Vinicius M. Placco

Carbon-enhanced metal-poor star frequencies in the galaxy: corrections for the effect of evolutionary status on carbon abundances

We revisit the observed frequencies of Carbon-Enhanced Metal-Poor (CEMP) stars as a function of the metallicity in the Galaxy, using data from the literature with available high-resolution spectroscopy. Our analysis excludes stars exhibiting clear over-abundances of neutron-capture elements, and takes into account the expected depletion of surface carbon abundance that occurs due to CN processing on the upper red-giant branch. This allows for the recovery of the initial carbon abundance of these stars, and thus for an accurate assessment of the frequencies of carbon-enhanced stars. The correction procedure we develope is based on stellar-evolution models, and depends on the surface gravity, log g, of a given star. Our analysis indicates that, for stars with [Fe/H] =+0.7. This fraction increases to 43% for [Fe/H]<=-3.0 and 81% for [Fe/H]<=-4.0, which is higher than have been previously inferred without taking the carbon-abundance correction into account. These CEMP-star frequencies provide important inputs for Galactic and stellar chemical-evolution models, as they constrain the evolution of carbon at early times and the possible formation channels for the CEMP-no stars. We also have developed a public online tool with which carbon corrections using our procedure can be easily obtained.

CARBON-ENHANCED METAL-POOR STARS IN SDSS/SEGUE. I. CARBON ABUNDANCE ESTIMATION AND FREQUENCY OF CEMP STARS

We describe a method for the determination of stellar [C/Fe] abundance ratios using low-resolution (R = 2000) stellar spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and its Galactic sub-survey, the Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE). By means of a star-by-star comparison with a set of SDSS/SEGUE spectra with available estimates of [C/Fe] based on published high-resolution analyses, we demonstrate that we can measure [C/Fe] from SDSS/SEGUE spectra with S/N ≥ 15 A{sup –1} to a precision better than 0.35 dex for stars with atmospheric parameters in the range T {sub eff} = [4400, 6700] K, log g = [1.0, 5.0], [Fe/H] = [–4.0, +0.5], and [C/Fe] = [–0.25, +3.5]. Using the measured carbon-to-iron abundance ratios obtained by this technique, we derive the frequency of carbon-enhanced stars ([C/Fe] ≥ +0.7) as a function of [Fe/H], for both the SDSS/SEGUE stars and other samples from the literature. We find that the differential frequency slowly rises from almost zero to about 14% at [Fe/H] ∼ –2.4, followed by a sudden increase, by about a factor of three, to 39% from [Fe/H] ∼ –2.4 to [Fe/H] ∼ –3.7. Although the number of stars known with [Fe/H] < –4.0 remains small,morexa0» the frequency of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars below this value is around 75%. We also examine how the cumulative frequency of CEMP stars varies across different luminosity classes. The giant sample exhibits a cumulative CEMP frequency of 32% for [Fe/H] ≤ –2.5, 31% for [Fe/H] ≤ –3.0, and 33% for [Fe/H] ≤ –3.5; a roughly constant value. For the main-sequence turnoff stars, we obtain a lower cumulative CEMP frequency, around 10% for [Fe/H] ≤ –2.5, presumably due to the difficulty of identifying CEMP stars among warmer turnoff stars with weak CH G-bands. The dwarf population displays a large change in the cumulative frequency for CEMP stars below [Fe/H] = –2.5, jumping from 15% for [Fe/H] ≤ –2.5 to about 75% for [Fe/H] ≤ –3.0. When we impose a restriction with respect to distance from the Galactic mid-plane (|Z| < 5 kpc), the frequency of the CEMP giants does not increase at low metallicity ([Fe/H] < –2.5), but rather decreases due to the dilution of C-rich material in stars that have undergone mixing with CNO-processed material from their interiors. The frequency of CEMP stars near the main-sequence turnoff, which are not expected to have experienced mixing, increases for [Fe/H] ≤ –3.0. The general rise in the global CEMP frequency at low metallicity is likely due to the transition from the inner-halo to the outer-halo stellar populations with declining metallicity and increasing distance from the plane.«xa0less

