We have performed the Fourier decomposition analysis of 11-yr V-band light curves of a carefully selected sample of 100 RR Lyrae variables, detected in the central regions of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), with the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment, phases II and III. The sample consisted of 84 fundamental mode pulsators (RRab stars) and 16 first-overtone pulsators (RRc stars). The Fourier decomposition parameters were used to derive metal abundances and distance moduli for these RR Lyrae variables.
Generally the gas metallicity in distant galaxies can only be inferred by using a few prominent emission lines. Various theoretical models have been used to predict the relationship between emission line fluxes and metallicity, suggesting that some line ratios can be used as diagnostics of the gas metallicity in galaxies. However, accurate empirical calibrations of these emission line flux ratios from real galaxy spectra spanning a wide metallicity range are still lacking. In this paper we provide such empirical calibrations by using the combination of two sets of spectroscopic data: one consisting of low-metallicity galaxies with a measurement of [O III]{lambda}4363 taken from the literature, including spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), and the other one consisting of galaxies in the SDSS database whose gas metallicity has been determined from various strong emission lines in their spectra. This combined data set constitutes the largest sample of galaxies with information on the gas metallicity available so far and spanning the widest metallicity range. By using these data we obtain accurate empirical relations between gas metallicity and several emission line diagnostics, including the R23 parameter, the [NII]{lambda}6584/H{alpha} and [O III]{lambda}5007/[NII]{lambda}6584 ratios.
In a survey of archived ultraviolet spectra of 100 stars recorded by the echelle spectrograph of the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope, we measure the strengths of the weak absorption features of OI, GeII, and KrI in the interstellar medium. Our objective is to undertake an investigation that goes beyond earlier abundance studies to see how these elements are influenced independently by three different environmental properties: (1) values of a generalized atomic depletion factor F_*_ due to condensations onto dust grains (revealed here by the abundances of Mg and Mn relative to H), (2) the fraction of H atoms in the form of H_2_/f(H_2_), and (3) the ambient intensity I of ultraviolet starlight relative to an average value in our part of the Galaxy I_0_. As expected, the gas-phase abundances of all three elements exhibit negative partial correlations with F*. The abundances of free O atoms show significant positive partial correlations with logf(H_2_) and log(I/I_0_), while Ge and Kr exhibit negative partial correlations with log(I/I_0_) at marginal levels of significance. After correcting for these trends, the abundances of O relative to H show no significant variations with location, except for the already-known radial gradient of light-element abundances in the Milky Way. A comparison of Ge and O abundances revealed no significant regional enhancements or deficiencies of neutron-capture elements relative to {alpha}-process ones.
Using six-dimensional phase-space information from the Fourth Data release of the RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE) over the range of Galactic longitude 240{deg}<l<360{deg} and VLSR<-239km/s, we computed orbits for 329 RAVE stars that were originally selected as chemically and kinematically related to Omega Centauri. The orbits were integrated in a Milky-Way-like axisymmetric Galactic potential, ignoring the effects of the dynamical evolution of Omega Centauri due to the tidal effects of the Galaxy disk on the cluster along time. We also ignored secular changes in the Milky Way potential over time. In a Monte Carlo scheme, and under the assumption that the stars may have been ejected with velocities greater than the escape velocity (V_rel_>V_esc,0_) from the cluster, we identified 15 stars as having close encounters with Omega Centauri: (i) 8 stars with relative velocities V_rel_<200km/s may have been ejected ~200Myr ago from Centauri; (ii) another group of 7 stars were identified with high relative velocity V_rel_>200km/s during close encounters, and it seems unlikely that they were ejected from Omega Centauri. We also confirm the link between J131340.4-484714 as a potential member of Omega Centauri, and probably ejected ~2.0Myr ago, with a relative velocity V_rel_~80km/s.
We present Li, Na, Al and Fe abundances of 199 lower red giant branch stars members of the stellar system Omega Centauri, using high-resolution spectra acquired with FLAMES at the Very Large Telescope. The A(Li) distribution is peaked at A(Li)~1dex with a prominent tail toward lower values. The peak of the distribution well agrees with the lithium abundances measured in lower red giant branch stars in globular clusters and Galactic field stars. Stars with A(Li)~1dex are found at metallicities lower than [Fe/H]~-1.3dex but they disappear at higher metallicities. On the other hand, Li-poor stars are found at all the metallicities. The most metal-poor stars exhibit a clear Li-Na anticorrelation, with about 30% of the sample with A(Li) lower than ~0.8dex, while in normal globular clusters these stars represent a small fraction. Most of the stars with [Fe/H]>-1.6dex are Li-poor and Na-rich. The Li depletion measured in these stars is not observed in globular clusters with similar metallicities and we demonstrate that it is not caused by the proposed helium enhancements and/or young ages. Hence, these stars formed from a gas already depleted in lithium. Finally, we note that Omega Centauri includes all the populations (Li-normal/Na-normal, Li-normal/Na-rich and Li-poor/Na-rich stars) observed, to a lesser extent, in mono-metallic GCs.
