| 1. |
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| 2. |
- Adén, Daniel, et al.
(författare)
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A photometric and spectroscopic study of the new dwarf spheroidal galaxy in Hercules. Metallicity, velocities and a clean list of RGB members
- 2009
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Ingår i: Astronomy & Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 506:3, s. 1147-1168
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Our aim is to provide as clean and as complete a sample as possible of red giant branch stars that are members of the Hercules dSph galaxy. With this sample we explore the velocity dispersion and the metallicity of the system. Stromgren photometry and multi-fibre spectroscopy are combined to provide information about the evolutionary state of the stars (via the Stromgren c_1 index) and their radial velocities. Based on this information we have selected a clean sample of red giant branch stars, and show that foreground contamination by Milky Way dwarf stars can greatly distort the results. Our final sample consists of 28 red giant branch stars in the Hercules dSph galaxy. Based on these stars we find a mean photometric metallicity of -2.35 dex which is consistent with previous studies. We find evidence for an abundance spread. Using those stars for which we have determined radial velocities we find a systemic velocity of 45.2 km/s with a dispersion of 3.72 km/s, this is lower than values found in the literature. Furthermore we identify the horizontal branch and estimate the mean magnitude of the horizontal branch of the Hercules dSph galaxy to be V_0=21.17, which corresponds to a distance of 147 kpc. We have shown that a proper cleaning of the sample results in a smaller value for the velocity dispersion of the system. This has implications for galaxy properties derived from such velocity dispersions.
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| 3. |
- Adén, Daniel, et al.
(författare)
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An abundance study of red-giant-branch stars in the Hercules dwarf spheroidal galaxy
- 2011
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 525, s. A153-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Dwarf spheroidal galaxies are some of the most metal-poor, and least luminous objects known. Detailed elemental abundance analysis of stars in these faint objects is key to our understanding of star formation and chemical enrichment in the early universe, and may provide useful information on how larger galaxies form. Aims. Our aim is to provide a determination of [Fe/H] and [Ca/H] for confirmed red-giant branch member stars of the Hercules dwarf spheroidal galaxy. Based on this we explore the ages of the prevailing stellar populations in Hercules, and the enrichment history from supernovae. Additionally, we aim to provide a new simple metallicity calibration for Stromgren photometry for metal-poor, red giant branch stars. Methods. High-resolution, multi-fibre spectroscopy and Stromgren photometry are combined to provide as much information on the stars as possible. From this we derive abundances by solving the radiative transfer equations through marcs model atmospheres. Results. We find that the red-giant branch stars of the Hercules dSph galaxy are more metal-poor than estimated in our previous study that was based on photometry alone. From this, we derive a new metallicity calibration for the Stromgren photometry. Additionally, we find an abundance trend such that [Ca/Fe] is higher for more metal-poor stars, and lower for more metal-rich stars, with a spread of about 0.8 dex. The [Ca/Fe] trend suggests an early rapid chemical enrichment through supernovae of type II, followed by a phase of slow star formation dominated by enrichment through supernovae of type Ia. A comparison with isochrones indicates that the red giants in Hercules are older than 10 Gyr.
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| 4. |
- Agertz, Oscar, et al.
(författare)
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Vintergatan - i. The origins of chemically, kinematically, and structurally distinct discs in a simulated milky way-mass galaxy
- 2021
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Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 503:4, s. 5826-5845
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Spectroscopic surveys of the Milky Way's stars have revealed spatial, chemical, and kinematical structures that encode its history. In this work, we study their origins using a cosmological zoom simulation, VINTERGATAN, of a MilkyWay-mass disc galaxy. We find that in connection to the last major merger at z ∼ 1.5, cosmological accretion leads to the rapid formation of an outer, metal-poor, low-[α/Fe] gas disc around the inner, metal-rich galaxy containing the old high-[α/Fe] stars. This event leads to a bimodality in [α/Fe] over a range of [Fe/H]. A detailed analysis of how the galaxy evolves since z ∼ 1 is presented. We demonstrate the way in which inside-out growth shapes the radial surface density and metallicity profile and how radial migration preferentially relocates stars from the inner disc to the outer disc. Secular disc heating is found to give rise to increasing velocity dispersions and scale heights with stellar age, which together with disc flaring explains several trends observed in the MilkyWay, including shallower radial [Fe/H] profiles above the mid-plane.We show how the galaxy formation scenario imprints non-trivial mappings between structural associations (i.e. thick and thin discs), velocity dispersions, α-enhancements, and ages of stars; e.g. the most metal-poor stars in the low-[α/Fe] sequence are found to have a scale height comparable to old high-[α/Fe] stars. Finally, we illustrate how at low spatial resolution, comparable to the thickness of the galaxy, the proposed pathway to distinct sequences in [α/Fe]-[Fe/H] cannot be captured.
