| 1. |
- Christlieb, N., et al.
(författare)
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The Hamburg/ESO R-process Enhanced Star survey (HERES). I. Project description, and discovery of two stars with strong enhancements of neutron-capture elements
- 2004
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Ingår i: Astronomy & Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 428:3, s. 1027-1037
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on a dedicated effort to identify and study metal-poor stars strongly enhanced in r-process elements ([r/Fe]>1 dex; hereafter r-IIstars), the Hamburg/ESO R-process Enhanced Star survey (HERES).Moderate-resolution (∼2 Å) follow-up spectroscopy has been obtained for metal-poor giant candidates selected from the Hamburg/ESO objective-prism survey (HES) as well as the HK survey to identify sharp-lined stars with [Fe/H]<-2.5 dex. For several hundred confirmed metal-poor giants brighter than B∼ 16.5 mag (most of them from theHES), ``snapshot'' spectra (R∼ 20 000; S/N ∼ 30 per pixel) are being obtained with VLT/UVES, with the main aim of finding the 2-3% r-II stars expected to be among them. These are studied in detail by means of higher resolution and higher S/N spectra. In this paper we describe a pilot study based on a set of 35 stars, including 23 from the HK survey,eight from the HES, and four comparison stars. We discovered two new r-II stars, CS 29497-004 ([Eu/Fe]=1.64± 0.22) and CS 29491-069([Eu/Fe]=1.08± 0.23). A first abundance analysis of CS 29497-004 yields that its abundances of Ba to Dy are on average enhanced by 1.5 dex with respect to iron and the Sun and match a scaled solar r-process pattern well, while Th is underabundant relative to that pattern by 0.3dex, which we attribute to radioactive decay. That is, CS 29497-004 seems not to belong to the class of r-process enhanced stars displaying an ``actinide boost'', like CS 31082-001 (Hill et al. 2002), or CS30306-132 (Honda et al. 2004b). The abundance pattern agrees well with predictions of the phenomenological model of Qian & Wasserburg.Based in large part on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory, Paranal, Chile (proposal number 68.B-0320).}
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- J.G., Cohen, et al.
(författare)
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Abundances In Very Metal-Poor Dwarf Stars
- 2004
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X. ; 603:2, s. 1107-1135
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Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- We discuss the detailed composition of 28 extremely metal-poor (EMP) dwarfs, 22 of which are from the Hamburg/ESO Survey (HES), based on Keck echelle spectra. Our sample has a median [Fe/H] of -2.7 dex, extends to -3.5 dex, and is somewhat less metal-poor than was expected from [Fe/H](HK, HES) determined from low-resolution spectra. Our analysis supports the existence of a sharp decline in the distribution of halo stars with metallicity below [Fe/H]=-3.0 dex. So far no additional turnoff stars with [Fe/H]<-3.5 have been identified in our follow-up efforts. For the best-observed elements between Mg and Ni, we find that the abundance ratios appear to have reached a plateau, i.e., [X/Fe] is approximately constant as a function of [Fe/H], except for Cr, Mn, and Co, which show trends of abundance ratios varying with [Fe/H]. These abundance ratios at low metallicity correspond approximately to the yield expected from Type II supernovae (SNe) with a narrow range in mass and explosion parameters; high-mass Type II SN progenitors are required. The dispersion of [X/Fe] about this plateau level is surprisingly small and is still dominated by measurement errors rather than intrinsic scatter. These results place strong constraints on the characteristics of the contributing SNe. The dispersion in neutron-capture elements and the abundance trends for Cr, Mn, and Co are consistent with previous studies of evolved EMP stars. We find halo-like enhancements for the α-elements Mg, Ca, and Ti, but solar Si/Fe ratios for these dwarfs. This contrasts with studies of EMP giant stars, which show Si enhancements similar to other α-elements. Sc/Fe is another case where the results from EMP dwarfs and from EMP giants disagree; our Sc/Fe ratios are enhanced compared to the solar value by ~0.2 dex. Although this conflicts with the solar Sc/Fe values seen in EMP giants, we note that α-like Sc/Fe ratios have been claimed for dwarfs at higher metallicity. Two dwarfs in the sample are carbon stars, while two others have significant C enhancements, all with 12C/13C ~7 and with C/N between 10 and 150. Three of these C-rich stars have large enhancements of the heavy neutron capture elements, including lead, which implies a strong s-process contribution, presumably from binary mass transfer; the fourth shows no excess of Sr or Ba.
