L. I. Antipova

Analysis of atmospheric abundances in classical barium stars

We present our analysis of elemental abundances in the atmospheres of 16 classical barium stars derived from high-resolution spectra and model atmospheres. Comparison of the results with analogous data for moderate barium stars and normal red giants shows that the abundance patterns for elements before the iron peak are the same for all three groups of red giants, testifying to a similar origin. For binary systems, we confirm the influence of the orbital period and, hence, the component separation, on the overabundance of s-process elements. The amount of enrichment in s-process elements is also influenced by mass, metallicity, and evolutionary phase. Any of these parameters can be important in individual objects.

A comparative analysis of chemical abundances in the atmospheres of red giants of different age groups

We analyze previously published chemical abundances in the atmospheres of red giants. Excess abundances are observed not only for Na, but also for Al and Si, with the overabundances increasing with the stars’ luminosity. The observed anomalies provide evidence that, in addition to the CNO hydrogen-burning cycle, the Mg-Al and Ne-Na cycles operate in the interiors of main-sequence stars; their products are brought to the stellar atmospheres by convection after the transition to the red-giant phase. The abundance anomalies for s-process elements, also observed in the atmospheres of field stars, testify to the presence of a substantial number of neutrons. The s-process abundance anomalies are absent from giants of the young Hyades cluster.

Chemical abundance analysis for the atmospheres of red giants in the Hercules moving group

The results of a comparative analysis of the kinematics, ages, and elemental abundances for 17 red giants in the Hercules moving group are presented. Model atmospheres are used to determine the parameters of the stellar atmospheres and the abundances of about 20 elements. The masses and ages of the stars are estimated, and the components of their Galactic velocities and the elements of their Galactic orbits are calculated. Our analysis demonstrates that the Hercules stream is a heterogeneous group of objects from the thin and thick disks.

Studies of classical barium stars

Using atmosphere models based on high-resolution spectra, we have derived the abundances of chemical elements in the atmospheres of seven classical barium stars and compared them with the elemental abundances of moderate barium stars and normal red giants. The behavior of elements up to the iron peak is the same in all three groups of giants, providing evidence that they have a common origin. The dependence of the anomalous abundances of s-process elements on stellar mass and metallicity is qualitatively similar for all three groups, probably indicating that a substantial role is played by the evolutionary phase of the stars. We conclude that the barium-star phenomenon and the overabundances of s-process elements in barium stars cannot be explained as a consequence of binarity alone. The extent to which the s-process elements are overabundant is affected by the mass, metallicity, and evolutionary phase of the given star, and any of these parameters may prove to be important in a specific object.

Red giants in the vicinity of open clusters. Field stars

We present a comparative analysis of the atmospheric abundances of red giants in the vicinity of open clusters. The atmospheric parameters, atmospheric abundances, masses, ages, Galactic velocities, and elements of the Galactic orbits are derived for all the studied stars. We have discovered high metal abundances (close to 0.3dex) for five stars, which we classify as super-metal-rich stars. Several stars have lower [Na/Fe] than normal red giants with similar atmospheric parameters. The kinematic characteristics of these stars are somewhat different from those for objects in the Galactic thin disk. We suggest that the observed effect can be explained by inhomogeneity of the chemical composition of gas-dust clouds, which could be due to different rates of SNe II supernovae in different regions of the Galaxy.

Analysis of the Na, Mg, Al, and Si abundances in the atmospheres of red giants of different spectral subgroups

We analyze the Na, Mg, Al, and Si abundances in the atmospheres of more than 40 stars, includingred giants of different spectral subgroups (normal red giants, mild and classical barium stars) and several supergiants. All these elements exhibit abundance excesses, with the overabundance increasing with the star’s luminosity. The dependence of the overabundances for each of these elements on the luminosity (or log g) is the same for all the spectral subgroups, testifying to a common origin: they are all products of hydrogen burning in the NeNa and MgAl cycles that have been dredged up from the stellar interiors to the outer atmospheric layers by convection that gradually develops during the star’s evolution from the main sequence to the red-giant stage. The sodium abundances derived for several stars are lower than for other stars with similar atmospheric parameters. The ages and kinematic characteristics of these two groups of stars suggest that they probably belong to different stellar generations.

A Study of Red Giants in the Fields of Open Clusters. Cluster Members

We present the results of a comparative analysis of the atmospheric chemical abundances of red giants in several open clusters: the Hyades, Collinder 350, NGC 6475, and Ruprecht 147. We determined the atmospheric parameters of all the stars and the elemental abundances in their atmospheres, as well as their masses, Galactic velocities, and the elements of their orbits in the Galaxy. The observed excess [Na/Fe] and [Eu/Fe] abundances in the atmospheres of Hyades giants suggests that matter later used for star formation had been enriched in the ejecta from type II supernovae.

Analysis of chemical abundances in the atmospheres of moderate barium stars

We used high-resolution spectra to compute model atmospheres to derive the atmospheric abundances of moderate barium stars. Comparing our results with analogous data for normal red giants, we find that the moderate barium stars appear to not differ systematically from normal red giants. Their chemical abundance anomalies show the same patterns and can be interpreted in terms of evolutionary effects: the evolutionary stage, mass, luminosity, and metallicity of the objects.

Cobalt in stars and the galaxy

An analysis of the abundance of cobalt in atmospheres of red giants, indicates they can be divided into two groups: stars with the normal [Co/Fe] abundance and those with a small [Co/Fe] excess. A comparative analysis of the spectrograms taking into account the effect of superfine splitting provides evidence for a [Co/Fe] excess in some stars. We have also detected physical and kinematical differences between these groups. Stars with a [Co/Fe] excess are related to the thick-disk population of the Galaxy. These stars are older and less massive, display lower metallicities, and have Galactic velocities corresponding to those of thick-disk objects. It is suggested that the observed pattern of a [Co/Fe] excess in the halo and thick disk reflects the chemical composition of the Galaxy at a very early stage of its evolution, when Population III objects existed. The lower abundance excess in the thick disk compared to the halo and the absence of an excess in the thin disk are due to the contributiuon from Type I supernovae at later stages of the Galaxy’s evolution. We have found that the thick disk of the Galaxy displays gradients of its cobalt and iron abundances, possibly providing evidence that the thick disk formed as a result of the collapse of a protogalactic cloud.

Analysis of elemental abundances in the atmospheres of three Hyades red giants

Model atmospheres are fitted to spectroscopic data in order to analyze the elemental abundances in the atmospheres of three red giants in the Hyades cluster. The three stars have almost identical chemical compositions, with iron-group elements slightly overabundant compared to the solar values—a pattern that is typical of Hyades dwarfs. The overabundances of the light elements Na, Al, and Si are virtually equal to those observed for field giants. No enrichment in rare-earth elements relative to iron was found, in sharp contrast to field giants. It is concluded that these discrepancies are due to the age difference between the two groups of stars, which have resulted in different degrees of convective overshooting.