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| 5. |
- Andrews, B. H., et al.
(författare)
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Principal Component Abundance Analysis of Microlensed Bulge Dwarf and Subgiant Stars
- 2012
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Ingår i: Acta Astronomica. - 0001-5237. ; 62:3, s. 269-279
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Elemental abundance patterns can provide vital clues to the formation and enrichment history of a stellar population. Here we present an investigation of the Galactic bulge, where we apply principal component abundance analysis (PCAA) - a principal component decomposition of relative abundances [X/Fe] to a sample of 35 microlensed bulge dwarf and subgiant stars, characterizing their distribution in the 12-dimensional space defined by their measured elemental abundances. The first principal component PC I, which suffices to describe the abundance patterns of most stars in the sample, shows a strong contribution from alpha-elements, reflecting the relative contributions of Type II and Type 1a supernovae. The second principal component PC2 is characterized by a Na-Ni correlation, the likely product of metallicity-dependent Type II supernova yields. The distribution in PC I is bimodal, showing that the bimodality previously found in the [Fe/H] values of these stars is robustly and independently recovered by looking at only their relative abundance patterns. The two metal-rich stars that are alpha-enhanced have outlier values of PC2 and PC3, respectively, further evidence that they have distinctive enrichment histories. Applying PCAA to a sample of local thin and thick disk dwarfs yields a nearly identical PC I. In PC I, the metal-rich and metal-poor bulge dwarfs track kinematically selected thin and thick disk dwarfs, respectively, suggesting broadly similar alpha-enrichment histories. However, the disk PC2 is dominated by a Y-Ba correlation, likely indicating a contribution of s-process enrichment from long-lived asymptotic giant branch stars that is absent from the bulge PC2 because of its rapid formation.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Arnadottir, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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The ability of intermediate-band Stromgren photometry to correctly identify dwarf, subgiant, and giant stars and provide stellar metallicities and surface gravities
- 2010
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Ingår i: Astronomy & Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 521
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Several large scale photometric and spectroscopic surveys are being undertaken to provide a more detailed picture of the Milky Way. Given the necessity of generalisation in the determination of, e.g., stellar parameters when tens and hundred of thousands of stars are considered it remains important to provide independent, detailed studies to verify the methods used in the surveys. Aims. Our first aim is to critically evaluate available calibrations for deriving [M/H] from Stromgren photometry. Secondly, we develop the standard sequences for dwarf stars to reflect their inherent metallicity dependence. Finally, we test how well metallicities derived from ugriz photometry reproduce metallicities derived from the well-tested system of Stromgren photometry. Methods. We evaluate available metallicity calibrations based on Stromgren uvby photometry for dwarf stars using a catalogue of stars with both uvby photometry and spectroscopically determined iron abundances ([Fe/H]). The catalogue was created for this project. Using this catalogue, we also evaluate available calibrations that determine log g. A larger catalogue, in which metallicity is determined directly from uvby photometry, is used to trace metallicity-dependent standard sequences for dwarf stars. We also perform comparisons, for both dwarf and giant stars, of metallicities derived from ugriz photometry with metallicities derived from Stromgren photometry. Results. We provide a homogenised catalogue of 451 dwarf stars with 0.3 < (b - y)(0) < 1.0. All stars in the catalogue have uvby photometry and [Fe/H] determined from spectra with high resolution and high signal-to-noise ratios (S/N). Using this catalogue, we test how well various photometric metallicity calibrations reproduce the spectroscopically determined [Fe/H]. Using the preferred metallicity