| 21. |
- Ambrosch, M., et al.
(author)
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The Gaia -ESO Survey : Chemical evolution of Mg and Al in the Milky Way with machine learning
- 2023
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In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 672
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Context. To take full advantage of upcoming large-scale spectroscopic surveys, it will be necessary to parameterize millions of stellar spectra in an efficient way. Machine learning methods, especially convolutional neural networks (CNNs), will be among the main tools geared at achieving this task. Aims. We aim to prepare the groundwork for machine learning techniques for the next generation of spectroscopic surveys, such as 4MOST and WEAVE. Our goal is to show that CNNs can predict accurate stellar labels from relevant spectral features in a physically meaningful way. The predicted labels can be used to investigate properties of the Milky Way galaxy. Methods. We built a neural network and trained it on GIRAFFE spectra with their associated stellar labels from the sixth internal Gaia-ESO data release. Our network architecture contains several convolutional layers that allow the network to identify absorption features in the input spectra. The internal uncertainty was estimated from multiple network models. We used the t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding tool to remove bad spectra from our training sample. Results. Our neural network is able to predict the atmospheric parameters Teff and log(g) as well as the chemical abundances [Mg/Fe], [Al/Fe], and [Fe/H] for 36 904 stellar spectra. The training precision is 37 K for Teff, 0.06 dex for log(g), 0.05 dex for [Mg/Fe], 0.08 dex for [Al/Fe], and 0.04 dex for [Fe/H]. Network gradients reveal that the network is inferring the labels in a physically meaningful way from spectral features. We validated our methodology using benchmark stars and recovered the properties of different stellar populations in the Milky Way galaxy. Conclusions. Such a study provides very good insights into the application of machine learning for the analysis of large-scale spectroscopic surveys, such as WEAVE and 4MOST Milky Way disk and bulge low- and high-resolution (4MIDABLE-LR and -HR). The community will have to put substantial efforts into building proactive training sets for machine learning methods to minimize any possible systematics.
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| 22. |
- Baratella, M., et al.
(author)
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The Gaia-ESO Survey : a new approach to chemically characterising young open clusters I. Stellar parameters, and iron-peak, alpha-, and proton-capture elements
- 2020
-
In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP SCIENCES S A. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 634
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Context: Open clusters are recognised as excellent tracers of Galactic thin-disc properties. At variance with intermediate-age and old open clusters, for which a significant number of studies is now available, clusters younger than less than or similar to 150 Myr have been mostly overlooked in terms of their chemical composition until recently (with few exceptions). On the other hand, previous investigations seem to indicate an anomalous behaviour of young clusters, which includes (but is not limited to) slightly sub-solar iron (Fe) abundances and extreme, unexpectedly high barium (Ba) enhancements.Aims: In a series of papers, we plan to expand our understanding of this topic and investigate whether these chemical peculiarities are instead related to abundance analysis techniques.Methods: We present a new determination of the atmospheric parameters for 23 dwarf stars observed by the Gaia-ESO survey in five young open clusters (tau < 150 Myr) and one star-forming region (NGC 2264). We exploit a new method based on titanium (Ti) lines to derive the spectroscopic surface gravity, and most importantly, the microturbulence parameter. A combination of Ti and Fe lines is used to obtain effective temperatures. We also infer the abundances of Fe I, Fe II, Tit, Tin,Na I, Mg I, Al I,Sit, Ca I, Cr I, and Ni I.Results: Our findings are in fair agreement with Gaia-ESO iDR5 results for effective temperatures and surface gravities, but suggest that for very young stars, the microturbulence parameter is over-estimated when Fe lines are employed. This affects the derived chemical composition and causes the metal content of very young clusters to be under-estimated.Conclusions: Our clusters display a metallicity [Fe/H] between +0.04 +/- 0.01 and +0.12 +/- 0.02; they are not more metal poor than the Sun. Although based on a relatively small sample size, our explorative study suggests that we may not need to call for ad hoc explanations to reconcile the chemical composition of young open clusters with Galactic chemical evolution models.
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| 23. |
- Baratella, M., et al.