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| 4. |
- Andersson, Per S., et al.
(författare)
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238U-234U and 232Th-230Th in the Baltic Sea and in river water
- 1995
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Ingår i: Earth and Planetary Science Letters. - 0012-821X .- 1385-013X. ; 130:1-4, s. 217-234
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The concentration (C) of dissolved238U,234U,232Th and230Th in fresh and brackish waters from the Baltic Sea were determined using TIMS. The brackish waters range in salinity from that of sea water (SW) to 2.5‰. C238U in oxygen-saturated, surface waters is well correlated with salinity and shows quasi-conservative behavior, as does Sr. Samples from the redox water interface show depletion in C238U, demonstrating that dissolved U is being removed by FeMn oxyhydroxides. From a simple mixing relationship for the brackish water,δ234U* = 1000‰ was calculated for the fresh water source in the northern Baltic. A study of the Kalixälven River over an annual cycle yields highδ234U during spring and summer discharge and lower values during fall and winter, showing that different sources contribute to the U load in the river during different seasons. C232Th and C230Th in river water are governed by the discharge, reflecting the importance of the increased abundance of small particles ( < 0.45 μm) for the232Th230Th load at high discharge.232Th/238U in river water is about 40 times less than in detrital material. In the brackish water, C232Th drops 2 orders of magnitude in the low salinity region ( < 5‰), reaching a value close to that of sea water at a salinity of 7.5‰. Almost all of the riverine232Th must be deposited in the low-salinity regions of the estuary.The230Th/232Th in river waters is about twice the equilibrium value for232Th/238U (3.8). In the brackish waters,230Th/232Th is greater by a factor of 10-100 than both river water and SW. The big increase in230Th/232Th in the Baltic Sea waters over the riverine input indicates that the Th isotopes enter the estuary as a mixture of two carrier phases. We infer that about 96% of232Th in river water is carried by detrital particles, whereas the other phase (solution, colloidal) has a much higher232Th/232Th. Entering the estuary, the detrital particles sediment out rapidly, whereas the non-detrital phase is removed more slowly, causing a marked increase in230Th/232Th in the brackish water. In SW,230Th/232Th is closer to river input and detrital material than in brackish water. We conclude that in the deep sea,232Th is almost exclusively dominated by windblown dust and can be used to monitor dust flux. The230Th excess in Baltic rivers is produced in U-rich,232Th-poor peatlands and trapped in authigenic particles and transported with the particles. Time scales for producing the230Th excess are ≈ 2000-8000 yr. This is younger than, but comparable to, the time of the latest deglaciation, which ended some 9000 yr ago when the mires were forming. These results have implications for the possible mobility of actinides stored in repositories.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
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| 8. |
- Andersson, P. S., et al.
(författare)
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Particle transport of 234U-238U in the Kalix River and in the Baltic Sea
- 1998
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Ingår i: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. - 0016-7037 .- 1872-9533. ; 62:3, s. 385-392
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The role of particles for U isotope transport was investigated in the Kalix River watershed, a particle-poor, Fe/Mn-rich river in northern Sweden, and in the Baltic Sea estuary. Particles >0.45 μm are strongly enriched in U and contain 20-50% of the total riverine uranium budget and <1% of the total U in brackish waters (3-7 PSU). The particles have high δ234U which is close to that of dissolved U in the associated water, indicating that U on particles is dominantly nondetrital and isotopically exchanges rapidly with the ambient dissolved U. Particles at the river mouth are dominated by nondetrital Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides. Uranium and Fe are strongly correlated, clearly demonstrating that secondary Fe-oxyhydroxide is the major carrier of U in river water. There is no evidence for significant association of U with Mn-oxyhydroxide. Apparent U distribution coefficients ... were calculated for U between the authigenic Fe on particles and the solution. These values appear to be relatively constant throughout the year. This suggests an equilibrium between Fe in solution and authigenic Fe-oxyhydroxides on detrital particles. High values of .... calculated for one summer as well as high U concentrations in brackish waters can be explained by U scavenging by biogenic phases with low authigenic Fe content.
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| 9. |
- Andersson, Per S., et al.
