arXiv subjects

C. Charbonnel

Publications and source records attributed to C. Charbonnel.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2007

A new imprint of fast rotators: low 12C/13C ratios in extremely metal-poor halo stars

(abridged) Fast stellar rotation is currently the most promising mechanism for producing primary nitrogen in metal-poor massive stars. Chemical evolution models computed with the inclusion of the yields of fast rotating models at a metallicity $Z=10^{-8}$ can account for the high N/O abundances observed in normal metal-poor halo stars. If, as believed, intermediate mass stars did not have enough time to contribute to the interstellar medium enrichment at such low metallicities, the above result constitutes a strong case for the existence of fast rotators in the primordial Universe. An important result of stellar models of fast rotators is that large quantities of primary 13C are produced. Hence, our goal is to investigate the consequence of fast rotation on the evolution of the 12C/13C ratio in the interstellar medium at low metallicity. We predict that, if fast rotating massive stars were common phenomena in the early Universe, the primordial interstellar medium of galaxies with a star formation history similar to the one inferred for our galactic halo should have 12C/13C ratios between 30-300. Without fast rotators, the predicted 12C/13C ratios would be $\sim$ 4500 at [Fe/H]=-3.5, increasing to $\sim$ 31000 at around [Fe/H]=-5.0. Current data on very metal-poor giant normal stars in the galactic halo agree better with chemical evolution models including fast rotators. To test our predictions, challenging measurements of the 12C/13C in more extremely metal-poor giants and turnoff stars are required.

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arXiv2007

Origin of the abundance patterns in Galactic globular clusters: constraints on dynamical and chemical properties of globular clusters

Aims. We analyse the effects of a first generation of fast rotating massive stars on the dynamical and chemical properties of globular clusters. Methods. We use stellar models of fast rotating massive stars, losing mass through a slow mechanical equatorial winds to produce material rich in H-burning products. We propose that stars with high Na and low O abundances (hereafter anomalous stars) are formed from matter made of slow winds of individual massive stars and of interstellar matter. The proportion of slow wind and of interstellar material is fixed in order to reproduce the observed Li-Na anticorrelation in NGC 6752. Results. In the case that globular clusters, during their lifetime, did not lose any stars, we found that to reproduce the observed ratio of normal to anomalous stars, a flat initial mass function (IMF) is needed, with typically a slope x=0.55 (a Salpeter's IMF has x=1.35). In the case that globular clusters suffer from an evaporation of normal stars, the IMF slope can be steeper: to have x=1.35, about 96% of the normal stars would be lost. We make predictions for the distribution of stars as a function of their [O/Na] and obtain quite reasonable agreement with that one observed for NGC 6752. Predictions for the number fraction of stars with different values of helium, of the 12C/13C and 16O/17O ratios are discussed, as well as the expected relations between values of [O/Na] and those of helium, of [C/N], of 12C/13C and of 16O/17O. Future observations might test these predictions. We also provide predictions for the present day mass of the clusters expressed in units of mass of the gas used to form stars, and for the way the present day mass is distributed between the first and second generation of stars and the stellar remnants.

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arXiv2007

Advances in secular magnetohydrodynamics of stellar interiors dedicated to asteroseismic spatial missions

With the first light of COROT, the preparation of KEPLER and the future helioseismology spatial projects such as GOLF-NG, a coherent picture of the evolution of rotating stars from their birth to their death is needed. We describe here the modelling of the macroscopic transport of angular momentum and matter in stellar interiors that we have undertaken to reach this goal. First, we recall in detail the dynamical processes that are driving these mechanisms in rotating stars and the theoretical advances we have achieved. Then, we present our new results of numerical simulations which allow us to follow in 2D the secular hydrodynamics of rotating stars, assuming that anisotropic turbulence enforces a shellular rotation law. Finally, we show how this work is leading to a dynamical vision of the Hertzsprung-Russel diagram with the support of asteroseismology and helioseismology, seismic observables giving constraints on the modelling of the internal transport and mixing processes. In conclusion, we present the different processes that should be studied in the next future to improve our description of stellar radiation zones.

