627 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
An Observational Perspective On Some Aspects Of Early Stellar Nucleosynthesis
Some basic abundance results for low metallicity stars that were formed in the early days of the Milky Way Galaxy are summarized. Discussion is centered on two nucleosynthetic groups: the light a elements (Mg, Si, and Ca), and the neutron-capture elements (those heavier than the Fe group, atomic numbers greater than 30). Emphasis is placed on the present state of stellar spectroscopic and atomic transition data.Astronom
Nuclear Chronometers
Observations of metal-poor Galactic halo stars indicate that the abundance
pattern of the (heaviest) neutron-capture elements is consistent with the
scaled solar system r-process abundances. Utilizing the radioactive (r-process)
element thorium, age determinations have been made for several of these same
stars, placing constraints on both Galactic and cosmological age estimates.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures. To appear in the Proceedings of ``Cosmic
Evolution'
Neutron-Capture Element Trends in the Halo
In a brief review of abundances neutron-capture elements (Z > ~30) in
metal-poor halo stars, attention is called to their star-to-star scatter, the
dominance of r-process synthesis at lowest metallicities, the puzzle of the
lighter members of this element group, and the possibility of a better
r-/s-process discriminant.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures. To appear in the Proceedings of ``Cosmic
Evolution'
Molecular column densities in selected model atmospheres
From an examination of predicted column densities, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) The SiO ought to be visible in carbon stars which were generated from triple alpha burning, but absent from carbon stars generated from the CNO bi-cycle. (2) Variation in the observed relative strengths of TiO and ZrO is indicative of real differences in the ratio Ti/Zr. (3) The TiO/ZrO ratio shows a small variation as C/O and effective temperature is changed. (4) Column density of silicon dicarbide (SiC2) is sensitive to abundance, temperature, and gravity; hence all relationships between the strength of SiC2 and other stellar parameters will show appreciable scatter. There is however, a substantial luminosity effect present in the SiC2 column densities. (5) Unexpectedly, SiC2 is anti-correlated with C2. (6) The presence of SiC2 in a carbon star eliminates the possibility of these stars having temperatures greater than or equal to 3000 K, or being produced through the CNO bi-cycle
- …