and the r-poor star HD 122563 ([Eu/Fe] < 0.0), which are known to present a strong enrichment of the first peak neutron-capture elements relative to the second peak. Results. Within the first peak, the abundances are well correlated in analogy to the well-known correlation inside the abundances of the second-peak elements. In contrast, there is no correlation between any first peak element with any second peak element. We show that the scatter of the ratio of the first peak abundance over second peak abundance increases when the mean abundance of the second peak elements decreases from r-rich to r-poor stars. We found two new r-poor stars that are very similar to HD 122563. A third r-poor star, CS 22897-008, is even more extreme; this star shows the most extreme example of first peak elements enrichment to date. On the contrary, another r-poor star (BD–18 5550) has a pattern of first peak elements that is similar to the typical r-rich stars CS 31082-001, however this star has some Mo enrichment. Conclusions. The distribution of the neutron-capture elements in our very metal-poor stars can be understood as the combination of at least two mechanisms: one that enriches the forming stars cloud homogeneously through the main r-process and leads to an element pattern similar to the r-rich stars, such as CS 31082-001; and another that forms mainly lighter, first peak elements.

Formation of the Abundance Boundaries of the Heavier Neutron-capture Elements in Metal-poor Stars

The abundance scatter of heavier r-process elements () relative to Fe ([r/Fe]) in metal-poor stars preserves excellent information of the star formation history and provides important insights into the various situations of the Galactic chemical enrichment. In this respect, the upper and lower boundaries of [r/Fe] could present useful clues for investigating the extreme situations of the star formation history and the early Galactic chemical evolution. In this paper, we investigate the formation of the upper and lower boundaries of [r/Fe] for the gas clouds. We find that, for a cloud from which metal-poor stars formed, the formation of the upper limits of [r/Fe] is mainly due to the pollution from a single main r-process event. For a cloud from which metal-poor stars formed, the formation of the lower limits of [r/Fe] is mainly due to the pollution from a single SN II event that ejects primary Fe.

Production of the entire range ofr-process nuclides by black hole accretion disc outflows from neutron star mergers

We consider $r$-process nucleosynthesis in outflows from black hole accretion discs formed in double neutron star and neutron star -- black hole mergers. These outflows, powered by angular momentum transport processes and nuclear recombination, represent an important -- and in some cases dominant -- contribution to the total mass ejected by the merger. Here we calculate the nucleosynthesis yields from disc outflows using thermodynamic trajectories from hydrodynamic simulations, coupled to a nuclear reaction network. We find that outflows produce a robust abundance pattern around the second $r$-process peak (mass number $A \sim 130$), independent of model parameters, with significant production of $A < 130$ nuclei. This implies that dynamical ejecta with high electron fraction may not be required to explain the observed abundances of $r$-process elements in metal poor stars. Disc outflows reach the third peak ($ A \sim 195$) in most of our simulations, although the amounts produced depend sensitively on the disc viscosity, initial mass or entropy of the torus, and nuclear physics inputs. Some of our models produce an abundance spike at $A = 132$ that is absent in the Solar system $r$-process distribution. The spike arises from convection in the disc and depends on the treatment of nuclear heating in the simulations. We conclude that disc outflows provide an important -- and perhaps dominant -- contribution to the $r$-process yields of compact binary mergers, and hence must be included when assessing the contribution of these systems to the inventory of $r$-process elements in the Galaxy.

β-Decay Half-Lives of 110 Neutron-Rich Nuclei across the N=82 Shell Gap: Implications for the Mechanism and Universality of the Astrophysical r Process.

The β-decay half-lives of 110 neutron-rich isotopes of the elements from _{37}Rb to _{50}Sn were measured at the Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory. The 40 new half-lives follow robust systematics and highlight the persistence of shell effects. The new data have direct implications for r-process calculations and reinforce the notion that the second (A≈130) and the rare-earth-element (A≈160) abundance peaks may result from the freeze-out of an (n,γ)⇄(γ,n) equilibrium. In such an equilibrium, the new half-lives are important factors determining the abundance of rare-earth elements, and allow for a more reliable discussion of the r process universality. It is anticipated that universality may not extend to the elements Sn, Sb, I, and Cs, making the detection of these elements in metal-poor stars of the utmost importance to determine the exact conditions of individual r-process events.