CARBON-ENHANCED METAL-POOR STARS: CEMP-s and CEMP-no SUBCLASSES IN THE HALO SYSTEM OF THE MILKY WAY

We explore the kinematics and orbital properties of a sample of 323 very metal-poor stars in the halo system of the Milky Way, selected from the high-resolution spectroscopic follow-up studies of Aoki et al. and Yong et al. The combined sample contains a significant fraction of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars (22% or 29%, depending on whether a strict or relaxed criterion is applied for this definition). Barium abundances (or upper limits) are available for the great majority of the CEMP stars, allowing for their separation into the CEMP-s and CEMP-no subclasses. A new method to assign membership to the inner- and outer-halo populations of the Milky Way is developed, making use of the integrals of motion, and applied to determine the relative fractions of CEMP stars in these two subclasses for each halo component. Although limited by small-number statistics, the data suggest that the inner halo of the Milky Way exhibits a somewhat higher relative number of CEMP-s stars than CEMP-no stars (57% versus 43%), while the outer halo possesses a clearly higher fraction of CEMP-no stars than CEMP-s stars (70% versus 30%). Although larger samples of CEMP stars with known Ba abundances are required, this result suggests that the dominant progenitors of CEMP stars in the two halo components were different; massive stars for the outer halo, and intermediate-mass stars in the case of the inner halo.

METAL-POOR STARS OBSERVED WITH THE MAGELLAN TELESCOPE. II. DISCOVERY OF FOUR STARS WITH [Fe/H] ⩽ –3.5*

We report on the discovery of seven low-metallicity stars selected from the Hamburg/ESO Survey, six of which are extremely metal-poor ([Fe/H] � 3.0), with four having [Fe/H] � 3.5. Chemical abundances or upper limits are derived for these stars based on high-resolution (R � 35,000) Magellan/MIKE spectroscopy, and are in general agreement with those of other very and extremely metal-poor stars reported in the literature. Accurate metallicities and abundance patterns for stars in this metallicity range are of particular importance for studies of the shape of the metallicity distribution function of the Milky Way’s halo system, in particular for probing the nature of its low-metallicity tail. In addition, taking into account suggested evolutionary mixing effects, we find that six of the program stars (with [Fe/H] � 3.35) possess atmospheres that were likely originally enriched in carbon, relative to iron, during their main-sequence phases. These stars do not exhibit over-abundances of their s-process elements, and hence may be additional examples of the so-called CEMP-no class of objects. Subject headings: Galaxy: halo—techniques: spectroscopy—stars: abundances—stars: atmospheres— stars: Population II

METAL-POOR STARS OBSERVED WITH THE MAGELLAN TELESCOPE. I. CONSTRAINTS ON PROGENITOR MASS AND METALLICITY OF AGB STARS UNDERGOING s-PROCESS NUCLEOSYNTHESIS*

We present a comprehensive abundance analysis of two newly discovered carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars. HE 2138–3336 is a s-process-rich star with [Fe/H] = -2.79, and has the highest [Pb/Fe] abundance ratio measured thus far, if non-local thermodynamic equilibrium corrections are included ([Pb/Fe] = +3.84). HE 2258–6358, with [Fe/H] = -2.67, exhibits enrichments in both s- and r-process elements. These stars were selected from a sample of candidate metal-poor stars from the Hamburg/ESO objective-prism survey, and followed up with medium-resolution (R ~ 2000) spectroscopy with GEMINI/GMOS. We report here on derived abundances (or limits) for a total of 34 elements in each star, based on high-resolution (R ~ 30, 000) spectroscopy obtained with Magellan-Clay/MIKE. Our results are compared to predictions from new theoretical asymptotic giant branch (AGB) nucleosynthesis models of 1.3xa0 M ☉ with [Fe/H] = –2.5 and –2.8, as well as to a set of AGB models of 1.0 to 6.0xa0M ☉ at [Fe/H] = –2.3. The agreement with the model predictions suggests that the neutron-capture material in HE 2138–3336 originated from mass transfer from a binary companion star that previously went through the AGB phase, whereas for HE 2258–6358, an additional process has to be taken into account to explain its abundance pattern. We find that a narrow range of progenitor masses (1.0 ≤ M(M ☉) ≤ 1.3) and metallicities (–2.8 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤–2.5) yield the best agreement with our observed elemental abundance patterns.