(author)
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The Gaia-ESO Survey: A new approach to chemically characterising young open cluster : II. Abundances of the neutron-capture elements Cu, Sr, Y, Zr, Ba, La, and Ce
- 2021
-
In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 653
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Context. Young open clusters (ages of less than 200 Myr) have been observed to exhibit several peculiarities in their chemical compositions. These anomalies include a slightly sub-solar iron content, super-solar abundances of some atomic species (e.g. ionised chromium), and atypical enhancements of [Ba/Fe], with values up to ~0.7 dex. Regarding the behaviour of the other s-process elements like yttrium, zirconium, lanthanum, and cerium, there is general disagreement in the literature: some authors claim that they follow the same trend as barium, while others find solar abundances at all ages. Aims. In this work we expand upon our previous analysis of a sample of five young open clusters (IC 2391, IC 2602, IC 4665, NGC 2516, and NGC 2547) and one star-forming region (NGC 2264), with the aim of determining abundances of different neutron-capture elements, mainly Cu I, Sr I, Sr II, Y II, Zr II, Ba II, La II, and Ce II. For NGC 2264 and NGC 2547 we present the measurements of these elements for the first time. Methods. We analysed high-resolution, high signal-to-noise spectra of 23 solar-type stars observed within the Gaia-ESO survey. After a careful selection, we derived abundances of isolated and clean lines via spectral synthesis computations and in a strictly differential way with respect to the Sun. Results. We find that our clusters have solar [Cu/Fe] within the uncertainties, while we confirm that [Ba/Fe] is super-solar, with values ranging from +0.22 to +0.64 dex. Our analysis also points to a mild enhancement of Y, with [Y/Fe] ratios covering values between 0 and +0.3 dex. For the other s-process elements we find that [X/Fe] ratios are solar at all ages. Conclusions. It is not possible to reconcile the anomalous behaviour of Ba and Y at young ages with standard stellar yields and Galactic chemical evolution model predictions. We explore different possible scenarios related to the behaviour of spectral lines, from the dependence on the different ionisation stages and the sensitivity to the presence of magnetic fields (through the Landé factor) to the first ionisation potential effect. We also investigate the possibility that they may arise from alterations of the structure of the stellar photosphere due to the increased levels of stellar activity that affect the spectral line formation, and consequently the derived abundances. These effects seem to be stronger in stars at ages of less than ∼ 100 Myr. However, we are still unable to explain these enhancements, and the Ba puzzle remains unsolved. With the present study we suggest that other elements, for example Sr, Zr, La, and Ce, might be more reliable tracer of the s-process at young ages, and we strongly encourage further critical observations.
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| 24. |
- Bensby, T., et al.
(author)
-
Chemical evolution of the Galactic bulge as traced by microlensed dwarf and subgiant stars : VII. Lithium
- 2020
-
In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 634
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lithium abundances are presented for 91 dwarf and subgiant stars in the Galactic bulge. The analysis is based on line synthesis of the 7Li line at 6707 Å in high-resolution spectra obtained during gravitational microlensing events, when the brightnesses of the targets were highly magnified. Our main finding is that bulge stars at sub-solar metallicities that are older than about eight billion years do not show any sign of Li production; that is, the Li trend with metallicity is flat or even slightly declining. This indicates that no lithium was produced during the first few billion years in the history of the bulge. This finding is essentially identical to what is seen for the (old) thick disk stars in the solar neighbourhood, and adds another piece of evidence for a tight connection between the metal-poor bulge and the Galactic thick disk. For the bulge stars younger than about eight billion years, the sample contains a group of stars at very high metallicities at [Fe/H] ≈ +0.4 that have lithium abundances in the range A(Li) = 2.6 - 2.8. In the solar neighbourhood the lithium abundances have been found to peak at A(Li) ≈ 3.3 at [Fe/H] ≈ +0.1 and then decrease by 0.4-0.5 dex when reaching [Fe/H] ≈ +0.4. The few bulge stars that we have at these metallicities seem to support this declining A(Li) trend. This could indeed support the recent claim that the low A(Li) abundances at the highest metallicities seen in the solar neighbourhood could be due to stars from the inner disk, or the bulge region, that have migrated to the solar neighbourhood.
