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A non-LTE study of neutral and singly-ionized calcium in late-type stars
Aims.Non-local thermodynamical equilibrium (NLTE) line formation forneutral and singly-ionized calcium is considered through a range ofspectral types when the Ca abundance varies from the solar value down to[Ca/H] = -5. We evaluate the influence of departures from LTE on Caabundance determinations and inspect the possibility of using Ca I / CaII line-strength ratios as indicators of surface gravity for extremelymetal-poor stars. Methods: .A comprehensive model atom for Ca Iand Ca II is presented. Accurate radiative and electron collisionalatomic data are incorporated. The role of inelastic collisions withhydrogen atoms in the statistical equilibrium of Ca I/II is estimatedempirically from inspection of their different influences on the Ca Iand Ca II lines in selected stars with well determined stellarparameters and high-quality observed spectra. Results: .Thedependence of NLTE effects on the atmospheric parameters is discussed.Departures from LTE significantly affect the profiles of Ca I lines overthe whole range of stellar parameters being considered. However, at[Ca/H] ≥ -2, NLTE abundance correction of individual lines have alow absolute value due to the different influence of NLTE effects online wings and the line core. At lower Ca abundances, NLTE leads tosystematically depleted total absorption in the line and positiveabundance corrections, exceeding +0.5 dex for Ca I λ 4226 at[Ca/H] = -4.9. In contrast, the NLTE effects strengthen the Ca II linesand lead to negative abundance corrections. NLTE corrections are small,≤0.02 dex, for the Ca II resonance lines, and they grow in absolutevalue with decreasing Ca abundance for the IR lines of multiplet 3d-4p,exceeding 0.4 dex in the metal-poor models with [Fe/H] ≤ -3. As atest and first application of the Ca I/II model atom, Ca abundances aredetermined on the basis of plane-parallel LTE model atmospheres for theSun, Procyon (F IV-V), and seven metal-poor stars, using high S/N andhigh-resolution spectra at visual and near-IR wavelengths. Lines of Ca Iand Ca II give consistent abundances for all objects (except Procyon)when collisions with hydrogen atoms are taken into account. The derivedabsolute solar Ca abundance (from Ca I and Ca II lines) is log\varepsilon_Ca,ȯ = 6.38 ± 0.06. For Procyon, the mean Caabundance from Ca I lines is markedly subsolar, [Ca/H] = -0.14 ±0.03. All metal-poor stars within our sample show an overabundance ofcalcium relative to iron with [Ca/Fe] abundance ratios of 0.26 to 0.46that are typical of the halo population. The W(Ca I 4226) / W(Ca II8498) equivalent width ratio is predicted to be sensitive to surfacegravity for extremely metal-poor stars, while this is not the case forthe ratio involving the Ca II resonance line(s).
| Lithium Isotopic Abundances in Metal-poor Halo Stars
Very high quality spectra of 24 metal-poor halo dwarfs and subgiantshave been acquired with ESO's VLT/UVES for the purpose of determining Liisotopic abundances. The derived one-dimensional, non-LTE 7Li abundances from the Li I 670.8 nm line reveal a pronounceddependence on metallicity but with negligible scatter around this trend.Very good agreement is found between the abundances from the Li I 670.8nm line and the Li I 610.4 nm line. The estimated primordial 7Li abundance is7Li/H=(1.1-1.5)×10-10, which is a factor of3-4 lower than predicted from standard big bang nucleosynthesis with thebaryon density inferred from the cosmic microwave background.Interestingly, 6Li is detected in 9 of our 24 stars at the>=2 σ significance level. Our observations suggest theexistence of a 6Li plateau at the level oflogε6Li~0.8 however, taking into accountpredictions for 6Li destruction during the pre-main-sequenceevolution tilts the plateau such that the 6Li abundancesapparently increase with metallicity. Our most noteworthy result is thedetection of 6Li in the very metal-poor star LP 815-43. Sucha high 6Li abundance during these early Galactic epochs isvery difficult to achieve by Galactic cosmic-ray spallation andα-fusion reactions. It is concluded that both Li isotopes have apre-Galactic origin. Possible 6Li production channels includeprotogalactic shocks and late-decaying or annihilating supersymmetricparticles during the era of big bang nucleosynthesis. The presence of6Li limits the possible degree of stellar 7Lidepletion and thus sharpens the discrepancy with standard big bangnucleosynthesis.Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory,Paranal, Chile (observing programs 65.L-0131, 68.D-0091, and273.D-5043).
