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Lithium Isotopic Abundances in Metal-poor Halo Stars
Very high quality spectra of 24 metal-poor halo dwarfs and subgiantshave been acquired with ESO's VLT/UVES for the purpose of determining Liisotopic abundances. The derived one-dimensional, non-LTE 7Li abundances from the Li I 670.8 nm line reveal a pronounceddependence on metallicity but with negligible scatter around this trend.Very good agreement is found between the abundances from the Li I 670.8nm line and the Li I 610.4 nm line. The estimated primordial 7Li abundance is7Li/H=(1.1-1.5)×10-10, which is a factor of3-4 lower than predicted from standard big bang nucleosynthesis with thebaryon density inferred from the cosmic microwave background.Interestingly, 6Li is detected in 9 of our 24 stars at the>=2 σ significance level. Our observations suggest theexistence of a 6Li plateau at the level oflogε6Li~0.8 however, taking into accountpredictions for 6Li destruction during the pre-main-sequenceevolution tilts the plateau such that the 6Li abundancesapparently increase with metallicity. Our most noteworthy result is thedetection of 6Li in the very metal-poor star LP 815-43. Sucha high 6Li abundance during these early Galactic epochs isvery difficult to achieve by Galactic cosmic-ray spallation andα-fusion reactions. It is concluded that both Li isotopes have apre-Galactic origin. Possible 6Li production channels includeprotogalactic shocks and late-decaying or annihilating supersymmetricparticles during the era of big bang nucleosynthesis. The presence of6Li limits the possible degree of stellar 7Lidepletion and thus sharpens the discrepancy with standard big bangnucleosynthesis.Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory,Paranal, Chile (observing programs 65.L-0131, 68.D-0091, and273.D-5043).
| Permitted Oxygen Abundances and the Temperature Scale of Metal-poor Turnoff Stars
We use high-quality VLT/UVES published data of the permitted O I tripletand Fe II lines to determine oxygen and iron abundances in unevolved(dwarfs, turnoff, subgiants) metal-poor halo stars. The calculationshave been performed both in LTE and non-LTE (NLTE), employing effectivetemperatures obtained with the new infrared flux method (IRFM)temperature scale by Ramírez & Meléndez, and surfacegravities from Hipparcos parallaxes and theoretical isochrones. A newlist of accurate transition probabilities for Fe II lines, tied to theabsolute scale defined by laboratory measurements, has been used.Interstellar absorption has been carefully taken into account byemploying reddening maps, stellar energy distributions andStrömgren photometry. We find a plateau in the oxygen-to-iron ratioover more than 2 orders of magnitude in iron abundance(-3.2<[Fe/H]<-0.7), with a mean [O/Fe]=0.5 dex (σ=0.1 dex),independent of metallicity, temperature, and surface gravity. The flat[O/Fe] ratio is mainly due to the use of adequate NLTE corrections andthe new IRFM temperature scale, which, for metal-poor F/early G dwarfsis hotter than most Teff scales used in previous studies ofthe O I triplet. According to the new IRFM Teff scale, thetemperatures of turnoff halo stars strongly depend on metallicity, aresult that is in excellent qualitative and quantitative agreement withstellar evolution calculations, which predict that the Teffof the turnoff at [Fe/H]=-3 is about 600-700 K higher than that at[Fe/H]=-1. Recent determinations of Hα temperatures in turnoffstars are in excellent relative agreement with the new IRFMTeff scale in the metallicity range -2.7<[Fe/H]<-1,with a zero-point difference of only 61 K.
| Galactic model parameters for field giants separated from field dwarfs by their 2MASS and V apparent magnitudes
We present a method which separates field dwarfs and field giants bytheir 2MASS and V apparent magnitudes. This method is based onspectroscopically selected standards and is hence reliable. We appliedit to stars in two fields, SA 54 and SA 82, and we estimated a full setof Galactic model parameters for giants including their total localspace density. Our results are in agreement with the ones given in therecent literature.
| The non-LTE line formation of neutral carbon in late-type stars
Aims.We investigate the non-Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (non-LTE)line formation of neutral carbon in late-type stars in order to removesome of the potential systematic errors in stellar abundance analysesemploying C i features. Methods: .The statistical equilibrium codeMULTI was used on a grid of plane-parallel 1D MARCS atmosphericmodels. Results: .Within the parameter space explored, thehigh-excitation C i lines studied are stronger in non-LTE due to thecombined effect of line source function drop and increased line opacitydue to overpopulation of the lower level for the transitions considered;the relative importance of the two effects depends on the particularcombination of T{eff}, log g, [Fe/H] and [C/Fe] and on theanalysed C i line. As a consequence, the non-LTE abundance correctionsare negative and can be substantially so, for example -0.4 dex inhalo turn-off stars at [Fe/H] -3. The magnitude of the non-LTEcorrections is rather insensitive to whether inelastic H collisions areincluded or not. Conclusions: .Our results have implications onstudies of nucleosynthetic processes and on Galactic chemical evolutionmodels. When applying our calculated corrections to recent observationaldata, the upturn in [C/O] at low metallicity might still be present(thus apparently still necessitating contributions from massive Pop. IIIstars for the carbon production), but at a lower level and possibly witha rather shallow trend of -0.2 dex/dex below [O/H] -1.
| Lithium isotopic abundances in metal-poor stars: A problem for standard big bang nucleosynthesis?
