Bibcode
Hayes, C. R.; Majewski, Steven R.; Shetrone, Matthew; Fernández-Alvar, E.; Allende Prieto, C.; Schuster, William J.; Carigi, Leticia; Cunha, Katia; Smith, Verne V.; Sobeck, Jennifer; Almeida, Andres; Beers, Timothy C.; Carrera, R.; Fernández-Trincado, J. G.; García-Hernández, D. A.; Geisler, Doug; Lane, Richard R.; Lucatello, Sara; Matthews, Allison M.; Minniti, Dante; Nitschelm, Christian; Tang, Baitian; Tissera, Patricia B.; Zamora, O.
Bibliographical reference
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 852, Issue 1, article id. 49, 18 pp. (2018).
Advertised on:
1
2018
Journal
Citations
135
Refereed citations
127
Description
We find two chemically distinct populations separated relatively cleanly
in the [Fe/H]–[Mg/Fe] plane, but also distinguished in other
chemical planes, among metal-poor stars (primarily with metallicities
[{Fe}/{{H}}]< -0.9) observed by the Apache Point Observatory Galactic
Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) and analyzed for Data Release 13 (DR13) of
the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. These two stellar populations show the
most significant differences in their [X/Fe] ratios for the
α-elements, C+N, Al, and Ni. In addition to these populations
having differing chemistry, the low metallicity high-Mg population
(which we denote “the HMg population”) exhibits a
significant net Galactic rotation, whereas the low-Mg population (or
“the LMg population”) has halo-like kinematics with little
to no net rotation. Based on its properties, the origin of the LMg
population is likely an accreted population of stars. The HMg population
shows chemistry (and to an extent kinematics) similar to the thick disk,
and is likely associated with in situ formation. The distinction between
the LMg and HMg populations mimics the differences between the
populations of low- and high-α halo stars found in previous
studies, suggesting that these are samples of the same two populations.
Related projects
Nucleosynthesis and molecular processes in the late stages of Stellar Evolution
Low- to intermediate-mass (M < 8 solar masses, Ms) stars represent the majority of stars in the Cosmos. They finish their lives on the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) - just before they form planetary nebulae (PNe) - where they experience complex nucleosynthetic and molecular processes. AGB stars are important contributors to the enrichment of the
Domingo Aníbal
García Hernández
Chemical Abundances in Stars
Stellar spectroscopy allows us to determine the properties and chemical compositions of stars. From this information for stars of different ages in the Milky Way, it is possible to reconstruct the chemical evolution of the Galaxy, as well as the origin of the elements heavier than boron, created mainly in stellar interiors. It is also possible to
Carlos
Allende Prieto