| Effective temperature scale and bolometric corrections from 2MASS photometry
We present a method to determine effective temperatures, angularsemi-diameters and bolometric corrections for population I and II FGKtype stars based on V and 2MASS IR photometry. Accurate calibration isaccomplished by using a sample of solar analogues, whose averagetemperature is assumed to be equal to the solar effective temperature of5777 K. By taking into account all possible sources of error we estimateassociated uncertainties to better than 1% in effective temperature andin the range 1.0-2.5% in angular semi-diameter for unreddened stars.Comparison of our new temperatures with other determinations extractedfrom the literature indicates, in general, remarkably good agreement.These results suggest that the effective temperaure scale of FGK starsis currently established with an accuracy better than 0.5%-1%. Theapplication of the method to a sample of 10 999 dwarfs in the Hipparcoscatalogue allows us to define temperature and bolometric correction (Kband) calibrations as a function of (V-K), [m/H] and log g. Bolometriccorrections in the V and K bands as a function of T_eff, [m/H] and log gare also given. We provide effective temperatures, angularsemi-diameters, radii and bolometric corrections in the V and K bandsfor the 10 999 FGK stars in our sample with the correspondinguncertainties.
| The Geneva-Copenhagen survey of the Solar neighbourhood. Ages, metallicities, and kinematic properties of 14 000 F and G dwarfs
We present and discuss new determinations of metallicity, rotation, age,kinematics, and Galactic orbits for a complete, magnitude-limited, andkinematically unbiased sample of 16 682 nearby F and G dwarf stars. Our63 000 new, accurate radial-velocity observations for nearly 13 500stars allow identification of most of the binary stars in the sampleand, together with published uvbyβ photometry, Hipparcosparallaxes, Tycho-2 proper motions, and a few earlier radial velocities,complete the kinematic information for 14 139 stars. These high-qualityvelocity data are supplemented by effective temperatures andmetallicities newly derived from recent and/or revised calibrations. Theremaining stars either lack Hipparcos data or have fast rotation. Amajor effort has been devoted to the determination of new isochrone agesfor all stars for which this is possible. Particular attention has beengiven to a realistic treatment of statistical biases and errorestimates, as standard techniques tend to underestimate these effectsand introduce spurious features in the age distributions. Our ages agreewell with those by Edvardsson et al. (\cite{edv93}), despite severalastrophysical and computational improvements since then. We demonstrate,however, how strong observational and theoretical biases cause thedistribution of the observed ages to be very different from that of thetrue age distribution of the sample. Among the many basic relations ofthe Galactic disk that can be reinvestigated from the data presentedhere, we revisit the metallicity distribution of the G dwarfs and theage-metallicity, age-velocity, and metallicity-velocity relations of theSolar neighbourhood. Our first results confirm the lack of metal-poor Gdwarfs relative to closed-box model predictions (the ``G dwarfproblem''), the existence of radial metallicity gradients in the disk,the small change in mean metallicity of the thin disk since itsformation and the substantial scatter in metallicity at all ages, andthe continuing kinematic heating of the thin disk with an efficiencyconsistent with that expected for a combination of spiral arms and giantmolecular clouds. Distinct features in the distribution of the Vcomponent of the space motion are extended in age and metallicity,corresponding to the effects of stochastic spiral waves rather thanclassical moving groups, and may complicate the identification ofthick-disk stars from kinematic criteria. More advanced analyses of thisrich material will require careful simulations of the selection criteriafor the sample and the distribution of observational errors.Based on observations made with the Danish 1.5-m telescope at ESO, LaSilla, Chile, and with the Swiss 1-m telescope at Observatoire deHaute-Provence, France.Complete Tables 1 and 2 are only available in electronic form at the CDSvia anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/418/989
| Stars of Extragalactic Origin in the Solar Neighborhood
For 77 main-sequence F-G stars in the solar neighborhood with publishediron, magnesium, and europium abundances determined from high-dispersionspectra and with the ages estimated from theoretical isochrones, wecalculated the spatial velocities using Hipparcos data and the Galacticorbital elements. A comparison with the orbital elements of the globularclusters that are known to have been accreted by our Galaxy in the pastreveals stars of extragalactic origin. We show that the abundance ratiosof r- and alpha-elements in all the accreted stars differ sharply fromthose in the stars that are genetically associated with the Galaxy.According to current theoretical models, europium is produced mainly inlow-mass type-II supernovae (SNe II), while magnesium is synthesized inlarge quantities in high-mass SN II progenitors. Since all the oldaccreted stars of our sample exhibit a significant Eu overabundancerelative to Mg, we conclude that the maximum masses of the SN IIprogenitors outside the Galaxy were much lower than those inside it. Onthe other hand, only a small number of young accreted stars exhibit lownegative ratios [Eu/Mg] < 0. This can be explained by the delay ofprimordial star formation and the explosions of high-mass SNe II in arelatively small part of extragalactic space. We provide evidence thatthe interstellar medium was weakly mixed at the early evolutionarystages of the Galaxy formed from a single protogalactic cloud, and thatthe maximum mass of the SN II progenitors increased in it with timesimultaneously with the increase in mean metallicity.
