| 1. |
- Casali, G., et al.
(författare)
-
The Gaia-ESO survey : Calibrating a relationship between age and the [C/N] abundance ratio with open clusters
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP SCIENCES S A. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 629
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context: In the era of large high-resolution spectroscopic surveys such as Gaia-ESO and APOGEE, high-quality spectra can contribute to our understanding of the Galactic chemical evolution by providing abundances of elements that belong to the different nucleosynthesis channels, and also by providing constraints to one of the most elusive astrophysical quantities: stellar age.Aims: Some abundance ratios, such as [C/N], have been proven to be excellent indicators of stellar ages. We aim at providing an empirical relationship between stellar ages and [C/N] using open star clusters, observed by the Gaia-ESO and APOGEE surveys, as calibrators.Methods: We used stellar parameters and abundances from the Gaia-ESO Survey and APOGEE Survey of the Galactic field and open cluster stars. Ages of star clusters were retrieved from the literature sources and validated using a common set of isochrones. We used the same isochrones to determine for each age and metallicity the surface gravity at which the first dredge-up and red giant branch bump occur. We studied the effect of extra-mixing processes in our sample of giant stars, and we derived the mean [C/N] in evolved stars, including only stars without evidence of extra mixing. By combining the Gaia-ESO and APOGEE samples of open clusters, we derived a linear relationship between [C/N] and (logarithmic) cluster ages.Results: We apply our relationship to selected giant field stars in the Gaia-ESO and APOGEE surveys. We find an age separation between thin-and thick-disc stars and age trends within their populations, with an increasing age towards lower metallicity populations.Conclusions: With this empirical relationship, we are able to provide an age estimate for giant stars in which C and N abundances are measured. For giant stars, the isochrone fitting method is indeed less sensitive than for dwarf stars at the turn-off. Our method can therefore be considered as an additional tool to give an independent estimate of the age of giant stars. The uncertainties in their ages is similar to those obtained using isochrone fitting for dwarf stars.
|
|
| 2. |
- Feuillet, Diane, et al.
(författare)
-
An old, metal-rich accreted stellar component in the Milky Way stellar disk
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 934:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We study the possibility that the Milky Ways' cool stellar disk includes mergers with ancient stars. Galaxies are understood to form in a hierarchical manner, where smaller (proto-)galaxies merge into larger ones. Stars in galaxies, like the Milky Way, contain in their motions and elemental abundance tracers of past events and can be used to disentangle merger remnants from stars that formed in the main galaxy. The merger history of the Milky Way is generally understood to be particularly easy to study in the stellar halo. The advent of the ESA astrometric satellite Gaia has enabled the detection of completely new structures in the halo such as the Gaia-Enceladus-Sausage. However, simulations also show that mergers may be important for the build-up of the cool stellar disks. Combining elemental abundances for ∼100 giant branch stars from APOGEE DR17 and astrometric data from Gaia we use elemental abundance ratios to find a hitherto unknown, old stellar component in the cool stellar disk in the Milky Way. We further identify a small sample of RR Lyrae variables with disk kinematics that also show the same chemical signature as the accreted red giant stars in the disk. These stars allow us to date the stars in the accreted component. We find that they are exclusively old.
|
|
| 3. |
- Feuillet, Diane K., et al.
(författare)
-
Selecting accreted populations : Metallicity, elemental abundances, and ages of the Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus and Sequoia populations
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 508:1, s. 1489-1508
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Identifying stars found in the Milky Way as having formed in situ or accreted can be a complex and uncertain undertaking. We use Gaia kinematics and APOGEE elemental abundances to select stars belonging to the Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus (GSE) and Sequoia accretion events. These samples are used to characterize the GSE and Sequoia population metallicity distribution functions, elemental abundance patterns, age distributions, and progenitor masses. We find that the GSE population has a mean [Fe/H] ∼-1.15 and a mean age of 10-12 Gyr. GSE has a single sequence in [Mg/Fe] versus [Fe/H] consistent with the onset of SN Ia Fe contributions and uniformly low [Al/Fe] of ∼-0.25 dex. The derived properties of the Sequoia population are strongly dependent on the kinematic selection. We argue the selection with the least contamination is Jφ/Jtot < -0.6 and (Jz - JR)/Jtot < 0.1. This results in a mean [Fe/H] ∼-1.3 and a mean age of 12-14 Gyr. The Sequoia population has a complex elemental abundance distribution with mainly high-[Mg/Fe] stars. We use the GSE [Al/Fe] versus [Mg/H] abundance distribution to inform a chemically based selection of accreted stars, which is used to remove possible contaminant stars from the GSE and Sequoia samples.
|
|
| 4. |
- Feuillet, Diane, et al.
