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Description
Open clusters are distributed all across the disk and are convenient tracers of its properties. In particular, outer disk clusters bear a key role for the investigation of the chemical evolution of the Galactic disk. The goal of this study is to derive homogeneous elemental abundances for a sample of ten outer disk OCs, and investigate possible links with disk structures such as the Galactic Anticenter Stellar Structure. We analyse high-resolution spectra of red giants, obtained from the HIRES@Keck and UVES@VLT archives. We derive elemental abundances and stellar atmosphere parameters by means of the classical equivalent width method. We also performed orbit integrations using proper motions. The Fe abundances we derive trace a shallow negative radial metallicity gradient of slope -0.027+/-0.007dex/kpc in the outer 12kpc of the disk. The [alpha/Fe] gradient appears flat, with a slope of 0.006+/-0.007dex/kpc. The two outermost clusters (Be 29 and Sau 1) appear to follow elliptical orbits. Be 20 also exhibits a peculiar orbit with a large excursion above the plane. The irregular orbits of the three most metal-poor clusters (two of which are located at the edge of the Galactic disk), if confirmed by more robust astrometric measurements such as those of the Gaia mission, are compatible with an inside-out formation scenario for the Milky Way, in which extragalactic material is accreted onto the outer disk. We cannot determine if Be 20, Be 29, and Sau 1 are of extragalactic origin, as they may be old genuine Galactic clusters whose orbits were perturbed by accretion events or minor mergers in the past 5Gyr, or they may be representants of the thick disk population. The nature of these objects is intriguing and deserves further investigations in the near future.
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