We calculated synthetic spectra for typical chemical element mixtures (i.e., a standard α-enhanced distribution, and distributions displaying CN and ONa anticorrelations) found in the various ...subpopulations harboured by individual Galactic globular clusters. From the spectra we determined bolometric corrections to the standard Johnson-Cousins and Strömgren filters and finally predicted colours. These bolometric corrections and colour-transformations, coupled to our theoretical isochrones with the appropriate chemical composition, provided us with a complete and self-consistent set of theoretical predictions for the effect of abundance variations on the observed cluster colour–magnitude diagrams. CNO abundance variations affect mainly wavelengths shorter than ~400 nm owing to the rise of molecular absorption bands in cooler atmospheres. As a consequence, colour and magnitude changes are largest in the blue filters, independently of using broad or intermediate bandpasses. Colour–magnitude diagrams involving uvy and UB filters (and their various possible colour combinations) are therefore best suited to infer photometrically the presence of multiple stellar generations in individual clusters. They are particularly sensitive to variations in the N abundance, with the largest variations affecting the red giant branch (RGB) and lower main sequence (MS). BVI diagrams are expected to display multiple sequences only if the different populations are characterized by variations of the C+N+O sum and/or helium abundance that lead to changes in luminosity and effective temperature, but leave the flux distribution above 400 nm practically unaffected. A variation of just the helium abundance up to the level we investigate here exclusively affects the interior structure of stars, and is largely irrelevant for the atmospheric structure and the resulting flux distribution in the whole wavelength range spanned by our analysis.
Context. Low-mass dwarf spheroidal galaxies are key objects for our understanding of the chemical evolution of the pristine Universe and the Local Group of galaxies. Abundance ratios in stars of ...these objects can be used to better understand their star formation and chemical evolution. Aims. We report on the analysis of a sample of 11 stars belonging to five different ultra-faint dwarf spheroidal galaxies (UfDSph) that is based on X-Shooter spectra obtained at the VLT. Methods. Medium-resolution spectra have been used to determine the detailed chemical composition of their atmosphere. We performed a standard 1D LTE analysis to compute the abundances. Results. Considering all the stars as representative of the same population of low-mass galaxies, we found that the α/Fe ratios vs.s Fe/H decreases as the metallicity of the star increases in a way similar to that which is found for the population of stars that belong to dwarf spheroidal galaxies. The main difference is that the solar α/Fe is reached at a much lower metallicity for the UfDSph than for the dwarf spheroidal galaxies. We report for the first time the abundance of strontium in CVn II. The star we analyzed in this galaxy has a very high Sr/Fe and a very low upper limit of barium which makes it a star with an exceptionally high Sr/Ba ratio.
Abstract
We have developed a model atom for Cu with which we perform statistical equilibrium computations that allow us to compute the line formation of Cu i lines in stellar atmospheres without ...assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). We validate this model atom by reproducing the observed line profiles of the Sun, Procyon and 11 metal-poor stars. Our sample of stars includes both dwarfs and giants. Over a wide range of stellar parameters, we obtain excellent agreement among different Cu i lines. The 11 metal-poor stars have iron abundances in the range − 4.2 ≤ Fe/H ≤ -1.4, the weighted mean of the Cu/Fe ratios is −0.22 dex, with a scatter of −0.15 dex. This is very different from the results from LTE analysis (the difference between NLTE and LTE abundances reaches 1 dex) and in spite of the small size of our sample, it prompts for a revision of the Galactic evolution of Cu.
Context. Much of what we know about the Milky Way disk is based on studies of the solar vicinity. The structure, kinematics, and chemical composition of the far side of the Galactic disk, beyond the ...bulge, are still to be revealed. Aims. Classical Cepheids (CCs) are young and luminous standard candles. We aim to use a well-characterized sample of these variable stars to study the present-time properties of the far side of the Galactic disk. Methods. A sample of 45 Cepheid variable star candidates were selected from near-infrared time series photometry obtained by the VVV survey. We characterized this sample using high quality near-infrared spectra obtained with VLT/X-shooter. The spectroscopic data was used to derive radial velocities and iron abundances for all the sample Cepheids. This allowed us to separate the CCs, which are metal rich and with kinematics consistent with the disk rotation, from type II Cepheids (T2Cs), which are more metal poor and with different kinematics. Results. We estimated individual distances and extinctions using VVV photometry and period-luminosity relations, reporting the characterization of 30 CCs located on the far side of the Galactic disk, plus 8 T2Cs mainly located in the bulge region, of which 10 CCs and 4 T2Cs are new discoveries. The remaining seven stars are probably misclassified foreground ellipsoidal binaries. This is the first sizeable sample of CCs in this distant region of our Galaxy that has been spectroscopically confirmed. We use their positions, kinematics, and metallicities to confirm that the general properties of the far disk are similar to those of the well-studied disk on the solar side of the Galaxy. In addition, we derive for the first time the radial metallicity gradient on the disk’s far side. Considering all the CCs with RGC < 17 kpc, we measure a gradient with a slope of −0.062 dex kpc−1 and an intercept of +0.59 dex, which is in agreement with previous determinations based on CCs on the near side of the disk.
