The case of the disappearing CN-strong AGB stars in Galactic globular clusters -- Preliminary Results
S. W. Campbell, D. Yong, E. C. Wylie-de Boer, R. J. Stancliffe, J. C. Lattanzio, G. C. Angelou, F. Grundahl, C. Sneden
备注：
6 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the "10th Torino Workshop on Asymptotic Giant Branch Nucleosynthesis: From Rutherford to Beatrice Tinsley and Beyond", Eds.: C. C. Worley, C. A. Tout & R. J. Stancliffe
A previously reported literature search suggested that the AGB stars in Galactic globular clusters may be showing different distributions of CN-strong and CN-weak stars as compared to their RGB stars. In most cases the second giant branches of GCs appeared to be deficient in stars with strong CN bands. However the sample sizes of AGB stars at that time were too small to give a definitive picture. Thus an observing campaign targeting GC AGB stars was proposed. We now have medium resolution spectral observations of about 250 GC AGB stars across 9 globular clusters, obtained with the 2dF/AAOmega instrument on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. In this paper we report some preliminary results regarding the distributions of CN-strong and CN-weak stars on the two giant branches of a selection of globular clusters. We find that some GCs show a total lack of CN-strong stars on the AGB, whilst some show a reduction in CN-strong stars as compared to the RGB. Standard stellar evolution does not predict this change in surface abundance between the two giant branches. We discuss some possible causes of this unexpected phenomenon.
It has been well established that Galactic Globular clusters (GCs) harbour more than one stellar population, distinguishable by the anti-correlations of light element abundances (C-N, Na-O, and Mg-Al). These studies have been extended recently to the asymptotic giant branch (AGB). Here we investigate the AGB of NGC 6397 for the first time. We have performed an abundance analysis of high-resolution spectra of 47 RGB and 8 AGB stars, deriving Fe, Na, O, Mg and Al abundances. We find that NGC 6397 shows no evidence of a deficit in Na-rich AGB stars, as reported for some other GCs - the subpopulat…
Galactic Globular clusters (GCs) are now known to harbour multiple stellar populations, which are chemically distinct in many light element abundances. It is becoming increasingly clear that asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in GCs show different abundance distributions in light elements compared to those in the red giant branch (RGB) and other phases, skewing toward more primordial, field-star-like abundances, which we refer to as subpopulation one (SP1). As part of a larger program targeting giants in GCs, we obtained high-resolution spectra for a sample of 106 RGB and 15 AGB stars in Mess…
Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in the globular cluster NGC6752 have been found to exhibit some chemical peculiarities with respect to the red giant branch (RGB) stars. A discrepancy between [FeI/H] and [FeII/H] (not observed in RGB stars) has been detected adopting spectroscopic temperatures. Moreover, a possible lack of second-population stars along the AGB was claimed. The use of photometric temperatures based on (V-K) colors was proposed to erase this iron discrepancy. Also, ad hoc scenarios have been proposed to explain the absence of second-population AGB stars. Here we analyzed a sa…
We discuss the self-enrichment scenario by AGB stars for the formation of multiple populations in globular clusters (GCs) by analyzing data set of giant stars observed in 9 Galactic GCs, covering a wide range of metallicities and for which the simultaneous measurements of C, N, O, Mg, Al, Si are available. To this aim we calculated 6 sets of AGB models, with the same chemical composition as the stars belonging to the first generation of each GC. We find that the AGB yields can reproduce the set of observations available, not only in terms of the degree of contamination shown by stars in each G…
We analyzed the high-resolution spectra of a large sample of AGB and RGB stars in the Galactic globular clusters (GCs) NGC 104, NGC 6121, and NGC 6809 obtained with FLAMES/GIRAFFE at ESO/VLT, and determined their Na abundances. This is the first time that the AGB stars in NGC 6809 are targeted. Moreover, we reanalyzed with the same method the data archive for NGC 6752. To investigate the dependence of AGB Na abundance dispersion on GC parameters, we compared the AGB [Na/H] distributions we obtained (including NGC 2808 presented in the first paper of this series) with literature data for four o…
We have performed a census of the UV-bright population in 78 globular clusters using wide-field UV telescopes. This population includes a variety of phases of post-horizontal branch (HB) evolution, including hot post-asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, and post-early AGB stars. There are indications that old stellar systems like globular clusters produce fewer post-(early) AGB stars than currently predicted by evolutionary models, but observations are still scarce. We obtained FORS2 spectroscopy of eleven of these UV-selected objects (covering a range of -2.3<[Fe/H]<-1.0), which we (re-)analy…
AGB stars have long been held responsible for the important star-to-star variations in light elements observed in Galactic globular clusters. We analyse the main impacts of a first generation of rotating intermediate-mass stars on the chemical properties of second-generation globular cluster stars. The rotating models were computed without magnetic fields and without the effects of internal gravity waves. They account for the transports by meridional currents and turbulence. We computed the evolution of both standard and rotating stellar models with initial masses between 2.5 and 8 Msun within…