Not Available
| Sulphur abundance in Galactic stars
We investigate sulphur abundance in 74 Galactic stars by using highresolution spectra obtained at ESO VLT and NTT telescopes. For the firsttime the abundances are derived, where possible, from three opticalmultiplets: Mult. 1, 6, and 8. By combining our own measurements withdata in the literature we assemble a sample of 253 stars in themetallicity range -3.2 [Fe/H] +0.5. Two important features,which could hardly be detected in smaller samples, are obvious from thislarge sample: 1) a sizeable scatter in [S/Fe] ratios around [Fe/H]-1; 2) at low metallicities we observe stars with [S/Fe] 0.4, aswell as stars with higher [S/Fe] ratios. The latter do not seem to bekinematically different from the former ones. Whether the latter findingstems from a distinct population of metal-poor stars or simply from anincreased scatter in sulphur abundances remains an open question.
| Abundance trends in kinematical groups of the Milky Way's disk
We have compiled a large catalogue of metallicities and abundance ratiosfrom the literature in order to investigate abundance trends of severalalpha and iron peak elements in the thin disk and the thick disk of theGalaxy. The catalogue includes 743 stars with abundances of Fe, O, Mg,Ca, Ti, Si, Na, Ni and Al in the metallicity range -1.30 < [Fe/H]< +0.50. We have checked that systematic differences betweenabundances measured in the different studies were lower than randomerrors before combining them. Accurate distances and proper motions fromHipparcos and radial velocities from several sources have been retreivedfor 639 stars and their velocities (U, V, W) and galactic orbits havebeen computed. Ages of 322 stars have been estimated with a Bayesianmethod of isochrone fitting. Two samples kinematically representative ofthe thin and thick disks have been selected, taking into account theHercules stream which is intermediate in kinematics, but with a probabledynamical origin. Our results show that the two disks are chemicallywell separated, they overlap greatly in metallicity and both showparallel decreasing alpha elements with increasing metallicity, in theinterval -0.80 < [Fe/H] < -0.30. The Mg enhancement with respectto Fe of the thick disk is measured to be 0.14 dex. An even largerenhancement is observed for Al. The thick disk is clearly older than thethin disk with tentative evidence of an AMR over 2-3 Gyr and a hiatus instar formation before the formation of the thin disk. We do not observea vertical gradient in the metallicity of the thick disk. The Herculesstream has properties similar to that of the thin disk, with a widerrange of metallicity. Metal-rich stars assigned to the thick disk andsuper-metal-rich stars assigned to the thin disk appear as outliers inall their properties.
| The Indo-US Library of Coudé Feed Stellar Spectra
We have obtained spectra for 1273 stars using the 0.9 m coudéfeed telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. This telescope feedsthe coudé spectrograph of the 2.1 m telescope. The spectra havebeen obtained with the no. 5 camera of the coudé spectrograph anda Loral 3K×1K CCD. Two gratings have been used to provide spectralcoverage from 3460 to 9464 Å, at a resolution of ~1 Å FWHMand at an original dispersion of 0.44 Å pixel-1. For885 stars we have complete spectra over the entire 3460 to 9464 Åwavelength region (neglecting small gaps of less than 50 Å), andpartial spectral coverage for the remaining stars. The 1273 stars havebeen selected to provide broad coverage of the atmospheric parametersTeff, logg, and [Fe/H], as well as spectral type. The goal ofthe project is to provide a comprehensive library of stellar spectra foruse in the automated classification of stellar and galaxy spectra and ingalaxy population synthesis. In this paper we discuss thecharacteristics of the spectral library, viz., details of theobservations, data reduction procedures, and selection of stars. We alsopresent a few illustrations of the quality and information available inthe spectra. The first version of the complete spectral library is nowpublicly available from the National Optical Astronomy Observatory(NOAO) via ftp and http.
| Stellar Chemical Signatures and Hierarchical Galaxy Formation
To compare the chemistries of stars in the Milky Way dwarf spheroidal(dSph) satellite galaxies with stars in the Galaxy, we have compiled alarge sample of Galactic stellar abundances from the literature. Whenkinematic information is available, we have assigned the stars tostandard Galactic components through Bayesian classification based onGaussian velocity ellipsoids. As found in previous studies, the[α/Fe] ratios of most stars in the dSph galaxies are generallylower than similar metallicity Galactic stars in this extended sample.Our kinematically selected stars confirm this for the Galactic halo,thin-disk, and thick-disk components. There is marginal overlap in thelow [α/Fe] ratios between dSph stars and Galactic halo stars onextreme retrograde orbits (V<-420 km s-1), but this is notsupported by other element ratios. Other element ratios compared in thispaper include r- and s-process abundances, where we find a significantoffset in the [Y/Fe] ratios, which results in a large overabundance in[Ba/Y] in most dSph stars compared with Galactic stars. Thus, thechemical signatures of most of the dSph stars are distinct from thestars in each of the kinematic components of the Galaxy. This resultrules out continuous merging of low-mass galaxies similar to these dSphsatellites during the formation of the Galaxy. However, we do not ruleout very early merging of low-mass dwarf galaxies, since up to one-halfof the most metal-poor stars ([Fe/H]<=-1.8) have chemistries that arein fair agreement with Galactic halo stars. We also do not rule outmerging with higher mass galaxies, although we note that the LMC and theremnants of the Sgr dwarf galaxy are also chemically distinct from themajority of the Galactic halo stars. Formation of the Galaxy's thickdisk by heating of an old thin disk during a merger is also not ruledout; however, the Galaxy's thick disk itself cannot be comprised of theremnants from a low-mass (dSph) dwarf galaxy, nor of a high-mass dwarfgalaxy like the LMC or Sgr, because of differences in chemistry.The new and independent environments offered by the dSph galaxies alsoallow us to examine fundamental assumptions related to thenucleosynthesis of the elements. The metal-poor stars ([Fe/H]<=-1.8)in