Searches for Metal-poor Stars from the Hamburg/ESO Survey Using the CH G Band

We describe a new method to search for metal-poor candidates from the Hamburg/ESO objective-prism survey (HES) based on identifying stars with apparently strong CH G-band strengths for their colors. The hypothesis we exploit is that large overabundances of carbon are common among metal-poor stars, as has been found by numerous studies over the past two decades. The selection was made by considering two line indices in the 4300 A region, applied directly to the low-resolution prism spectra. This work also extends a previously published method by adding bright sources to the sample. The spectra of these stars suffer from saturation effects, compromising the index calculations and leading to an undersampling of the brighter candidates. A simple numerical procedure, based on available photometry, was developed to correct the line indices and overcome this limitation. Visual inspection and classification of the spectra from the HES plates yielded a list of 5288 new metal-poor (and by selection, carbon-rich) candidates, which are presently being used as targets for medium-resolution spectroscopic follow-up. Estimates of the stellar atmospheric parameters, as well as carbon abundances, are now available for 117 of the first candidates, based on follow-up medium-resolution spectra obtained with the SOAR 4.1 m and Geminimorexa0» 8 m telescopes. We demonstrate that our new method improves the metal-poor star fractions found by our pilot study by up to a factor of three in the same magnitude range, as compared with our pilot study based on only one CH G-band index. Our selection scheme obtained roughly a 40% success rate for identification of stars with [Fe/H] <-1.0; the primary contaminant is late-type stars with near-solar abundances and, often, emission line cores that filled in the Ca II K line on the prism spectrum. Because the selection is based on carbon, we greatly increase the numbers of known carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars from the HES with intermediate metallicities -2.0 < [Fe/H] <-1.0, which previous survey efforts undersampled. There are eight newly discovered stars with [Fe/H] <-3.0 in our sample, including two with [Fe/H] <-3.5.«xa0less

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE NEAR-ULTRAVIOLET SPECTROSCOPY OF THE BRIGHT CEMP-NO STAR BD+44°493*

We present an elemental-abundance analysis, in the near-ultraviolet (NUV) spectral range, for the extremely metal-poor star BD+44°493 a ninth magnitude subgiant with [Fe/H] =–3.8 and enhanced carbon, based on data acquired with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope. This star is the brightest example of a class of objects that, unlike the great majority of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars, does not exhibit over-abundances of heavy neutron-capture elements (CEMP-no). In this paper, we validate the abundance determinations for a number of species that were previously studied in the optical region, and obtain strong upper limits for beryllium and boron, as well as for neutron-capture elements from zirconium to platinum, many of which are not accessible from ground-based spectra. The boron upper limit we obtain for BD+44°493, log e (B) <–0.70, the first such measurement for a CEMP star, is the lowest yet found for very and extremely metal-poor stars. In addition, we obtain even lower upper limits on the abundances of beryllium, log e (Be) <–2.3, and lead, log e (Pb) <–0.23 ([Pb/Fe] <+1.90), than those reported by previous analyses in the optical range. Taken together with the previously measured low abundance of lithium, the very lowmorexa0» upper limits on Be and B suggest that BD+44°493 was formed at a very early time, and that it could well be a bona-fide second-generation star. Finally, the Pb upper limit strengthens the argument for non-s-process production of the heavy-element abundance patterns in CEMP-no stars.«xa0less

POPULATION STUDIES. XIII. A NEW ANALYSIS OF THE BIDELMAN-MACCONNELL “WEAK-METAL” STARS—CONFIRMATION OF METAL-POOR STARS IN THE THICK DISK OF THE GALAXY