We present elemental abundances for 855 red giant branch (RGB) stars in the globular cluster Omega Centauri ({omega} Cen) from spectra obtained with the Blanco 4m telescope and Hydra multifiber spectrograph. The sample includes nearly all RGB stars brighter than V=13.5 and spans {omega} Cen's full metallicity range. The heavy {alpha} elements (Si, Ca, and Ti) are generally enhanced by +/-0.3 dex and exhibit a metallicity-dependent morphology that may be attributed to mass and metallicity-dependent Type II supernova (SN) yields. The heavy {alpha} and Fe-peak abundances suggest minimal contributions from Type Ia SNe. The light elements (O, Na, and Al) exhibit >0.5 dex abundance dispersions at all metallicities, and a majority of stars with [Fe/H]>-1.6 have [O/Fe], [Na/Fe], and [Al/Fe] abundances similar to those in monometallic globular clusters, as well as O-Na, O-Al anticorrelations and the Na-Al correlation in all but the most metal-rich stars. A combination of pollution from intermediate-mass asymptotic giant branch stars and in situ mixing may explain the light element abundance patterns. A large fraction (27%) of {omega} Cen stars are O-poor ([O/Fe]<0) and are preferentially located within 5'-10' of the cluster center. The O-poor giants are spatially similar, located in the same metallicity range, and are present in nearly equal proportions to blue main-sequence stars. This suggests that the O-poor giants and blue main-sequence stars may share a common origin. [La/Fe] increases sharply at [Fe/H]>~-1.6, and the [La/Eu] ratios indicate that the increase is due to almost pure s-process production.
Open clusters are historically regarded as single-aged stellar populations representative of star formation within the Galactic disc. Recent literature has questioned this view, based on discrepant Na abundances relative to the field, and concerns about the longevity of bound clusters contributing to a selection bias: perhaps long-lived open clusters are chemically different to the star formation events that contributed to the Galactic disc. We explore a large sample of high-resolution Na, O, Ba and Eu abundances from the literature, homogenized as much as reasonable including accounting for non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) effects, variations in analysis and choice of spectral lines. Compared to a template globular cluster and representative field stars, we find no significant abundance trends, confirming that the process producing the Na-O anticorrelation in globular clusters is not present in open clusters. Furthermore, previously reported Na enhancement of open clusters is found to be an artefact of NLTE effects, with the open clusters matching a subset of chemically tagged field stars.
The literature was searched for [Fe/H] estimates of individual member stars of open clusters (OCs) based on the analysis of high-resolution spectra. The lower limit for spectral resolving power (R={lambda}/{Delta}{lambda}) was set to 25000, and the lower limit for signal-to-noise ratio was set to 50. We searched the PASTEL database (2010A&A...515A.111S, Cat. B/pastel) and the recent literature for such metallicity determinations in references posterior to 1990 and until June 2013. Only stars with an effective temperature lower than 7000K were included to avoid rapid rotators and chemical peculiarities. We eliminated confirmed non-members, spectroscopic binaries, and chemically peculiar stars and kept only stars with a high probability of membership. This resulted in a list of 571 stars in 86 OCs, with 830 metallicity determinations from 94 papers, which we call the starting sample.
Open clusters are known as excellent tools for various topics in Galactic research. For example, they allow accurately tracing the chemical structure of the Galactic disc. However, the metallicity is known only for a rather low percentage of the open cluster population, and these values are based on a variety of methods and data. Therefore, a large and homogeneous sample is highly desirable. In the third part of our series we compile a large sample of homogenised open cluster metallicities using a wide variety of different sources. These data and a sample of Cepheids are used to investigate the radial metallicity gradient, age effects, and to test current models. We used photometric and spectroscopic data to derive cluster metallicities. The different sources were checked and tested for possible offsets and correlations. In total, metallicities for 172 open cluster were derived. We used the spectroscopic data of 100 objects for a study of the radial metallicity distribution and the age-metallicity relation. We found a possible increase of metallicity with age, which, if confirmed, would provide observational evidence for radial migration. Although a statistical significance is given, more studies are certainly needed to exclude selection effects, for example. The comparison of open clusters and Cepheids with recent Galactic models agrees well in general. However, the models do not reproduce the flat gradient of the open clusters in the outer disc. Thus, the effect of radial migration is either underestimated in the models, or an additional mechanism is at work. Apart from the Cepheids, open clusters are the best tracers for metallicity over large Galactocentric distances in the Milky Way. For a sound statistical analysis, a sufficiently large and homogeneous sample of cluster metallicities is needed. Our compilation is currently by far the largest and provides the basis for several basic studies such as the statistical treatment of the Galactic cluster population, or evolutionary studies of individual star groups in open clusters.
It has recently been suggested that all giant stars with masses below 2M_{sun}_ suffer an episode of surface lithium enrichment between the tip of the red giant branch (RGB) and the red clump (RC). We test if the above result can be confirmed in a sample of RC and RGB stars that are members of open clusters. We discuss Li abundances in six open clusters with ages between 1.5 and 4.9Gyr (turn-off masses between 1.1 and 1.7M_{sun}_). We compare these observations with the predictions of different models that include rotation-induced mixing, thermohaline instability, mixing induced by the first He flash, and energy losses by neutrino magnetic moment. In six clusters, we find close to 35% of RC stars have Li abundances that are similar or higher than those of upper RGB stars. This can be a sign of fresh Li production. Because of the extra-mixing episode connected to the luminosity bump, the expectation has been for RC stars to have systematically lower surface Li abundances. However, we cannot confirm that this possible Li production is ubiquitous. For about 65% of RC giants, we can only determine upper limits in abundances that could be hiding very low Li content. Our results indicate the possibility that Li is being produced in the RC, at levels that would not typically permit the classification of these the stars as Li rich. The determination of their carbon isotopic ratio would help to confirm that the RC giants have suffered extra mixing followed by subsequent Li enrichment. The Li abundances of the RC stars can be qualitatively explained by the models by using an additional mixing episode close to the He flash.
