arXiv subjects

Verne V. Smith

Publications and source records attributed to Verne V. Smith.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2009

A Two Micron All-Sky Survey View of the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy: VI. s-Process and Titanium Abundance Variations Along the Sagittarius Stream

We present high-resolution spectroscopic measurements of the abundances of titanium (Ti), yttrium (Y) and lanthanum (La) for M giant candidates of the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf spheroidal (dSph) + tidal tail system pre-selected on the basis of position and radial velocity. The majority of these stars show peculiar abundance patterns compared to those of nominal Milky Way (MW) stars. The overall [Ti/Fe], [Y/Fe], [La/Fe] and [La/Y] patterns with [Fe/H] of the Sgr stream plus Sgr core do resemble those seen in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and other dSphs, only shifted [Fe/H] by ~+0.4 from the LMC and by ~+1 dex from the other dSphs; these relative shifts reflect the faster and/or more efficient chemical evolution of Sgr compared to the other satellites, and show that Sgr has had an enrichment history more like the LMC than the other dSphs. By tracking the evolution of the abundance patterns along the Sgr stream we can follow the time variation of the chemical make-up of dSph stars donated to the MW halo by Sgr. This evolution demonstrates that while the bulk of the stars currently in the Sgr dSph are quite unlike those of the MW halo, an increasing number of stars farther along the Sgr stream have abundances like MW halo stars, a trend that shows clearly how the MW halo could have been contributed by present day satellite galaxies even if the present chemistry of those satellites is now different from typical halo field stars. Finally, we analyze the chemical abundances of a moving group of M giants among the Sgr leading arm stars at the North Galactic Cap, but having radial velocities unlike the infalling Sgr leading arm debris there. Through use of "chemical fingerprinting", we conclude that these northern hemisphere M giants also are Sgr stars, likely trailing arm debris overlapping the leading arm in the north.

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arXiv2008

Chemical abundances in giants stars of the tidally disrupted globular cluster NGC 6712 from high-resolution infrared spectroscopy

We present abundances of C, N, O, F, Na, and Fe in six giant stars of the tidally disrupted globular cluster NGC 6712. The abundances were derived by comparing synthetic spectra with high resolution infrared spectra obtained with the Phoenix spectrograph on the Gemini South telescope. We find large star-to-star abundance variations of the elements C, N, O, F, and Na. NGC 6712 and M4 are the only globular clusters in which F has been measured in more than two stars, and both clusters reveal F abundance variations whose amplitude is comparable to, or exceeds, that of O, a pattern which may be produced in M > 5M_sun AGB stars. Within the limited samples, the F abundance in globular clusters is lower than in field and bulge stars at the same metallicity. NGC 6712 and Pal 5 are tidally disrupted globular clusters whose red giant members exhibit O and Na abundance variations not seen in comparable metallicity field stars. Therefore, globular clusters like NGC 6712 and Pal 5 cannot contribute many field stars and/or field stars do not form in environments with chemical enrichment histories like that of NGC 6712 and Pal 5. Although our sample size is small, from the amplitude of the O and Na abundance variations, we infer a large initial cluster mass and tentatively confirm that NGC 6712 was once one of the most massive globular clusters in our Galaxy.

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arXiv2007

A 2MASS All-Sky View of the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy: Variation of the Metallicity Distribution Function Along the Sagittarius Stream

We present reliable measurements of the metallicity distribution function (MDF) at different points along the tidal stream of the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxy, based on high resolution, echelle spectroscopy of candidate M giant members of the Sgr system. The Sgr MDF is found to evolve significantly from a median [Fe/H] ~-0.4 in the core to ~-1.1 dex over a Sgr leading arm length representing ~2.5-3.0 Gyr of dynamical (i.e. tidal stripping) age. This is direct evidence that there can be significant chemical differences between current dSph satellites and the bulk of the stars they have contributed to the halo. Our results suggest that Sgr experienced a significant change in binding energy over the past several Gyr, which has substantially decreased its tidal boundary across a radial range over which there must have been a significant metallicity gradient in the progenitor galaxy. By accounting for MDF variation along the debris arms, we approximate the MDF Sgr would have had several Gyr ago. We also analyze the MDF of a moving group of M giants we previously discovered towards the North Galactic Cap having opposite radial velocities to the infalling Sgr leading arm stars there and propose that most of these represent Sgr trailing arm stars overlapping the Sgr leading arm in this part of the sky. If so, these trailing arm stars further demonstrate the strong MDF evolution within the Sgr stream.

