Corinne Charbonnel

Signatures of intrinsic Li depletion and Li-Na anti-correlation in the metal-poor globular cluster NGC 6397

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 dredgeup. 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.

Tracing the evolution of NGC 6397 through the chemical composition of its stellar populations

Context. The chemical compositions of globular clusters provide important information on the star formation that occurred at very early times in the Galaxy. In particular the abundance patterns of elements with atomic number z ≤ 13 may shed light on the properties of stars that early on enriched parts of the star-forming gas with the rest-products of hydrogen-burning at high temperatures. Aims. We analyse and discuss the chemical compositions of a large number of elements in 21 red giant branch stars in the metal-poor globular cluster NGC 6397. We compare the derived abundance patterns with theoretical predictions in the framework of the “wind of fast rotating massive star”-scenario. Methods. High-resolution spectra were obtained with the FLAMES/UVES spectrograph on the VLT. We determined non-LTE abundances of Na, and LTE abundances for the remaining 21 elements, including O (from the [OI] line at 630 nm), Mg, Al, α, iron-peak, and neutron-capture elements, many of which had not been previously analysed for this cluster. We also considered the influence of possible He enrichment in the analysis of stellar spectra. Results. We find that the Na abundances of evolved, as well as unevolved, stars in NGC 6397 show a distinct bimodality, which is indicative of two stellar populations: one primordial stellar generation of composition similar to field stars, and a second generation that is polluted with material processed during hydrogen-burning, i.e., enriched in Na and Al and depleted in O and Mg. The red giant branch exhibits a similar bimodal distribution in the Stromgren colour index cy = c1 − (b − y), implying that there are also large differences in the N abundance. The two populations have the same composition for all analysed elements heavier than Al, within the measurement uncertainty of the analysis, with the possible exception of [Y/Fe]. Using two stars with almost identical stellar parameters, one from each generation, we estimate the difference in He content, ΔY = 0.01 ± 0.06, given the assumption that the mass fraction of iron is the same for the stars. Conclusions. NGC 6397 hosts two stellar populations that have different chemical compositions of N, O, Na, Mg, and probably Al. The cluster is dominated (75%) by the second generation. We show that massive stars of the first generation can be held responsible for the abundance patterns observed in the second generation long-lived stars of NGC 6397. We estimate that the initial mass of this globular cluster is at least ten times higher than its present-day value.

The chemical composition of TS 01, the most oxygen-deficient planetary nebula - AGB nucleosynthesis in a metal-poor binary star

The planetary nebula TS 01 (also called PN G 135.9+55.9 or SBS 1150+599A) with its record-holding low oxygen abundance and its double degenerate close binary core (period 3.9 h) is an exceptional object located in the Galactic halo. We have secured observational data in a complete wavelength range to pin down the abundances of half a dozen elements in the nebula. The abundances are obtained via detailed photoionization modelling which takes into account all the observational constraints (including geometry and aperture effects) using the pseudo-3D photoionization code Cloudy_3D. The spectral energy distribution of the ionizing radiation is taken from appropriate model atmospheres. Incidentally we find from the new observational constraints that both stellar components contribute to the ionization: the “cool” one provides the bulk of hydrogen ionization, while the “hot” one is responsible for the presence of the most highly charged ions, which explains why previous attempts to model the nebula experienced difficulties. The nebular abundances of C, N, O, and Ne are found to be 1/3.5, 1/4.2, 1/70, and 1/11 of the solar value respectively, with uncertainties of a factor 2. Thus the extreme O deficiency of this object is confirmed. The abundances of S and Ar are less than 1/30 of solar. The abundance of He relative to H is 0.089 ± 0.009. Standard models of stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis cannot explain the abundance pattern observed in the nebula. To obtain an - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Are there any first-generation stars in globular clusters today?

C. Charbonell, et al., “Are there any first-generation stars in globular clusters today?”, Astronomy & Astrophysics, Vol. 569, September 2014. This version of record is available online at: https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2014/09/aa24804-14/aa24804-14.html Reproduced with Permission from Astronomy and Astrophysics,

Pollux: a stable weak dipolar magnetic field but no planet?

Pollux is considered as an archetype of a giant star hosting a planet: its radial velocity (RV) presents sinusoidal variations with a period of about 590 d, which have been stable for more than 25 years. Using ESPaDOnS and Narval we have detected a weak (sub-gauss) magnetic field at the surface of Pollux and followed up its variations with Narval during 4.25 years, i.e. more than for two periods of the RV variations. The longitudinal magnetic field is found to vary with a sinusoidal behaviour with a period close to that of the RV variations and with a small shift in phase. We then performed a Zeeman Doppler imaging (ZDI) investigation from the Stokes V and Stokes I least-squares deconvolution (LSD) profiles. A rotational period is determined, which is consistent with the period of variations of the RV. The magnetic topology is found to be mainly poloidal and this component almost purely dipolar. The mean strength of the surface magnetic field is about 0.7 G. As an alternative to the scenario in which Pollux hosts a close-in exoplanet, we suggest that the magnetic dipole of Pollux can be associated with two temperature and macroturbulent velocity spots which could be sufficient to produce the RV variations. We finally investigate the scenarii of the origin of the magnetic field which could explain the observed properties of Pollux.

The Hertzsprung-gap giant 31 Comae in 2013: Magnetic field and activity indicators

We have observed the giant star 31 Comae in April and May 2013 with the spectropolarimeter Narval at Pic du Midi Observatory, France. 31 Comae is a single, rapidly rotating giant with rotational period ~6.8 d and vsini ~ 67 km/s. We present measurements and discuss variability of the longitudinal magnetic field (Bl), spectral activity indicators H α , CaII H&K, Ca II IR triplet and evolutionary status. Our future aim is to perform a Zeeman-Doppler imaging study for the star.

The lithium history of NGC 6397

The primordial lithium abundance inferred from WMAP and standard Big Bang nucleosysnthesis is approximately three times higher than the plateau value measured in old metal-poor Population II stars, suggesting that these stars have undergone atmospheric Li depletion. To constrain the physics responsible for such depletion, we conducted a homogeneous analysis of a large sample of stars in the metal-poor globular cluster NGC 6397, covering all evolutionary phases from below the main-sequence turnoff to high up the red-giant branch (RGB). The dwarf, turnoff, and early subgiant stars form a thin abundance plateau, with a sharpe edge in the middle of the subgiant branch, where Li dilution caused by the inward extension of the convective envelope starts (the beginning of the so-called first dredge up). A second steep abundance drop is seen at the RGB bump, again highlighting the need for the onset of nonstandard mixing in this evolutionary phase. Moreover, by also measuring the sodium abundances of the targets, we have gained insight into the degree of pollution by early cluster self-enrichement, and may separate highly polluted, Li-poor and Na-rich stars from stars formed from pristine material. Our observational findings strictly limit both the extent of lithium surface depletion, which in turn constrains the efficiency of mixing below the outer convection zone, and the resulting spread in lithium abundance in metal-poor turn-off stars.