Globular clusters display significant variations in their light-element content, pointing to the existence of a second stellar generation formed from the ejecta of an earlier generation. The nature of these internal polluters is still a matter of debate: the two most popular scenarios indicate intermediate-mass AGB stars and fast rotating massive stars. Abundances determination for some key elements can help distinguish between these competitor candidates. We present in this paper Y abundances for a sample of 103 red giant branch stars in NGC 6121. Within measurement errors, we find that the […
Multiple stellar populations (MPs) are a distinct characteristic of Globular Clusters (GCs). Their general properties have been widely studied among main sequence, red giant branch (RGB) and horizontal branch (HB) stars, but a common framework is still missing at later evolutionary stages. We studied the MP phenomenon along the AGB sequences in 58 GCs, observed with the Hubble Space Telescope in ultraviolet (UV) and optical filters. By using UV-optical color-magnitude diagrams, we selected the AGB members of each cluster and identified the AGB candidates of the metal-enhanced population in typ…
ALMA observations show a non-detection of carbon monoxide around the four most luminous asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in the globular cluster 47 Tucanae. Stellar evolution models and star counts show that the mass-loss rates from these stars should be ~1.2-3.5 x 10^-7 solar masses per year. We would naively expect such stars to be detectable at this distance (4.5 kpc). By modelling the ultraviolet radiation field from post-AGB stars and white dwarfs in 47 Tuc, we conclude CO should be dissociated abnormally close to the stars. We estimate that the CO envelopes will be truncated at a few …
We derived chemical abundances for C, N, O, Na, Mg and Al in 20 asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in the globular cluster NGC 6752. All these elements (but Mg) show intrinsic star-to-star variations and statistically significant correlations or anticorrelations analogous to those commonly observed in red giant stars of globular clusters hosting multiple populations. This demonstrates that, at odds with previous findings, both first and second generation stars populate the AGB of NGC 6752. The comparison with the Na abundances of red giant branch stars in the same cluster reveals that second …
We study the formation of multiple populations in globular clusters (GC), under the hypothesis that stars in the second generation formed from the winds of intermediate-mass stars, ejected during the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase, possibly diluted with pristine gas, sharing the same chemical composition of first-generation stars. To this aim, we use the recent APOGEE data, which provide the surface chemistry of a large sample of giant stars, belonging to clusters that span a wide metallicity range. The APOGEE data set is particularly suitable to discriminate among the various pollution s…
Lithium is made up in the envelopes of massive Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars through the process of Hot Bottom Burning. In Globular Clusters, this processing is one possible source of the hot-CNO burning whose nuclear products are then ejected into the intracluster medium and take part in the formation of a second stellar generation, explaining the peculiar distribution of chemical elements among the cluster stars. We discuss the lithium yields from AGB stars in the mass range 3-6.3 Msun, and from super-AGB stars of masses in the range 6.5-9 Msun for metallicity Z=0.001. The qualitative …
Recent observations of heavy elements in Globular Clusters reveal intriguing deviations from the standard paradigm of the early galactic nucleosynthesis. If the r-process contamination is a common feature of halo stars, s-process enhancements are found in a few Globular Clusters only. We show that the combined pollution of AGB stars with mass ranging between 3 to 6 M$_\odot$ may account for most of the features of the s-process overabundance in M4 and M22. In these stars, the s process is a mixture of two different neutron-capture nucleosynthesis episodes. The first is due to the 13C(a,n)16O r…
This thesis is aimed at clarifying one of the least studied phases of stellar evolution: the asymptotic giant branch (AGB). Recent results obtained for Galactic globular clusters (GCs) suggest that the AGB stage may contain crucial information about the evolutionary history of exotic stars (Beccari et al. 2006) and multiple-populations (Campbell et al. 2013) in the parent cluster. The thesis presents the analysis of a large sample of high-resolution spectra of AGB stars in four Galactic GCs, acquired at the Very Large Telescope (ESO) and the 2.2 meter telescope (MPG). The obtained results prov…
(Abridged) Globular clusters host multiple stellar populations showing different sodium enrichments. These various populations can be observed along the main sequence, red giant and horizontal branch phases. Recently it was shown, however, that at least in the globular cluster NGC 6752, no sodium-rich stars are observed along the early asymptotic giant branch, posing an apparent problem for stellar evolution. We present an explanation for this lack of sodium-rich stars in this region of the colour-magnitude diagram.
