Probing the Site for r-Process Nucleosyntheis with Abundances of Barium and Magnesium in Extremely Metal-Poor Stars

Abstract

We suggest that if the astrophysical site for r-process nucleosynthesis in the early Galaxy is confined to a narrow mass range of Type II supernova (SN II) progenitors, with a lower mass limit of Mms = 20 Msun, a unique feature in the observed distribution of [Ba/Mg] vs.[Mg/H] for extremely metal-poor stars can be adequately reproduced. We associate this feature, a bifurcation of the observed elemental ratios into two branches in the Mg abundance interval -2.7 < [Mg/H] < -2.3, with two distinct processes. The first branch, which we call the ``y''-branch, is associated with the production of Ba and Mg from individual massive supernovae. We conclude that SNe II with Mms = 20 Msun are the dominant source of r-process nucleosynthesis in the early Galaxy. An SN-induced chemical evolution model with this Mms-dependent Ba yield creates the y-branch, reflecting the different nucleosynthesis yields of [Ba/Mg] for each SN II with Mms > 20 Msun. The second branch, which we call the ``i''-branch, is associated with the elemental abundance ratios of stars which were formed in the dense shells of the interstellar medium swept up by SNe II with Mms < 20 Msun that do not synthesize r-process elements, and applies to stars with observed Mg abundances in the range [Mg/H] < -2.7. The Ba abundances in these stars reflect those of the interstellar gas at the (later) time of their formation. The existence of a [Ba/Mg] i-branch strongly suggests that SNe II which are associated with stars of progenitor mass Mms < 20 Msun are infertile sources for the production of r-process elements. We predict the existence of this i-branch for other r-process elements, such as europium (Eu), to the extent that their production site is in common with Ba.