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arXiv2007

Chemical Abundances and Kinematics in Globular Clusters and Local Group Dwarf Galaxies and Their Implications for Formation Theories of the Galactic Halo

We review Galactic halo formation theories and supporting evidence, in particular kinematics and detailed chemical abundances of stars in some relevant globular clusters as well as Local Group dwarf galaxies. Outer halo red HB clusters tend to have large eccentricities and inhabit the area populated by dwarf spheroidal stars, favoring an extraGalactic origin. Old globulars show the full range of eccentricities, while younger ones seem to have preferentially high eccentricities, again hinting at their extraGalactic origin. We compare detailed abundances of a variety of elements between the halo and all dwarf galaxies studied to date, including both dwarf spheroidals and irregulars. The salient feature is that halo abundances are essentially unique. In particular, the general alpha vs. [Fe/H] pattern of 12 of the 13 galaxies studied are similar to each other and very different from the Milky Way. Sagittarius appears to be the only possible exception. It appears very unlikely that a significant fraction of the metal-rich halo could have come from disrupted dwarf galaxies of low mass. However, at least some of the metal-poor halo may have come from typical dwarfs, and a portion of the intermediate metallicity halo may have come from very massive systems. The chemical differences between the dwarfs and the halo are due to a combination of a low star formation efficiency and a high galactic wind efficiency in the former. The formation problem may be solved if the majority of halo stars formed within a few, very massive satellites accreted very early. However, any such satellites must either be accreted MUCH earlier than postulated, before the onset of SNe Ia , or star formation must be prevented to occur in them until only shortly before they are accreted.

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arXiv2007

Chemical Abundances of Luminous Cool Stars in the Galactic Center from High-Resolution Infrared Spectroscopy

We present chemical abundances in a sample of luminous cool stars located within 30 pc of the Galactic Center. Abundances of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, calcium, and iron were derived from high-resolution infrared spectra in the H- and K-bands. The abundance results indicate that both [O/Fe] and [Ca/Fe] are enhanced respectively by averages of +0.2 and +0.3 dex, relative to either the Sun or the Milky Way disk at near solar Fe abundances. The Galactic Center stars show a nearly uniform and nearly solar iron abundance. The mean value of A(Fe) = 7.59 +- 0.06 agrees well with previous work. The total range in Fe abundance among Galactic Center stars, 0.16 dex, is significantly narrower than the iron abundance distributions found in the literature for the older bulge population. Our snapshot of the current-day Fe abundance within 30 pc of the Galactic Center samples stars with an age less than 1 Gyr; a larger sample in time (or space) may find a wider spread in abundances.

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arXiv2007

The Mass of the Candidate Exoplanet Companion to HD 33636 from Hubble Space Telescope Astrometry and High-Precision Radial Velocities

We have determined a dynamical mass for the companion to HD 33636 which indicates it is a low-mass star instead of an exoplanet. Our result is based on an analysis of Hubble Space Telescope (HST) astrometry and ground-based radial velocity data. We have obtained high-cadence radial velocity measurements spanning 1.3 years of HD 33636 with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope at McDonald Observatory. We combined these data with previously published velocities to create a data set that spans nine years. We used this data set to search for, and place mass limits on, the existence of additional companions in the HD 33636 system. Our high-precision astrometric observations of the system with the HST Fine Guidance Sensor 1r span 1.2 years. We simultaneously modeled the radial velocity and astrometry data to determine the parallax, proper motion, and perturbation orbit parameters of HD 33636. Our derived parallax, pi = 35.6 +/- 0.2 mas, agrees within the uncertainties with the Hipparcos value. We find a perturbation period P = 2117.3 +/- 0.8 days, semimajor axis a_A = 14.2 +/- 0.2 mas, and system inclination i = 4.1 +/- 0.1 deg. Assuming the mass of the primary star M_A = 1.02 +/- 0.03 M_sun, we obtain a companion mass M_B = 142 +/- 11 M_jup = 0.14 +/- 0.01 M_sun. The much larger true mass of the companion relative to its minimum mass estimated from the spectroscopic orbit parameters (M sin i = 9.3 M_jup) is due to the near face-on orbit orientation. This result demonstrates the value of follow-up astrometric observations to determine the true masses of exoplanet candidates detected with the radial velocity method.