An abundance analysis based on a high-resolution spectrum is presented for a newly discovered post-AGB star in the globular cluster M79. The surprising result is that the iron abundance of the star is apparently about 0.6 dex less than that of the cluster's red giants as reported by published studies including a recent high-resolution spectroscopic analysis by Carretta and colleagues. Abundances relative to iron appear to be the same for the post-AGB star and the red giants for the 15 common elements. It is suggested that the explanation for the lower abundances of the post-AGB star may be tha…
The Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) scenario ascribes the multiple populations in old Galactic Globular Clusters (GGC) to episodes of star formation in the gas contaminated by the ejecta of massive AGBs and super-AGBs of a first stellar population. The mass of these AGBs (4-8Msun) today populate the Young Massive Clusters (YMC) of the Magellanic Clouds, where rapid rotation and its slowing down play an important role in shaping the color magnitude diagram features. Consequently, we must reconsider whether the rotational evolution of these masses affects the yields, and whether the resulting abun…
This paper presents the chemical abundance analysis of 217 stars in the metal-poor globular cluster NGC 6752, distributed from the turn-off to the lower red giant branch. Aluminium and Lithium abundances were derived through spectral synthesis applied to spectra collected with FLAMES, both in GIRAFFE and UVES modes. The work aims to gain insight into the nature of the polluter(s) responsible for the abundance variations and C-N, Na-O, Al-Mg anti-correlations associated with the multiple population phenomenon. We found a plateau at A(Li)=2.33$\pm$0.06 dex in unevolved stars, with the average Li…
We present O, Na, and Fe abundances, as well as radial velocities, for 113 red giant branch (RGB) and asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in the globular cluster M13. The abundances and velocities are based on spectra obtained with the WIYN-Hydra spectrograph, and the observations range in luminosity from the horizontal branch (HB) to RGB-tip. The results are examined in the context of recent globular cluster formation scenarios. We find that M13 exhibits many key characteristics that suggest its formation and chemical enrichment are well-described by current models. Some of these observations…
We present nucleosynthesis predictions for massive (5-7 solar masses) asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars of solar metallicity where we delay the onset of the superwind to pulsation periods of P =700-800 days. We found that delaying the superwind in solar metallicity massive AGB stars results in a larger production of s-process elements, something that would be also expected at lower metallicities. These new models and the available observations show that massive C-O core AGB stars in our Galaxy and in the Magellanic Clouds experience considerable third dredge-up (TDU). Thus, if massive AGB st…
Galactic globular clusters (GCs) are known to host multiple stellar populations: a first generation with a chemical pattern typical of halo field stars and a second generation (SG) enriched in Na and Al and depleted in O and Mg. Both stellar generations are found at different evolutionary stages (e.g., the main-sequence turnoff, the subgiant branch, and the red giant branch). The non detection of SG asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in several metal-poor ([Fe/H] < -1) GCs suggests that not all SG stars ascend the AGB phase, and that failed AGB stars may be very common in metal-poor GCs. This…
A recent analysis comparing the [Na/Fe] distributions of red giant branch (RGB) and asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in the Galactic globular cluster NGC 6752 found that the ratio of Na-poor to Na-rich stars changes from 30:70 on the RGB to 100:0 on the AGB. The surprising paucity of Na-rich stars on the AGB in NGC 6752 warrants additional investigations to determine if the failure of a significant fraction of stars to ascend the AGB is an attribute common to all globular clusters. Therefore, we present radial velocities, [Fe/H], and [Na/Fe] abundances for 35 AGB stars in the Galactic globu…
The visually brightest stars in globular clusters (GCs) are the ones evolving off the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) and passing through spectral types F and A--the "yellow" post-AGB (yPAGB) stars. yPAGB stars are potentially excellent "Population II" standard candles for measuring extragalactic distances. A recent survey of the Galactic GC system, using uBVI photometry to identify stars of low surface gravities with large Balmer discontinuities, discovered a candidate luminous yPAGB star in the GC M19 (NGC 6273), designated ZNG 4. The same survey also identified a bright, hotter candidate blue…
