Context. To alleviate the discrepancy between the prediction of the primordial lithium abundance in the universe and the abundances observed in Pop II dwarfs and subgiant stars, it has been suggested ...that the stars observable today have undergone photospheric depletion of lithium. Aims. To identify the cause of this depletion, it is important to accurately establish the behaviour of lithium abundance with effective temperature and evolutionary phase. Stars in globular clusters are ideal objects for such an abundance analysis, because relative stellar parameters can be determined precisely. Methods. We conducted a homogeneous analysis of a very large sample of stars in the metal-poor globular cluster NGC 6397, covering all evolutionary phases from below the main sequence turn-off to high up on the red giant branch. Non-LTE Li abundances or abundance upper limits were obtained for all stars, and for a sizeable subset of the targets sodium abundances were also obtained. The Na abundances were used to distinguish stars formed out of pristine material from stars formed out of material affected by pollution from a previous generation of more massive stars. Results. The dwarf, turn-off, and early subgiant stars in our sample form a thin abundance plateau, disrupted in the middle of the subgiant branch by the Li dilution caused by the first dredge-up. A second steep abundance drop is seen at the luminosity of the red giant branch bump. The turn-off stars are more Li-poor, by up to 0.1 dex, than subgiants that have not yet undergone dredge-up. In addition, hotter dwarfs are slightly more Li-poor than cooler dwarfs, which may be a signature of the so-called Li dip in the cluster, commonly seen among Pop I stars. The feature is however weak. A considerably wide spread in Na abundance confirms that NGC 6397 has suffered from intracluster pollution in its infancy and a limited number of Na-enhanced and Li-deficient stars strongly contribute to forming a significant anti-correlation between the abundances of Na and Li. It is nevertheless seen that Li abundances are unaffected by relatively high degrees of pollution. Lithium abundance trends with effective temperature and stellar luminosity are compared to predictions from stellar structure models including atomic diffusion and ad-hoc turbulence below the convection zone. We confirm previous findings that some turbulence, with strict limits to its efficiency, is necessary for explaining the observations.
ABSTRACT
We present the study on continuous high-resolution spectroscopic observations of two long-period single-lined RS Canum Venaticorum (RS CVn) binary stars IM Pegasi (IM Peg) and σ Geminorum ...(σ Gem), obtained with the Hertzsprung SONG telescope during the 2015–2016 season. Chromospheric activity indicators Hα, $\rm{Na\,\,{\small I}}$ D1, D2 doublet, $\rm{He\,\,{\small I}}$ D3, and Hβ lines have been analysed by using the spectral subtraction technique. The expected chromospheric emission features in the Hα, $\rm{Na\,\,{\small I}}$ D1, D2 doublet, and Hβ lines confirm that both of two stars are very active systems. In the spectra, the $\rm{He\,\,{\small I}}$ D3 line had been always detected in absorption feature. Although the behaviour of chromospheric activity indicators is very similar for both stars, the activity level of IM Peg is much stronger than that of σ Gem. Moreover, the equivalent width variations of the Hα, $\rm{He\,\,{\small I}}$ D3, and Hβ line subtractions correlate well and show different behaviour among different orbital cycles, which indicates the presence and evolution of activity longitudes over the surface of two stars. Furthermore, the subtracted Hα line profile is usually asymmetric. The red-shifted excess absorption features could be interpreted as a strong down-flow of cool absorbing material, while the blue-shifted emission component is probably caused by up-flow of hot materials through microflare events.
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.
Asteroseismic constraints on K giants make it possible to infer radii, masses and ages of tens of thousands of field stars. Tests against independent estimates of these properties are however scarce, ...especially in the metal-poor regime. Here, we report the detection of solar-like oscillations in eight stars belonging to the red-giant branch (RGB) and red-horizontal branch (RHB) of the globular cluster M4. The detections were made in photometric observations from the K2 Mission during its Campaign 2. Making use of independent constraints on the distance, we estimate masses of the eight stars by utilizing different combinations of seismic and non-seismic inputs. When introducing a correction to the Δν scaling relation as suggested by stellar models, for RGB stars we find excellent agreement with the expected masses from isochrone fitting, and with a distance modulus derived using independent methods. The offset with respect to independent masses is lower, or comparable with, the uncertainties on the average RGB mass (4–10 per cent, depending on the combination of constraints used). Our results lend confidence to asteroseismic masses in the metal-poor regime. We note that a larger sample will be needed to allow more stringent tests to be made of systematic uncertainties in all the observables (both seismic and non-seismic), and to explore the properties of RHB stars, and of different populations in the cluster.
Multi-band Hubble Space Telescope photometry reveals that the main sequence, sub-giant, and the red-giant branch of the globular cluster NGC 6752 splits into three main components in close analogy ...with the three distinct segments along its horizontal branch stars. These triple sequences are consistent with three stellar groups: a stellar population with a chemical composition similar to field-halo stars (Population a), a Population (c) with enhanced sodium and nitrogen, depleted carbon and oxygen, and an enhanced helium abundance ( Delta Y ~ 0.03), and a Population (b) with an intermediate (between Populations a and c) chemical composition and slightly enhanced helium ( Delta Y ~ 0.01). These components contain ~25% (Population a), ~45% (Population b), and ~30% (Population c) of the stars. No radial gradient for the relative numbers of the three populations has been identified out to about 2.5 half-mass radii.