A new set of very high signal-to-noise (S/N > 100/1), medium-resolution (R~3000) optical spectra have been obtained for 302 of the candidate weak-metal stars selected by Bidelman & MacConnell. We use these data to calibrate the recently developed generalization of the SEGUE Stellar Parameter Pipeline, and obtain estimates of the atmospheric parameters (Teff, log g , and [Fe/H]) for these non-SDSS/SEGUE data; we also obtain estimates of [C/Fe]. The new abundance measurements are shown to be consistent with available high-resolution spectroscopic determinations, and represent a substantial improvement over the accuracies obtained from the previous photometric estimates reported in Paper I of this series. The apparent offset in the photometric abundances of the giants in this sample noted by several authors is confirmed by our new spectroscopy; no such effect is found for the dwarfs. The presence of a metal-weak thick-disk (MWTD) population is clearly supported by these new abundance data. Some 25% of the stars with metallicities -1.8 < [Fe/H] <= -0.8 exhibit orbital eccentricities e < 0.4, yet are clearly separated from members of the inner-halo population with similar metallicities by their location in a Lindblad energy vs. angular momentum diagram. A comparison is made with recent results for a similar-size sample of RAVE stars from Ruchti et al. We conclude, based on both of these samples, that the MWTD is real, and must be accounted for in discussions of the formation and evolution of the disk system of the Milky Way.

(O/Fe) ESTIMATES FOR CARBON-ENHANCED METAL-POOR STARS FROM NEAR-IR SPECTROSCOPY

We report on oxygen abundances determined from medium-resolution near-infrared spectroscopy for a sample of 57 carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars selected from the Hamburg/ESO Survey. The majority of our program stars exhibit oxygen-to-iron ratios in the range +0.5< [O/Fe]<+2.0. The [O/Fe] values for this sample are statistically compared to available high-resolution estimates for known CEMP stars as well as to high-resolution estimates for a set of carbon-normal metal-poor stars. Carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen abundance patterns for a sub-sample of these stars are compared to yield predictions for very metal-poor asymptotic giant branch (AGB) abundances in the recent literature. We find that the majority of our sample exhibit patterns that are consistent with previously studied CEMP stars having s-process-element enhancements and thus have very likely been polluted by carbon- and oxygen-enhanced material transferred from a metal-poor AGB companion.

A SEARCH FOR UNRECOGNIZED CARBON-ENHANCED METAL-POOR STARS IN THE GALAXY

We have developed a new procedure to search for carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars from the Hamburg/ESO (HES) prism-survey plates. This method employs an extended line index for the CH G band, which we demonstrate to have superior performance when compared to the narrower G-band index formerly employed to estimate G-band strengths for these spectra. Although CEMP stars have been found previously among candidate metal-poor stars selected from the HES, the selection on metallicity undersamples the population of intermediate-metallicity CEMP stars (?2.5 ? [Fe/H] ? ?1.0); such stars are of importance for constraining the onset of the s-process in metal-deficient asymptotic giant branch stars (thought to be associated with the origin of carbon for roughly 80% of CEMP stars). The new candidates also include substantial numbers of warmer carbon-enhanced stars, which were missed in previous HES searches for carbon stars due to selection criteria that emphasized cooler stars. A first subsample, biased toward brighter stars (B< 15.5), has been extracted from the scanned HES plates. After visual inspection (to eliminate spectra compromised by plate defects, overlapping spectra, etc., and to carry out rough spectral classifications), a list of 669 previously unidentified candidate CEMP stars was compiled. Follow-up spectroscopy for a pilot sample of 132 candidates was obtained with the Goodman spectrograph on the SOAR 4.1 m telescope. Our results show that most of the observed stars lie in the targeted metallicity range, and possess prominent carbon absorption features at 4300 ?. The success rate for the identification of new CEMP stars is 43% (13 out of 30) for [Fe/H] < ?2.0. For stars with [Fe/H] < ?2.5, the ratio increases to 80% (four out of five objects), including one star with [Fe/H] < ?3.0.