One of the currently favored scenarios for the formation of globular clusters (GCs) with multiple stellar populations is that an initial massive stellar system forms (`first generation', FG), subsequently giving rise to gaseous ejecta which is converted into a second generation (SG) of stars to form a GC. We investigate, for the first time, the sequential formation processes of both FG and SG stars from star-forming massive gas clumps in gas-rich dwarf disk galaxies. We adopt a novel approach to resolve the two-stage formation of GCs in hydrodynamical simulations of dwarf galaxies.In the new s…
Internal chemical abundance spreads are one of fundamental properties of globular clusters (GCs) in the Galaxy. In order to understand the origin of such abundance spreads, we numerically investigate GC formation from massive molecular clouds (MCs) with fractal structures using our new hydrodynamical simulations with star formation and feedback effects of supernovae (SNe) and asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. We particularly investigate star formation from gas chemically contaminated by SNe and AGB stars within MCs with different initial conditions and environments. The principal results ar…
A survey of red giants in the globular cluster M3 with the Hydra multi-object spectrograph on the WIYN 3.5-m telescope indicated a prominent Li I 6707 $Å$ feature in the red giant vZ 1050. Follow-up spectroscopy with the ARC 3.5-m telescope confirmed this observation and yielded a derived abundance of A(Li)$_{NLTE}$ = 1.6 $\pm$ 0.05. In addition, the high oxygen and low sodium abundances measured from the same spectrum suggest that vZ 1050 is a first generation cluster star. The location vZ 1050 above the horizontal branch and blueward of the red giant branch in the cluster's color-magnitude d…
Galactic globular clusters (GC) are known to have multiple stellar populations and be characterised by similar chemical features, e.g. O-Na anti-correlation. While second-population stars, identified by their Na overabundance, have been found from the main sequence turn-off up to the tip of the red giant branch in various Galactic GCs, asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars have rarely been targeted. The recent finding that NGC 6752 lacks an Na-rich AGB star has thus triggered new studies on AGB stars in GCs, since this result questions our basic understanding of GC formation and stellar evolutio…
Pseudo two-colour diagrams or Chromosome maps (ChM) indicate that NGC 2808 host five different stellar populations. The existing ChMs have been derived by the Hubble Space Telescope photometry, and comprise of stars in a small field of view around the cluster centre. To overcome these limitations, we built a ChM with U,B,I photometry from ground-based facilities that disentangle the multiple stellar populations of NGC 2808 over a wider field of view. We used spectra collected by GIRAFFE@VLT in a sample of 70 red giant branch (RGB) and seven asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars to infer the abun…
Context: We present the physical and chemical properties of intermediate-mass stars models of low metallicity, evolved along the thermal pulse phase. Aims: The target of this work is to extend to low metallicities, Z=1,2 and 6 x 10^{-4}, the models previously computed for chemistries typical of Globular Clusters of an intermediate metallicity (Z=0.001), and for the most metal-rich clusters found in our Galaxy (Z=0.004); the main goal is to test the self-enrichment scenario also for metal poor Globular Clusters Methods: We calculated three grids of intermediate-mass models with metallicities Z=…
We report the discovery of a luminous "yellow" post-asymptotic-giant-branch (PAGB) star in the globular cluster (GC) M19 (NGC 6273), identified during our uBVI survey of Galactic GCs. The uBVI photometric system is optimized to detect stars with large Balmer discontinuities, indicating very low surface gravities and high luminosities. The spectral-energy distribution (SED) of the star is consistent with an effective temperature of about 6250 K and a surface gravity of $\log g=0.5$. We use Gaia data to show that the star's proper motion and radial velocity are consistent with cluster membership…