the dSph galaxies appear to have lower [Ca/Fe] and [Ti/Fe] than[Mg/Fe] ratios, unlike similar metallicity stars in the Galaxy.Predictions from the α-process (α-rich freeze-out) would beconsistent with this result if there have been a lack of hypernovae indSph galaxies. The α-process could also be responsible for thevery low Y abundances in the metal-poor stars in dSph's; since [La/Eu](and possibly [Ba/Eu]) are consistent with pure r-process results, thelow [Y/Eu] suggests a separate r-process site for this light(first-peak) r-process element. We also discuss SNe II rates and yieldsas other alternatives, however. In stars with higher metallicities([Fe/H]>=-1.8), contributions from the s-process are expected; [(Y,La, and Ba)/Eu] all rise as expected, and yet [Ba/Y] is still muchhigher in the dSph stars than similar metallicity Galactic stars. Thisresult is consistent with s-process contributions from lower metallicityAGB stars in dSph galaxies, and is in good agreement with the slowerchemical evolution expected in the low-mass dSph galaxies relative tothe Galaxy, such that the build-up of metals occurs over much longertimescales. Future investigations of nucleosynthetic constraints (aswell as galaxy formation and evolution) will require an examination ofmany stars within individual dwarf galaxies.Finally, the Na-Ni trend reported in 1997 by Nissen & Schuster isconfirmed in Galactic halo stars, but we discuss this in terms of thegeneral nucleosynthesis of neutron-rich elements. We do not confirm thatthe Na-Ni trend is related to the accretion of dSph galaxies in theGalactic halo.
| Empirically Constrained Color-Temperature Relations. II. uvby
A new grid of theoretical color indices for the Strömgren uvbyphotometric system has been derived from MARCS model atmospheres and SSGsynthetic spectra for cool dwarf and giant stars having-3.0<=[Fe/H]<=+0.5 and 3000<=Teff<=8000 K. Atwarmer temperatures (i.e., 8000-2.0. To overcome thisproblem, the theoretical indices at intermediate and high metallicitieshave been corrected using a set of color calibrations based on fieldstars having well-determined distances from Hipparcos, accurateTeff estimates from the infrared flux method, andspectroscopic [Fe/H] values. In contrast with Paper I, star clustersplayed only a minor role in this analysis in that they provided asupplementary constraint on the color corrections for cool dwarf starswith Teff<=5500 K. They were mainly used to test thecolor-Teff relations and, encouragingly, isochrones thatemploy the transformations derived in this study are able to reproducethe observed CMDs (involving u-v, v-b, and b-y colors) for a number ofopen and globular clusters (including M67, the Hyades, and 47 Tuc)rather well. Moreover, our interpretations of such data are verysimilar, if not identical, with those given in Paper I from aconsideration of BV(RI)C observations for the sameclusters-which provides a compelling argument in support of thecolor-Teff relations that are reported in both studies. Inthe present investigation, we have also analyzed the observedStrömgren photometry for the classic Population II subdwarfs,compared our ``final'' (b-y)-Teff relationship with thosederived empirically in a number of recent studies and examined in somedetail the dependence of the m1 index on [Fe/H].Based, in part, on observations made with the Nordic Optical Telescope,operated jointly on the island of La Palma by Denmark, Finland, Iceland,Norway, and Sweden, in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de losMuchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias.Based, in part, on observations obtained with the Danish 1.54 mtelescope at the European Southern Observatory, La Silla, Chile.
| A CCD imaging search for wide metal-poor binaries
We explored the regions within a radius of 25 arcsec around 473 nearby,low-metallicity G- to M-type stars using (VR)I optical filters andsmall-aperture telescopes. About 10% of the sample was searched up toangular separations of 90 arcsec. We applied photometric and astrometrictechniques to detect true physical companions to the targets. The greatmajority of the sample stars was drawn from the Carney-Latham surveys;their metallicities range from roughly solar to [Fe/H] = -3.5 dex. OurI-band photometric survey detected objects that are between 0 and 5 magfainter (completeness) than the target stars; the maximum dynamicalrange of our exploration is 9 mag. We also investigated the literature,and inspected images from the Digitized Sky Surveys to complete oursearch. By combining photometric and proper motion measurements, weretrieved 29 previously known companions, and identified 13 new propermotion companions. Near-infrared 2MASS photometry is provided for thegreat majority of them. Low-resolution optical spectroscopy (386-1000nm) was obtained for eight of the new companion stars. Thesespectroscopic data confirm them as cool, late-type, metal-depleteddwarfs, with spectral classes from esdK7 to sdM3. After comparison withlow-metallicity evolutionary models, we estimate the masses of theproper motion companion stars to be in the range 0.5-0.1Mȯ. They are moving around their primary stars atprojected separations between 32 and 57 000 AU. These orbitalsizes are very similar to those of solar-metallicity stars of the samespectral types. Our results indicate that about 15% of the metal-poorstars have stellar companions in wide orbits, which is in agreement withthe binary fraction observed among main sequence G- to M-type stars andT Tauri stars.Based on observations made with the IAC80 telescope operated on theisland of Tenerife by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias inthe Spanish Observatorio del Teide; also based on observations made withthe 2.2 m telescope of the German-Spanish Calar Alto Observatory(Almería, Spain), the William Herschel Telescope (WHT) operatedon the island of La Palma by the Isaac Newton Group in the SpanishObservatorio del Roque de los Muchachos (ORM) of the Instituto deAstrofísica de Canarias; and the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo(TNG) at the ORM.The complete Table 1 is only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/419/167
| The Geneva-Copenhagen survey of the Solar neighbourhood. Ages, metallicities, and kinematic properties of 14 000 F and G dwarfs