Heavy-elements in metal-poor stars: an UV perspective

The site(s) of the r-process(es) is(are) not completely defined, and several models have been proposed. Observed abundances are the best clues to bring some light to this field, especially the study of the extremely metal-poor (EMP) Galactic halo stars. Many elements can be measured using ground-based facilities already available, but the ultraviolet window also presents a rich opportunity in terms of chemical abundances of heavy elements. In fact, for some elements only the UV transitions are strong enough to be useful. Focusing on the project of the Cassegrain U-Band Brazilian Spectrograph (CUBES), we discuss the science case for heavy elements in metal-poor stars, describing the useful lines of trans-Fe elements present in the UV region. Lines in the far UV are also discussed.

A Study on the Abundance Distribution of Heavy Elements in Metal-poor Stars by the Parameterization Method

Based on a large amount of observed data of element abundances in metal-poor stars, taking the abundance distribution of heavy elements in the solar system as a standard, and selecting Sr, Ba and Eu as the typical elements of the three nucleosynthetic processes in metal-poor stars, namely the weak sprocess, main s-process and r-process, we have studied the contributions of the three kinds of neutron-capture processes to the abundance distribution of heavy elements in metal-poor stars, with the parameterization method. It is found that the higher the metal abundance, the greater the contributions of the weak s-process and the chief s-process to the abundances of lighter neutron-capture elements. The heavier neutron-capture elements are mainly produced by the r-process and the chief s-process; and that at low metallicity, the abundances of heavy neutron-capture elements are mainly produced by the r-process. In the early Galaxy, the weak s-process has almost no contribution to the element abundance.

Fe-peak element abundances in disk and halo stars

AbstractAt present none of galactic chemical evolution (GCE) models provides a self-consistent description of observed trends for all iron-peak elements with metallicity simultaneously. The question is whether the discrepancy is due to deficiencies of GCE models, such as stellar yields, or due to erroneous spectroscopically-determined abundances of these elements in metal-poor stars. The present work aims at a critical reevaluation of the abundance trends for several odd and even-Z Fe-peak elements, which are important for understanding explosive nucleosynthesis in supernovae.

Chemical Evolution of Heavy Elements in the Early Galaxy: Implications for Stellar Sources

AbstractAn overview of the sources for heavy elements in the early Galaxy is given. It is shown that observations of abundances in metal-poor stars can be used along with a basic understanding of stellar models to guide the search for the source of the heavy r-process nuclei (r-nuclei). Observations show that this source produces very little of the elements from C through Zn, including Fe. This strongly suggests that O–Ne–Mg core-collapse supernovae (SNe) from progenitors of ∼8–11 M⊙ are the source for the heavy r-nuclei. It is shown that a two-component model based on the abundances of Fe (from Fe core-collapse SNe) and Eu (from O–Ne–Mg core-collapse SNe) gives very good quantitative predictions for the abundances of all the other elements in metal-poor stars.

Roles of Supernova Ejecta in Nucleosynthesis of the Light Elements Li, Be, and B

Explosions of Type Ic supernovae (SNe Ic) are investigated using a relativistic hydrodynamic code to study the role of their outermost layers of the ejecta in light-element nucleosynthesis through spallation reactions as a possible mechanism of the ‘‘primary’’ process. We have confirmed that the energy distribution of the outermost layers with a mass fraction of only 0.001% follows the empirical formula proposed by previous work when the explosion is furious. In such explosions, a significant fraction of the ejecta (>0.1% in mass) have energy greater than the threshold energy for spallation reactions. On the other hand, we find that the outermost layers of ejecta become more energetic than the empirical formula would predict when the explosion energy per unit ejecta mass is smaller than � 1:3;10 51 ergs M � 1 � . As a consequence, it is necessary to numerically calculate explosions to estimate light-element yields from SNe Ic. The usage of the empirical formula would overestimate the yields by a factor of k3 for energetic explosions, such as SN 1998bw, and underestimate the yields by a similar factor for less energetic explosions, such as SN 1994I. The yields of the light elements Li, Be, and B (LiBeB) from SNe Ic are estimated by solving the transfer equation of cosmic rays originated from ejecta of SNe Ic and compared with observations. The abundance ratios Be/O and B/O produced by each of our SNe Ic models are consistent with those of metal-poor stars. The total amounts of these elements estimated from observations indicate that energetic SNe Ic, such as SN 1998bw, could be candidates for a production site of Be and B in the Galactic halo only when the fraction of this type out of all the SNe was more than a factor of 100 higher than the value estimated from current observational data. This primary mechanism would predict that there are stars significantly deficient in light elements that were formed from the interstellar medium not affected by SNe Ic. Since this has no support from current observations, other primary mechanisms, such as the light-element formation in superbubbles, are needed for other types of SNe. The observed abundance pattern of all elements including heavy elements in metal-poor stars suggests that these two mechanisms should have supplied similar amounts of Be and B. Our calculations show that SNe Ic can not produce an appreciable amount of Li. Subject heading gs: cosmic rays — nuclear reactions, nucleosynthesis, abundances — relativity — shock waves — supernovae: general