(författare)
-
The SkyMapper-Gaia RVS view of the Gaia–Enceladus–Sausage – an investigation of the metallicity and mass of the Milky Way’s last major merger
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1365-2966 .- 0035-8711. ; 497:1, s. 109-124
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We characterize the Gaia–Enceladus–Sausage kinematic structure recently discovered in the Galactic halo using photometric metallicities from the SkyMapper survey, and kinematics from Gaia radial velocities measurements. By examining the metallicity distribution functions (MDFs) of stars binned in kinematic/action spaces, we find that the JR‾‾‾√ versus Lz space allows for the cleanest selection of Gaia–Enceladus–Sausage stars with minimal contamination from disc or halo stars formed in situ or in other past mergers. Stars with 30≤JR‾‾‾√≤50 (kpc km s−1)1/2 and −500 ≤ Lz ≤ 500 kpc km s−1 have a narrow MDF centred at [Fe/H] = −1.17 dex with a dispersion of 0.34 dex. This [Fe/H] estimate is more metal-rich than literature estimates by 0.1−0.3 dex. Based on the MDFs, we find that selection of Gaia–Enceladus–Sausage stars in other kinematic/action spaces without additional population information leads to contaminated samples. The clean Gaia–Enceladus–Sausage sample selected according to our criteria is slightly retrograde and lies along the blue sequence of the high VT halo colour magnitude diagram dual sequence. Using a galaxy mass–metallicity relation derived from cosmological simulations and assuming a mean stellar age of 10 Gyr, we estimate the mass of the Gaia–Enceladus–Sausage progenitor satellite to be 108.85–9.85 M⊙, which is consistent with literature estimates based on disc dynamic and simulations. Additional information on detailed abundances and ages would be needed for a more sophisticated selection of purely Gaia–Enceladus–Sausage stars.
|
|
| 5. |
- Kushniruk, Iryna, et al.
(författare)
-
The HR 1614 moving group is not a dissolving cluster
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 638
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. The HR 1614 is an overdensity in velocity space and has for a long time been known as an old (2 Gyr) and metal-rich ([Fe=H] +0:2) nearby moving group that has a dissolving open cluster origin. The existence of such old and metal-rich groups in the solar vicinity is quite unexpected since the vast majority of nearby moving groups are known to be young. Aims. In the light of new and significantly larger data sets than ever before (astrometric, photometric, and spectroscopic), we aim to re-investigate the properties and origin of the HR 1614 moving group. If the HR 1614 overdensity is a dissolving cluster, its stars should represent a single-age and single-elemental abundance population. Methods. To identify and characterise the HR 1614 moving group we use astrometric data from Gaia DR2; distances, extinction, and reddening corrections from the StarHorse code; elemental abundances from the GALAH and APOGEE spectroscopic surveys; and photometric metallicities from the SkyMapper survey. Bayesian ages were estimated for the SkyMapper stars. Since the Hercules stream is the closest kinematical structure to the HR 1614 moving group in velocity space and as its origin is believed to be wellunderstood, we use the Hercules stream for comparison purposes. Stars that are likely to be members of the two groups were selected based on their space velocities. Results. The HR 1614 moving group is located mainly at negative U velocities, does not form an arch of constant energy in the U V space, and is tilted in V. We find that the HR 1614 overdensity is not chemically homogeneous, but that its stars exist at a wide range of metallicities, ages, and elemental abundance ratios. They are essentially similar to what is observed in the Galactic thin and thick discs, a younger population (around 3 Gyr) that is metal-rich (0:2 [Fe=H] 0:4) and alpha-poor. These findings are very similar to what is seen for the Hercules stream, which is believed to have a dynamical origin and consists of regular stars from the Galactic discs. Conclusions. The HR 1614 overdensity has a wide spread in metallicity, [Mg/Fe], and age distributions resembling the general properties of the Galactic disc. It should therefore not be considered a dissolving open cluster, or an accreted population. Based on the kinematic and chemical properties of the HR 1614 overdensity we suggest that it has a complex origin that could be explained by combining several different mechanisms such as resonances with the Galactic bar and spiral structure, phase mixing of dissolving spiral structure, and phase mixing due to an external perturbation.
|
|
| 6. |
- Sahlholdt, Christian, et al.