| Neutron-Capture Elements in Halo, Thick-Disk, and Thin-Disk Stars: Neodymium
We have derived the LTE neodymium abundances in 60 cool stars withmetallicities [Fe/H] from 0.25 to -1.71 by applying a synthetic-spectrumanalysis to spectroscopic observations of NdII lines with a resolutionof λ/Δλ⋍60 000 and signal-to-noise ratios of100 200. We have improved the atomic parameters of NdII and blendinglines by analyzing the corresponding line pro files in the solarspectrum. Neodymium is overabundant with respect to iron in halo stars,[Nd/Fe]=0.33±0.09, with the [Nd/Fe] ratio decreasingsystematically with metallicity when [Fe/H]>-1. This reflects anonset of efficient iron production in type I supernovae during theformation of the thick disk. The [Nd/Ba] and [Nd/Eu] abundance ratiosbehave differently in halo, thick-disk, and thin-disk stars. Theobserved abundance ratios in halo stars, [Nd/Ba]=0.34±0.08 and[Nd/Eu]=-0.27±0.05, agree within the errors with the ratios ofthe elemental yields for the r-process. These results support theconclusion of other authors based on analyses of other elements that ther-process played the dominant role in the synthesis of heavy elementsduring the formation of the halo. The [Nd/Ba] and [Nd/Eu] ratios forthick-disk stars are almost independent of metallicity([Nd/Ba]=0.28(±0.03)-0.01(±0.04) [Fe/H] and[Nd/Eu]=-0.13(±0.03)+0.05(±0.04) [Fe/H]) but are smallerin absolute value than the corresponding ratios for halo stars,suggesting that the synthesis of s-process nuclei started during theformation of the thick disk. The s-process is estimated to havecontributed ⋍30% of the neodymium produced during this stage ofthe evolution of the Galaxy. The [Nd/Ba] ratio decreases abruptly by0.17 dex in the transition from the thick to the thin disk. Thesystematic decrease of [Nd/Ba] and increase of [Nd/Eu] with increasingmetallicity of thin-disk stars point toward a dominant role of thes-process in the synthesis of heavy elements during this epoch.
| Abundances of Na, Mg and Al in nearby metal-poor stars
To determine the population membership of nearby stars we exploreabundance results obtained for the light neutron-rich elements23Na and 27 Al in a small sample of moderatelymetal-poor stars. Spectroscopic observations are limited to the solarneighbourhood so that gravities can be determined from HIPPARCOSparallaxes, and the results are confronted with those for a separatesample of more metal-poor typical halo stars. Following earlierinvestigations, the abundances of Na, Mg and Al have been derived fromNLTE statistical equilibrium calculations used as input to line profilesynthesis. Compared with LTE the abundances require systematiccorrections, with typical values of +0.05 for [Mg/Fe], -0.1 for [Na/Fe]and +0.2 for [Al/Fe] in thick disk stars where [Fe/H] -0.6. Inmore metal-poor halo stars these values reach +0.1, -0.4, and +0.5,respectively, differences that can no longer be ignored.After careful selection of a clean subsample free from suspected orknown binaries and peculiar stars, we find that [Na/Mg] and [Al/Mg], incombination with [Mg/Fe], space velocities and stellar evolutionaryages, make possible an individual discrimination between thick disk andhalo stars. At present, this evidence is limited by the small number ofstars analyzed. We identify a gap at [Al/Mg] -0.15 and [Fe/H] -1.0 that isolates stars of the thick disk from those in the halo.A similar separation occurs at [Na/Mg] -0.4. We do not confirm theage gap between thin and thick disk found by Fuhrmann. Instead we findan age boundary between halo and thick disk stars, however, with anabsolute value of 14 Gyr that must be considered as preliminary. Whilethe stellar sample is by no means complete, the resulting abundancesindicate the necessity to revise current models of chemical evolutionand/or stellar nucleosynthesis to allow for an adequate production ofneutron-rich species in early stellar generations.Based on observations collected at the German-Spanish AstronomicalCenter, Calar Alto (CAHA H01-2.2-002) and at the European SouthernObservatory, Chile (ESO 67.D-0086).