Stellar Sources for Heavyr‐Process Nuclei

The stellar sites and the complete mechanism of r-process nucleosynthesis are still unresolved issues. From consideration of the observed abundances in metal-poor stars, it is proposed that the production of heavy r-process nuclei (r-nuclei with mass numbers A > 130) is not related to the production of Fe group elements or of elements with lower atomic numbers: Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Sc, and Ti. This requires that the production of heavy r-nuclei not occur in supernovae with extended shell structure but be associated with either bare neutron stars or Type II supernovae (SNe II) in the mass range 8 M_☉ < M < 10 M_☉. From the observations of stars with [Fe/H] ~ -3 but with high abundances of r-elements, it is clear that these r-process enrichments cannot represent the composition of the interstellar medium from which the stars were formed but must represent very local contamination from binary companions. Further evidence for very high enrichments of s-process elements in metal-poor stars also requires binary systems for explanation. We propose that the accretion-induced collapse (AIC) of a white dwarf into a neutron star in a binary system may be associated with the production of heavy r-nuclei and may provide occasional coupling of high r-process and high s-process enrichments in the envelopes of low-mass stars with low [Fe/H]. If we assume that the bulk of the heavy r-nuclei are produced in AIC events, then these events would have produced ~1.6 × 109 neutron stars in the Galaxy. A much larger number of white dwarf binaries would have resulted from the evolution of other binary systems. The AIC scenario removes the assignment in our earlier model that SNe II provide the bulk of heavy r-nuclei and relegates r-process production in SNe II to light r-nuclei with A ≾ 130. This new assignment gives Fe yields that are in accord with the observed values for most SNe II.

A Statistical Model for Predicting the Average Abundance Patterns of Heavier Elements in Metal-Poor Stars

We have collected nearly all the available observed data of the elements from Ba to Dy in halo and disk stars in the metallicity range –4.0 < [Fe/H] < 0.5. Based on the observed data of Ba and Eu, we evaluated the least-squares regressions of [Ba/Fe] on [Fe/H], and [Eu/H] on [Ba/H]. Assuming that the heavy elements (heavier than Ba) are produced by a combination of the main components of s - and r -processes in metal-poor stars, and choosing Ba and Eu as respective representative elements of the main s - and the main r -processes, a statistical model for predicting the Galactic chemical evolution of the heavy elements is presented. With this model, we calculate the mean abundance trends of the heavy elements La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, and Dy with the metallicity. We compare our results with the observed data at various metallicities, showing that the predicted trends are in good agreement with the observed trends, at least for the metallicity range [Fe/H] g–2.5. Finally, we discuss our results and deduce some important information about the Galactic chemical evolution.

The isotopic mixture of barium in the metal-poor subgiant HD 140283

Analyses of the abundances of neutron-capture elements have led to the belief that these elements in metal-poor stars are r-process products with relative abundances closely resembling those found in the Solar system. This picture was challenged by Magain, who found that a pure r-process mix of the barium isotopes was inconsistent with the mix of odd to even barium isotopes derived from analysis of the Ba II line at 4554 ˚ A in the spectrum of the metal-poor subgiant HD 140283. In this paper, we address Magain’s challenge using new high-resolution high signal-to-noise spectra of HD 140283, and find, in contrast to his result, that a solar-like r-process isotopic mixture provides a fair fit to the observed 4554- ˚ A profile.

Accretion of gas by globular cluster stars

Received date; accepted date Abstract. Some recent observations of the abundances of s-process, r-process, and α elements in metal-poor stars have led to a new scenario for their formation. According to this scenario, these stars were born in a globular cluster and accreted the s-process enriched gas expelled by cluster stars of higher-mass, thereby modifying their surface abundances. Later on, these polluted stars evaporated from the globular cluster to constitute an important fraction of the current halo population. In addition, there are now many direct observations of abundance anomalies not only in globular cluster giant stars but also in subgiant and main-sequence stars. Accretion provides again a plausible explanation for (at least some of) these peculiarities. Here we investigate further the efficiency of the accretion scenario. We find that in concentrated clusters with large escape velocities, accretion is very efficient and can indeed lead to major modifications of the stellar surface abundances.