calibration for dwarf stars, we derive new standard sequences in the c(1,0) versus (b - y)(0) plane and in the c(1,0) versus (v - y)(0) plane for dwarf stars with 0.40 < (b - y)(0) < 0.95 and 1.10 < (v - y)(0) < 2.38. Conclusions. We recommend the calibrations of Ramirez & Melendez (2005) in deriving metallicities from Stromgren photometry and find that intermediate band photometry, such as Stromgren photometry, more accurately than broad band photometry reproduces spectroscopically determined [Fe/H]. Stromgren photometry is also better at differentiating between dwarf and giant stars. We conclude that additional investigations of the differences between metallicities derived from ugriz photometry and intermediate-band photometry, such as Stromgren photometry, are required.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Bensby, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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A Differential Study of the Oxygen Abundances in the Galactic Thin and Thick Disks
- 2004
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Ingår i: Carnegie Observatories Astrophysics Series, Origin and Evolution of the Elements. ; 4
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- First results from a study into the abundance trends of oxygen in the Galactic thin and thick disks are presented. Oxygen abundances for 63nearby F and G dwarf stars, based on very high resolution spectra (R∼215 000) and high signal-to-noise (S/N>400) of the faint forbidden oxygen line at 6300Å, have been determined. Our findings can be summarized as follows: 1) at [Fe/H]<0 the oxygen trends in thethin and thick disk are smooth and distinct, indicating their different origins, 2) [O/Fe] for the thick disk stars show a turn-over at[Fe/H]∼-0.35, indicating the peak of the enrichment from SNe type Ia to the interstellar medium, 3) the thin disk stars show a shallow decrease going from [Fe/H] ∼-0.7 to the highest metallicities with no apparent turn-over present indicating a more quiet star formation history, and 4) [O/Fe] continues to decrease at [Fe/H] > 0 without showing the leveling out that previously has been seen.
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| 10. |
- Bensby, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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A possible age-metallicity relation in the Galactic thick disk?
- 2004
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 1432-0746 .- 0004-6361. ; 421, s. 969-976
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A sample of 229 nearby thick disk stars has been used to investigate theexistence of an age-metallicity relation (AMR) in the Galactic thickdisk. The results indicate that that there is indeed an age-metallicityrelation present in the thick disk. By dividing the stellar sample intosub-groups, separated by 0.1 dex in metallicity, we show that the medianage decreases by about 5-7 Gyr when going from [Fe/H] ≈ -0.8 to[Fe/H] ≈ -0.1. Combining our results with our newly publishedα-element trends for a local sample of thick disk stars that showsignatures from supernovae type Ia (SN Ia), we draw the conclusion thatthe time-scale for the peak of the SN Ia rate is of the order of 3-4 Gyrin the thick disk. The tentative evidence for a thick disk AMR that wepresent here also has implications for the thick disk formationscenario; star-formation must have been an ongoing process for severalbillion years. This appears to strengthen the hypothesis that the thickdisk originated from a merger event with a companion galaxy that puffedup a pre-existing thin disk.Based on data obtained with the Hipparcos satellite.
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| 11. |
- Bensby, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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A Possible Bulge - Thick Disk Connection?
- 2003
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Ingår i: Elemental Abundances in Old Stars and Damped Lyman-alpha Systems. ; 15
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present abundances of giant stars in the Galactic bulge and thickdisk. The stellar sample contains approximately 15 bulge giants and 20thick disk giants observed with the UVES on VLT in Chile. These resultswill be used to see if there exists an evolutionary connection betweenthe bulge and the thick disk and will also put further light into theformation of the Milky Way and the thick disk in particular.