Although red giants deplete lithium on their surfaces, some giants are Li-rich. Intermediate-mass asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars can generate Li through the Cameron-Fowler conveyor, but the existence of Li-rich, low-mass red giant branch (RGB) stars is puzzling. Globular clusters are the best sites to examine this phenomenon because it is straightforward to determine membership in the cluster and to identify the evolutionary state of each star. In 72 hours of Keck/DEIMOS exposures in 25 clusters, we found four Li-rich RGB and two Li-rich AGB stars. There were 1696 RGB and 125 AGB stars wi…
The asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase is the final stage of nuclear burning for low-mass stars. Although Milky Way globular clusters are now known to harbour (at least) two generations of stars they still provide relatively homogeneous samples of stars that are used to constrain stellar evolution theory. It is predicted by stellar models that the majority of cluster stars with masses around the current turn-off mass (that is, the mass of the stars that are currently leaving the main sequence phase) will evolve through the AGB phase. Here we report that all of the second-generation stars in t…
We present a multiple stellar population (MSP) study of the globular cluster (GC) NGC~6752. We show that our new photometric CN index accurately traces the CN and the nitrogen abundances in cool giants, finding the discrete double red giant branch (RGB) and asymptotic giant branch (AGB) sequences with number ratios between the CN-weak and the CN-strong populations of \nrgb\ = 25:75 ($\pm$3; RGB) and 79:21 ($\pm$13; AGB). The discrepancy in these number ratios suggests that a significant fraction of the low-mass \cns\ stars failed to evolve into the AGB phase. However, unlike previous studies, …
We explain the multiple populations recently found in the 'prototype' Globular Cluster (GC) NGC 2808 in the framework of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) scenario. The chemistry of the five -or more- populations is approximately consistent with a sequence of star formation events, starting after the supernovae type II epoch, lasting approximately until the time when the third dredge up affects the AGB evolution (age ~90-120Myr), and ending when the type Ia supernovae begin exploding in the cluster, eventually clearing it from the gas. The formation of the different populations requires episod…
We introduce new color indices $cn^\prime_{\rm JWL}$ (= $Ca_{\rm CTIO} - Ca_{\rm JWL}$) and $ch_{\rm JWL}$ [=$(JWL43 - b) - (b-y)$], accurate photometric measures of the CN band at $λ$3883 and the CH G band, respectively, in the study of the multiple populations (MPs) in globular clusters (GCs). Our photometric CN--CH relation for a large number of red-giant branch (RGB) in M5 shows that the evolutions of the CN and CH between the CN-w and CN-s populations are not continuous. Armed with our new color indices, we investigate the MPs of NGC 6723, finding the RGB populational number ratio of $n$(…
Multiple Populations represent the standard for Globular Clusters (GC): a fraction (10-50%) of their stars have the same elemental abundances of halo stars of similar metallicity (first generation, or 1G), but the other stars (second generation, 2G) are characterised by patterns of light elements abundances which resemble those typical of gas processed by proton-capture reactions at high temperature. Consequently, we should naively expect that Lithium is destroyed in the 2G stars, but instead it is generally observed, at abundances only slightly depleted with respect to the 1G stars. After dis…
In this study, we identified and characterized the hot and luminous UV-bright stars in the globular cluster NGC 2808. We combined data from the Ultra Violet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) on-board the Indian space satellite, AstroSat, with the Hubble Space Telescope UV Globular Cluster Survey (HUGS) data for the central region (within $\sim$ $\ang[angle-symbol-over-decimal]{;2.7;} \times \ang[angle-symbol-over-decimal]{;2.7;}$) and Gaia and ground-based optical photometry for the outer parts of the cluster. We constructed the UV and UV-optical color-magnitude diagrams, compared the horizontal branch…
We present GALEX data for 44 Galactic globular clusters obtained during 3 GALEX observing cycles between 2004 and 2008. This is the largest homogeneous data set on the UV photometric properties of Galactic globular clusters ever collected. The sample selection and photometric analysis are discussed, and color-magnitude diagrams are presented. The blue and intermediate-blue horizontal branch is the dominant feature of the UV color-magnitude diagrams of old Galactic globular clusters. Our sample is large enough to display the remarkable variety of horizontal branch shapes found in old stellar po…