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| 25. |
- Bensby, T., et al.
(author)
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Chemical evolution of the Galactic bulge as traced by microlensed dwarf and subgiant stars : VIII. Carbon and oxygen
- 2021
-
In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 655
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Context. Next to H and He, carbon is, together with oxygen, the most abundant element in the Universe and widely used when modelling the formation and evolution of galaxies and their stellar populations. For the Milky Way bulge, there are currently essentially no measurements of carbon in un-evolved stars, hampering our abilities to properly compare Galactic chemical evolution models to observational data for this still enigmatic stellar population. Aims. We aim to determine carbon abundances for our sample of 91 microlensed dwarf and subgiant stars in the Galactic bulge. Together with new determinations for oxygen this forms the first statistically significant sample of bulge stars that have C and O abundances measured, and for which the C abundances have not been altered by the nuclear burning processes internal to the stars. Methods. Our analysis is based on high-resolution spectra for a sample of 91 dwarf and subgiant stars that were obtained during microlensing events when the brightnesses of the stars were highly magnified. Carbon abundances were determined through spectral line synthesis of six C» I lines around 9100 Å, and oxygen abundances using the three O» I lines at about 7770 Å. One-dimensional (1D) MARCS model stellar atmospheres calculated under the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) were used, and non-LTE corrections were applied when calculating the synthetic spectra for both C and O. Results. Carbon abundances was possible to determine for 70 of the 91 stars in the sample and oxygen abundances for 88 of the 91 stars in the sample. The [C/Fe] ratio evolves essentially in lockstep with [Fe/H], centred around solar values at all [Fe/H]. The [O/Fe]-[Fe/H] trend has an appearance very similar to that observed for other α-elements in the bulge, with the exception of a continued decrease in [O/Fe] at super-solar [Fe/H], where other α-elements tend to level out. When dividing the bulge sample into two sub-groups, one younger than 8 Gyr and one older than 8 Gyr, the stars in the two groups follow exactly the elemental abundance trends defined by the solar neighbourhood thin and thick disks, respectively. Comparisons with recent models of Galactic chemical evolution in the [C/O]-[O/H] plane show that the models that best match the data are the ones that have been calculated with the Galactic thin and thick disks in mind. Conclusions. We conclude that carbon, oxygen, and the combination of the two support the idea that the majority of the stars in the Galactic bulge have a secular origin; that is, they are formed from disk material. We cannot exclude that a fraction of stars in the bulge could be classified as a classical bulge population, but it would have to be small. More dedicated and advanced models of the inner region of the Milky Way are needed to make more detailed comparisons to the observations.
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| 26. |
- Casali, G., et al.
(author)
-
The Gaia-ESO survey : the non-universality of the age-chemical-clocks-metallicity relations in the Galactic disc
- 2020
-
In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 639
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Context. In the era of large spectroscopic surveys, massive databases of high-quality spectra coupled with the products of the Gaia satellite provide tools to outline a new picture of our Galaxy. In this framework, an important piece of information is provided by our ability to infer stellar ages, and consequently to sketch a Galactic timeline.Aims. We aim to provide empirical relations between stellar ages and abundance ratios for a sample of stars with very similar stellar parameters to those of the Sun, namely the so-called solar-like stars. We investigate the dependence on metallicity, and we apply our relations to independent samples, that is, the Gaia-ESO samples of open clusters and of field stars.Methods. We analyse high-resolution and high-signal-to-noise-ratio HARPS spectra of a sample of solar-like stars to obtain precise determinations of their atmospheric parameters and abundances for 25 elements and/or ions belonging to the main nucleosynthesis channels through differential spectral analysis, and of their ages through isochrone fitting.Results. We investigate the relations between stellar ages and several abundance ratios. For the abundance ratios with a steeper dependence on age, we perform multivariate linear regressions, in which we include the dependence on metallicity, [Fe/H]. We apply our best relations to a sample of open clusters located from the inner to the outer regions of the Galactic disc. Using our relations, we are able to recover the literature ages only for clusters located at R-GC > 7 kpc. The values that we obtain for the ages of the inner-disc clusters are much greater than the literature ones. In these clusters, the content of neutron capture elements, such as Y and Zr, is indeed lower than expected from chemical evolution models, and consequently their [Y/Mg] and [Y/Al] are lower than in clusters of the same age located in the solar neighbourhood. With our chemical evolution model and a set of empirical yields, we suggest that a strong dependence on the star formation history and metallicity-dependent stellar yields of s-process elements can substantially modify the slope of the [s/alpha]-[Fe/H]-age relation in different regions of the Galaxy.Conclusions. Our results point towards a non-universal relation [s/alpha]-[Fe/H]-age, indicating the existence of relations with different slopes and intercepts at different Galactocentric distances or for different star formation histories. Therefore, relations between ages and abundance ratios obtained from samples of stars located in a limited region of the Galaxy cannot be translated into general relations valid for the whole disc. A better understanding of the s-process at high metallicity is necessary to fully understand the origin of these variations.