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
- Bensby, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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alpha-, r-, and s-process element trends in the Galactic thin and thick disks
- 2005
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 1432-0746 .- 0004-6361. ; 433, s. 185-203
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- From a detailed elemental abundance analysis of 102 F and G dwarf starswe present abundance trends in the Galactic thin and thick disks for 14elements (O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, Cr, Fe, Ni, Zn, Y, Ba, and Eu).Stellar parameters and elemental abundances (except for Y, Ba and Eu)for 66 of the 102 stars were presented in our previous studies (Bensbyet al. 2003, 2004a). The 36 stars that are new in this study extend andconfirm our previous results and allow us to draw further conclusionsregarding abundance trends. The s-process elements Y and Ba, and ther-element Eu have also been considered here for the whole sample for thefirst time. With this new larger sample we now have the followingresults: 1) Smooth and distinct trends that for the thin and thick disksare clearly separated; 2) The alpha-element trends for the thick diskshow typical signatures from the enrichment of SNIa; 3) The thick diskstellar sample is in the mean older than the thin disk stellar sample;4) The thick disk abundance trends are invariant with galactocentricradii (R_m); 5) The thick disk abundance trends appear to be invariantwith vertical distance (Z_max) from the Galactic plane. Adding furtherevidence from the literaure we argue that a merger/interacting scenariowith a companion galaxy to produce a kinematical heating of the stars(that make up today's thick disk) in a pre-existing old thin disk is themost likely formation scenario for the Galactic thick disk.
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| 14. |
- Bensby, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Chemical constraints on the formation of the Galactic thick disk
- 2012
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Ingår i: Assembling the Puzzle of the Milky Way. - : EDP Sciences. - 2101-6275 .- 2100-014X. ; 19
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- We highlight some results from our detailed abundance analysis study of 703 kinematically selected F and G dwarf stars in the solar neighbourhood. The analysis is based on spectra of high-resolution (R = 45 000 to 110 000) and high signal-to-noise (S/N approximate to 150 to 300). The main findings include: (1) at a given metallicity, the thick disk abundance trends are more alpha-enhanced than those of the thin disk; (2) the metal-rich limit of the thick disk reaches at least solar metallicities; (3) the metal-poor limit of the thin disk is around [Fe/H] approximate to -0.8; (4) the thick disk shows an age-metallicity gradient; (5) the thin disk does not show an age-metallicity gradient; (6) the most metal-rich thick disk stars at [Fe/H] approximate to 0 are significantly older than the most metal-poor thin disk stars at [Fe/H] approximate to -0.7; (7) based on our elemental abundances we find that kinematical criteria produce thin and thick disk stellar samples that are biased in the sense that stars from the low-velocity tail of the thick disk are classified as thin disk stars, and stars from the high-velocity tail of the thin disk are classified as thick disk stars; (8) age criteria appears to produce thin and thick disk stellar samples with less contamination.
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| 15. |
- Bensby, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Chemical evolution of the galactic bulge as traced by microlensed dwarf and subgiant stars. II. Ages, metallicities, detailed elemental abundances, and connections to the Galactic thick disc
- 2010
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Ingår i: Astronomy & Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 512
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. The Bulge is the least understood major stellar population of the Milky Way. Most of what we know about the formation and evolution of the Bulge comes from bright giant stars. The underlying assumption that giants represent all the stars, and accurately trace the chemical evolution of a stellar population, is under debate. In particular, recent observations of a few microlensed dwarf stars give a very different picture of the evolution of the Bulge from that given by the giant stars. Aims. We aim to resolve the apparent discrepancy between Bulge metallicity distributions derived from microlensed dwarf stars and giant stars. Additionally, we aim to put observational constraints on the elemental abundance trends and chemical evolution of the Bulge. Methods. We perform a detailed elemental abundance analysis of dwarf stars in the Galactic bulge, based on high-resolution spectra that were obtained while the stars were optically magnified during gravitational microlensing events. The analysis method is the same as for a large sample of F and G dwarf stars in the Solar neighbourhood, enabling a fully differential comparison between the Bulge and the local stellar populations in the Galactic disc. Results. We present detailed elemental abundances and stellar ages for six new dwarf stars in the Galactic bulge. Combining these with previous events, here re-analysed with the same methods, we study a homogeneous sample of 15 stars, which constitute the largest sample to date of microlensed dwarf stars in the Galactic bulge. We find that the stars span the full range of metallicities from [Fe/H] = -0.72 to + 0.54, and an average metallicity of <[Fe/H]> = -0.08 +/- 0.47, close to the average metallicity based on giant stars in the Bulge. Furthermore, the stars follow well-defined abundance trends, that for [Fe/H]<0 are very similar to those of the local Galactic thick disc. This suggests that the Bulge and the thick disc have had, at least partially, comparable chemical histories. At sub-solar metallicities we find the Bulge dwarf stars to have consistently old ages, while at super-solar metallicities we find a wide range of ages. Using the new age and abundance results from the microlensed dwarf stars we investigate possible formation scenarios for the Bulge.