High-resolution (R ~ 100 000), high signal-to-noise spectra of M71 giants have been obtained with HIRES at the KeckI Telescope in order to measure their Mg isotopic ratios, as well as elemental abundances of C, N, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, Ni, Zr and La. We demonstrate that M71 has two populations, the first having weak CN, normal O, Na, Mg, and Al, and a low ratio of 26Mg/Mg (~4%) consistent with models of galactic chemical evolution with no contribution from AGB stars. The Galactic halo could have been formed from the dissolution of globular clusters prior to their intermediate mass stars r…
Recent observations have revealed that at least several old globular clusters (GCs) in the Galaxy have discrete distributions of stars along the Mg-Al anti-correlation. In order to discuss this recent observation, we construct a new one-zone GC formation model in which the maximum stellar mass (m_max) in the initial mass function (IMF) of stars in a forming GC depends on the star formation rate (SFR), as deduced from independent observations. We investigate the star formation histories of forming GCs. The principal results are as follows. About 30 Myr after the formation of the first generatio…
Using our ingeniously designed new filter systems, we investigate the multiple stellar populations of the RGB and AGB in the GC M5. Our results are the following. (1) Our cn_jwl index accurately traces the nitrogen abundances in M5, while other color indices fail to do so. (2) We find bimodal CN distributions both in the RGB and the AGB sequences, with the number ratios between the CN-weak (CN-w) and the CN-strong (CN-s) of n(CN-w):n(CN-s) = 29:71(+/- 2) and 21:79(+/- 7), respectively. (3) We also find the bimodal photometric [N/Fe] distribution for M5 RGB stars. (4) Our cn_jwl-[O/Fe] and cn_j…
We report discovery of a luminous F-type post-asymptotic-giant-branch (PAGB) star in the Galactic globular cluster (GC) M79 (NGC 1904). At visual apparent and absolute magnitudes of V=12.20 and Mv=-3.46, this "yellow" PAGB star is by a small margin the visually brightest star known in any GC. It was identified using CCD observations in the uBVI photometric system, which is optimized to detect stars with large Balmer discontinuities, indicative of very low surface gravities. Follow-up observations with the SMARTS 1.3- and 1.5-m telescopes show that the star is not variable in light or radial ve…
Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars play a key role in the enrichment of galaxies with heavy elements. Due to their large amplitude variability, the measurement of elemental abundances is a highly challenging task that has not been solved in a satisfactory way yet. Following our previous work we use hydrostatic and dynamical model atmospheres to simulate observed high-resolution near-infrared spectra of 12 variable and non-variable red giants in the globular cluster 47 Tuc. The 47 Tuc red giants are independently well-characterized in important parameters (mass, metallicity, luminosity). The p…
Long-lived stars in GCs exhibit chemical peculiarities with respect to their halo counterparts. In particular, Na-enriched stars are identified as belonging to a 2d stellar population born from cluster material contaminated by the H-burning ashes of a 1st stellar population. Their presence and numbers in different locations of the CMDs provide important constraints on the self-enrichment scenarios. In particular, the ratio of Na-poor to Na-rich stars on the AGB has recently been found to vary strongly from cluster to cluster, while it is relatively constant on the RGB. We investigate the impac…
We have carried out a search for above-horizontal-branch (AHB) stars--objects lying above the horizontal branch (HB) and blueward of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) in the color-magnitude diagram--in 97 Galactic and seven Magellanic Cloud globular clusters (GCs). We selected AHB candidates based on photometry in the $uBVI$ system, which is optimized for detection of low-gravity stars with large Balmer jumps, in the color range $-0.05\le(B-V)_0\le1.0$. We then used $Gaia$ astrometry and Gaussian-mixture modeling to confirm cluster membership and remove field interlopers. Our final catalog con…