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arXiv2007

Fraction of the radial velocity stable stars in the early observations of the Grid Giant Star Survey

The GGSS is a partially-filled, all-sky survey to identify K-giant stars with low level of RV-variability. We study histograms of the radial velocity (RV) variability obtained in the early phase of the Grid Giant Star Survey (GGSS, Bizyaev et al., 2006). This part of the survey has been conducted with a very limited nubmer of observations per star, and rough accuracy. We apply the Monte-Carlo simulations to infer a fraction of the RV-stable stars in the sample. Our optimistic estimate is that 20% of all considered K-giants have RV-variability under 30 m s$^{-1}$. Different assumptions of intrinsic RV-variability for our stars give 12 -- 20 % of RV-stable K-giants in the studied sample.

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arXiv2006

Chemical Evolution of the Galactic Bulge as Derived from High-Resolution Infrared Spectroscopy of K and M Red Giants

We present chemical abundances in K and M red-giant members of the Galactic bulge derived from high-resolution infrared spectra obtained with the Phoenix spectrograph on Gemini-South. The elements studied are carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sodium, titanium, and iron. The evolution of C and N abundances in the studied red-giants show that their oxygen abundances represent the original values with which the stars were born. Oxygen is a superior element for probing the timescale of bulge chemical enrichment via [O/Fe] versus [Fe/H]. The [O/Fe]-[Fe/H] relation in the bulge does not follow the disk relation, with [O/Fe] values falling above those of the disk. Titanium also behaves similarly to oxygen with respect to iron. Based on these elevated values of [O/Fe] and [Ti/Fe] extending to large Fe abundances, it is suggested that the bulge underwent a more rapid chemical enrichment than the halo. In addition, there are declines in both [O/Fe] and [Ti/Fe] in those bulge targets with the largest Fe abundances, signifying another source affecting chemical evolution: perhaps Supernovae of Type Ia. Sodium abundances increase dramatically in the bulge with increasing metallicity, possibly reflecting the metallicity dependant yields from supernovae of Type II, although Na contamination from H-burning in intermediate mass stars cannot be ruled out.

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arXiv2006

Lithium isotopic abundances in metal-poor halo stars

Very high-quality spectra of 24 metal-poor halo dwarfs and subgiants have been acquired with ESO's VLT/UVES for the purpose of determining Li isotopic abundances. The derived 1D, non-LTE 7Li abundances from the LiI 670.8nm line reveal a pronounced dependence on metallicity but with negligible scatter around this trend. Very good agreement is found between the abundances from the LiI 670.8nm line and the LiI 610.4nm line. The estimated primordial 7Li abundance is $7Li/H = 1.1-1.5 x 10^-10, which is a factor of three to four lower than predicted from standard Big Bang nucleosynthesis with the baryon density inferred from the cosmic microwave background. Interestingly, 6Li is detected in nine of our 24 stars at the >2sigma significance level. Our observations suggest the existence of a 6Li plateau at the level of log 6Li = 0.8; however, taking into account predictions for 6Li destruction during the pre-main sequence evolution tilts the plateau such that the 6Li abundances apparently increase with metallicity. Our most noteworthy result is the detection of 6Li in the very metal-poor star LP815-43. Such a high 6Li abundance during these early Galactic epochs is very difficult to achieve by Galactic cosmic ray spallation and alpha-fusion reactions. It is concluded that both Li isotopes have a pre-Galactic origin. Possible 6Li production channels include proto-galactic shocks and late-decaying or annihilating supersymmetric particles during the era of Big Bang nucleosynthesis. The presence of 6Li limits the possible degree of stellar 7Li depletion and thus sharpens the discrepancy with standard Big Bang nucleosynthesis.