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| 16. |
- Bensby, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Chemical evolution of the Galactic bulge as traced by microlensed dwarf and subgiant stars III. Detection of lithium in the metal-poor bulge dwarf MOA-2010-BLG-285S
- 2010
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Ingår i: Astronomy & Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 521
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. To study the evolution of Li in the Galaxy it is necessary to observe dwarf or subgiant stars. These are the only long-lived stars whose present-day atmospheric chemical composition reflects their natal Li abundances according to standard models of stellar evolution. Although Li has been extensively studied in the Galactic disk and halo, to date there has only been one uncertain detection of Li in an unevolved bulge star. Aims. Our aim with this study is to provide the first clear detection of Li in the Galactic bulge, based on an analysis of a dwarf star that has largely retained its initial Li abundance. Methods. We performed a detailed elemental abundance analysis of the bulge dwarf star MOA-2010-BLG-285S using a high-resolution and high signal-to-noise spectrum obtained with the UVES spectrograph at the VLT when the object was optically magnified during a gravitational microlensing event (visual magnification A similar to 550 during observation). The Li abundance was determined through synthetic line profile fitting of the Li-7 resonance doublet line at 670.8 nm. The results have been corrected for departures from LTE. Results. MOA-2010-BLG-285S is, at [Fe/H] = -1.23, the most metal-poor dwarf star detected so far in the Galactic bulge. Its old age (12.5 Gyr) and enhanced [alpha/Fe] ratios agree well with stars in the thick disk at similar metallicities. This star represents the first unambiguous detection of Li in a metal-poor dwarf star in the Galactic bulge. We find an NLTE corrected Li abundance of log epsilon(Li) = 2.16, which is consistent with values derived for Galactic disk and halo dwarf stars at similar metallicities and temperatures. Conclusions. Our results show that there are no signs of Li enrichment or production in the Galactic bulge during its earliest phases. Observations of Li in other galaxies (omega Cen) and other components of the Galaxy suggest further that the Spite plateau is universal.
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| 17. |
- Bensby, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Chemical evolution of the Galactic bulge as traced by microlensed dwarf and subgiant stars IV. Two bulge populations
- 2011
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Ingår i: Astronomy & Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 533
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Based on high-resolution (R approximate to 42 000 to 48 000) and high signal-to-noise (S/N approximate to 50 to 150) spectra obtained with UVES/VLT, we present detailed elemental abundances (O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, Cr, Fe, Ni, Zn, Y, and Ba) and stellar ages for 12 new microlensed dwarf and subgiant stars in the Galactic bulge. Including previous microlensing events, the sample of homogeneously analysed bulge dwarfs has now grown to 26. The analysis is based on equivalent width measurements and standard 1-D LTE MARCS model stellar atmospheres. We also present NLTE Li abundances based on line synthesis of the Li-7 line at 670.8 nm. The results from the 26 microlensed dwarf and subgiant stars show that the bulge metallicity distribution (MDF) is double-peaked; one peak at [Fe/H] approximate to -0.6 and one at [Fe/H] approximate to +0.3, and with a dearth of stars around solar metallicity. This is in contrast to the MDF derived from red giants in Baade's window, which peaks at this exact value. A simple significance test shows that it is extremely unlikely to have such a gap in the microlensed dwarf star MDF if the dwarf stars are drawn from the giant star MDF. To resolve this issue we discuss several possibilities, but we can not settle on a conclusive solution for the observed differences. We further find that the metal-poor bulge dwarf stars are predominantly old with ages greater than 10 Gyr, while the metal-rich bulge dwarf stars show a wide range of ages. The metal-poor bulge sample is very similar to the Galactic thick disk in terms of average metallicity, elemental abundance trends, and stellar ages. Speculatively, the metal-rich bulge population might be the manifestation of the inner thin disk. If so, the two bulge populations could support the recent findings, based on kinematics, that there are no signatures of a classical bulge and that the Milky Way is a pure-disk galaxy. Also, recent claims of a flat IMF in the bulge based on the MDF of giant stars may have to be revised based on the MDF and abundance trends probed by our microlensed dwarf stars.
