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Abstract
VizieR online Data Catalogue associated with article published in journal Astronomical Journal (AAS) with title 'The R-Process Alliance: first release from the northern search for r-process-enhanced metal-poor stars in the Galactic halo.' (bibcode: 2018ApJ...868..110S) Copyright: Refer to CDS usage
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Abstract
VizieR online Data Catalogue associated with article published in journal Astronomical Journal (AAS) with title 'Spectroscopic validation of low-metallicity stars from RAVE.' (bibcode: 2018AJ....155..256P) Copyright: Refer to CDS usage
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Abstract
VizieR online Data Catalogue associated with article published in journal Astronomical Journal (AAS) with title 'The r-process alliance: discovery of the first metal-poor star with a combined r- and s-process element signature.' (bibcode: 2018ApJ...862..174G) Copyright: Refer to CDS usage
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Abstract
We report the first detection of the Pb II line at 2203.534 angstrom in three metal-poor stars, using ultraviolet spectra obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope. We perform a standard abundance analysis assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) to derive lead (Pb, Z = 82) abundances. The Pb II line yields a higher abundance than Pb I lines by +0.36 +/- 0.34 dex and +0.49 +/- 0.28 dex in the stars HD 94028 and HD 196944, where Pb I lines had been detected previously. The Pb II line is likely formed in LTE, and these offsets affirm previous calculations showing that Pb I lines commonly used as abundance indicators underestimate the Pb abundance in LTE. Pb is enhanced in the s-process-enriched stars HD 94028 ([Pb/Fe] = +0.95 +/- 0.14) and HD 196944 ([Pb/Fe] = +2.28 +/- 0.23), and we show that Pb-208 is the dominant Pb isotope in these two stars. The log epsilon(Pb/Eu) ratio in the r-process-enhanced star HD 222925 is 0.76 +/- 0.14, which matches the solar system r-process ratio and indicates that the solar system r-process residuals for Pb are, in aggregate, correct. The Th/Pb chronometer in HD 222925 yields an age of 8.2 +/- 5.8 Gyr, and we highlight the potential of the Th/Pb chronometer as a relatively model-insensitive age indicator in r-process-enhanced stars.
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Abstract
We derive dynamical parameters for a large sample of 446 r-process-enhanced (RPE) metal-poor stars in the halo and disk systems of the Milky Way, based on data releases from the R-Process Alliance, supplemented by additional literature samples. This sample represents more than a 10-fold increase in size relative to that previously considered by Roederer et al. and, by design, covers a larger range of r-process-element enrichment levels. We test a number of clustering analysis methods on the derived orbital energies and other dynamical parameters for this sample, ultimately deciding on application of the HDBSCAN algorithm, which obtains 30 individual chemodynamically tagged groups (CDTGs); 21 contain between 3 and 5 stars, and 9 contain between 6 and 12 stars. Even though the clustering was performed solely on the basis of their dynamical properties, the stars in these CDTGs exhibit statistically significant similarities in their metallicity ([Fe/H]), carbonicity ([C/Fe]), and neutron-capture element ratios ([Sr/Fe], [Ba/Fe], and [Eu/Fe]). These results demonstrate that the RPE stars in these CDTGs have likely experienced common chemical-evolution histories, presumably in their parent satellite galaxies or globular clusters, prior to being disrupted into the Milky Way's halo. We also confirm the previous claim that the orbits of the RPE stars preferentially exhibit pericentric distances that are substantially lower than the present distances of surviving ultrafaint dwarf and canonical dwarf spheroidal galaxies, consistent with the disruption hypothesis. The derived dynamical parameters for several of our CDTGs indicate their association with previously known substructures, dynamically tagged groups, and RPE groups.
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Abstract
Neutron star mergers (NSMs) are promising astrophysical sites for the rapid neutron-capture ("r") process, but can their integrated yields explain the majority of heavy-element material in the Galaxy? One method to address this question implements a forward approach that propagates NSM rates and yields along with stellar formation rates and compares those results with observed chemical abundances of r-process-rich, metal-poor stars. In this work, we take the inverse approach by utilizing r-process-element abundance ratios of metal-poor stars as input to reconstruct the properties-especially the masses-of their neutron star (NS) binary progenitors. This novel analysis provides an independent avenue for studying the population of the original NS binary systems that merged and produced the r-process material now incorporated in Galactic metal-poor halo stars. We use ratios of elements typically associated with the limited-r-process and the actinide region to those in the lanthanide region (i.e., Zr/Dy and Th/Dy) to probe the NS masses of the progenitor merger. We find that NSMs can account for all r-process material in metal-poor stars that display r-process signatures, while simultaneously reproducing the present-day distribution of double-NS systems. Notably, with our model assumptions and the studied stellar sample, we postulate that the most r-process enhanced stars (the r-II stars) on their own would require progenitor NSMs of asymmetric systems that are distinctly different from present ones in the Galaxy. We also explore variations to the model and find that the predicted degree of asymmetry is most sensitive to the electron fraction of the remnant disk wind.
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Abstract
Of the variations in the elemental abundance patterns of stars enhanced with r-process elements, the variation in the relative actinide-to-lanthanide ratio is among the most significant. We investigate the source of these actinide differences in order to determine whether these variations are due to natural differences in astrophysical sites, or due to the uncertain nuclear properties that are accessed in r-process sites. We find that variations between relative stellar actinide abundances is most likely astrophysical in nature, owing to how neutron-rich the ejecta from an r-process event may be. Furthermore, if an r-process site is capable of generating variations in the neutron-richness of its ejected material, then only one type of r-process site is needed to explain all levels of observed relative actinide enhancements.
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Abstract
VizieR online Data Catalogue associated with article published in journal Astronomical Journal (AAS) with title 'The R-Process Alliance: fourth data release from the search for r-process-enhanced stars in the Galactic halo.' (bibcode: 2020ApJS..249...30H) Copyright: Refer to CDS usage
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Abstract
VizieR online Data Catalogue associated with article published in journal Astronomical Journal (AAS) with title 'The R-Process Alliance: spectroscopic follow-up of low-metallicity star candidates from the Best & Brightest Survey.' (bibcode: 2019ApJ...870..122P) Copyright: Refer to CDS usage
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Abstract
VizieR online Data Catalogue associated with article published in journal Astronomical Journal (AAS) with title 'The R-process Alliance: The Peculiar Chemical Abundance Pattern of RAVE J183013.5-455510' (bibcode: 2020ApJ...897...78P) Copyright: Refer to CDS usage
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