Description
From ESO VLT/FLAMES/GIRAFFE spectra, abundance measurements of Zn have been made in ~100 individual red giant branch (RGB) stars in the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy. This is the largest sample of individual Zn abundance measurements within a stellar system beyond the Milky Way. In the observed metallicity range, -2.7<=[Fe/H]<=-0.9, the general trend of Zn abundances in Sculptor is similar to that of {alpha}-elements. That is, super-solar abundance ratios of [Zn/Fe] at low metallicities, which decrease with increasing [Fe/H], eventually reaching subsolar values. However, at the higher metallicities in Sculptor, [Fe/H]>~-1.8, we find a significant scatter, -0.8<~[Zn/Fe]<~+0.4, which is not seen in any {alpha}-element. Our results are consistent with previous observations of a limited number of stars in Sculptor and in other dwarf galaxies. These results suggest that zinc has a complex nucleosynthetic origin, behaving neither completely like an {alpha}- nor an iron-peak element.
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