Bibcode
Reddy, B. E.; Tomkin, J.; Lambert, D. L.; Allende Prieto, C.
Bibliographical reference
"Origin and Evolution of the Elements, from the Carnegie Observatories Centennial Symposia. Carnegie Observatories Astrophysics Series. Edited by A. McWilliam and M. Rauch, 2004. Pasadena: Carnegie Observatories, http://www.ociw.edu/ociw/symposia/series/symposium4/proceedings.html&qu…;
Advertised on:
2004
Citations
0
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Description
Here, we discussed our recent results of elemental abundance survey of
Galactic disk based on 181 F- and G-type dwarfs (published by Reddy et
al. 2003, MNRAS, 340, 304). Using high-resolution and high
signal-to-noise spectra we obtained quantitative abundances for 27
elements: C, N, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, S, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni,
Cu, Zn, Sr, Y, Zr, Ba, Ce, Nd, and Eu. For the entire sample we have
determined kinematic (U,V,W) and the orbital parameters (peri- and apo-
Galactic distances).
The alpha-elements -- O, Mg, Si, Ca, and Ti -- show [α/Fe] to
increase slightly with decreasing [Fe/H]. Heavy elements with dominant
contributions at solar metallicity from the s-process show [s/Fe] to
decrease slightly with decreasing [Fe/H]. Scatter in [X/Fe] at a fixed
[Fe/H] is entirely attributable to the small measurement errors, after
excluding the few thick disk stars and the s-process enriched CH
subgiants. Tight limits are set on `cosmic' scatter. If a weak trend
with [Fe/H] is taken into account, the composition of a thin disk star
expressed as [X/Fe] is independent of the star's age and birthplace for
elements contributed in different proportions by massive stars (Type II
SN), exploding white dwarfs (Type Ia SN), and asymptotic red giant
branch stars.
By combining our sample with published studies, we deduced properties of
thin and thick disk stars. Thick disk stars are primarily identified by
their VLSR in the range - 40 to -100 km s-1. These
are very old stars with origins in the inner Galaxy and metallicities
[Fe/H] <˜-0.4. At the same [Fe/H], the sampled thin disk stars
have VLSR ˜0 km s-1, and are generally
younger with a birthplace at about the Sun's Galactocentric distance. In
the range -0.35 ≥ [Fe/H] ≥ -0.70, well represented by present thin
and thick disk samples, [X/Fe] of the thick disk stars is greater than
that of thin disk stars for Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, and Eu. [X/Fe] is very
similar for the thin and thick disk for -- notably -- Na, and iron-group
elements. Barium ([Ba/Fe]) may be underabundant in thick relative to
thin disk stars. These results extend previous ideas about composition
differences between the thin and thick disk.