Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Apr 1999
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1999aj....117.1771s&link_type=abstract
The Astronomical Journal, Volume 117, Issue 4, pp. 1771-1791.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
46
Galaxy: Evolution, Galaxy: Formation, Galaxy: Halo, Stars: Abundances
Scientific paper
Presented within is a fine spectroscopic analysis of 11 metal-poor (-2.15<[Fe/H]<-1.00) dwarf stars on orbits that penetrate the outermost regions of the Galactic halo. Abundances for a select group of light metals (Na, Mg, Si, Ca, and Ti), Fe-peak nuclides (Cr, Fe, and Ni), and neutron-capture elements (Y and Ba) were calculated using line strengths measured from high-resolution (R~48,000), high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N~110pixel^-1) echelle spectra acquired with the Keck I 10 m telescope and HIRES spectrograph. Ten of the stars have apogalactica, a proxy for stellar birthplace, which stretch between 25 and 90 kpc; however, these ``outer halo'' stars exhibit strikingly uniform abundances. The average, Fe-normalized abundances-<[Mg/Fe]>=+0.23+/-0.09, <[Si/Fe]>=+0.24+/-0.10, <[Ca/Fe]>=+0.22+/-0.07, <[Ti/Fe]>=+0.20+/-0.08, <[Cr/Fe]>=0.02+/-0.07, <[Ni/Fe]>=-0.09+/-0.07, and <[Ba/Fe]>=+0.01+/-0.12-exhibit little intrinsic scatter; moreover, the evolution of individual ratios (as a function of [Fe/H]) is generally consistent with the predictions of galactic chemical evolution models dominated by the ejecta of core-collapse supernovae. Only <[Y/Fe]>=-0.13+/-0.21 exhibits a dispersion larger than observational uncertainties, which suggests a different nucleosynthesis site for this element. It has been conjectured that stars on high-energy orbits-either those that penetrate the remote halo or ones with extreme retrograde velocities-were once associated with a cannibalized satellite galaxy. Such stars, as shown here, are indistinguishable from metal-poor dwarfs of the inner Galactic halo. The uniformity of the abundances, regardless of kinematic properties, suggests that physically, spatially, and temporally distinct star-forming regions within (or near) the growing Milky Way experienced grossly similar chemical evolution histories. Implications for galaxy formation scenarios are discussed.
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