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arXiv2006

Fast rotating massive stars and the origin of the abundance patterns in galactic globular clusters

We propose the Wind of Fast Rotating Massive Stars scenario to explain the origin of the abundance anomalies observed in globular clusters. We compute and present models of fast rotating stars with initial masses between 20 and 120 Msun for an initial metallicity Z=0.0005 ([Fe/H]=-1.5). We discuss the nucleosynthesis in the H-burning core of these objects and present the chemical composition of their ejecta. We consider the impact of uncertainties in the relevant nuclear reaction rates. Fast rotating stars reach the critical velocity at the beginning of their evolution and remain near the critical limit during the rest of the main sequence and part of the He-burning phase. As a consequence they lose large amounts of material through a mechanical wind which probably leads to the formation of a slow outflowing disk. The material in this slow wind is enriched in H-burning products and presents abundance patterns similar to the chemical anomalies observed in globular cluster stars. In particular, the C, N, O, Na and Li variations are well reproduced by our model. However the rate of the 24Mg(p,gamma) has to be increased by a factor 1000 around 50 MK in order to reproduce the whole amplitude of the observed Mg-Al anticorrelation. We discuss how the long-lived low-mass stars currently observed in globular clusters could have formed out of the slow wind material ejected by massive stars.

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arXiv2006

Dynamical processes in the solar radiative interior

Recent seismic observations coming from acoustic and gravity modes clearly show that the solar standard model has reached its limits and can no longer be used to interpret satisfactorily seismic observations. In this paper, we present a review of the non-standard processes that may be added to the solar models in order to improve our understanding of the helioseismic data. We also present some results obtained when applying ``non-standard'' stellar evolution to the modelling of the Sun.

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arXiv2006

Elemental abundances in the atmosphere of clump giants

The aim of this paper is to provide the fundamental parameters and abundances for a large sample of local clump giants with a high accuracy. The selection of clump stars for the sample group was made applying a color - absolute magnitude window to nearby Hipparcos stars. The abundances of carbon and nitrogen were obtained from molecular synthetic spectrum, the Mg and Na abundances were derived using the non-LTE approximation. The "classical" models of stellar evolution without atomic diffusion and rotation-induced mixing were employed. The atmospheric parameters (Teff, log g, [Fe/H], Vt) and Li, C, N, O, Na, Mg, Si, Ca and Ni abundances in 177 clump giants of the Galactic disc were determined. The underabundance of carbon, overabundance of nitrogen and "normal" abundance of oxygen were detected. A small sodium overabundance was found. A possibility of a selection of the clump giants based on their chemical composition and the evolutionary tracks was explored. The theoretical predictions based on the classical stellar evolution models are in good agreement with the observed surface variations of the carbon and nitrogen just after the first dredge-up episode. The giants show the same behavior of the dependencies of O, Mg, Ca, Si (alpha-elements) and Ni (iron-peak element) abundances vs. [Fe/H] as dwarfs do. This allows one to use such abundance ratios to study the chemical and dynamical evolution of the Galaxy.

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arXiv2006

Rotational mixing in low-mass stars II. Self-consistent models of Pop II RGB stars

In this paper we study the effects of rotation in low-mass, low-metallicity RGB stars. We present the first evolutionary models taking into account self-consistently the latest prescriptions for the transport of angular momentum by meridional circulation and shear turbulence in stellar interiors as well as the associated mixing processes for chemicals computed from the ZAMS to the upper RGB. We discuss in details the uncertainties associated with the physical description of the rotational mixing and study carefully their effects on the rotation profile, diffusion coefficients, structural evolution, lifetimes and chemical signatures at the stellar surface. We focus in particular on the various assumptions concerning the rotation law in the convective envelope, the initial rotation velocity distribution, the presence of mean molecular weight gradients and the treatment of the horizontal and vertical turbulence. This exploration leads to two main conclusions : (1) After the completion of the first dredge-up, the degree of differential rotation (and hence mixing) is maximised in the case of a differentially rotating convective envelope (i.e., j_CE(r) = cst), as anticipated in previous studies. (2) Even with this assumption, and contrary to some previous claims, the present treatment for the evolution of the rotation profile and associated meridional circulation and shear turbulence does not lead to enough mixing of chemicals to explain the abundance anomalies in low-metallicity field and globular cluster RGB stars observed around the bump luminosity. This study raises questions that need to be addressed in a near future. These include for example the interaction between rotation and convection and the trigger of additional hydrodynamical instabilities.

