Paul Barklem

Nucleosynthetic signatures of the first stars

The chemically most primitive stars provide constraints on the nature of the first stellar objects that formed in the Universe; elements other than hydrogen, helium and traces of lithium present within these objects were generated by nucleosynthesis in the very first stars. The relative abundances of elements in the surviving primitive stars reflect the masses of the first stars, because the pathways of nucleosynthesis are quite sensitive to stellar masses. Several models have been suggested to explain the origin of the abundance pattern of the giant star HE0107–5240, which hitherto exhibited the highest deficiency of heavy elements known. Here we report the discovery of HE1327–2326, a subgiant or main-sequence star with an iron abundance about a factor of two lower than that of HE0107–5240. Both stars show extreme overabundances of carbon and nitrogen with respect to iron, suggesting a similar origin of the abundance patterns. The unexpectedly low Li and high Sr abundances of HE1327–2326, however, challenge existing theoretical understanding: no model predicts the high Sr abundance or provides a Li depletion mechanism consistent with data available for the most metal-poor stars.

A stellar relic from the early Milky Way

The chemical composition of the most metal-deficient stars largely reflects the composition of the gas from which they formed. These old stars provide crucial clues to the star formation history and the synthesis of chemical elements in the early Universe. They are the local relics of epochs otherwise observable only at very high redshifts; if totally metal-free (‘population III’) stars could be found, this would allow the direct study of the pristine gas from the Big Bang. Earlier searches for such stars found none with an iron abundance less than 1/10,000 that of the Sun, leading to the suggestion that low-mass stars could form from clouds above a critical iron abundance. Here we report the discovery of a low-mass star with an iron abundance as low as 1/200,000 of the solar value. This discovery suggests that population III stars could still exist—that is, that the first generation of stars also contained long-lived low-mass objects. The previous failure to find them may be an observational selection effect.

Non-LTE calculations for neutral Na in late-type stars using improved atomic data

Neutral sodium is a minority species in the atmospheres of late-type stars, and line formation in local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) is often a poor assumption, in particular for strong li nes. We present an extensive grid of non-LTE calculations for several Na I lines in cool stellar atmospheres, including metal-ric h and metal-poor dwarfs and giants. For the first time, we cons tructed a Na model atom that incorporates accurate quantum mechanical calculations for collisional excitation and ionisation b y electrons as well as collisional excitation and charge exchange reactions with neutral hydrogen. Similar to Li I, the new rates for hydrogen impact excitation do not affect the statistical equilibrium calculations, while charg e exchange reactions have a small but non-negligible influence. The presented LTE and non-LTE curves-of-growth c an be interpolated to obtain non-LTE abundances and abundance corrections for arbitrary stellar parameter combinations and line strengths. The typical corrections for weak lines a re−0: 1::: − 0: 2 dex, whereas saturated lines may overestimate the abundance in LTE by more than 0.5 dex. The non-LTE Na abundances appear very robust with respect to uncertainties in the input collision al data.

HE 0107-5240, A Chemically Ancient Star. I. A Detailed Abundance Analysis

We report on a detailed abundance analysis of HE 0107� 5240, a halo giant with ½Fe=HNLTE ¼� 5:3. This star was discovered in the course of follow-up medium-resolution spectroscopy of extremely metal-poor candidates selected from the digitized Hamburg/ESO objective-prism survey. On the basis of high-resolution VLT/UVES spectra, we derive abundances for eight elements (C, N, Na, Mg, Ca, Ti, Fe, and Ni) and upper limits for another 12 elements. A plane-parallel LTE model atmosphere has been specifically tailored for the chemical composition of HE 0107� 5240. Scenarios of the origin of the abundance pattern observed in the star are discussed. We argue that HE 0107� 5240 is most likely not a post-asymptotic giant branch star and that the extremely low abundances of the iron-peak and other elements are not due to selective dust depletion. The abundance pattern of HE 0107� 5240 can be explained by preenrichment from a zero-metallicity Type II supernova (SN II) of 20-25 M� , plus either self-enrichment with C and N or production of these elements in the asymptotic giant branch phase of a formerly more massive companion, which is now a white dwarf. However, significant radial velocity variations have not been detected within the 52 days covered by our moderate- and high-resolution spectra. Alternatively, the abundance patterncan be explained by enrichment ofthegascloud from which HE 0107� 5240 formedbya 25M� first-generation star exploding as a subluminous SN II, as proposed by Umeda & Nomoto. We discuss con- sequences of the existence of HE 0107� 5240 for low-mass star formation in extremely metal-poor environments and for currently ongoing and future searches for the most metal-poor stars in the Galaxy. Subject headings: Galaxy: formation — Galaxy: halo — stars: abundances — stars: individual (HE 0107� 5240) — surveys

HE 1327?2326, an Unevolved Star with [Fe/H] < ?5.0. I. A Comprehensive Abundance Analysis

HE 1327-2326, an Unevolved Star with [Fe/H] < -5.0. : I. A Comprehensive Abundance Analysis

A probable stellar solution to the cosmological lithium discrepancy

The measurement of the cosmic microwave background has strongly constrained the cosmological parameters of the Universe. When the measured density of baryons (ordinary matter) is combined with standard Big Bang nucleosynthesis calculations, the amounts of hydrogen, helium and lithium produced shortly after the Big Bang can be predicted with unprecedented precision. The predicted primordial lithium abundance is a factor of two to three higher than the value measured in the atmospheres of old stars. With estimated errors of 10 to 25%, this cosmological lithium discrepancy seriously challenges our understanding of stellar physics, Big Bang nucleosynthesis or both. Certain modifications to nucleosynthesis have been proposed, but found experimentally not to be viable. Diffusion theory, however, predicts atmospheric abundances of stars to vary with time, which offers a possible explanation of the discrepancy. Here we report spectroscopic observations of stars in the metal-poor globular cluster NGC 6397 that reveal trends of atmospheric abundance with evolutionary stage for various elements. These element-specific trends are reproduced by stellar-evolution models with diffusion and turbulent mixing. We thus conclude that diffusion is predominantly responsible for the low apparent stellar lithium abundance in the atmospheres of old stars by transporting the lithium deep into the star.