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| 18. |
- Bensby, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Chemical evolution of the Galactic bulge as traced by microlensed dwarf and subgiant stars V. Evidence for a wide age distribution and a complex MDF
- 2013
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Ingår i: Astronomy & Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 549
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Based on high-resolution spectra obtained during gravitational microlensing events we present a detailed elemental abundance analysis of 32 dwarf and subgiant stars in the Galactic bulge. Combined with the sample of 26 stars from the previous papers in this series, we now have 58 microlensed bulge dwarfs and subgiants that have been homogeneously analysed. The main characteristics of the sample and the findings that can be drawn are: (i) the metallicity distribution (MDF) is wide and spans all metallicities between [Fe/H] = -1.9 to +0.6; (ii) the dip in the MDF around solar metallicity that was apparent in our previous analysis of a smaller sample (26 microlensed stars) is no longer evident; instead it has a complex structure and indications of multiple components are starting to emerge. A tentative interpretation is that there could be different stellar populations at interplay, each with a different scale height: the thin disk, the thick disk, and a bar population; (iii) the stars with [Fe/H] less than or similar to -0.1 are old with ages between 10 and 12 Gyr; (iv) the metal-rich stars with [Fe/H] greater than or similar to -0.1 show a wide variety of ages, ranging from 2 to 12 Gyr with a distribution that has a dominant peak around 4-5 Gyr and a tail towards higher ages; (v) there are indications in the [alpha/Fe] - [Fe/H] abundance trends that the "knee" occurs around [Fe/H] = -0.3 to -0.2,which is a slightly higher metallicity as compared to the "knee" for the local thick disk. This suggests that the chemical enrichment of the metal-poor bulge has been somewhat faster than what is observed for the local thick disk. The results from the microlensed bulge dwarf stars in combination with other findings in the literature, in particular the evidence that the bulge has cylindrical rotation, indicate that the Milky Way could be an almost pure disk galaxy. The bulge would then just be a conglomerate of the other Galactic stellar populations (thin disk, thick disk, halo, and ...?), residing together in the central parts of the Galaxy, influenced by the Galactic bar.
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| 19. |
- Bensby, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Chemical Evolution of the Galactic Disk(s)
- 2012
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Ingår i: Galactic archeology, near-field cosmology and the formation of the Milky Way (ASP Conference Series). ; 458, s. 201-202
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- We highlight some results from our high-resolution spectroscopic elemental abundance survey of F and G dwarf stars in the solar neighbourhood.