The Bright Star in the globular cluster 47 Tucanae (NGC 104) is a post-AGB star of spectral type B8 III. The ultraviolet spectra of late-B stars exhibit a myriad of absorption features, many due to species unobservable from the ground. The Bright Star thus represents a unique window into the chemistry of 47 Tuc. We have analyzed observations obtained with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE), the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope, and the MIKE Spectrograph on the Magellan Telescope. By fitting these data with synthetic spectra, we determine variou…
A critical issue in the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) self-enrichment scenario for the formation of multiple populations in Globular Clusters (GCs) is the inability to reproduce the magnesium isotopic ratios, despite the model in principle can account for the depletion of magnesium. In this work we analyze how the uncertainties on the various p-capture cross sections affect the results related to the magnesium content of the ejecta of AGB stars. The observed distribution of the magnesium isotopes and of the overall Mg-Al trend in M13 and NGC 6752 are successfully reproduced when the proton-cap…
We review the properties of globular clusters which make them useful for studying the Galactic halo, Galactic chemical evolution, and the early stages of the formation of the Milky Way. We review the evidence that GCs have a chemical inventory similar to those of halo field stars. We discuss the abundance ratios for dSph galaxies and show that it is possible to have formed at least part the Galactic halo field stellar population by dissolving globular clusters and/or accreting dSph galaxies but only if this occurred at an early stage in the formation of the Galaxy. We review the constraints on…
We report on the serendipitous discovery of a carbon star near the centre of the low-metallicity globular cluster NGC 6426. We determined its membership and chemical properties using medium-resolution spectra. The radial velocity of -159 km/s makes it a member of the cluster. We used photometric data from the literature and the COMARCS stellar atmospheric models to derive its luminosity, effective temperature, surface gravity, metallicity, and approximate C, N, and O abundance ratios. According to these properties, we suggest that this star is a genuine carbon rich low-metallicity AGB star.
We present yields from stars of mass in the range Mo<M<8Mo of metallicities Z=0.0003 and Z=0.008, thus encompassing the chemistry of low- and high-Z Globular Clusters. The yields are based on full evolutionary computations, following the evolution of the stars from the pre-Main Sequence through the Asymptotic Giant Branch phase, until the external envelope is lost. Independently of metallicity, stars with M<3Mo are dominated by Third Dredge-Up, thus ejecting into their surroundings gas enriched in carbon and nitrogen. Conversely, Hot Bottom Burning is the main responsible for the modification …
We have collected UVES-FLAMES high-resolution spectra for a sample of 6 asymptotic giant branch (AGB) and 13 red giant branch (RGB) stars in the Galactic globular cluster M62 (NGC6266). Here we present the detailed abundance analysis of iron, titanium, and light-elements (O, Na, Al and Mg). For the majority (5 out 6) of the AGB targets we find that the abundances, of both iron and titanium, determined from neutral lines are significantly underestimated with respect to those obtained from ionized features, the latter being, instead, in agreement with those measured for the RGB targets. This is …
Nearly all Galactic globular clusters host stars that display characteristic abundance anti-correlations, like the O-rich/Na-poor pattern typical of field halo stars, together with O-poor/Na-rich additional components. A recent spectroscopic investigation questioned the presence of O-poor/Na-rich stars amongst a sample of asymptotic giant branch stars in the cluster M 4, at variance with the spectroscopic detection of a O-poor/Na-rich component along both the cluster red giant branch and horizontal branch. This is contrary to what is expected from the cluster horizontal branch morphology and h…
Globular cluster stars show chemical abundance patterns typical of hot-CNO processing. Lithium is easily destroyed by proton capture in stellar environments, so its abundance may be crucial to discriminate among different models proposed to account for multiple populations. In order to reproduce the observed O-Na anticorrelation and other patterns typical of multiple populations, the formation of second generation stars must occur from the nuclearly processed stellar ejecta, responsible of the chemical anomalies, diluted with pristine gas having the composition of first generation stars. The l…