Context. A previous study of solar twin stars has revealed the existence of correlations between some abundance ratios and stellar age providing new knowledge about nucleosynthesis and Galactic ...chemical evolution. Aims. High-precision abundances of elements are determined for stars with asteroseismic ages in order to test the solar twin relations. Methods. HARPS-N spectra with signal-to-noise ratios S/N ≳ 250 and MARCS model atmospheres were used to derive abundances of C, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, Cr, Fe, Ni, Zn, and Y in ten stars from the Kepler LEGACY sample (including the binary pair 16 Cyg A and B) selected to have metallicities in the range − 0.15 < Fe / H < + 0.15 and ages between 1 and 7 Gyr. Stellar gravities were obtained from seismic data and effective temperatures were determined by comparing non-LTE iron abundances derived from Fe i and Fe ii lines. Available non-LTE corrections were also applied when deriving abundances of the other elements. Results. The abundances of the Kepler stars support the X/Fe-age relations previously found for solar twins. Mg/Fe, Al/Fe, and Zn/Fe decrease by ~ 0.1 dex over the lifetime of the Galactic thin disk due to delayed contribution of iron from Type Ia supernovae relative to prompt production of Mg, Al, and Zn in Type II supernovae. Y/Mg and Y/Al, on the other hand, increase by ~ 0.3 dex, which can be explained by an increasing contribution of s-process elements from low-mass AGB stars as time goes on. The trends of C/Fe and O/Fe are more complicated due to variations of the ratio between refractory and volatile elements among stars of similar age. Two stars with about the same age as the Sun show very different trends of X/H as a function of elemental condensation temperature Tc and for 16 Cyg, the two components have an abundance difference, which increases with Tc. These anomalies may be connected to planet-star interactions.
Abstract
Our aim is to derive a self-consistent age, distance and composition for the globular cluster 47 Tucanae (47 Tuc; NGC104). First, we re-evaluate the reddening towards the cluster resulting ...in a nominal E(B − V) = 0.03 ± 0.01 as the best estimate. The T
eff of the components of the eclipsing binary member V69 is found to be 5900 ± 72 K from both photometric and spectroscopic evidence. This yields a true distance modulus (m − M)0 = 13.21 ± 0.06(random) ±0.03(systematic) to 47 Tuc when combined with existing measurements of V69 radii and luminosity ratio. We then present a new completely self-consistent isochrone fitting method to ground-based and Hubble Space Telescope cluster colour–magnitude diagrams and the eclipsing binary member V69. The analysis suggests that the composition of V69, and by extension one of the populations of 47 Tuc, is given by Fe/H ∼ −0.70, O/Fe ∼ +0.60 and Y ∼ 0.250 on the solar abundance scale of Asplund, Grevesse & Sauval. However, this depends on the accuracy of the model T
eff scale that is 50–75 K cooler than our best estimate but within measurement uncertainties. Our best estimate of the age of 47 Tuc is 11.8 Gyr, with firm (3σ) lower and upper limits of 10.4 and 13.4 Gyr, respectively, in satisfactory agreement with the age derived from the white dwarf cooling sequence if our determination of the distance modulus is adopted.
We present a homogeneous photometric and spectroscopic analysis of 18 stars along the evolutionary sequence of the metal-poor globular cluster NGC 6397 (Fe/H approximately -2), from the main-sequence ...turnoff point to red giants below the bump. The spectroscopic stellar parameters, in particular stellar parameter differences between groups of stars, are in good agreement with broadband and Stroemgren photometry calibrated on the infrared flux method. The spectroscopic abundance analysis reveals, for the first time, systematic trends of iron abundance with evolutionary stage. Iron is found to be 30% less abundant in the turnoff point stars than in the red giants. An abundance difference in lithium is seen between the turnoff point and warm subgiant stars. The impact of potential systematic errors on these abundance trends (stellar parameters, the hydrostatic and LTE approximations) is quantitatively evaluated and found not to alter our conclusions significantly. Trends for various elements (Li, Mg, Ca, Ti, and Fe) are compared with stellar structure models including the effects of atomic diffusion and radiative acceleration. Such models are found to describe the observed element-specific trends well, if extra (turbulent) mixing just below the convection zone is introduced. It is concluded that atomic diffusion and turbulent mixing are largely responsible for the subprimordial stellar lithium abundances of warm halo stars. Other consequences of atomic diffusion in old metal-poor stars are also discussed.
Aims. A spectroscopic analysis of stellar spectra can be carried out using multiple approaches such as different methods, line lists, atmospheric models, atomic parameters, and solar abundances. The ...resulting atmospheric parameters from these choices can vary beyond the quoted uncertainties in the literature. We characterize these differences by systematically comparing some of the commonly adopted ingredients such as line lists, equivalent width measurements, and atomic parameters. Methods. High-resolution and high signal-to-noise (S/N) spectroscopic data of one helium-core-burning red giant star in each of the three open clusters, NGC 6819, M67, and NGC 188 were obtained with the FIES spectrograph at the Nordic Optical Telescope. The M67 target was used to benchmark the analysis, as it is a well-studied cluster with asteroseismic data from the K2 mission. For the other two clusters we obtained higher quality data than had been analyzed before, which allows us to establish their chemical composition more securely. Using a line by line analysis, we tested several different combinations of line lists and programs to measure equivalent widths of stellar absorption lines to characterize systematic differences within the same spectroscopic method. Results. The obtained parameters for the benchmark star in M67 vary up to ~170 K in effective temperature, ~0.4 dex in log g and ~0.25 dex in Fe/H between the tested setups. Using the combination of an equivalent width measurement program and line list that best reproduce the inferred surface gravity from asteroseismology, we determined the atmospheric parameters for the three stars and securely established the chemical composition of NGC 6819 to be close to solar, Fe/H = −0.02 ± 0.01 dex. Conclusions. We highlighted the significantly different results obtained with different combinations of line lists, programs, and atomic parameters. The results emphasize the importance of benchmark stars studied with several methods to anchor spectroscopic analyses.
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