(författare)
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Strontium, dissolved and particulate loads in fresh and brackish waters : the Baltic Sea and Mississippi delta
- 1994
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Ingår i: Earth and Planetary Science Letters. - 0012-821X .- 1385-013X. ; 124:1-4, s. 195-210
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A study was conducted of the isotopic composition and concentration of Sr and of major elements in dissolved and suspended loads of fresh and brackish waters. The purpose was to establish the contributions of different parent rocks and minerals to Sr during weathering and transport and to identify the role of Fe_Mn oxyhydroxides in the redistribution of Sr in the water column during the sedimentary cycle. Studies were conducted on a profile across an oxic-anoxic boundary in the Baltic and on rivers covering behavior over an annual cycle. In general, the 87Sr/86Sr ratios differ between particulate and dissolved loads, with more radiogenic Sr in the particulate loads. These differences are attributed to differential weathering of minerals, where high Rb/Sr minerals dominate the particulate load and low Rb/Sr the dissolved load. There is broad correlation of 87Sr/86Sr with K/Al in the suspended load. The differences in 87Sr/86Sr between suspended and dissolved load are highly variable and are related to the Fe or Mn concentration on the particulates. In samples with high Fe/Al, the difference becomes small. A good correlation was found between Sr/Al and Fe/Al or Mn/Al in the particulates both in brackish and fresh waters. Sr is removed from solution both in rivers and in the Baltic Sea whenever there is formation of Fe_Mn oxyhydroxide particulates. This precipitation greatly diminishes the difference in isotopic composition of the dissolved and suspended loads. As the particles containing Fe_Mn oxyhydroxides settle, they dissolve in anoxic zones and release Sr. This provides a mechanism for Sr redistribution in the water column. Sr is thus only quasi-conservative in environments where Fe_Mn oxyhydroxides form or dissolve. From consideration of the isotopic differences in Sr between dissolved and suspended loads, it follows that the net Sr input depends upon weathering characteristics of the contributing mineral phases. Changes in weathering mechanisms due to climate change may cause Sr isotopic shifts in the marine environment.
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| 10. |
- Andersson, Per S., et al.
(författare)
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The importance of colloids for the behavior of uranium isotopes in the low-salinity zone of a stable estuary
- 2001
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Ingår i: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. - 0016-7037 .- 1872-9533. ; 65:1, s. 13-25
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Particle-mediated removal processes of U isotopes were investigated during spring flood discharge in the low-salinity zone (LSZ, up to 3 practical salinity units [psu]) of a stable estuary. A shipboard ultrafiltration cross-flow filtration (CFF) technique was used to separate particles (>0.2 μm) and colloids (between 3000 daltons (3 kD) and 0.2 μm) from ultrafiltered water (<3 kD) containing "dissolved" species. Sediment traps were used to collect sinking material. Concentration of Fe and organic C, which are indicators of the major U carrier phases, were used to interpret the behavior of 234U-238U during estuarine mixing. Colloids dominated the river water transport of U, carrying ≈90% of the U. On entering the estuary, colloids accounted for the dominant fraction of U to about a salinity of 1 psu, but only a minor fraction (<5%) at 3 psu. A substantial fraction of the total U is removed at <1 psu by Fe-organic rich colloids that aggregate and sink during initial estuarine mixing in the Kalix River estuary. In contrast, at salinities >1 psu, there is a general correlation between U and salinity in all filtered fractions. The 234U/238U ratios in different filtered fractions and sinking particles were generally indistinguishable at each station and showed enrichment in 234U, compared with secular equilibrium (δ234U = 266-567). This clearly shows that all size fractions are dominated by nondetrital U. Consideration of U isotope systematics across the estuary reveals that substantial U exchange must occur involving larger particles at least to 1 psu and involving colloids at least to ≈1.5 psu. Further exchange at higher salinities may also occur, as the proportion of U on colloids decreases with increasing salinity. This may be due to decreasing colloid concentration and increasing stabilization of uranyl carbonate complexes during mixing in the estuary. The results show that although U is a soluble element that shows generally conservative mixing in estuaries, removal occurs in the very low salinity zone, and this zone represents a significant sink of U. Variation in composition and concentration of colloidal particles between different estuaries might thus be an important factor for determining the varying behavior of U between estuaries.
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| 11. |
- Andersson, Per S., et al.
