A. V. Shavrina

Thorium-rich halo star HD 221170: Further evidence against the universality of the r-process ,

We report the abundance determination in the atmosphere of the bright halo star HD 221170. The spectra were taken with the Terskol Observatorys 2.0-m telescope with a resolution R = 45 000 and signal-to-noise ratio up to 250 in the wavelength region 3638-10 275 A. The adopted atmospheric parameters correspond to an effective temperature Teff = 4475 K, a surface gravity log g = 1.0, a microturbulent velocity vmicro = 1.7 km s −1 , and a macroturbulent velocity vmacro = 4k m s −1 . The abundances of 43 chemical elements were determined with the method of spectrum synthesis. The large overabundances (by 1 dex relative to iron) of elements with Z > 38 are shown to follow the same pattern as the solar r-abundances. The present HD 221170 analysis confirms the non-universality of the r-process, or more exactly the observation that the astrophysical sites hosting the r-process do not always lead to a unique relative abundance distribution for the bulk Ba to Hg elements, the Pb-peak elements, and the actinides.

CHEMICAL ABUNDANCE PATTERNS FOR SHARP-LINED STARS

In order to increase the completeness of the investigations of stellar abundances, we can use spectrum synthesis method, new atomic data and observation of stellar spectra with resolution comparable to solar spectral atlases. We made a brief review of main problems of these three ways. We present new results of abundance determinations in the atmospheres of four stars. The first is the implementation of new atomic data to well known Przybylski`s star. We show that the number of spectral lines, which can be identificated in the spectrum of this star, can be significantly higher. The second example is the investigation of Cyg. We found the abundances of 51 elements in the atmosphere of this mild barium star. The third example is halo star HD221170. Our preliminary abundance pattern consists of 42 elements. The heaviest elements in this pattern are U and Th. The last star is the spectroscopic binary HD153720. The number of elements investigated in the spectra of components of this star is not large, but the results show that the components are Am-stars.

Spot system and stratification of some chemical elements in the atmosphere of He-weak star HD 21699

Surface helium and silicon distribution of a He-weak CP star HD21699 was examined using the spectra obtained at different phases of the star’s rotational period. The abundance of helium over the whole surface is weak, but in the magnetic polar regions it is strong, apparently due to the impact of stellar wind. Silicon accumulates in the region with a horizontal alignment of the magnetic lines, as follows from the theory. The abundance of helium and silicon increases with depth. Moreover, the boundary of the abundance variation is very sharp and its depth practically does not change with the rotational period phase. Accounting for the stratification of chemical elements considerably changes the deduced temperature distribution with depth as well as the form of the hydrogen line profile.

Radioactive elements in stellar atmospheres

The identification of lines of radioactive elements (Tc, Pm and elements with 83<Z<100) in the spectra of chemically peculiar stars HD101065, HR465, HD965 is made. Three possible explanations are proposed: natural radioactive decay of Th and U in the upper levels of stellar atmospheres, contamination of stellar atmosphere by recent SN explosion, and spallation reactions.

On the Thorium Absorption Lines in the Visible Spectra of Supergiant Stars in the Magellanic Clouds

We present the results of the analysis of thorium absorption lines in the spectra of metal-deficient stars: the thorium-rich Galactic halo star HD 221170 and some supergiants in the Magellanic Clouds. For all the analyzed stars, the Th II lines were identified by comparing the synthetic and observed spectra. The Th II 6044.433 Å line and the weaker Th II 6619.943 Å line were identified in the spectra of red supergiants in the Magellanic Clouds.

A new approach to modeling the surface magnetic fields of chemically peculiar stars

A reconstruction of the line-of-sight component and modulus of the surface-magnetic-field vector is proposed, using a model with artificial point sources of the magnetic field with “virtual” magnetic charges in the body of a star. This approach for the direct calculation of the field from the superposition of the potentials of individual magnetic charges enables the reconstruction of most possible configurations of the surface magnetic field of a star. Proper choice of the axis orientations for the three coordinate systems used makes it possible to obtain a simple representation for the vector components of the surface magnetic field. In a dipole approximation, the expression for the line-of-sight component of the magnetic field averaged over the visible disk of the star reduces to the form obtained in other studies.

Peculiarities of the abundance of chemical elements in the atmosphere of PMMR23-red supergiant in the Small Magellanic Cloud due to interstellar gas accretion

The chemical composition of the PMMR23 red supergiant located in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is analyzed. The abundance of 35 chemical elements and the upper limits of abundance for Tl and U are found. The relative abundance of heavy elements is higher by 0.6–1.0 dex with respect to iron peak elements. The spectra of several SMC red supergiants PMMR27, PMMR28, and PMMR144—located in the region where the velocities of stars and interstellar gas are quite high— show the emission components in the wings of the hydrogen line. This emission is not detected for PMMR23. A possibility of interstellar gas accretion on the atmospheres of PMMR23 and other supergiants in Magellanic Clouds is discussed. The analysis is carried out using spectra measured at ESO 3.6 m telescope with the spectral resolving power R = 30000.

Spectral observations using a BTA telescope of chemically peculiar stars in the spectral region near the Li I (6708 Å) resonance doublet

New spectral observations of chemically peculiar (CP) magnetic stars were obtained using an NES echelle spectrometer with a BTA telescope in the Special Astrophysical Observatory (Russian Academy of Sciences). Several stars were shown to have anomalous Li abundances. Testing and monitoring the stars with Doppler shifts Vsini > 10 km/s indicated that the lithium 6708 Å line was variable in the spectra of some roaAP-CP stars. To distinguish variable features in the spectra, the dispersogram technique was used. The most peculiar among the stars studied is HD 12098. The strong and variable lithium 6708 Å line was detected in the spectrum of this star. The star has been shown to have greatly different lithium abundances in two rotation phases corresponding to opposite surface areas. As mentioned earlier, a similar behavior of the Li blend was found in the spectra of HD 83368 and HD 60435 which have lithium spots on their surface. Spectral observations of slowly rotating CP stars with the Doppler shifts Vsini < 10 km/s revealed the strong and nonvariable lithium 6708 Å line in the spectra of these stars. Quantitative spectral analysis using the Li I 6708 Å resonance doublet and the Li I 6103 Å line shows the lithium abundance, as determined by the 6103 Å line, to be somewhat greater than that determined by the 6708 Å line. A higher ratio of 6Li/7Li amounting to ∼0.3–0.5 was found in these stars. 6Li production is assumed to be due to spallation reactions on the surface of magnetic CP stars; this isotope ratio remained in strong magnetic fields.

Actinium Abundance in the Atmospheres of Three Red Supergiants in the Magellanic Clouds

The actinium abundance in the atmospheres of red supergiants PMMR23 and PMMR144 in the Small Magellanic Cloud and RM_1-667 in the Large Magellanic Cloud was estimated. The results of spectral observations with the ESO 3.6-m telescope with resolving power R = 30000 were used. Since actinium was not found in the atmospheres of PMMR23 and PMMR144, only the upper limits were set on its abundance: logN(Ac/H) <–15.1 and–15.0, respectively. The estimated abundance of actinium in the atmosphere of RM_1-667 varied with parameters of the atmospheric model from–14.1 to–13.3. The lines of ionized actinium λ 616.475 nm and λ 581.085 nm were used in this analysis.

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