We present and discuss new determinations of metallicity, rotation, age,kinematics, and Galactic orbits for a complete, magnitude-limited, andkinematically unbiased sample of 16 682 nearby F and G dwarf stars. Our63 000 new, accurate radial-velocity observations for nearly 13 500stars allow identification of most of the binary stars in the sampleand, together with published uvbyβ photometry, Hipparcosparallaxes, Tycho-2 proper motions, and a few earlier radial velocities,complete the kinematic information for 14 139 stars. These high-qualityvelocity data are supplemented by effective temperatures andmetallicities newly derived from recent and/or revised calibrations. Theremaining stars either lack Hipparcos data or have fast rotation. Amajor effort has been devoted to the determination of new isochrone agesfor all stars for which this is possible. Particular attention has beengiven to a realistic treatment of statistical biases and errorestimates, as standard techniques tend to underestimate these effectsand introduce spurious features in the age distributions. Our ages agreewell with those by Edvardsson et al. (\cite{edv93}), despite severalastrophysical and computational improvements since then. We demonstrate,however, how strong observational and theoretical biases cause thedistribution of the observed ages to be very different from that of thetrue age distribution of the sample. Among the many basic relations ofthe Galactic disk that can be reinvestigated from the data presentedhere, we revisit the metallicity distribution of the G dwarfs and theage-metallicity, age-velocity, and metallicity-velocity relations of theSolar neighbourhood. Our first results confirm the lack of metal-poor Gdwarfs relative to closed-box model predictions (the ``G dwarfproblem''), the existence of radial metallicity gradients in the disk,the small change in mean metallicity of the thin disk since itsformation and the substantial scatter in metallicity at all ages, andthe continuing kinematic heating of the thin disk with an efficiencyconsistent with that expected for a combination of spiral arms and giantmolecular clouds. Distinct features in the distribution of the Vcomponent of the space motion are extended in age and metallicity,corresponding to the effects of stochastic spiral waves rather thanclassical moving groups, and may complicate the identification ofthick-disk stars from kinematic criteria. More advanced analyses of thisrich material will require careful simulations of the selection criteriafor the sample and the distribution of observational errors.Based on observations made with the Danish 1.5-m telescope at ESO, LaSilla, Chile, and with the Swiss 1-m telescope at Observatoire deHaute-Provence, France.Complete Tables 1 and 2 are only available in electronic form at the CDSvia anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/418/989
| Sulphur and zinc abundances in Galactic stars and damped Lyα systems
High resolution spectra of 34 halo population dwarf and subgiant starshave been obtained with VLT/UVES and used to derive sulphur abundancesfrom the λ λ 8694.0, 8694.6 and λ λ 9212.9,9237.5 S I lines. In addition, iron abundances have been determined from19 Fe II lines and zinc abundances from the λ λ 4722.2,4810.5 lines. The abundances are based on a classical 1D, LTE modelatmosphere analysis, but effects of 3D hydrodynamical modelling on the[S/Fe], [Zn/Fe] and [S/Zn] ratios are shown to be small. We find thatmost halo stars with metallicities in the range -3.2 < [Fe/H] <-0.8 have a near-constant [S/Fe] ≃ +0.3; a least square fit to[S/Fe] vs. [Fe/H] shows a slope of only -0.04 ± 0.01. Among halostars with -1.2 < [Fe/H] < -0.8 the majority have [S/Fe] ≃+0.3, but two stars (previously shown to have low α/Fe ratios)have [S/Fe] ≃ 0.0. For disk stars with [Fe/H] > -1, [S/Fe]decreases with increasing [Fe/H] . Hence, sulphur behaves like othertypical α-capture elements, Mg, Si and Ca. Zinc, on the otherhand, traces iron over three orders of magnitude in [Fe/H], althoughthere is some evidence for a small systematic Zn overabundance ([Zn/Fe]≃ +0.1) among metal-poor disk stars and for halo stars with [Fe/H]< -2.0. Recent measurements of S and Zn in ten damped Lyαsystems (DLAs) with redshifts between 1.9 and 3.4 and zinc abundances inthe range -2.1 < [Zn/H] < -0.15 show an offset relative to the[S/Zn] - [Zn/H] relation in Galactic stars. Possible reasons for thisoffset are discussed, including low and intermittent star formationrates in DLAs.Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory,Chile (ESO No. 67.D-0106).Table A1 is only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymousftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/415/993
| The evolution of the C/O ratio in metal-poor halo stars
We report new measurements of carbon and oxygen abundances in 34 F and Gdwarf and subgiant stars belonging to the halo population and spanning arange of metallicity from [Fe/H] = -0.7 to -3.2 . The survey is based onobservations of four permitted lines of C I near 9100 Å and the OI,λ 7774 triplet, all recorded at high signal-to-noise ratioswith the UVES echelle spectrograph on the ESO VLT. The line equivalentwidths were analysed with the 1D, LTE, MARCS model atmosphere code todeduce C and O abundances; corrections due to non-LTE and 3D effects arediscussed. When combined with similar published data for disk stars, ourresults confirm the metallicity dependence of the C/O ratio known fromprevious stellar and interstellar studies: C/O drops by a factor of3-4 as O/H decreases from solar to 1/10 solar. Analysed withinthe context of standard models for the chemical evolution of the solarvicinity, this drop results from the metallicity dependence of the Cyields from massive stars with mass loss, augmented by the delayedrelease of C from stars of low and intermediate mass. The former is,however, always the dominant factor. Our survey has also uncoveredtentative evidence to suggest that, as the oxygen abundance decreasesbelow [O/H] = -1, [C/O] may not remain constant at [C/O] = -0.5, aspreviously thought, but increase again, possibly approaching near-solarvalues at the lowest metallicities ([O/H] ≲ -3). With the currentdataset this is no more than a 3σ effect and it may be due tometallicity-dependent non-LTE corrections to the [C/O] ratio which havenot been taken into account. However, its potential importance as awindow on the nucleosynthesis by Population III stars is a strongincentive for future work, both observational and theoretical, to verifyits reality.Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory,Chile (ESO No. 67.D-0106).