| Improved Astrometry and Photometry for the Luyten Catalog. II. Faint Stars and the Revised Catalog
We complete construction of a catalog containing improved astrometry andnew optical/infrared photometry for the vast majority of NLTT starslying in the overlap of regions covered by POSS I and by the secondincremental Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) release, approximately 44%of the sky. The epoch 2000 positions are typically accurate to 130 mas,the proper motions to 5.5 mas yr-1, and the V-J colors to0.25 mag. Relative proper motions of binary components are measured to 3mas yr-1. The false-identification rate is ~1% for11<~V<~18 and substantially less at brighter magnitudes. Theseimprovements permit the construction of a reduced proper-motion diagramthat, for the first time, allows one to classify NLTT stars intomain-sequence (MS) stars, subdwarfs (SDs), and white dwarfs (WDs). We inturn use this diagram to analyze the properties of both our catalog andthe NLTT catalog on which it is based. In sharp contrast to popularbelief, we find that NLTT incompleteness in the plane is almostcompletely concentrated in MS stars, and that SDs and WDs are detectedalmost uniformly over the sky δ>-33deg. Our catalogwill therefore provide a powerful tool to probe these populationsstatistically, as well as to reliably identify individual SDs and WDs.
| Mg, Ba and Eu abundances in thick disk and halo stars
Our sample of cool dwarf stars from previous papers (Mashonkina &Gehren \cite{euba, eubasr}) is extended in this study including 15moderately metal-deficient stars. The samples of halo and thick diskstars have overlapping metallicities with [Fe/H] in the region from -0.9to -1.5, and we compare chemical properties of these two kinematicallydifferent stellar populations independent of their metallicity. Wepresent barium, europium and magnesium abundances for the new sample ofstars. The results are based on NLTE line formation obtained indifferential model atmosphere analyses of high resolution spectraobserved mainly using the UVES spectrograph at the VLT of the EuropeanSouthern Observatory. We confirm the overabundance of Eu relative to Mgin halo stars as reported in our previous papers. Eight halo stars show[Eu/Mg] values between 0.23 and 0.41, whereas stars in the thick andthin disk display a solar europium to magnesium ratio. The [Eu/Ba]values found in the thick disk stars to lie between 0.35 and 0.57suggest that during thick disk formation evolved low-mass stars startedto enrich the interstellar gas by s-nuclei of Ba, and the s-processcontribution to barium thus varies from 30% to 50%. Based on theseresults, and using the chemical evolution calculations by Travaglio etal. (\cite{eu99}), we estimate that the thick disk stellar populationformed on a timescale between 1.1 to 1.6 Gyr from the beginning of theprotogalactic collapse. In the halo stars the [Eu/Ba] values are foundmostly between 0.40 and 0.67, which suggests a duration of the haloformation of about 1.5 Gyr. For the whole sample of stars we present theeven-to-odd Ba isotope ratios as determined from hyperfine structureseen in the Ba Ii resonance line lambda 4554. As expected, the solarratio 82:18 (Cameron \cite{cam}) adjusts to observations of the Ba Iilines in the thin disk stars. In our halo stars the even-to-odd Baisotope ratios are close to the pure r-process ratio 54:46 (Arlandini etal. \cite{rs99}), and in the thick disk stars the isotope ratio isaround 65:35 (+/-10%). Based on these data we deduce for thick diskstars the ratio of the s/r-process contribution to barium as 30:70(+/-30%), in agreement with the results obtained from the [Eu/Ba]values. Based on observations collected at the European SouthernObservatory, Chile, 67.D-0086A, and the German Spanish AstronomicalCenter, Calar Alto, Spain.
| Three-dimensional Spectral Classification of Low-Metallicity Stars Using Artificial Neural Networks
We explore the application of artificial neural networks (ANNs) for theestimation of atmospheric parameters (Teff, logg, and [Fe/H])for Galactic F- and G-type stars. The ANNs are fed withmedium-resolution (Δλ~1-2 Å) non-flux-calibratedspectroscopic observations. From a sample of 279 stars with previoushigh-resolution determinations of metallicity and a set of (external)estimates of temperature and surface gravity, our ANNs are able topredict Teff with an accuracy ofσ(Teff)=135-150 K over the range4250<=Teff<=6500 K, logg with an accuracy ofσ(logg)=0.25-0.30 dex over the range 1.0<=logg<=5.0 dex, and[Fe/H] with an accuracy σ([Fe/H])=0.15-0.20 dex over the range-4.0<=[Fe/H]<=0.3. Such accuracies are competitive with theresults obtained by fine analysis of high-resolution spectra. It isnoteworthy that the ANNs are able to obtain these results withoutconsideration of photometric information for these stars. We have alsoexplored the impact of the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) on the behaviorof ANNs and conclude that, when analyzed with ANNs trained on spectra ofcommensurate S/N, it is possible to extract physical parameter estimatesof similar accuracy with stellar spectra having S/N as low as 13. Takentogether, these results indicate that the ANN approach should be ofprimary importance for use in present and future large-scalespectroscopic surveys.