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arXiv2005

The Lithium Content of the Galactic Halo Stars

Thanks to the accurate determination of the baryon density of the universe by the recent cosmic microwave background experiments, updated predictions of the standard model of Big Bang nucleosynthesis now yield the initial abundance of the primordial light elements with an unprecedented precision. In the case of $^7$Li, the CMB+SBBN value is significantly higher than the generally reported abundances for Pop II stars along the so-called Spite plateau. In view of the crucial importance of this disagreement which has cosmological, galactic and stellar implications, we decided to tackle the most critical issues of the problem by revisiting a large sample of literature Li data in halo stars that we assembled following some strict selection criteria on the quality of the original analyses. [Abridged]

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arXiv2005

Hydrodynamical stellar models including rotation, internal gravity waves and atomic diffusion. I. Formalism and tests on Pop I dwarfs

In this paper, we develop a formalism in order to incorporate the contribution of internal gravity waves to the transport of angular momentum and chemicals over long time-scales in stars. We show that the development of a double peaked shear layer acts as a filter for waves, and how the asymmetry of this filter produces momentum extraction from the core when it is rotating faster than the surface. Using only this filtered flux, it is possible to follow the contribution of internal waves over long (evolutionary) time-scales. We then present the evolution of the internal rotation profile using this formalism for stars which are spun down via magnetic torquing. We show that waves tend to slow down the core, creating a "slow" front that may then propagate from the core to the surface. Further spin down of the surface leads to the formation of a new front. Finally we show how this momentum transport reduces rotational mixing in a 1.2Msun, Z=0.02 model, leading to a surface lithium abundance in agreement with observations in the Hyades.

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arXiv2004

Rotation-induced mixing in red giant stars

Red giant stars, both in the field and in globular clusters, present abundance anomalies that can not be explained by standard stellar evolution models. Some of these peculiarities clearly point towards the existence of extra-mixing processes at play inside the stars, the nature of which remains unclear. We present new results of the evolution of a typical globular cluster red giant including a fully consistent treatment of rotation-induced mixing from the ZAMS up to the RGB tip. The uncertainties pertaining to the prescriptions of angular momentum and chemicals transport inside the star are discussed.

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arXiv2004

Detailed chemical composition of the open cluster IC 4651: The iron peak, alpha elements, and Li

We present a detailed chemical analysis of 22 stars along the colour-magnitude sequence of the intermediate-age (1.7 Gyr) open cluster IC 4651. We find for the cluster a well-defined Fe abundance of [Fe/H]= 0.10 +/- 0.03 (internal errors), with a reddening E(b-y)=0.091. We also derive abundances for the alpha elements Mg, Si, Ti, and Ca and find a moderate enhancement of the three former elements. Among the Fe group elements, Cr and Ni are slightly overabundant ([X/Fe] ~ 0.05). The Na abundance among the giants is more than 0.2 dex higher than in the dwarfs. We interpret this as due to dredge-up of 23Na in the giants. Li abundances show a well-defined pattern: the Solar-type stars have an almost constant Li abundance, just below that of the Hyades, and the Li-dip is pronounced and well determined. Turnoff stars just above the dip have a `cosmic' Li abundance, but within a very small range of magnitudes (0.25 mag) higher on the turnoff, Li drops by more than a factor 10 implying that some extra mixing is required. Among the giants, two probable clump stars show detectable Li, while all the other (likely) RGB stars do not. We show that rotating stellar models including the most recent developments for meridional circulation and turbulence by shear instabilities explain very well the observed Li pattern. The possibility remains open that the giants exhibiting the highest Li abundances are actual RGB bump stars which have just been through the so-called "lithium flash".

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arXiv2004

Analysis of alpha Centauri AB including seismic constraints

Detailed models of alpha Cen A and B based on new seismological data for alpha Cen B by Carrier & Bourban (2003) have been computed using the Geneva evolution code including atomic diffusion. Taking into account the numerous observational constraints now available for the alpha Cen system, we find a stellar model which is in good agreement with the astrometric, photometric, spectroscopic and asteroseismic data. The global parameters of the alpha Cen system are now firmly constrained to an age of t=6.52+-0.30 Gyr, an initial helium mass fraction Y_i=0.275+-0.010 and an initial metallicity (Z/X)_i=0.0434+-0.0020. Thanks to these numerous observational constraints, we confirm that the mixing-length parameter alpha of the B component is larger than the one of the A component, as already suggested by many authors (Noels et al. 1991, Fernandes & Neuforge 1995 and Guenther & Demarque 2000): alpha_B is about 8% larger than alpha_A (alpha_A=1.83+-0.10 and alpha_B=1.97+-0.10). Moreover, we show that asteroseismic measurements enable to determine the radii of both stars with a very high precision (errors smaller than 0.3%). The radii deduced from seismological data are compatible with the new interferometric results of Kervella et al. (2003) even if they are slightly larger than the interferometric radii (differences smaller than 1%).

