Physics
Scientific paper
Jul 2004
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2004hst..prop10220s&link_type=abstract
HST Proposal ID #10220
Physics
Hst Proposal Id #10220 Cool Stars
Scientific paper
We propose the first extensive HST study of Galactic halo stars that are deficient in heavy {i.e., neutron-capture} elements. These so-called r- process-poor stars contain the nucleosynthesis products from the earliest generations of stars, the progenitors of the halo stars. Detections of the lightest neutron-capture elements, such as Ge, along with some of the heaviest, including Pt, can only be obtained in the NUV. Our HST abundance analysis of the well-known bright {r-process-poor} giant star HD 122563 indicates a surprising drop off in neutron-capture element abundances from Ge to Pt. This is in contrast to the solar pattern seen in r-process-rich stars, and suggests that some of the very earliest generations of stars were unable to synthesize the heaviest elements. To confirm and strengthen this finding we will obtain abundance determinations for a number of neutron-capture elements in a target sample of 8 stars, spanning a wide range of metallicity. The resulting abundance distributions will provide a direct indication of the nucleosynthetic conditions {such as temperatures, densities, and neutron fluxes} in the halo progenitors. These in turn will help to identify the characteristics {such as masses and metallicities} and nature of the first stars in the Galaxy.
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