| Revised Magnesium Abundances in Galactic Halo and Disk Stars
A differential analysis of the magnesium abundances in 61 F-K dwarfs andsubgiants with metallicities -2.6<[Fe/H]<+0.2 is performed basedon published observational data. Fundamental parameters for 36 stars aredetermined: T eff from V-K and V-R; logg from HIPPARCOS parallaxes, and[Fe/H] and ξt from Fe II lines. The computations allow for non-LTEeffects in the formation of the Mg I lines. For most of the stars, thestandard errors in the Mg abundances do not exceed 0.07 dex. Themetallicity dependence of [Mg/Fe] is analyzed. Magnesium shows aconstant overabundance relative to Fe of 0.46±0.06 dex formetallicities -2.6<[Fe/H]<-0.7 Mg. The Mg overabundance decreasesabruptly to +0.27 dex at [Fe/H]⋍-0.7. At highermetallicities, the Mg abundance smoothly decreases to the solar value at[Fe/H]=0.0. Halo stars with metallicities [Fe/H]<-1.0 exhibit lowerMg overabundances ( ) compared to the [Mg/Fe] values for other starswith similar [Fe/H].
| Non-LTE Abundances and Consequences for the Evolution of the α-Elements in the Galaxy
Abundances of α-elements such as Ca and Mg in disk and halo starsare usually derived from equivalent width lines measured onhigh-resolution spectra and assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium(LTE). In this paper, we present non-LTE differential abundances derivedby computing the statistical equilibrium of Ca I and Mg I atoms, usinghigh-resolution equivalent widths available in the literature for 252dwarf to subgiant stars. These non-LTE abundances, combined with recentdetermination of non-LTE abundances of iron, seem to remove thedispersion of the [Ca/Fe] and [Mg/Fe] ratios in the galactic halo anddisk phases, revealing new and surprising structures. These results haveimportant consequences for chemical evolution models of the Galaxy. Inaddition, non-LTE abundance ratios for stars belonging to the M92cluster apparently have the same behavior. More high-resolutionobservations, mainly of globular clusters, are urgently needed toconfirm our results.
| Kinematics of Metal-poor Stars in the Galaxy. II. Proper Motions for a Large Nonkinematically Selected Sample
We present a revised catalog of 2106 Galactic stars, selected withoutkinematic bias and with available radial velocities, distance estimates,and metal abundances in the range -4.0<=[Fe/H]<=0.0. This updateof the 1995 Beers & Sommer-Larsen catalog includes newly derivedhomogeneous photometric distance estimates, revised radial velocitiesfor a number of stars with recently obtained high-resolution spectra,and refined metallicities for stars originally identified in the HKobjective-prism survey (which account for nearly half of the catalog)based on a recent recalibration. A subset of 1258 stars in this cataloghave available proper motions based on measurements obtained with theHipparcos astrometry satellite or taken from the updated AstrographicCatalogue (second epoch positions from either the Hubble Space TelescopeGuide Star Catalog or the Tycho Catalogue), the Yale/San Juan SouthernProper Motion Catalog 2.0, and the Lick Northern Proper Motion Catalog.Our present catalog includes 388 RR Lyrae variables (182 of which arenewly added), 38 variables of other types, and 1680 nonvariables, withdistances in the range 0.1 to 40 kpc.