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arXiv2005

Infrared Spectroscopy of Symbiotic Stars. IV. V2116 Ophiuchi/GX 1+4, The Neutron Star Symbiotic

We have computed, based on 17 infrared radial velocities, the first set of orbital elements for the M giant in the symbiotic binary V2116 Ophiuchi. The giant's companion is a neutron star, the bright X-ray source GX 1+4. We find an orbital period of 1161 days by far the longest of any known X-ray binary. The orbit has a modest eccentricity of 0.10 with an orbital circularization time of less than 10^6 years. The large mass function of the orbit significantly restricts the mass of the M giant. Adopting a neutron-star mass of 1.35M(Sun), the maximum mass of the M giant is 1.22M(Sun), making it the less massive star. Derived abundances indicate a slightly subsolar metallicity. Carbon and nitrogen are in the expected ratio resulting from the red-giant first dredge-up phase. The lack of O-17 suggests that the M-giant has a mass less than 1.3M(Sun), consistent with our maximum mass. The red giant radius is 103R(Sun), much smaller than the estimated Roche lobe radius. Thus, the mass loss of the red giant is via a stellar wind. Although the M giant companion to the neutron star has a mass similar to the late-type star in low-mass X-ray binaries, its near-solar abundances and apparent runaway velocity are not fully consistent with the properties of this class of stars.

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arXiv2005

The Space Interferometry Mission Astrometric Grid Giant-Star Survey. I. Stellar Parameters and Radial Velocity Variability

We present results from a campaign of multiple epoch echelle spectroscopy of relatively faint (V = 9.5-13.5 mag) red giants observed as potential astrometric grid stars for the Space Interferometry Mission (SIM PlanetQuest). Data are analyzed for 775 stars selected from the Grid Giant Star Survey spanning a wide range of effective temperatures (Teff), gravities and metallicities. The spectra are used to determine these stellar parameters and to monitor radial velocity (RV) variability at the 100 m/s level. The degree of RV variation measured for 489 stars observed two or more times is explored as a function of the inferred stellar parameters. The percentage of radial velocity unstable stars is found to be very high -- about 2/3 of our sample. It is found that the fraction of RV-stable red giants (at the 100 m/s level) is higher among stars with Teff \sim 4500 K, corresponding to the calibration-independent range of infrared colors 0.59 < (J-K_s)_0 < 0.73. A higher percentage of RV-stable stars is found if the additional constraints of surface gravity and metallicity ranges 2.3< log g < 3.2 and -0.5 < [Fe/H] < -0.1, respectively, are applied. Selection of stars based on only photometric values of effective temperature (4300 K < Teff < 4700 K) is a simple and effective way to increase the fraction of RV-stable stars. The optimal selection of RV-stable stars, especially in the case when the Washington photometry is unavailable, can rely effectively on 2MASS colors constraint 0.59 < (J-K_s)_0 < 0.73. These results have important ramifications for the use of giant stars as astrometric references for the SIM PlanetQuest.

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arXiv2005

Fluorine Abundances in the Orion Nebula Cluster

This study uses cool dwarfs as sources with which to probe fluorine abundances via HF. This molecule is detected for the first time in young K-M dwarf members of an OB association. Fluorine, oxygen, and carbon abundances were derived from the HF(1--0) R9 line along with samples of OH and CO vibration-rotation lines present in high-resolution infrared spectra observed with the Phoenix spectrograph on the Gemini South Telescope. The fluorine and oxygen results obtained for these targets, still in the pre-main-sequence stage of evolution, agree well with the general trend defined for the Milky Way disk; the latter being deduced from observations of more evolved giant stars. In addition, the carbon and oxygen abundances obtained for the studied stars overlap results from previous studies of the more massive OB stars and FG dwarf members of the Orion Nebula Cluster. We conclude from this agreement that the fluorine abundances derived for the Orion K-M dwarfs (when there is no conspicuous evidence of disks) can be considered a good representation of the current fluorine abundance value for the Milky Way disk.

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arXiv2004

'Sculptor'-ing the Galaxy? The Chemical Compositions of Red Giants in the Sculptor Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy

We have used high-resolution, high signal-to-noise spectra obtained with the VLT and UVES to determine abundances of 17 elements in 4 red giants in the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy. Our [Fe/H] values range from --2.10 to --0.97, confirming previous findings of a large metallicity spread. We have combined our data with similar data for five Sculptor giants studied recently to form one of the largest samples of high resolution abundances yet obtained for a dwarf spheroidal galaxy, covering essentially the full known metallicity range. These properties allow us to establish trends of [X/Fe] with [Fe/H] for many elements, X. The trends are significantly different from the trends seen in galactic halo and globular cluster stars. We compare our Sculptor sample to their most similar Galactic counterparts and find substantial differences remain even with these stars. The many discrepancies in the relationships between [X/Fe] as seen in Sculptor compared with Galactic field stars indicates that our halo cannot be made up in bulk of stars similar to those presently seen in dwarf spheroidal galaxies like Sculptor. These results have serious implications for the Searle-Zinn and hierarchical galaxy formation scenarios. We also find that the most metal-rich star in our sample is a heavy element-rich star. A very high percentage of such heavy element stars are now known in dwarf spheroidals compared to the halo, further mitigating against the formation of the halo from such objects.