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| 20. |
- Bensby, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Elemental abundance trends in the Galactic thin and thick disks as traced by nearby F and G dwarf stars
- 2003
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Ingår i: Astronomy & Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 410:2, s. 527-551
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Based on spectra from F and G dwarf stars, we present elementalabundance trends in the Galactic thin and thick disks in the metallicityregime -0.8< [Fe/H < +0.4. Our findings can besummarized as follows. 1) Both the thin and the thick disks show smoothand distinct abundance trends that, at sub-solar metallicities, areclearly separated. 2) For the alpha -elements the thick disk showssignatures of chemical enrichment from SNe type Ia. 3) The age of thethick disk sample is in the mean older than the thin disk sample. 4)Kinematically, there exist thick disk stars with super-solarmetallicities. Based on these findings, together with other constraintsfrom the literature, we discuss different formation scenarios for thethick disk. We suggest that the currently most likely formation scenariois a violent merger event or a close encounter with a companion galaxy.Based on kinematics the stellar sample was selected to contain starswith high probabilities of belonging either to the thin or to the thickGalactic disk. The total number of stars are 66 of which 21 belong tothe thick disk and 45 to the thin disk. The analysis is based onhigh-resolution spectra with high signal-to-noise (R 48 000 and S/Ngtrsim 150, respectively) recorded with the FEROS spectrograph on LaSilla, Chile. Abundances have been determined for four alpha -elements(Mg, Si, Ca, and Ti), for four even-nuclei iron peak elements (Cr, Fe,Ni, and Zn), and for the light elements Na and Al, from equivalent widthmeasurements of 30 000 spectral lines. An extensive investigation ofthe atomic parameters, log gf-values in particular, have been performedin order to achieve abundances that are trustworthy. Noteworthy is thatwe find for Ti good agreement between the abundances from Ti I and TiIi. Our solar Ti abundances are in concordance with the standardmeteoritic Ti abundanceBased on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory, LaSilla, Chile, Proposals #65.L-0019(B) and 67.B-0108(B).Full Tables eftab:linelist and eftab:abundances are onlyavailable in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/410/527
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| 21. |
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| 22. |
- Bensby, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring the Milky Way stellar disk A detailed elemental abundance study of 714 F and G dwarf stars in the solar neighbourhood
- 2014
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Ingår i: Astronomy & Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 562
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims. The aim of this paper is to explore and map the age and abundance structure of the stars in the nearby Galactic disk. Methods. We have conducted a high-resolution spectroscopic study of 714 F and G dwarf and subgiant stars in the Solar neighbourhood. The star sample has been kinematically selected to trace the Galactic thin and thick disks to their extremes, the metal-rich stellar halo, sub-structures in velocity space such as the Hercules stream and the Arcturus moving group, as well as stars that cannot (kinematically) be associated with either the thin disk or the thick disk. The determination of stellar parameters and elemental abundances is based on a standard analysis using equivalent widths and one-dimensional, plane-parallel model atmospheres calculated under the assumption of local thermodynamical equilibrium (LTE). The spectra have high resolution (R = 40 000-110 000) and high signal-to-noise)S/V = 150-300) and were obtained with the FEROS spectrograph on the ESO 1.5 in and 2.2 in telescopes, the SOFIN and PIES spectrographs on the Nordic Optical Telescope, the LIVES spectrograph on the E50 Very Large Telescope, the HARPS spectrograph on the ESO 3.6 m telescope, and the MIKE spectrograph on the Magellan Clay telescope. The abundances from individual Fe I lines were were corrected for non-LTE effects in every step of the analysis. Results. We present stellar parameters, stellar ages, kinematical parameters, orbital parameters, and detailed elemental abundances for 0, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, Cr, Fe, Ni, Zn, Y. and Ba for 714 nearby 12 and G dwarf stars. Our data show that there is an old and a-enhanced disk population, and a younger and less a-enhanced disk population. While they overlap greatly in metallicity between 0.7 < [Fe/HI] less than or similar to +0.1, they show a bimodal distribution in [alpha/Fe]. This bimodality becomes even clearer if stars where stellar parameters and abundances show larger uncertainties (T-eff less than or similar to 5400 K) are discarded, showing that it is important to constrain the data set to a narrow range in the stellar parameters if small differences between stellar populations are to be revealed. In addition, we find that the a-enhanced population has orbital parameters placing the stellar birthplaces in the inner Galactic disk while the loss-alpha stars mainly come from the outer Galactic disk, fully consistent with the recent claims of a short scale-length for the alpha-enhanced Galactic thick disk. We have also investigated the properties of the Hercules stream and the Arcturus moving group and find that neither of them presents chemical or age signatures that could suggest that they are disrupted clusters or extragalactic accretion remnants from ancient merger events. Instead, they are most likely dynamical features originating within the Galaxy. We have also discovered that a standard 1D. LTE analysis, utilising ionisation and excitation balance of Fe I and Fen lines produces a flat lower main sequence. As the exact cause for this effect is unclear we chose to apply an empirical correction. Turn-off stars and more evolved stars appear to be unaffected.