| Abundances of light elements in metal-poor stars. III. Data analysis and results
We present the results of the analysis of an extensive set of new andliterature high quality data concerning Fe, C, N, O, Na, and Mg. Thisanalysis exploited the T_eff scale determined in Gratton et al. (1996a),and the non-LTE abundance corrections computed in Gratton et al.(1999a). Results obtained with various abundance indices are discussedand compared. Detailed comparison with models of galactic chemicalevolution will be presented in future papers of this series. Our non-LTEanalysis yields the same O abundances from both permitted and forbiddenlines for stars with T_eff >4600 K, in agreement with King (1993),but not with other studies using a lower T_eff -scale for subdwarfs.However, we obtain slightly smaller O abundances for the most luminousmetal-poor field stars than for fainter stars of similar metallicities,an effect attributed to inadequacies of the adopted model atmospheres(Kurucz 1992, with overshooting) for cool stars. We find a nearlyconstant O overundance in metal-poor stars ([Fe/H]<-0.8), at a meanvalue of 0.46+/- 0.02 dex (sigma =0.12, 32 stars), with only a gentleslope with [Fe/H] ( ~ -0.1); this result is different from the steeperslope recently obtained using OH band in the near UV. If only bonafideunmixed stars are considered, C abundances scale with Fe ones (i.e.[C/Fe]~ 0) down to [Fe/H] ~ -2.5. Due to our adoption of a differentT_eff scale, we do not confirm the slight C excess in the most metalpoor disk dwarfs (-0.8<[Fe/H]<-0.4) found in previousinvestigations. Na abundances scale as Fe ones in the high metallicityregime, while metal-poor stars present a Na underabundance. None of thefield stars analyzed belong to the group of O-poor and Na-rich starsobserved in globular clusters. Na is deficient with respect to Mg inhalo and thick disk stars; within these populations, Na deficiency maybe a slow function of [Mg/H]. Solar [Na/Mg] ratios are obtained for thindisk stars. Tables~ 2 to 9 are only available in electronic form at theCDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strabg.fr/Abstract.html
| Stellar Iron Abundances: Non-LTE Effects
We report new statistical equilibrium calculations for Fe I and Fe II inthe atmosphere of late-type stars. We used atomic models for Fe I and FeII having, respectively, 256 and 190 levels, as well as 2117 and 3443radiative transitions. Photoionization cross sections are from the IronProject. These atomic models were used to investigate non-LTE (NLTE)effects in iron abundances of late-type stars with different atmosphericparameters. We found that most Fe I lines in metal-poor stars are formedin conditions far from LTE. We derived metallicity corrections of about0.3 dex with respect to LTE values for the case of stars with[Fe/H]~-3.0. Fe II is found not to be affected by significant NLTEeffects. The main NLTE effect invoked in the case of Fe I isoverionization by ultraviolet radiation; thus classical ionizationequilibrium is far from being satisfied. An important consequence isthat surface gravities derived by LTE analysis are in error and shouldbe corrected before final abundance corrections. This apparently solvesthe observed discrepancy between spectroscopic surface gravities derivedby LTE analyses and those derived from Hipparcos parallaxes. A table ofNLTE [Fe/H] and log g values for a sample of metal-poor late-type starsis given.
| Estimation of Stellar Metal Abundance. II. A Recalibration of the Ca II K Technique, and the Autocorrelation Function Method
We have recalibrated a method for the estimation of stellar metalabundance, parameterized as [Fe/H], based on medium-resolution (1-2Å) optical spectra (the majority of which cover the wavelengthrange 3700-4500 Å). The equivalent width of the Ca II K line (3933Å) as a function of [Fe/H] and broadband B-V color, as predictedfrom spectrum synthesis and model atmosphere calculations, is comparedwith observations of 551 stars with high-resolution abundances availablefrom the literature (a sevenfold increase in the number of calibrationstars that were previously available). A second method, based on theFourier autocorrelation function technique first described by Ratnatunga& Freeman, is used to provide an independent estimate of [Fe/H], ascalibrated by comparison with 405 standard-star abundances.Metallicities based on a combination of the two techniques for dwarfsand giants in the color range 0.30<=(B-V)_0<=1.2 exhibit anexternal 1 sigma scatter of approximately 0.10-0.20 dex over theabundance range -4.0<=[Fe/H]<=0.5. Particular attention has beengiven to the determination of abundance estimates at the metal-rich endof the calibration, where our previous attempt suffered from aconsiderable zero-point offset. Radial velocities, accurate toapproximately 10 km s^-1, are reported for all 551 calibration stars.
| Photometric Abundance Calibration of delta Scuti Stars Using HK Photometry
The hk index has been used as a metallicity indicator for RR Lyraevariable stars. It is now being applied to the shorter period deltaScuti variables. Employing spectroscopic abundances of stars withpublished hk values and photometric indices calculated from stellaratmosphere models, a three-dimensional interpolation is used todetermine [Fe/H] from intrinsic b-y, c_1, and hk values. The resulting[Fe/H], log g, and T_eff values for 10 delta Scuti stars are presented.