| Improved Astrometry and Photometry for the Luyten Catalog. II. Faint Stars and the Revised Catalog
We complete construction of a catalog containing improved astrometry andnew optical/infrared photometry for the vast majority of NLTT starslying in the overlap of regions covered by POSS I and by the secondincremental Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) release, approximately 44%of the sky. The epoch 2000 positions are typically accurate to 130 mas,the proper motions to 5.5 mas yr-1, and the V-J colors to0.25 mag. Relative proper motions of binary components are measured to 3mas yr-1. The false-identification rate is ~1% for11<~V<~18 and substantially less at brighter magnitudes. Theseimprovements permit the construction of a reduced proper-motion diagramthat, for the first time, allows one to classify NLTT stars intomain-sequence (MS) stars, subdwarfs (SDs), and white dwarfs (WDs). We inturn use this diagram to analyze the properties of both our catalog andthe NLTT catalog on which it is based. In sharp contrast to popularbelief, we find that NLTT incompleteness in the plane is almostcompletely concentrated in MS stars, and that SDs and WDs are detectedalmost uniformly over the sky δ>-33deg. Our catalogwill therefore provide a powerful tool to probe these populationsstatistically, as well as to reliably identify individual SDs and WDs.
| Abundances for metal-poor stars with accurate parallaxes. I. Basic data
We present element-to-element abundance ratios measured from highdispersion spectra for 150 field subdwarfs and early subgiants withaccurate Hipparcos parallaxes (errors <20%). For 50 stars new spectrawere obtained with the UVES on Kueyen (VLT UT2), the McDonald 2.7 mtelescope, and SARG at TNG. Additionally, literature equivalent widthswere taken from the works by Nissen & Schuster, Fulbright, andProchaska et al. to complement our data. The whole sample includes boththick disk and halo stars (and a few thin disk stars); most stars havemetallicities in the range -2<[Fe/H]<-0.6. We found our data, thatof Nissen & Schuster, and that of Prochaska to be of comparablequality; results from Fulbright scatter a bit more, but they are stillof very good quality and are extremely useful due to the large size ofhis sample. The results of the present analysis will be used inforthcoming papers to discuss the chemical properties of thedissipational collapse and accretion components of our Galaxy.Based in part on data collected at the European Southern Observatory,Chile, at the MacDonald Observatory, Texas, USA, and at the TelescopioNazionale Galileo, Canary Island, INAF,Italy-Spain.}\fnmsep\thanks{Table 1 is only available in electronic format the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) orvia\resizebox{8.8cm}{2.2mm}htpp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/404/187}
| STELIB: A library of stellar spectra at R ~ 2000
We present STELIB, a new spectroscopic stellar library, available athttp://webast.ast.obs-mip.fr/stelib. STELIB consists of an homogeneouslibrary of 249 stellar spectra in the visible range (3200 to 9500Å), with an intermediate spectral resolution (la 3 Å) andsampling (1 Å). This library includes stars of various spectraltypes and luminosity classes, spanning a relatively wide range inmetallicity. The spectral resolution, wavelength and spectral typecoverage of this library represents a substantial improvement overprevious libraries used in population synthesis models. The overallabsolute photometric uncertainty is 3%.Based on observations collected with the Jacobus Kaptein Telescope,(owned and operated jointly by the Particle Physics and AstronomyResearch Council of the UK, The Nederlandse Organisatie voorWetenschappelijk Onderzoek of The Netherlands and the Instituto deAstrofísica de Canarias of Spain and located in the SpanishObservatorio del Roque de Los Muchachos on La Palma which is operated bythe Instituto de AstrofÃsica de Canarias), the 2.3 mtelescope of the Australian National University at Siding Spring,Australia, and the VLT-UT1 Antu Telescope (ESO).Tables \ref{cat1} to \ref{cat6} and \ref{antab1} to A.7 are onlyavailable in electronic form at http://www.edpsciences.org. The StellarLibrary STELIB library is also available at the CDS, via anonymous ftpto cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/402/433
| Oxygen line formation in late-F through early-K disk/halo stars. Infrared O I triplet and [O I] lines