(författare)
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The sources and transport of Sr and Nd isotopes in the Baltic Sea
- 1992
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Ingår i: Earth and Planetary Science Letters. - 0012-821X .- 1385-013X. ; 113:4, s. 459-472
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have determined the concentration and isotopic composition of Sr and Nd in waters from the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea is an intracontinental, stratified, brackish water, estuarine-like system, and the rivers emptying into it drain a suite of terranes ranging from Proterozoic-Archean in the north to Phanerozoic in the south. The sampled brackish waters range in salinity from seawater (SW) at 35.289‰ to a minimum of 2.460‰ at the surface in the innermost part of the Gulf of Bothnia. The Sr concentrations show generally conservative behavior, indicating a simple two-component mixing. However, small deviations (3-70 ‰) from a perfect mixing line reveal that the imprints from rivers with different Sr concentrations are preserved in the blending. Strontium concentrations from a depth profile across the redoxcline in the Baltic proper indicate that vertical particle transport alters the Sr concentration in the water. Our estimated concentration of Sr in the average freshwater input to the Baltic is 0.03 ppm, which is only about 0.4% of the SW concentration. The Sr isotopic data range from εSr(SW) = 0 in seawater to εSrBW(SW) = 7.8 in the least saline Baltic water (BW) sample in the Gulf of Bothnia. The isotopic composition of Sr versus 1/Sr in the Baltic Sea follows an almost perfect mixing line, which shows that seawater Sr is mixed with much more radiogenic components. Calculated end-member values of εSr*(SW) for each sample show that the riverine input into the Gulf of Bothnia has εSr*(SW) = 120-200and10-50 ε units in the Baltic proper. These values are in general agreement with direct measurements of river waters in each region. However, the calculated values in the Gulf of Bothnia are lower than the measured river water input in this region, which indicates the presence of less radiogenic Sr, presumably originating from the river waters draining the southern part of the basin which are partially transported northward and mixed with Sr from the Gulf of Bothnia rivers. The Nd concentration in the Baltic Sea is not conservative, varying between 5 and 45 ppt, with the highest concentrations in the bottom waters due to vertical particulate transport. A plot of εNd(O) in Baltic water yields a good correlation with the calculated freshwater end member εSr*(SW). The data show that it is possible to unravel the different freshwater sources into the Baltic and to identify the zones of particulate removal of both non-conservative species such as the REE and of quasi-conservative species such as Sr. The use of isotopic tracers in this estuarine environment may provide a much better insight into mixing and element transport. It should also be possible to trace lateral movements of freshwater inputs
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
- Porcelli, D., et al.
(författare)
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The importance of colloids and mires for the transport of uranium isotopes through the Kalix River watershed and Baltic Sea
- 1997
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Ingår i: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. - 0016-7037 .- 1872-9533. ; 61:19, s. 4095-4113
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The importance of colloids and organic deposits for the transport of uranium isotopes from continental source regions and through the estuarine environment was investigated in the mire-rich Kalix River drainage basin in northern Sweden and the Baltic Sea. Ultrafiltration techniques were used to separate uranium and other elements associated with colloids > 10 kD and >3 kD from "solute" uranium and provided consistent results and high recovery rates for uranium as well as for other elements from large volume samples. Uranium concentrations in 0.45 μm-filtered Kalix River water samples increased by a factor of 3 from near the headwaters in the Caledonides to the river mouth while major cation concentrations were relatively constant. 234U/238U ratios were high (δ234U = 770-1500) throughout the basin, without showing any simple pattern, and required a supply of 234U-rich water. Throughout the Kalix River, a large fraction (30-90%) of the uranium is carried by >10 kD colloids, which is compatible with uranium complexation with humic acids. No isotopic differences were found between colloid-associated and solute uranium. Within the Baltic Sea, about half of the uranium is removed at low salinities. The proportion that is lost is equivalent to that of river-derived colloid-bound uranium, suggesting that while solute uranium behaves conservatively during estuarine mixing, colloid-bound uranium is lost due to rapid flocculation of colloidal material. The association of uranium with colloids therefore may be an important parameter in determining uranium estuarine behavior. Mire peats in the Kalix River highly concentrate uranium and are potentially a significant source of recoil 234U to the mirewaters and river waters. However, mirewater data clearly demonstrate that only small 234U/238U shifts are generated relative to inflowing groundwater. A simple box model of uranium accumulation in peat and transport through the mire that is compatible with the mire data demonstrates that with efficient removal of uranium from solution, only small shifts in 234U/238U ratios can be generated in mirewater uranium. The measurements and model calculations show that mirewaters are not the primary source of the uranium in the river. Bedrock groundwaters with high 234U/238U ratios and uranium concentrations must be the dominant source of riverine uranium.
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