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| 27. |
- Dantas, M. L. L., et al.
(author)
-
The Gaia-ESO Survey : Probing the lithium abundances in old metal-rich dwarf stars in the solar vicinity
- 2022
-
In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 668
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Context: Lithium (Li) is a fragile element that is produced in a variety of sites but can also be very easily depleted in stellar photospheres. Radial migration has been reported to explain the decrease in the upper envelope of Li measurements observed for relatively old metal-rich dwarf stars in some surveys.Aims: We test a scenario in which radial migration could affect the Li abundance pattern of dwarf stars in the solar neighbourhood. This may confirm that the Li abundances in these stars cannot serve as a probe for the Li abundance in the interstellar medium (ISM). In other words, to probe the evolution of the Li abundance in the local ISM, it is crucial that stellar intruders be identified and removed from the adopted sample.Methods: We used the high-quality data (including Li abundances) from the sixth internal Data Release of the Gaia-ESO survey. In this sample we grouped stars by similarity in chemical abundances via hierarchical clustering. Our analysis treats both measured Li abundances and upper limits.Results: The Li envelope of the previously identified radially migrated stars is well below the benchmark meteoritic value (<3.26 dex); the star with the highest detected abundance has A(Li) = 2.76 dex. This confirms the previous trends observed for old dwarf stars (median ages similar to 8 Gyr), where Li decreases for [Fe/H] greater than or similar to 0.Conclusions: This result is supporting evidence that the abundance of Li measured in the upper envelope of old dwarf stars should not be considered a proxy for the ISM Li. Our scenario also indicates that the stellar yields for [M/H] >0 should not be decreased, as recently proposed in the literature. Our study backs recent studies that claim that old dwarfs on the hot side of the dip are efficient probes of the ISM abundance of Li, provided atomic diffusion does not significantly lower the initial Li abundance in the atmospheres of metal-rich objects.
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| 28. |
- Dantas, M. L.L., et al.
(author)
-
The Gaia -ESO Survey : Old super-metal-rich visitors from the inner Galaxy
- 2023
-
In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 669
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Context. The solar vicinity is currently populated by a mix of stars with various chemo-dynamic properties, including stars with a high metallicity compared to the Sun. Dynamical processes such as churning and blurring are expected to relocate such metal-rich stars from the inner Galaxy to the solar region. Aims. We report the identification of a set of old super-metal-rich (+0.15 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ +0.50) dwarf stars with low eccentricity orbits (e ≤ 0.2) that reach a maximum height from the Galactic plane in the range ≤0.5-1.5 kpc. We discuss their chemo-dynamic properties with the goal of understanding their potential origins. Methods. We used data from the internal Data Release 6 of the Gaia-ESO Survey. We selected stars observed at high resolution with abundances of 21 species of 18 individual elements (i.e. 21 dimensions). We applied a hierarchical clustering algorithm to group the stars with similar chemical abundances within the complete chemical abundance space. Orbits were integrated using astrometric data from Gaia and radial velocities from Gaia-ESO. Stellar ages were estimated using isochrones and a Bayesian method. Results. This set of super-metal-rich stars can be arranged into five subgroups, according to their chemical properties. Four of these groups seem to follow a chemical enrichment flow, where nearly all abundances increase in lockstep with Fe. The fifth subgroup shows different chemical characteristics. All the subgroups have the following features: median ages of the order of 7-9 Gyr (with five outlier stars of estimated younger age), solar or subsolar [Mg/Fe] ratios, maximum height from the Galactic plane in the range 0.5-1.5 kpc, low eccentricities (e ≤ 0.2), and a detachment from the expected metallicity gradient with guiding radius (which varies between ~6 and 9 kpc for the majority of the stars). Conclusions. The high metallicity of our stars is incompatible with a formation in the solar neighbourhood. Their dynamic properties agree with theoretical expectations that these stars travelled from the inner Galaxy due to blurring and, more importantly, to churning. We therefore suggest that most of the stars in this population originated in the inner regions of the Milky Way (inner disc and/or the bulge) and later migrated to the solar neighbourhood. The region where the stars originated had a complex chemical enrichment history, with contributions from supernovae types Ia and II, and possibly asymptotic giant branch stars as well.