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arXiv2001

The Lithium Flash - Thermal instabilities generated by lithium burning in RGB stars

We present a scenario to explain the lithium-rich phase which occurs on the red giant branch at the so-called bump in the luminosity function. The high transport coefficients required to enhance the surface lithium abundance are obtained in the framework of rotation-induced mixing thanks to the impulse of the important nuclear energy released in a lithium burning shell. Under certain conditions a lithium flash is triggered off. The enhanced mass loss rate due to the temporary increase of the stellar luminosity naturally accounts for a dust shell formation.

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arXiv2001

VLT Observations of Turnoff stars in the Globular Cluster NGC 6397

VLT-UVES high resolution spectra of seven turnoff stars in the metal-poor globular cluster NGC 6397 have been obtained. Atmospheric parameters and abundances of several elements (Li, Na, Mg, Ca, Sc, Ti, Cr, Fe, Ni, Zn and Ba) were derived for program stars. The mean iron abundance is [Fe/H] = -2.02, with no star-to-star variation. The mean abundances of the alpha-elements (Ca, Ti) and of the iron-peak elements (Sc, Cr, Ni) are consistent with abundances derived for field stars of similar metallicity. Magnesium is also almost solar, consistent with the values found by Idiart & Thévenin (2000) when non-LTE effects (NLTE hereafter) are taken into account. The sodium abundance derived for five stars is essentially solar, but one object (A447) is clearly Na deficient. These results are compatible with the expected abundance range estimated from the stochastic evolutionary halo model by Argast et al. (2000) when at the epoch of [Fe/H] $\sim$ -2 the interstellar medium is supposed to become well-mixed.

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arXiv2000

Lithium and rotation on the subgiant branch II. Theoretical analysis of observations

Lithium abundances and rotation, determined for 120 subgiant stars in Lebre et al. (1999) are analyzed. To this purpose, the evolutionary status of the sample as well as the individual masses have been determined using the HIPPARCOS trigonometric parallax measurements to locate very precisely our sample stars in the HR diagram. We look at the distributions of A(Li) and Vsini with mass when stars evolve from the main sequence to the subgiant branch. For most of the stars in our sample we find good agreement with the dilution predictions. However, the more massive cool stars with upper limits of Li abundances show a significant discrepancy with the theoretical predictions, even if the Non-LTE effects are taken into account. For the rotation behaviour, our analysis confirms that low mass stars leave the main sequence with a low rotational rate, while more massive stars are slowed down only when reaching the subgiant branch. We also checked the connection between the observed rotation behaviour and the magnetic braking due to the deepening of the convective envelope. Our results shed new light on the lithium and rotation discontinuities in the evolved phase.

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arXiv1999

Nucleosynthesis in evolved stars with the NACRE compilation

Nucleosynthesis in evolved (RGB and AGB) low-mass stars is reviewed under the light of the reaction rates recommended in the NACRE compilation (Angulo et al. 1999). We use a parametric model of stellar nucleosynthesis to investigate the uncertainties that still exist nowadays on the nuclear data and to give a critical point of view on the resulting evolution of the chemical abundances. We discuss in particular (i) the NeNa and MgAl modes of hydrogen burning in the context of the chemical anomalies observed in RGB globular cluster stars, (ii) the helium combustion in a thermal pulse of an AGB star.

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arXiv1999

Chemical anomalies in globular cluster red giant stars and the "second parameter" problem

We present the evolution of low mass and low metallicity RGB models computed under the assumption of deep mixing between the convective envelope and the hydrogen burning shell. We discuss the helium enrichment of the envelope which is necessary or allowed to achieve or to keep consistency with the observations, and conclude on the possible connection between chemical anomalies in red giants and the horizontal branch morphology in globular clusters.

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arXiv1998

The Lithium Plateau Enigma

Why is the lithium abundance constant in the so-called lithium plateau while all predictions suggest that it should vary from star to star? Can we find a "lithium attractor" which would remain stable in halo stars while fundamental parameters (M_*, Teff, [Fe/H]) vary?

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