Yanting Chen

Carbon and oxygen abundances in stellar populations

Abundances of C, O, and Fe are determined for F and G main-sequence stars in the solar neighborhood in order to study trends and systematic differences in the C/Fe, O/Fe, and C/O ratios for stellar populations. Carbon abundances are determined from the CI lines at 5052 and 5380 AA and oxygen abundances from the OI triplet at 7774 AA and the [OI] line at 6300 AA. MARCS model atmospheres are applied and non-LTE corrections for the OI triplet are included. Systematic differences between high- and low-alpha halo stars and between thin- and thick-disk stars are seen in the trends of [C/Fe] and [O/Fe]. The two halo populations and thick-disk stars show the same trend of [C/O] versus [O/H], whereas thin-disk stars are shifted to higher [C/O]. Furthermore, we find some evidence of higher C/O and C/Fe ratios in stars hosting planets than in stars for which no planets have been detected. The results suggest that C and O in both high- and low-alpha halo stars and in thick-disk stars are made mainly in massive stars, whereas thin-disk stars have an additional carbon contribution from low-mass AGB and massive stars of high metallicity causing a rising trend of C/O with increasing metallicity. However, the C/O ratio does not exceed 0.8, which seems to exclude formation of carbon planets if proto-planetary disks have the same composition as their parent stars.

Characteristics and sources of atmospheric mercury speciation in a coastal city, Xiamen, China

Semi-continental monitoring of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), particulate mercury (Hgp), and reactive gaseous mercury (RGM) was conducted in the Institute of Urban Environment, CAS in Xiamen, China from March 2012 to February 2013. The average concentrations and relative standard deviations (RSD) were 3.50 (34.6%) ng m(-3), 174.41 (160.9%) pg m(-3), and 61.05 (113.7%) pg m(-3) for GEM, Hgp, and RGM, respectively. The higher concentrations of GEM and Hgp were observed in spring and winter months, indicating the combustion source, while RGM showed the different seasonal variation with highest concentration in spring and the minimum value in winter. The concentrations of Hg species were generally elevated in nighttime and low in daytime to reflect the diurnal changes in meteorology, especially the mixing condition of the air masses. The high Hg concentrations were observed in SWW-NW sectors due to calm wind while the low levels in NE-SE due to high speed wind, and the amplitude was much larger for Hgp and RGM. Backward trajectories calculation indicated that summer air masses were much more from ocean with lower Hg while the air masses were mainly from inland area in other seasons. Principal component analysis suggested that combustion and road traffic emissions were the dominant anthropogenic mercury sources for the study area, and the temporal distribution of atmospheric mercury was mainly the result of climatological change.

THE CHROMOSPHERIC ACTIVITY, AGE, METALLICITY, AND SPACE MOTIONS OF 36 WIDE BINARIES

We present the chromospheric activity (CA) levels, metallicities, and full space motions for 41 F, G, K, and M dwarf stars in 36 wide binary systems. Thirty-one of the binaries contain a white dwarf (WD) component. In such binaries, the total age can be estimated by adding the cooling age of the WD to an estimate of the progenitor’s main-sequence lifetime. To better understand how CA correlates to stellar age, 14 cluster member stars were also observed. Our observations demonstrate for the first time that, in general, CA decays with age from 50 Myr to at least 8 Gyr for stars with 1.0 V − I 2.4. However, little change occurs in the CA level for stars with V − I < 1.0 between 1 Gyr and 5 Gyr, consistent with the results of Pace et al. Our sample also exhibits a negative correlation between the stellar age and metallicity, a positive correlation between the stellar age and W space velocity component, and the W velocity dispersion increases with age. Finally, the population membership of these wide binaries is examined based upon their U, V, W kinematics, metallicity, and CA. We conclude that wide binaries are similar to field and cluster stars in these respects. More importantly, they span a much more continuous range in age and metallicity than is afforded by nearby clusters.

Spatial distribution and sources identification of elements in PM2.5 among the coastal city group in the Western Taiwan Strait region, China

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the spatial variations of 20 elements (Al, Si, Ti, Ca, Fe, Mg, Cr, Mn, Ni, P, S, K, Cu, Cl, V, Se, Br, As, Zn, and Pb) in PM(2.5) (particle matters ≤ 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter) in the coastal city group in the Western Taiwan Strait (WTS) region, China during spring 2011. The average PM(2.5) mass concentration at 13 sites was 77.0 μg/m(3) and the elemental fraction accounted for about 10-20%. Multivariate analyses (principal component analysis and cluster analysis) and a correlation matrix were used to identify the sources of elements in PM(2.5). The results revealed that the elements originated mainly from traffic emissions, coal combustion, pyrometallurgical processes, and crustal sources. Spatially, the concentrations of elements were generally higher in several rapidly growing locations, and the enrichment factors (EFs) for most elements were much higher at the northern sites than those at the southern sites, suggesting that the air quality in the northern part of the study area was strongly affected by anthropogenic activity. Backward wind trajectory analysis during the sampling period indicated that the concentrations of elements in PM(2.5) in the WTS region were greatly impacted by dust particles transported from Northern China in spring.