| Kinematics and Metallicity of Stars in the Solar Region
Several samples of nearby stars with the most accurate astrometric andphotometric parameters are searched for clues to their evolutionaryhistory. The main samples are (1) the main-sequence stars with b - ybetween 0.29 and 0.59 mag (F3 to K1) in the Yale parallax catalog, (2) agroup of high-velocity subgiants studied spectroscopically by Ryan &Lambert, and (3) high-velocity main-sequence stars in the extensiveinvestigation by Norris, Bessel, & Pickles. The major conclusionsare as follows: (1) The oldest stars (halo), t >= 10-12 Gyr, haveV-velocities (in the direction of Galactic rotation and referred to theSun) in the range from about -50 to -800 km s^-1 and have aheavy-element abundance [Fe/H] of less than about -0.8 dex. The agerange of these objects depends on our knowledge of globular clusterages, but if age is correlated with V-velocity, the youngest may be M22and M28 (V ~ -50 km s^-1) and the oldest NGC 3201 (V ~ -500 km s^-1) andassorted field stars. (2) The old disk population covers the large agerange from about 2 Gyr (Hyades, NGC 752) to 10 or 12 Gyr (Arcturusgroup, 47 Tuc), but the lag (V) velocity is restricted to less thanabout 120 km s^-1 and [Fe/H] >= -0.8 or -0.9 dex. The [Fe/H] ~ -0.8dex division between halo and old disk, near t ~ 10-12 Gyr, is marked bya change in the character of the CN index (C_m) and of the blanketingparameter K of the DDO photometry. (3) The young disk population, t <2 Gyr, is confined exclusively to a well-defined area of the (U, V)velocity plane. The age separating young and old disk stars is also thatseparating giant evolution of the Hyades (near main-sequence luminosity)and M67 (degenerate helium cores and a large luminosity rise) kinds. Thetwo disk populations are also separated by such indexes as the g-indexof Geveva photometry. There appears to be no obvious need to invokeexogeneous influences to understand the motion and heavy-elementabundance distributions of the best-observed stars near the Sun.Individual stars of special interest include the parallax star HD 55575,which may be an equal-component binary, and the high-velocity star HD220127, with a well-determined space velocity near 1000 km s^-1.
| The Abundance of CN. Calcium and Heavy Elements in High Velocity Stars.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1997AJ....114..825E&db_key=AST
| A catalogue of [Fe/H] determinations: 1996 edition
A fifth Edition of the Catalogue of [Fe/H] determinations is presentedherewith. It contains 5946 determinations for 3247 stars, including 751stars in 84 associations, clusters or galaxies. The literature iscomplete up to December 1995. The 700 bibliographical referencescorrespond to [Fe/H] determinations obtained from high resolutionspectroscopic observations and detailed analyses, most of them carriedout with the help of model-atmospheres. The Catalogue is made up ofthree formatted files: File 1: field stars, File 2: stars in galacticassociations and clusters, and stars in SMC, LMC, M33, File 3: numberedlist of bibliographical references The three files are only available inelectronic form at the Centre de Donnees Stellaires in Strasbourg, viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5), or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html
| The Ross 451 Group of Halo Stars
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1996AJ....112.2661E&db_key=AST
| Abundances of light elements in metal-poor stars. I. Atmospheric parameters and a new T_eff_ scale
We present atmospheric parameters for about 300 stars of differentchemical composition, whose spectra will be used to study the galacticenrichment of Fe and light elements. These parameters were derived usingan homogeneous iterative procedure, which considers new calibrations ofcolour-T_eff_ relations for F, G and K-type stars based on Infrared FluxMethod (IRFM) and interferometric diameters for population I stars, andthe Kurucz (1992) model atmospheres. We found that these calibrationsyield a self-consistent set of atmospheric parameters forT_eff_>4400K, representing a clear improvement over results obtainedwith older model atmospheres. Using this T_eff_ -scale and Feequilibrium of ionization, we obtained very low gravities (implyingluminosities incompatible with that expected for RGB stars) formetal-poor stars cooler than 4400K; this might be due either to amoderate Fe overionization (expected from statistical equilibriumcalculations) or to inadequacy of Kurucz models to describe theatmospheres of very cool giants. Our T_eff_ scale is compared with otherscales recently used for metal-poor stars; it agrees well with thoseobtained using Kurucz (1992) models, but it gives much larger T_eff_'sthan those obtained using OSMARCS models (Edvardsson et al. 1993). Thisdifference is attributed to the different treatment of convection in thetwo sets of models. For the Sun, the Kurucz (1992) model appears to bepreferable to the OSMARCS ones because it better predicts the solar limbdarkening; furthermore, we find that our photometric T_eff_ 's formetal-poor stars agree well with both direct estimates based on theIRFM, and with T_eff_'s derived from Hα wings when using Kuruczmodels.
| Ca II H and K Filter Photometry on the UVBY System. II. The Catalog of Observations
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1995AJ....109.2828T&db_key=AST
| Kinematics of metal-poor stars in the galaxy
We discuss the kinematic properties of a sample of 1936 Galactic stars,selected without kinematic bias, and with abundances (Fe/H) is less thanor equal to -0.6. The stars selected for this study all have measuredradial velocities, and the majority have abundances determined fromspectroscopic or narrow-/intermediate-band photometric techniques. Incontrast to previous examinations of the kinematics of the metal-poorstars in the Galaxy, our sample contains large numbers of stars that arelocated at distances in excess of 1 kpc from the Galactic plane. Thus, amuch clearer picture of the nature of the metal-deficient populations inthe Galaxy can now be drawn.