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| 23. |
- Bensby, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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OGLE-2009-BLG-076S: THE MOST METAL-POOR DWARF STAR IN THE GALACTIC BULGE
- 2009
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X. ; 699:2, s. 174-177
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Measurements based on a large number of red giant stars suggest a broad metallicity distribution function (MDF) for the Galactic bulge, centered on [Fe/H] approximate to -0.1. However, recently, a new opportunity emerged to utilize temporary flux amplification (by factors of similar to 100 or more) of faint dwarf stars in the Bulge which are gravitationally lensed, making them observable with high-resolution spectrographs during a short observational window. Surprisingly, of the first six stars measured, five have [Fe/H] > +0.30, suggesting a highly skewed MDF, inconsistent with observations of giant stars. Here we present a detailed elemental abundance analysis of OGLE-2009-BLG-076S, based on a high-resolution spectrum obtained with the UVES spectrograph at the ESO Very Large Telescope. Our results indicate it is the most metal-poor dwarf star in the Bulge yet observed, with [Fe/H] = -0.76. Our results argue against a strong selection effect disfavoring metal-poor microlensed stars. It is possible that small number statistics is responsible for the giant/dwarf Bulge MDF discrepancy. Should this discrepancy survive when larger numbers of Bulge dwarf stars (soon to be available) are analyzed, it may require modification of our understanding of either Bulge formation models, or the behavior of metal-rich giant stars.
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| 24. |
- Bensby, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Oxygen in the Galactic Thin and Thick Disks
- 2003
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Ingår i: CNO in the universe. (ASP Conference Series ; Vol. 304).. - 1583811532 ; 304, s. 175-178
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)
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| 25. |
- Bensby, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Oxygen trends in the Galactic thin and thick disks
- 2004
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Ingår i: Astronomy & Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 415:1, s. 155-170
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present oxygen abundances for 72 F and G dwarf stars in the solarneighbourhood. Using the kinematics of the stars we divide them into twosub-samples with space velocities that are typical for the thick andthin disks, respectively. The metallicities of the stars range from[Fe/H] ≈ -0.9 to +0.4 and we use the derived oxygen abundances of thestars to: (1) perform a differential study of the oxygen trends in thethin and the thick disk; (2) to follow the trend of oxygen in the thindisk to the highest metallicities. We analyze the forbidden oxygen linesat 6300 Å and 6363 Å as well as the (NLTE afflicted) tripletlines around 7774 Å. For the forbidden line at 6300 Å wehave spectra of very high S/N (>400) and resolution (R ≳ 215000). This has enabled a very accurate modeling of the oxygen line andthe blending Ni lines. The high internal accuracy in our determinationof the oxygen abundances from this line is reflected in the very tighttrends we find for oxygen relative to iron. From these abundances we areable to draw the following major conclusions: (i) That the [O/Fe] trendat super-solar [Fe/H] continues downward which is in concordance withmodels of Galactic chemical evolution. This is not seen in previousstudies as it has not been possible to take the blending Ni lines in theforbidden oxygen line at 6300 Å properly into account; (ii) Thatthe oxygen trends in the thin and the thick disks are distinctlydifferent. This confirms and extends previous studies of the otherα-elements; (iii) That oxygen does not follow Mg at super-solarmetallicities; (iv) We also provide an empirical NLTE correction for theinfrared O I triplet that could be used for dwarf star spectra with aS/N such that only the triplet lines can be analyzed well, e.g. stars atlarge distances; (v) Finally, we find that Gratton et al. (1999)overestimate the NLTE corrections for the permitted oxygen triplet linesat ∼7774 Å for the parameter space that our stars span.Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory, LaSilla and Paranal, Chile, Proposals #65.L-0019, 67.B-0108, and69.B-0277.The full Table 4 is only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?/A+A/415/155
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