Characterization of mercury in atmospheric particulate matter in the southeast coastal cities of China

Although present in a low concentration in the atmosphere, mercury in particulate matter (PHg) plays an important role in the biogeochemical process of mercury. In this study, the mercury concentrations in three size fractions of airborne particulate matters collected from 14 sites (12 urban sites, 1 rural site and 1 remote site) in the southeast coastal cities of China during different seasons in 2010–2011 were investigated. Most of PHg (46.8–71.9%) was concentrated in the finer particles, i.e. PM2.5 (particulate matter ≤2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter). The average mercury concentrations in PM2.5 were 141.2±128.1 (range of 7.6–956.5), 37.0±19.2 (5.6–89.4), and 24.0±14.6 (3.2– 59.9) pg m–3 at urban, rural, and remote sites during the whole sampling period, respectively. The PHg concentrations were almost at the same level in spring, autumn, and winter, approximately two times of that in summer. PHg concentrations in the atmosphere displayed a significant spatial variation with far higher values in urban areas than those at rural and remote sites. The dry deposition fluxes of total PHg estimated by a theoretical model were 38.3, 47.7, and 58.7 µg m–2 y–1 at Ji’an (JA), Jimei (JM), and Longwen (LW), respectively. The backward air trajectory analysis revealed that the atmospheric PHg concentrations were mainly influenced by air masses from ocean sources that diluted PHg in summer and on contrary from continental sources in other seasons.

The Metallicity Gradient of the Thick Disk Based on Red Horizontal-branch Stars from SDSS DR8

Based on SDSS DR8, we have selected a sample of 1728 red horizontal-branch (RHB) stars with |Z| < 3 kpc by using a color-metallicity relation and stellar parameters. The sample stars clearly trace a typical thick disk population with peaks at |Z| = 1.26 kpc and [Fe/H] = –0.54. The vertical metallicity gradient of the thick disk is estimated in two ways. One is a fit to the Gaussian peaks of the metallicity histograms of the thick disk by subtracting minor contributions from the thin disk and the inner halo based on the Besancon Galaxy Model. The resulting gradient is –0.12 ± 0.01 dex kpc–1 for 0.5 < |Z| < 3 kpc. The other method is to linearly fit the data based on stars with 1 < |Z| < 3 kpc being the main component of the thick disk. Five subgroups are then selected in different directions in the X-|Z| plane to investigate the difference in the vertical metallicity gradient between the Galactocenter and anti-Galactocenter directions. We found that a vertical gradient of –0.22 ± 0.07 dex kpc–1 is detected for five directions except for one involving the pollution of stars from the bulge. The results indicate that the vertical gradient is dominant, but a radial gradient has a minor contribution for the thick disk population represented by RHB stars with 1 < |Z| < 3 kpc. The present work strongly suggests the existence of a metallicity gradient in the thick disk, which is thought to be negligible in most previous works in the literature.

Performances of CuSO4/TiO2 catalysts in selective catalytic reduction of NOx by NH3

A series of CuSO4/TiO2 catalysts were prepared using a wet impregnation method. The activity of each sample in the selective catalytic reduction of NO by NH3 (NH3-SCR) was determined. The effects of SO2 and H2O, and their combined effect, on the activity were examined at 340 °C for 24 h. The catalysts were characterized using N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, temperature-programmed reduction of H2 (H2-TPR), temperature-programmed desorption of NH3 (NH3-TPD), and in situ diffuse-reflectance infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS). The CuSO4/TiO2 catalysts had good activities, with low production of N2O above 340 °C. SO2 or a combination of SO2 and H2O had little effect on the activity, and H2O caused only a slight decrease in activity during the experimental period. The NH3-TPD and H2-TPR results showed that CuSO4 increased the amounts of acid sites and adsorbed oxygen on the catalyst. In situ DRIFTS showed that the NH3-SCR reaction on the CuSO4/TiO2 catalysts followed an Eley–Rideal mechanism. The reaction of gaseous NO with NH3 adsorbed on Lewis acid sites to form N2 and H2O could be the main reaction pathway, and oxygen adsorption might favor this process.