Context. The current and planned high-resolution, high-multiplexity stellar spectroscopic surveys, as well as the swelling amount of underutilized data present in public archives, have led to an ...increasing number of efforts to automate the crucial but slow process of retrieving stellar parameters and chemical abundances from spectra. Aims. We present MyGIsFOS1, a code designed to derive atmospheric parameters and detailed stellar abundances from medium- to high-resolution spectra of cool (FGK) stars. We describe the general structure and workings of the code, present analyses of a number of well-studied stars representative of the parameter space MyGIsFOS is designed to cover, and give examples of the exploitation of MyGIsFOS very fast analysis to assess uncertainties through Monte Carlo tests. Methods. MyGIsFOS aims to reproduce a “traditional” manual analysis by fitting spectral features for different elements against a precomputed grid of synthetic spectra. The lines of Fe i and Fe ii can be employed to determine temperature, gravity, microturbulence, and metallicity by iteratively minimizing the dependence of Fe i abundance from line lower energy and equivalent width, and imposing Fe i-Fe ii ionization equilibrium. Once parameters are retrieved, detailed chemical abundances are measured from lines of other elements. Results. MyGIsFOS replicates closely the results obtained in similar analyses on a set of well-known stars. It is also quite fast, performing a full parameter determination and detailed abundance analysis in about two minutes per star on a mainstream desktop computer. Currently, its preferred field of application are high-resolution and/or large spectral coverage data (e.g., UVES, X-shooter, HARPS, Sophie).
We present a general overview and the first results of the SUMO project (a SUrvey of Multiple pOpulations in Globular Clusters). The objective of this survey is the study of multiple stellar ...populations in the largest sample of globular clusters homogeneously analysed to date. To this aim we obtained high signal-to-noise (S/N > 50) photometry for main sequence stars with mass down to ∼0.5 M in a large sample of clusters using both archival and proprietary U, B, V and I data from ground-based telescopes.
In this paper, we focus on the occurrence of multiple stellar populations in 23 clusters. We define a new photometric index, c
U, B, I
= (U − B) − (B − I), which turns out to be very effective for identifying multiple sequences along the red giant branch (RGB). We found that in the V-c
U, B, I
diagram all clusters presented in this paper show broadened or multimodal RGBs, with the presence of two or more components. We found a direct connection with the chemical properties of different sequences, which display different abundances of light elements (O, Na, C, N and Al). The c
U, B, I
index is also a powerful tool for identifying distinct sequences of stars along the horizontal branch and, for the first time in the case of NGC 104 (47 Tuc), along the asymptotic giant branch. Our results demonstrate that (i) the presence of more than two stellar populations is a common feature amongst globular clusters, as already highlighted in previous work; (ii) multiple sequences with different chemical contents can be easily identified by using standard Johnson photometry obtained with ground-based facilities; (iii) in the study of globular cluster multiple stellar populations the c
U, B, I
index is an alternative to spectroscopy, and has the advantage of larger statistics.
Context.The Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy is the nearest neighbor of the Milky Way. Moving along a short period quasi-polar orbit within the Halo, it is being destroyed by the tidal interaction ...with our Galaxy, losing its stellar content along a huge stellar stream. Aims.We study the detailed chemical composition of 12 giant stars in the Sagittarius dwarf Spheroidal main body, together with 5 more in the associated globular cluster Terzan 7, by means of high resolution VLT-UVES spectra. Methods.Abundances are derived for up to 21 elements from O to Nd, by fitting lines EW or line profiles against ATLAS 9 model atmospheres and SYNTHE spectral syntheses calculated ad-hoc. Temperatures are derived from $(V-I)_0$ or $(B-V)_0$ colors and gravities from $\ion{Fe}{i}$ – $\ion{Fe}{ii}$ ionization equilibrium. Results.The metallicity of the observed stars is between Fe/H = -0.9 and 0. We detected a highly peculiar “chemical signature”, with undersolar α elements, Na, Al, Sc, V, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn, among others, and overabundant La, Ce, and Nd. Many of these abundance ratios (in particular light-odd elements and iron peak ones) are strongly at odds with what is observed within the Milky Way, so they may be a very useful tool for recognizing populations originating within the Sagittarius dwarf. This can be clearly seen in the case of the globular Palomar 12, which is believed to have been stripped from Sagittarius: the cluster shows precisely the same chemical “oddities”, thus finally confirming its extragalactic origin.
