5 research outputs found
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The behavior of hydrogen and helium at white dwarf photosphere conditions
White Dwarfs (WDs) represent the evolutionary endpoint for nearly all stars in the universe. Their atmospheres are usually dominated by either hydrogen, helium, or carbon. In astrophysics, WDs are used to determine the age of the universe, to test current stellar evolutionary models, and to constrain the physics of Type Ia supernovae as well as dark energy. Accurate WD masses are needed for all of these applications. In this thesis, I review the weaknesses of the currently available WD mass determination methods and show that for hydrogen-dominated WDs, such deficiencies can be traced to an incomplete understanding of H line shapes at the atmospheric temperaturesand densities (T [subscript e] ~ 1 eV, n [subscript e] ~ 1x10¹⁷ cm⁻³) of those stars. I further demonstrate that helium WD mass derivation techniques suffer from uncertain Stark shift and neutral broadening models, while C WD masses are suspect due to unverified electron broadening parameters. Addressing each of these atomic physics limitations requires both experimental data and theoretical developments. The White Dwarf Photosphere Experiment (WDPE) at Sandia National Laboratories Z-machine delivers laboratory data directed at solving the mass determination problems for WDs. For hydrogen line shapes, I find that fundamental assumptions regarding emission and absorption processes may not be valid. Helium WD mass derivations are hampered by the inability of current models to reproduce my experimental He shift and neutral broadening measurements. Since C WDs are at higher temperatures than H or He WDs, these investigations are limited to proof-of concept experiments. All my WDPE results have led to additional questions about fundamental physical assumptions that are relevant not only to stellar atmospheres and the experimental platform, but all of plasma physics. I discuss each of these aspects in the context of atomic, plasma, and WD physics.Astronom
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A detailed study of giants and horizontal branch stars in M68 : atmospheric parameters and chemical abundances
In this thesis, I present a detailed high-resolution spectroscopic study of post main sequence stars in the Globular Cluster M68. My sample, which covers a range of 4000 K in Teff, and 3.5 dex in log(g), is comprised of members from the red giant, red horizontal, and blue horizontal branch, making this the first high-resolution globular cluster study covering such a large evolutionary and parameter space. Initially, atmospheric parameters were determined using photometric as well as spectroscopic methods, both of which resulted in unphysical and unexpected Teff, log(g), vt, and [Fe/H] combinations. I therefore developed a hybrid approach that addresses most of these problems, and yields atmospheric parameters that agree well with other measurements in the literature. Furthermore, my derived stellar metallicities are consistent across all evolutionary stages, with = 2.42 ( sigma = 0.14) from 25 stars. Chemical abundances obtained using my methodology also agree with previous studies and bear all the hallmarks of globular clusters, such as a Na-O anti-correlation, constant Ca abundances, and mild r-process enrichment.Astronom
A Detailed Study of Giants and Horizontal Branch Stars in M68: Atmospheric Parameters and Chemical Abundances
In this paper, we present a detailed high-resolution spectroscopic study of
post main sequence stars in the Globular Cluster M68. Our sample, which covers
a range of 4000 K in , and 3.5 dex in , is comprised of
members from the red giant, red horizontal, and blue horizontal branch, making
this the first high-resolution globular cluster study covering such a large
evolutionary and parameter space. Initially, atmospheric parameters were
determined using photometric as well as spectroscopic methods, both of which
resulted in unphysical and unexpected , , , and
[Fe/H] combinations. We therefore developed a hybrid approach that addresses
most of these problems, and yields atmospheric parameters that agree well with
other measurements in the literature. Furthermore, our derived stellar
metallicities are consistent across all evolutionary stages, with
[Fe/H] = 2.42 ( = 0.14) from 25 stars. Chemical
abundances obtained using our methodology also agree with previous studies and
bear all the hallmarks of globular clusters, such as a Na-O anti-correlation,
constant Ca abundances, and mild -process enrichment.Comment: Accepted to the Astronomical Journa
Lithium in the Upper Centaurus Lupus and Lower Centaurus Crux Subgroups of Scorpius-Centaurus
We utilize spectroscopically derived model atmosphere parameters and the
\ion{Li}{1} subordinate line and the doublet to
derive lithium abundances for 12 members of the Upper-Centaurus Lupus (UCL) and
Lower-Centaurus Crux (LCC) subgroups of the Scorpius Centaurus OB Association.
The results indicate any intrinsic Li scatter in our 0.9-1.4 stars
is limited to dex, consistent with the lack of dispersion in
stars in the 100 Myr Pleiades and 30-50 Myr IC 2391 and
2602 clusters. Both ab initio uncertainty estimates and the derived abundances
themselves indicate that the 6104 line yields abundances with
equivalent or less scatter than is found from the 6708 doublet as a
result of lower uncertainties for the subordinate feature, a result of low
sensitivity to broadening in the subordinate feature. Because NLTE corrections
are less susceptible to changes in surface gravity and/or metallicity for the
6104 {\AA} line, the subordinate Li feature is preferred for deriving lithium
abundances in young Li-rich stellar association stars with K.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomical Journal (abstract shortened
for astro-ph submission
New Lithium Measurements in Metal-Poor Stars
We provide *lambda*6708 Li 1 measurements in 37 metal-poor stars, most of
which are poorly-studied or have no previous measurements, from high-resolution
and high-S/N spectroscopy obtained with the McDonald Observatory 2.1m and 2.7m
telescopes. The typical line strength and abundance uncertainties, confirmed by
the thinness of the Spite plateau manifested by our data and by comparison with
previous measurements, are <=4 mAng and <=0.07-0.10 dex respectively. Two rare
moderately metal-poor solar-Teff dwarfs, HIP 36491 and 40613, with
significantly depleted but still detectable Li are identified; future light
element determinations in the more heavily depeleted HIP 40613 may provide
constraints on the Li depletion mechanism acting in this star. We note two
moderately metal-poor and slightly evolved stars, HIP 105888 and G265-39, that
appear to be analogs of the low-Li moderately metal-poor subgiant HD 201889.
Preliminary abundance analysis of G 265-39 finds no abnormalities that suggest
the low Li content is associated with AGB mass-transfer or deep mixing and
p-capture. We also detect line doubling in HIP 4754, heretofore classified as
SB1.Comment: Accepted for publication in PASP, volume 912 (Feb 2012) 15 pages, 3
figures, 2 table