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arXiv2003

High-Resolution Infrared Spectroscopy of the Brown Dwarf Epsilon Indi Ba

We report on the analysis of high-resolution infrared spectra of the newly discovered brown dwarf Epsilon Indi Ba. This is the closest known brown dwarf to the solar system, with a distance of 3.626 pc. Spectra covering the ranges of 2.308-2.317 microns and 1.553-1.559 microns were observed at a spectral resolution of R=50,000 with the Phoenix spectrometer on the Gemini South telescope. The physical paramters of effective temperature and surface gravity are derived by comparison to model spectra calculated from atmospheres computed using unified cloudy models. An accurate projected rotational velocity is also derived.

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arXiv2003

Chemical Evolution in Omega Centauri

The globular cluster Omega Centauri displays evidence of a complex star formation history and peculiar internal chemical evolution, setting it apart from essentially all other globular clusters of the Milky Way. In this review we discuss the nature of the chemical evolution that has occurred within Omega Cen and attempt to construct a simple scenario to explain its chemistry.

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arXiv2003

A Comparison of Copper Abundances in Globular Cluster and Halo Field Giant Stars

We derive [Cu/Fe] for 117 giant stars in ten globular clusters (M3, M4, M5, M10, M13, M15, M71, NGC 7006, NCG 288, and NGC 362) and find that globular cluster Cu abundances appear to follow [Cu/Fe] trends found in the field. This result is interesting in light of recent work which indicates that the globular cluster Omega Centauri shows no trend in [Cu/Fe] with [Fe/H] over the abundance range -2.0 <[Fe/H]< -0.8. Of particular interest are the two clusters M4 and M5. While at a similar metallicity ([Fe/H] ~- 1.2), they differ greatly in some elemental abundances: M4 is largely overabundant in Si, Ba, and La compared to M5. We find that it is also overabundant in Cu with respect to M5, though this overabundance is in accord with [Cu/Fe] ratios found in the field.

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arXiv2002

Carbon Isotopic Abundances in the Red Giants of Omega Centauri (NGC5139)

Carbon-12 and carbon-13 abundances are measured in eleven red-giant members of the globular cluster Omega Centauri via observations of first-overtone CO bands near 2.3 microns. The mean value for the entire sample is <12C/13C>= 4.3 +/-0.4, with nine giants equal, within the errors, to the equilibrium ration of 12C/13C= 3.5. No correlation is found within Omega Cen between 12C/13C and the abundance of iron. The relation between 12C/13C and other abundance ratios, such as [O/Fe], {Na/Fe], or [Al/Fe] are also discussed.

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arXiv2001

Chemical Abundances of OB Stars with High Projected Rotational Velocities

Elemental abundances of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, magnesium, aluminum, and silicon are presented for a sample of twelve rapidly rotating OB star (v sin i > 60 km s^-1) members of the Cep OB2, Cyg OB3 and Cyg OB7 associations. The abundances are derived from spectrum synthesis, using both LTE and non-LTE calculations. As found in almost all previous studies of OB stars, the average abundances are slightly below solar, by about 0.1 to 0.3 dex. In the case of oxygen, even with the recently derived low solar abundances the OB stars are closer to, but still below, the solar value. Results for the 9 Cep OB2 members in this sample can be combined with results published previously for 8 Cep OB2 stars with low projected rotational velocities to yield the most complete set of abundances, to date, for this particular association. These abundances provide a clear picture of both the general chemical and individual stellar evolution that has occurred within this association. By placing the Cep OB2 stars studied in an HR diagram we identify the presence of two distinct age subgroups, with both subgroups having quite uniform chemical abundances. Two stars are found in the older subgroup that show significant N/O overabundances, with both stars being two of the most massive, the most evolved, and most rapidly rotating of the members studied in Cep OB2. These characteristics of increased N abundances being tied to high mass, rapid rotation, and an evolved phase are those predicted from models of rotating stars which undergo rotationally driven mixing.

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