In order to investigate the formation of O I 7771-5 and [O I] 6300/6363lines, extensive non-LTE calculations for neutral atomic oxygen werecarried out for wide ranges of model atmosphere parameters, which areapplicable to early-K through late-F halo/disk stars of variousevolutionary stages.The formation of the triplet O I lines was found to be well described bythe classical two-level-atom scattering model, and the non-LTEcorrection is practically determined by the parameters of theline-transition itself without any significant relevance to the detailsof the oxygen atomic model. This simplifies the problem in the sensethat the non-LTE abundance correction is essentially determined only bythe line-strength (Wlambda ), if the atmospheric parametersof Teff, log g, and xi are given, without any explicitdependence of the metallicity; thus allowing a useful analytical formulawith tabulated numerical coefficients. On the other hand, ourcalculations lead to the robust conclusion that LTE is totally valid forthe forbidden [O I] lines.An extensive reanalysis of published equivalent-width data of O I 7771-5and [O I] 6300/6363 taken from various literature resulted in theconclusion that, while a reasonable consistency of O I and [O I]abundances was observed for disk stars (-1 <~ [Fe/H] <~ 0), theexistence of a systematic abundance discrepancy was confirmed between OI and [O I] lines in conspicuously metal-poor halo stars (-3 <~[Fe/H] <~ -1) without being removed by our non-LTE corrections, i.e.,the former being larger by ~ 0.3 dex at -3 <~ [Fe/H] <~ -2.An inspection of the parameter-dependence of this discordance indicatesthat the extent of the discrepancy tends to be comparatively lessenedfor higher Teff/log g stars, suggesting the preference ofdwarf (or subgiant) stars for studying the oxygen abundances ofmetal-poor stars.Tables 2, 5, and 7 are only available in electronic form, at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/402/343 and Table\ref{tab3} is only available in electronic form athttp://www.edpsciences.org
| A Survey of Proper-Motion Stars. XVI. Orbital Solutions for 171 Single-lined Spectroscopic Binaries
We report 25,563 radial velocity measurements for 1359 single-linedstars in the Carney-Latham sample of 1464 stars selected for high propermotion. For 171 of these, we present spectroscopic orbital solutions. Wefind no obvious difference between the binary characteristics in thehalo and the disk populations. The observed frequency is the same, andthe period distributions are consistent with the hypothesis that the twosets of binaries were drawn from the same parent population. Thissuggests that metallicity in general, and radiative opacities inparticular, have little influence over the fragmentation process thatleads to short-period binaries. All the binaries with periods shorterthan 10 days have nearly circular orbits, while the binaries withperiods longer than 20 days exhibit a wide range of eccentricities and amedian value of 0.37. For the metal-poor high-velocity halo binaries inour sample, the transition from circular to eccentric orbits appears tooccur at about 20 days, supporting the conclusion that tidalcircularization on the main sequence is important for the oldestbinaries in the Galaxy. Some of the results presented here usedobservations made with the Multiple Mirror Telescope, a joint facilityof the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Arizona.
| O/Fe in metal-poor main sequence and subgiant stars
A study of the O/Fe ratio in metal-poor main sequence and subgiant starsis presented using the \ion{Oi},6300 Å line, the O I 7774 Åtriplet, and a selection of weak Fe Ii lines observed on high-resolutionspectra acquired with the VLT UVES spectrograph. The \ion{Oi line isdetected in the spectra of 18 stars with -2.4 < [Fe/H] < -0.5, andthe triplet is observed for 15 stars with Fe/H ranging from -1.0 to-2.7. The abundance analysis was made first using standard modelatmospheres taking into account non-LTE effects on the triplet: the\ion{Oi} line and the triplet give consistent results with [O/Fe]increasing quasi-linearly with decreasing [Fe/H] reaching [O/Fe] =~ +0.7at [Fe/H] = -2.5. This trend is in reasonable agreement with otherresults for [O/Fe] in metal-poor dwarfs obtained using standardatmospheres and both ultraviolet and infrared OH lines. There is alsobroad agreement with published results for [O/Fe] for giants obtainedusing standard model atmospheres and the \ion{Oi} line, and the OHinfrared lines, but the O I lines give higher [O/Fe] values which may,however, fall into place when non-LTE effects are considered. Whenhydrodynamical model atmospheres representing stellar granulation indwarf and subgiant stars replace standard models, the [O/Fe] from the\ion{Oi} and Fe Ii lines is decreased by an amount which increases withdecreasing [Fe/H]. These 3D effects on [O/Fe] is compounded by theopposite behaviour of the \ion{Oi} (continuous opacity effect) and Fe Iilines (excitation effect). The [O/Fe] vs. [Fe/H] relation remainsquasi-linear extending to [O/Fe] =~ +0.5 at [Fe/H] = -2.5, but with atendency of a plateau with [O/Fe] =~ +0.3 for -2.0 < [Fe/H] <-1.0, and a hint of cosmic scatter in [O/Fe] at [Fe/H] =~ -1.0. Use ofthe hydrodynamical models disturbs the broad agreement between theoxygen abundances from the \ion{Oi} , O I, and OH lines, but 3D non-LTEeffects may serve to erase these differences. The [O/Fe] values from the\ion{Oi} line and the hydrodynamical model atmospheres for dwarfs andsubgiant stars are lower than the values for giants using standard modelatmospheres and the \ion{Oi}, and O I lines. Based on observationscollected at the European Southern Observatory, Chile (ESO Nos.65.L-0131, 65.L-0507, and 67.D-0439).