Optical properties of PM2.5 and the impacts of chemical compositions in the coastal city Xiamen in China

Continuous in situ measurements of optical properties of fine aerosols (PM2.5) were conducted in the urbanized coastal city Xiamen in Southeast China from November 2013 to January 2014. PM2.5 samples were also collected and chemical compositions including organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC) and water-soluble inorganic ions were determined to investigate the impacts of chemical compositions on aerosol optical properties. Average values of scattering coefficient (bscat), absorption coefficient (babs), extinction coefficient (bext) and single scattering albedo (SSA) were 164.0Mm(-1), 22.4Mm(-1), 187.0Mm(-1) and 0.88, respectively. bscat, babs and bext showed obvious bi-modal diurnal variations with high values in the morning and at night while low value in the early afternoon, whereas SSA exhibited an opposite diurnal variation. Average bscat and babs were largest in the wind direction of southwest and were larger with slower wind. babs was mainly affected by EC, while bscat was affected by ammonium, sulfate, nitrate and OC. The IMPROVE formula was applied to estimate bext based on the chemical species. Results shows that ammonium sulfate was the largest contributor, accounting for 36.4% of bext, followed by organic matter (30.6%), ammonium nitrate (20.1%), EC (9.0%) and sea salt (3.9%). The deterioration in visibility was mainly led by increases in secondary aerosols including sulfate and nitrate. Backward trajectories analysis showed that during the sampling period Xiamen was significantly affected by the air masses originating from the Northern and Northeastern areas. Air masses from the Northern associated with relative higher bext and less relative contribution from ammonium sulfate and more relative contribution from ammonium nitrate, organic matter and sea salt.

THE KINEMATICS AND CHEMISTRY OF RED HORIZONTAL BRANCH STARS IN THE SAGITTARIUS STREAMS

We have selected 556 red horizontal branch stars along the streams of the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf galaxy from Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR7 spectroscopic data using a theoretical model. The metallicity and ?-element distributions are investigated for stars in the Sgr streams and for Galactic stars at the same locations. We find that the Sgr stars have two peaks in the metallicity distribution while the Galactic stars have a more prominent metal-poor peak. Meanwhile, [?/Fe] ratios of the Sgr stars are lower than those of the Galactic stars. Among the Sgr stars, we find a difference in the metallicity distribution between the leading and trailing arms of the Sgr tidal tails. The metallicity and [?/Fe] distribution of the leading arm is similar to that of the Galaxy. The trailing arm is composed mainly of a metal-rich component and [?/Fe] is obviously lower than that of the Galactic stars. The metallicity gradient is ?(1.8 ? 0.3)? 10?3?dex?deg?1 in the first wrap of the trailing arm and ?(1.5 ? 0.4)? 10?3?dex?deg?1 in the first wrap of the leading arm. No significant gradient exists along the second wraps of the leading or trailing arms. It seems that the Sgr dwarf galaxy initially lost the metal-poor component in the second wrap (older) arms due to the tidal force of our Galaxy and then the metal-rich component is disrupted in the first wrap (younger) arms. Finally, we found that the velocity dispersion of the trailing arm from 88? < ?? < 112? is ? = 9.808 ? 1.0?km?s?1, which is consistent with previous work in the literature.

Abundances of neutron-capture elements in G 24-25 - A halo-population CH subgiant

Aims. The differences between the neutron-capture element abundances of halo stars are important to our understanding of the nucleosynthesis of elements heavier than the iron group. We present a detailed abundance analysis of carbon and twelve neutron-capture elements from Sr up to Pb for a peculiar halo star G 24-25 with [Fe/H] = −1.4 in order to probe its origin. Methods. The equivalent widths of unblended lines are measured from high resolution NOT/FIES spectra and used to derive abundances based on Kurucz model atmospheres. In the case of CH, Pr, Eu, Gd, and Pb lines, the abundances are derived by fitting synthetic profiles to the observed spectra. Abundance analyses are performed both relative to the Sun and to a normal halo star G 16-20 that has similar stellar parameters as G 24-25. Results. We find that G 24-25 is a halo subgiant star with an unseen component. It has large overabundances of carbon and heavy s-process elements and mild overabundances of Eu and light s-process elements. This abundance distribution is consistent with that of a typical CH giant. The abundance pattern can be explained by mass transfer from a former asymptotic giant branch component, which is now a white dwarf.