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| 29. |
- Jackson, R. J., et al.
(author)
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The Gaia-ESO Survey : Membership probabilities for stars in 63 open and 7 globular clusters from 3D kinematics
- 2022
-
In: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 509:2, s. 1664-1680
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Spectroscopy from the final internal data release of the Gaia-ESO Survey (GES) has been combined with Gaia EDR3 to assign membership probabilities to targets observed towards 63 Galactic open clusters and 7 globular clusters. The membership probabilities are based chiefly on maxim likelihood modelling of the 3D kinematics of the targets, separating them into cluster and field populations. From 43 211 observed targets, 13 985 are identified as highly probable cluster members (P > 0.9), with an average membership probability of 0.993. The addition of GES radial velocities successfully drives down the fraction of false positives and we achieve better levels of discrimination in most clusters over the use of astrometric data alone, especially those at larger distances. Since the membership selection is almost purely kinematic, the union of this catalogue with GES and Gaia is ideal for investigating the photometric and chemical properties of clusters as a function of stellar mass, age, and Galactic position.
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| 30. |
- Magrini, L., et al.
(author)
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The Gaia -ESO survey: Mixing processes in low-mass stars traced by lithium abundance in cluster and field stars
- 2021
-
In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 651
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aims. We aim to constrain the mixing processes in low-mass stars by investigating the behaviour of the Li surface abundance after the main sequence. We take advantage of the data from the sixth internal data release of Gaia-ESO, IDR6, and from the Gaia Early Data Release 3, EDR3s. Methods. We selected a sample of main-sequence, sub-giant, and giant stars in which the Li abundance is measured by the Gaia-ESO survey. These stars belong to 57 open clusters with ages from 130 Myr to about 7 Gyr and to Milky Way fields, covering a range in [Fe/H] between -1.0and +0.5 dex, with few stars between -1.0 and -2.5dex. We studied the behaviour of the Li abundances as a function of stellar parameters. We inferred the masses of giant stars in clusters from the main-sequence turn-off masses, and for field stars through comparison with stellar evolution models using a maximum likelihood technique. We compared the observed Li behaviour in field giant stars and in giant stars belonging to individual clusters with the predictions of a set of classical models and of models with mixing induced by rotation and thermohaline instability. Results. The comparison with stellar evolution models confirms that classical models cannot reproduce the observed lithium abundances in the metallicity and mass regimes covered by the data. The models that include the effects of both rotation-induced mixing and thermohaline instability account for the Li abundance trends observed in our sample in all metallicity and mass ranges. The differences between the results of the classical models and of the rotation models largely differ (up to 2 dex), making lithium the best element with which to constrain stellar mixing processes in low-mass stars. We discuss the nature of a sample of Li-rich stars. Conclusions. We demonstrate that the evolution of the surface abundance of Li in giant stars is a powerful tool for constraining theoretical stellar evolution models, allowing us to distinguish the effect of different mixing processes. For stars with well-determined masses, we find a better agreement of observed surface abundances and models with rotation-induced and thermohaline mixing. Rotation effects dominate during the main sequence and the first phases of the post-main-sequence evolution, and the thermohaline induced mixing after the bump in the luminosity function.
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