| Revised Magnesium Abundances in Galactic Halo and Disk Stars
A differential analysis of the magnesium abundances in 61 F-K dwarfs andsubgiants with metallicities -2.6<[Fe/H]<+0.2 is performed basedon published observational data. Fundamental parameters for 36 stars aredetermined: T eff from V-K and V-R; logg from HIPPARCOS parallaxes, and[Fe/H] and ξt from Fe II lines. The computations allow for non-LTEeffects in the formation of the Mg I lines. For most of the stars, thestandard errors in the Mg abundances do not exceed 0.07 dex. Themetallicity dependence of [Mg/Fe] is analyzed. Magnesium shows aconstant overabundance relative to Fe of 0.46±0.06 dex formetallicities -2.6<[Fe/H]<-0.7 Mg. The Mg overabundance decreasesabruptly to +0.27 dex at [Fe/H]⋍-0.7. At highermetallicities, the Mg abundance smoothly decreases to the solar value at[Fe/H]=0.0. Halo stars with metallicities [Fe/H]<-1.0 exhibit lowerMg overabundances ( ) compared to the [Mg/Fe] values for other starswith similar [Fe/H].
| Lithium abundances for 185 main-sequence stars: Galactic evolution and stellar depletion of lithium
We present a survey of lithium abundances in 185 main-sequence fieldstars with 5600 <~ Teff <~ 6600 K and -1.4 <~ [Fe/H]<~ +0.2 based on new measurements of the equivalent width of thelambda 6708 Li I line in high-resolution spectra of 130 stars and areanalysis of data for 55 stars from Lambert et al. (\cite{Lambert91}).The survey takes advantage of improved photometric and spectroscopicdeterminations of effective temperature and metallicity as well as massand age derived from Hipparcos absolute magnitudes, offering anopportunity to investigate the behaviour of Li as a function of theseparameters. An interesting result from this study is the presence of alarge gap in the log varepsilon (Li) - Teff plane, whichdistinguishes ``Li-dip'' stars like those first identified in the Hyadescluster by Boesgaard & Tripicco (\cite{Boesgaard86}) from otherstars with a much higher Li abundance. The Li-dip stars concentrate on acertain mass, which decreases with metallicity from about 1.4Msun at solar metallicity to 1.1 Msun at [Fe/H] =~-1.0. Excluding the Li-dip stars and a small group of lower mass starswith Teff < 5900 K and log varepsilon (Li) < 1.5, theremaining stars, when divided into four metallicity groups, may show acorrelation between Li abundance and stellar mass. The dispersion aroundthe log varepsilon (Li)-mass relation is about 0.2 dex below [Fe/H] =~-0.4 and 0.3 dex above this metallicity, which cannot be explained byobservational errors or differences in metallicity. Furthermore, thereis no correlation between the residuals of the log varepsilon (Li)-massrelations and stellar age, which ranges from 1.5 Gyr to about 15 Gyr.This suggests that Li depletion occurs early in stellar life and thatparameters other than stellar mass and metallicity affect the degree ofdepletion, e.g. initial rotation velocity and/or the rate of angularmomentum loss. It cannot be excluded, however, that a cosmic scatter ofthe Li abundance in the Galaxy at a given metallicity contributes to thedispersion in Li abundance. These problems make it difficult todetermine the Galactic evolution of Li from the data, but a comparisonof the upper envelope of the distribution of stars in the log varepsilon(Li) - [Fe/H] plane with recent Galactic evolutionary models by Romanoet al. (\cite{Romano99}) suggests that novae are a major source for theLi production in the Galactic disk; their occurrence seems to be theexplanation for the steep increase of Li abundance at [Fe/H] =~ -0.4.Based on observations carried out at Beijing Astronomical Observatory(Xinglong, PR China) and European Southern Observatory, La Silla, Chile.Table 1 is only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymousftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/371/943 and athttp://www.edpsciences.org
| Catalogue of Apparent Diameters and Absolute Radii of Stars (CADARS) - Third edition - Comments and statistics
The Catalogue, available at the Centre de Données Stellaires deStrasbourg, consists of 13 573 records concerning the results obtainedfrom different methods for 7778 stars, reported in the literature. Thefollowing data are listed for each star: identifications, apparentmagnitude, spectral type, apparent diameter in arcsec, absolute radiusin solar units, method of determination, reference, remarks. Commentsand statistics obtained from CADARS are given. The Catalogue isavailable in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcar?J/A+A/367/521
| Non-LTE Abundances and Consequences for the Evolution of the α-Elements in the Galaxy
Abundances of α-elements such as Ca and Mg in disk and halo starsare usually derived from equivalent width lines measured onhigh-resolution spectra and assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium(LTE). In this paper, we present non-LTE differential abundances derivedby computing the statistical equilibrium of Ca I and Mg I atoms, usinghigh-resolution equivalent widths available in the literature for 252dwarf to subgiant stars. These non-LTE abundances, combined with recentdetermination of non-LTE abundances of iron, seem to remove thedispersion of the [Ca/Fe] and [Mg/Fe] ratios in the galactic halo anddisk phases, revealing new and surprising structures. These results haveimportant consequences for chemical evolution models of the Galaxy. Inaddition, non-LTE abundance ratios for stars belonging to the M92cluster apparently have the same behavior. More high-resolutionobservations, mainly of globular clusters, are urgently needed toconfirm our results.