| A catalogue of Fe/H determinations - 1991 edition
A revised version of the catalog of Fe/H determinations published by G.Cayrel et al. (1985) is presented. The catalog contains 3252 Fe/Hdeterminations for 1676 stars. The literature is complete up to December1990. The catalog includes only Fe/H determinations obtained from highresolution spectroscopic observations based on detailed spectroscopicanalyses, most of them carried out with model atmospheres. The catalogcontains a good number of Fe/H determinations for stars from open andglobular clusters and for some supergiants in the Magellanic Clouds.
| Ca II H and K filter photometry on the UVBY system. I - The standard system
A fifth filter (fwhm = 90 A) centered on Ca II H and K has beendeveloped for use with the standard uvby system. The filter, called Ca,is designed primarily for applications to metal-poor dwarfs and redgiants, regions where the uvby metallicity index, m(l), loses somesensitivity. An index, hk, is defined by replacing v in m(l) by Ca. Theeffects of interstellar extinction on the index are modeled anddemonstrated to be modest and relatively insensitive to spectral type.Observations of V, (b-y), and hk for 163 primary standards are detailedand transformed to the standard V and (b-y) system. A qualitativeanalysis using only the primary standards indicates that hk is moresensitive than m(l) over the regions of interest by about a factor of 3.
| The chemical composition of the extreme halo stars. III - Equivalent widths of 20 dwarfs
In the first two papers of this series the chemical composition of 20extreme halo stars was discussed. The abundances of a number of elementswere determined using model atmosphere analysis of equivalent widths. Inthis paper a tabulation of the equivalent width data is presented. Acomparison of the measurements with the equivalent widths from differentsources is used to assess the quality of the data.
| The chemical composition of the extreme halo stars. II - Green spectra of 20 dwarfs
The abundances of nine elements in the atmospheres of 20 extrememetal-poor stars are derived from green spectra obtained with the ESOCassegrain Echelle Spectrograph (CASPEC). Sodium is found to beoverabundant with respect to aluminum by as much as one dex. There issome scatter in Ca/Fe which cannot be accounted for by random errors inequivalent widths or atmospheric parameters. Scandium is overabundantrelative to iron. Some barium lines may be affected by strong departuresfrom local thermodynamic equilibrium. The nitrogen-rich metal-poor starHD 74000, which was found in previous work to be also Al-rich, alsopresents higher than usual abundances of Na and of s-process elements.It can thus be considered as a mild barium dwarf of Population II.
| Astrometric and astrophysical discontinuities between the galactic old disk and halo stellar populations
Intermediate band, RI, and DDO photometry of the weak-lined stars in thefirst three volumes of the Michigan catalogs of spectral type arediscussed on the basis of luminosity and heavy element abundance. Theinterface between the old disk (Fe/H greater than -0.8 dex) and halo(Fe/H less than -1.2 dex) populations represents discontinuities in boththe stellar motions and the stellar physics. The CN strengths of bothevolved and unevolved halo stars decrease with decreasing temperature,in a mirror image of the increase with decreasing temperature for thedisk objects. The result for the halo giants has been attributed to deepmixing in the stellar atmospheres but the similar result for unevolveddwarfs indicates a difference in formation rather than in evolutionaryprocess of the two populations.
| Estimation of stellar metal abundance. I - Calibration of the CA II K index
A method for estimating the stellar metal abundances is proposed whichcompares measures of the equivalent width of a single feature inmoderate resolution (1 A) optical spectra of stars, the Ca II K line at3933 A, with models of the predicted line strength as a function of thebroadband B-V color and Fe/H. The approach is capable of providingestimates of stellar metallicity over the range -4.5 to -1.0 with ascatter of about 0.15 dex for dwarfs and giants in the color range0.33-0.85. For cooler stars, with B-V in the range 0.85-1.1, the scattermay be as large as 0.19 dex. The calibration of the Ca II K index withFe/H is discussed, and average radial velocities and abundances arepresented for several galactic globular clusters.
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Puppis |
| Right ascension: | 07h28m03.22s |
| Declination: | -38°00'41.3" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 9.723 |
| Proper motion RA: | 161.2 |
| Proper motion Dec: | -270.9 |
| B-T magnitude: | 10.251 |
| V-T magnitude: | 9.767 |
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INHABITED SKY