Departures from LTE for neutral Li in late-type stars

We perform non-LTE calculations of lithium in late-type stars for a wide range of stellar parameters, including quantum mechanical cross-sections for collisions with neutral hydrogen and th e negative hydrogen ion. Non-LTE abundance corrections for the lithium resonance line at 670.7 nm and the subordinate line at 610.3 nm, are calculated using 1D MARCS model atmospheres spanning a grid Teff = [4000, 8000] K, log g = [1.0, 5.0], and [Fe/H] = [0.0,−3.0], for lithium abundances in the range A(Li) = [−0.3, 4.2]. The competing effects of ultraviolet over-ionization and photon losses in th e resonance line govern the behaviour of the non-LTE effects with stellar parameters and lithium abundance. The size and sign of the non-LTE abundance corrections vary signific antly over the grid for the 670.7 nm line, but are typically positive and below 0.15 dex for the 610.3 nm, line. The new collisional data play a significant role in determining the abundance corrections.

The Frequency of Carbon-enhanced Metal-poor Stars in the Galaxy from the HERES Sample

We estimate the frequency of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars among very metal-poor stars, based on an analysis of 349 stars with available high-resolution spectra observed as part of the Hamburg/ESO R-process Enhanced Star (HERES) survey. We obtain that a lower limit of 21% ± 2% of stars with [Fe/H] ≤ -2.0 exhibit [C/Fe] ≥ +1.0. These fractions are higher than those that have been reported by recent examinations of this question, based on substantially smaller samples of stars. We discuss the source of this difference and suggest that in order to take into account effects that result in a decrease of surface carbon abundance with advancing evolution, a definition of CEMP stars based on a [C/Fe] cutoff that varies as a function of luminosity is more appropriate. We discuss the likely occurrence of dilution and mixing for many CEMP stars, which, if properly accounted for, would increase this fraction still further.

A major upgrade of the VALD database

Vienna atomic line database (VALD) is a collection of critically evaluated laboratory parameters for individual atomic transitions, complemented by theoretical calculations. VALD is actively used by astronomers for stellar spectroscopic studies—model atmosphere calculations, atmospheric parameter determinations, abundance analysis etc. The two first VALD releases contained parameters for atomic transitions only. In a major upgrade of VALD—VALD3, publically available from spring 2014, atomic data was complemented with parameters of molecular lines. The diatomic molecules C2, CH, CN, CO, OH, MgH, SiH, TiO are now included. For each transition VALD provides species name, wavelength, energy, quantum number J and Lande-factor of the lower and upper levels, radiative, Stark and van der Waals damping factors and a full description of electronic configurarion and term information of both levels. Compared to the previous versions we have revised and verify all of the existing data and added new measurements and calculations for transitions in the range between 20 A and 200 microns. All transitions were complemented with term designations in a consistent way and electron configurations when available. All data were checked for consistency: listed wavelength versus Ritz, selection rules etc. A new bibliographic system keeps track of literature references for each parameter in a given transition throughout the merging process so that every selected data entry can be traced to the original source. The query language and the extraction tools can now handle various units, vacuum and air wavelengths. In the upgrade process we had an intensive interaction with data producers, which was very helpful for improving the quality of the VALD content.

ATOMIC DIFFUSION AND MIXING IN OLD STARS. I. VERY LARGE TELESCOPE FLAMES-UVES OBSERVATIONS OF STARS IN NGC 6397

We present a homogeneous photometric and spectroscopic analysis of 18 stars along the evolutionary sequence of the metal-poor globular cluster NGC 6397 ([Fe/H] ≈ -2), from the main-sequence turnoff point to red giants below the bump. The spectroscopic stellar parameters, in particular stellar parameter differences between groups of stars, are in good agreement with broadband and Stromgren photometry calibrated on the infrared flux method. The spectroscopic abundance analysis reveals, for the first time, systematic trends of iron abundance with evolutionary stage. Iron is found to be 30% less abundant in the turnoff point stars than in the red giants. An abundance difference in lithium is seen between the turnoff point and warm subgiant stars. The impact of potential systematic errors on these abundance trends (stellar parameters, the hydrostatic and LTE approximations) is quantitatively evaluated and found not to alter our conclusions significantly. Trends for various elements (Li, Mg, Ca, Ti, and Fe) are compared with stellar structure models including the effects of atomic diffusion and radiative acceleration. Such models are found to describe the observed element-specific trends well, if extra (turbulent) mixing just below the convection zone is introduced. It is concluded that atomic diffusion and turbulent mixing are largely responsible for the subprimordial stellar lithium abundances of warm halo stars. Other consequences of atomic diffusion in old metal-poor stars are also discussed.