| Intrinsic colour calibration for F, G, K stars
We derive an intrinsic colour calibration for F-K stars using broad bandJohnson colours and line indices KP and HP2. Through this calibration wecan determine E(B-V) of an individual star within 0.03 mag. The E(B-V)values thus derived are in excellent agreement with those derived fromStrömgren photometry through the Schuster & Nissen(\cite{sch89}) calibration. The agreement is also good with thereddening maps of Burstein & Heiles (\cite{bur82}) and Schlegel etal. (\cite{sch98}), although in this case there exists a small offset ofabout 0.01 mag. This calibration may be applied to the large body ofdata of the HK survey extension which will be published in the nearfuture.
| Sc and Mn abundances in disk and metal-rich halo stars
Sc and Mn abundances are determined for 119 F and G main-sequence starswith -1.4 < [Fe/H] < +0.1, representing stars from the thin disk,the thick disk and the halo. The results indicate that Sc behaves likean alpha element, showing a decreasing [Sc/Fe] with increasingmetallicity in disk stars and a dual pattern in the kinematicallyselected halo stars. In contrast, Mn shows an increase from [Mn/Fe] =~-0.5 at [Fe/H] = -1.4 to zero at solar metallicity. There appears to bea discontinuity or sharp increase of [Mn/Fe] at [Fe/H] =~ -0.7corresponding to the transition between the thick and the thin disk. Itis discussed if supernovae of Type Ia are a major source of Mn in theGalactic disk or if the trend of [Mn/Fe] vs. [Fe/H] can be explained bynucleosynthesis in Type II supernovae with a strong metallicitydependence of the yield. Based on observations carried out at theEuropean Southern Observatory, La Silla, Chile, and Beijing AstronomicalObservatory, Xinglong, China
| Estimation of Stellar Metal Abundance. II. A Recalibration of the Ca II K Technique, and the Autocorrelation Function Method
We have recalibrated a method for the estimation of stellar metalabundance, parameterized as [Fe/H], based on medium-resolution (1-2Å) optical spectra (the majority of which cover the wavelengthrange 3700-4500 Å). The equivalent width of the Ca II K line (3933Å) as a function of [Fe/H] and broadband B-V color, as predictedfrom spectrum synthesis and model atmosphere calculations, is comparedwith observations of 551 stars with high-resolution abundances availablefrom the literature (a sevenfold increase in the number of calibrationstars that were previously available). A second method, based on theFourier autocorrelation function technique first described by Ratnatunga& Freeman, is used to provide an independent estimate of [Fe/H], ascalibrated by comparison with 405 standard-star abundances.Metallicities based on a combination of the two techniques for dwarfsand giants in the color range 0.30<=(B-V)_0<=1.2 exhibit anexternal 1 sigma scatter of approximately 0.10-0.20 dex over theabundance range -4.0<=[Fe/H]<=0.5. Particular attention has beengiven to the determination of abundance estimates at the metal-rich endof the calibration, where our previous attempt suffered from aconsiderable zero-point offset. Radial velocities, accurate toapproximately 10 km s^-1, are reported for all 551 calibration stars.
| Lithium abundances in metal-poor stars. I. New observations
We present the lithium measurements of a continuing programme of lightelement abundances in metal-poor stars. New equivalent widths of the Lii lambda 670.8 nm resonance line in 67 metal-poor stars covering themetallicity range -3.5 <= [Fe/H] <= -0.4 are reported. For abouthalf of this sample, the observations presented here represent the firstmeasurement of the Li i line. The sample allowed a statisticalcomparison with previous measurements from other authors and a study ofthe consistency and reliability of the quoted error bars. This papershows that for most of the stars these error bars are good estimates ofthe true uncertainties associated with the determination of theequivalent widths of the Li i line. However, about 20% of the stars withtwo or more independent measurements show discrepancies in the Li iequivalent widths; in these cases, other sources of uncertainty notproperly taken into account (binarity effects, cosmic rays, imperfectflat-field correction, continuum determination, etc.) could also beimportant. Conclusions on the possible lithium abundance trends versuseffective temperature or metallicity and on any intrinsic scatter shouldbe treated cautiously until their robustness vis-a-vis these additionaluncertainties is proved. Based on observations made with the IsaacNewton and Nordic Optical Telescopes, which are operated on the islandof La Palma by the Isaac Newton Group and the NOT ScientificAssociation, respectively, in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de losMuchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias.
| Younger and Brighter - New Distances to Globular Clusters Based on HIPPARCOS Parallax Measurements of Local Subdwarfs
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1997AJ....114..161R&db_key=AST
| A catalogue of [Fe/H] determinations: 1996 edition
A fifth Edition of the Catalogue of [Fe/H] determinations is presentedherewith. It contains 5946 determinations for 3247 stars, including 751stars in 84 associations, clusters or galaxies. The literature iscomplete up to December 1995. The 700 bibliographical referencescorrespond to [Fe/H] determinations obtained from high resolutionspectroscopic observations and detailed analyses, most of them carriedout with the help of model-atmospheres. The Catalogue is made up ofthree formatted files: File 1: field stars, File 2: stars in galacticassociations and clusters, and stars in SMC, LMC, M33, File 3: numberedlist of bibliographical references The three files are only available inelectronic form at the Centre de Donnees Stellaires in Strasbourg, viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5), or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Vierge |
| Right ascension: | 12h12m01.37s |
| Declination: | +13°15'40.6" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 10.136 |
| Distance: | 24.155 parsecs |
| Proper motion RA: | -215.9 |
| Proper motion Dec: | -439 |
| B-T magnitude: | 10.689 |
| V-T magnitude: | 10.182 |
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