Explosive Nucleosynthesis in Hypernovae

We examine the characteristics of nucleosynthesis in "hypernovae," i.e., supernovae with very large explosion energies (≳1052 ergs). We carry out detailed nucleosynthesis calculations for these energetic explosions and compare the yields with those of ordinary core-collapse supernovae. We find that both complete and incomplete Si-burning takes place over more extended, lower density regions, so that the α-rich freezeout is enhanced and produces more Ti in comparison with ordinary supernova nucleosynthesis. In addition, oxygen and carbon burning takes place in more extended, lower density regions than in ordinary supernovae. Therefore, the fuel elements O, C, and Al are less abundant, while a larger amount of Si, S, Ar, and Ca ("Si") are synthesized by oxygen burning; this leads to larger ratios of "Si"/O in the ejecta. Enhancement of the mass ratio between complete and incomplete Si-burning regions in the ejecta may explain the abundance ratios among iron-peak elements in metal-poor stars. Also the enhanced "Si"/O ratio may explain the abundance ratios observed in star burst galaxies. We also discuss other implications of enhanced [Ti/Fe] and [Fe/O] for Galactic chemical evolution and the abundances of low-mass black hole binaries.

The abundance distribution of neutron-capture elements in metal-poor stars

We apply our model for calculating the heavy element abundance in metal-poor stars to recent data of 21 such stars. The results show that the agreement between our calculated curve and the observed values is good for the heavier elements, and no so good for the lighter ones. This shows that, under metal-poor conditiion, the abundances of the heavier elements generated by the various nucleosynthesis processes are similar to those in the solar system, while the relative contributions of the processes differ; that the abundances of the lighter elements differ from the solar system values; and that the nucleosynthesis environment is different for the heavier and lighter elements. The effect of the observing error on the relative contributions of the different processes is discussed.

Analysis of neutron capture elements in metal-poor stars

We derived model atmosphere parameters (Te ,l ogg ,( Fe/H),Vt) for 90 metal{decient stars ( 0:5 1:5, when the matter of the Galaxy is suciently homogeneous. The analysis of n-capture element abundances conrms the jump in (Ba/Fe) at (Fe/H)= 2:5. Some stars from our sample at (Fe/H) < 2: 0s how a large scatter of Sr, Ba, Y, Ce. This scatter is not caused by the errors in the measurements, and may reflect the inhomogeneous nature of the prestellar medium at early stages of galactic evolution. The matching of (Ba/Fe), (Eu/Fe) vs. (Fe/H) with the inhomogeneous model by Travaglio et al. (2001a) suggests that at (Fe/H) < 2:5, the essential contribution to the n-rich element abundances derives from the r-process. The main sources of these processes may be low mass SN II. The larger dispersion of s-process element abundances with respect to -rich el- ements may arise both from the birth of metal{poor stars in globular clusters with following dierent evolutionary paths and (or) from dierences in s-element enrichment in Galaxy populations.

The average abundance of heavy elements in metal-poor stars in different metallicity ranges

We divide the metallicity range [Fe/H] from −3.0 to 0.0 into ten subranges and calculate, for each subrange, the average contribution from three kinds of nucleosynthesis process from observational data of the typical elements Ba, Sr and Eu. We then calculate the average abundance of the other heavy elements, which are then compared with their average observed values. Our results show that the average contribution from the different processes to the heavy-element abundance with [Fe/H]> −2.2 similar to the solar system, but the ratios of the contributions from different processes are different from the solar system.

Abundances of light elements in metal-poor stars. IV. [Fe/O] and [Fe/Mg] ratios and the history of star formation in the solar neighborhood

The accurate O, Mg and Fe abundances derived in previous papers of this series from a homogeneous reanalysis of high quality data for a large sample of stars are combined with stellar kinematics in order to discuss the history of star for- mation in the solar neighborhood. We found that the Fe/O and Fe/Mg abundance ratios are roughly constant in the (inner) halo and the thick disk; this means that the timescale of halo col- lapse was shorter than or of the same order of typical lifetime of progenitors of type Ia SNe (� 1 Gyr), this conclusion being somewhat relaxed (referring to star formation in the individual fragments) in an accretion model for the Galaxy formation. Both Fe/O and Fe/Mg ratios raised by � 0.2 dex while the O/H and Mg/H ratios hold constant during the transition from the thick to thin disk phases, indicating a sudden decrease in star forma- tion in the solar neighbourhood at that epoch. These results are discussed in the framework of current views of Galaxy forma- tion; they fit in a scenario where both dissipational collapse and accretions were active on a quite similar timescale.