The globular cluster 47 Tuc exhibits a complex sub-giant branch (SGB) with a faint-SGB comprising only about the 10 per cent of the cluster mass and a bright-SGB hosting at least two distinct ...populations. We present a spectroscopic analysis of 62 SGB stars including 21 faint-SGB stars. We thus provide the first chemical analysis of the intriguing faint-SGB population and compare its abundances with those of the dominant populations. We have inferred abundances of Fe, representative light elements C, N, Na, and Al, α elements Mg and Si for individual stars. Oxygen has been obtained by co-adding spectra of stars on different sequences. In addition, we have analysed 12 stars along the two main RGBs of 47 Tuc. Our principal results are (i) star-to-star variations in C/N/Na among RGB and bright-SGB stars; (ii) substantial N and Na enhancements for the minor population corresponding to the faint-SGB; (iii) no high enrichment in C+N+O for faint-SGB stars. Specifically, the C+N+O of the faint-SGB is a factor of 1.1 higher than the bright-SGB, which, considering random (±1.3) plus systematic errors (±0.3), means that their C+N+O is consistent within observational uncertainties. However, a small C+N+O enrichment for the faint-SGB, similar to what predicted on theoretical ground, cannot be excluded. The N and Na enrichment of the faint-SGB qualitatively agrees with this population possibly being He-enhanced, as suggested by theory. The iron abundance of the bright and faint-SGB is the same to a level of ∼0.10 dex, and no other significant difference for the analysed elements has been detected.
We present a high-resolution spectroscopic analysis of 62 red giants in the Milky Way globular cluster (GC) NGC 5286. We have determined abundances of representative light proton-capture, α, Fe-peak ...and neutron-capture element groups, and combined them with photometry of multiple sequences observed along the colour–magnitude diagram. Our principal results are: (i) a broad, bimodal distribution in s-process element abundance ratios, with two main groups, the s-poor and s-rich groups; (ii) substantial star-to-star Fe variations, with the s-rich stars having higher Fe, e.g.
$\langle \mathrm{Fe/H}\rangle _{s{\hbox{-}\rm rich}} - \langle \mathrm{Fe/H}\rangle _{s{\hbox{-}\rm poor}}$
∼ 0.2 dex; and (iii) the presence of O–Na–Al (anti)correlations in both stellar groups. We have defined a new photometric index, c
BVI
= (B − V) − (V − I), to maximize the separation in the colour–magnitude diagram between the two stellar groups with different Fe and s-element content, and this index is not significantly affected by variations in light elements (such as the O–Na anticorrelation). The variations in the overall metallicity present in NGC 5286 add this object to the class of anomalous GCs. Furthermore, the chemical abundance pattern of NGC 5286 resembles that observed in some of the anomalous GCs, e.g. M 22, NGC 1851, M 2, and the more extreme ω Centauri, that also show internal variations in s-elements, and in light elements within stars with different Fe and s-elements content. In view of the common variations in s-elements, we propose the term s-Fe-anomalous GCs to describe this sub-class of objects. The similarities in chemical abundance ratios between these objects strongly suggest similar formation and evolution histories, possibly associated with an origin in tidally disrupted dwarf satellites.
TOPoS Bonifacio, P.; Monaco, L.; Salvadori, S. ...
Astronomy and astrophysics (Berlin),
07/2021, Letnik:
651
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Context.
The goal of the Turn-Off Primordial Stars survey (TOPoS) project is to find and analyse turn-off (TO) stars of extremely low metallicity. To select the targets for spectroscopic follow-up at ...high spectral resolution, we relied on low-resolution spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS).
Aims.
In this paper, we use the metallicity estimates we obtained from our analysis of the SDSS spectra to construct the metallicity distribution function (MDF) of the Milky Way, with special emphasis on its metal-weak tail. The goal is to provide the underlying distribution out of which the TOPoS sample was extracted.
Methods.
We made use of SDSS photometry,
Gaia
photometry, and distance estimates derived from the
Gaia
parallaxes to derive a metallicity estimate for a large sample of over 24 million TO stars. This sample was used to derive the metallicity bias of the sample for which SDSS spectra are available.
Results.
We determined that the spectroscopic sample is strongly biased in favour of metal-poor stars, as intended. A comparison with the unbiased photometric sample allows us to correct for the selection bias. We selected a sub-sample of stars with reliable parallaxes for which we combined the SDSS radial velocities with
Gaia
proper motions and parallaxes to compute actions and orbital parameters in the Galactic potential. This allowed us to characterise the stars dynamically, and in particular to select a sub-sample that belongs to the
Gaia
-Sausage-Enceladus (GSE) accretion event. We are thus also able to provide the MDF of GSE.
Conclusions.
The metal-weak tail derived in our study is very similar to that derived in the H3 survey and in the Hamburg/ESO Survey. This allows us to average the three MDFs and provide an error bar for each metallicity bin. Inasmuch as the GSE structure is representative of the progenitor galaxy that collided with the Milky Way, that galaxy appears to be strongly deficient in metal-poor stars compared to the Milky Way, suggesting that the metal-weak tail of the latter has been largely formed by accretion of low-mass galaxies rather than massive galaxies, such as the GSE progenitor.
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