(författare)
-
Characterizing epochs of star formation across the Milky Way disc using age-metallicity distributions of GALAH stars
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1365-2966 .- 0035-8711. ; 510:4, s. 4669-4688
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We provide a detailed map of the ages and metallicities of turn-off stars in the Milky Way disc based on data from GALAH DR3 and Gaia EDR3. From this map, we identify previously undetected features in the age-metallicity distribution of disc stars and interpret these results as indicating a three-phase formation history of the Milky Way. In the first phase, inner disc stars form along a single age-metallicity sequence and are today kinematically hot. The end of this phase is marked by a local minimum in the inner disc age distribution 10 Gyr ago. At this time, we find the stellar populations to transition from high to low alpha-element abundances and from high to low vertical velocity dispersion. In the second phase, stars form across the disc with outwardly decreasing metallicity. In this phase, inner disc stars form at supersolar metallicities in a continuation of the early age-metallicity relation, while outer disc stars begin forming at metallicities at least 0.5 dex lower. Finally, the third phase is associated with a recent burst of star formation across the local disc marked by a local minimum in the age-metallicity distribution 4-6 Gyr ago. Future quantitative comparisons between the observed age-metallicity distribution and those of simulated galaxies could help constrain the processes driving each of the star formation phases.
|
|
| 7. |
- Sahlholdt, Christian L., et al.
(författare)
-
A Benchmark Age for μ Herculis
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Research Notes of the AAS. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2515-5172. ; 3:4, s. 65-65
-
Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
|
|
| 8. |
|
|
| 9. |
- Sahlholdt, Christian L., et al.
(författare)
-
Benchmark ages for the Gaia benchmark stars
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 482:1, s. 895-920
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the era of large-scale surveys of stars in the MilkyWay, stellar ages are crucial for studying the evolution of the Galaxy.But determining ages of field stars is notoriously difficult; therefore, we attempt to determine benchmark ages for the extensively studied Gaia benchmark stars which can be used for validation purposes. By searching the literature for age estimates from different methods and deriving new ages based on Bayesian isochrone fitting, we are able to put reliable limits on the ages of 16 out of the 33 benchmark stars. The giants with well-defined ages are all young, and an expansion of the sample to include older giants with asteroseismic ages would be beneficial. Some of the stars have surface parameters inconsistent with isochrones younger than 16 Gyr. Including a-enhancement in the models when relevant resolves some of these cases, but others clearly highlight discrepancies between the models and observations. We test the impact of atomic diffusion on the age estimates by fitting to the actual surface metallicity of the models instead of the initial value and find that the effect is negligible except for a single turn-off star. Finally, we show that our ability to determine isochrone-based ages for large spectroscopic surveys largely mirrors our ability to determine ages for these benchmark stars, except for stars with log g ≳ 4.4 dex since their location in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is almost age insensitive. Hence, isochrone fitting does not constrain their ages given the typical uncertainties of spectroscopic stellar parameters.
|
|
| 10. |
- Sahlholdt, Christian L., et al.
(författare)
-
Characteristics of the Two Sequences Seen in the High-velocity Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram in Gaia DR2
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8205 .- 2041-8213. ; 881:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this study we use a sample of about 9 million SkyMapper stars with metallicities to investigate the properties of the two stellar populations seen in the high-velocity (V T > 200 km s-1) Gaia DR2 Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. Based on 10,000 red giant branch (RGB) stars (out of 75,000 with high velocity), we find that the two sequences have different metallicity distribution functions; one peaks at -1.4 dex (blue sequence) and the other at -0.7 dex (red sequence). Isochrones with ages in the range 11-13.5 Gyr, and metallicities chosen to match the observations for each sequence, fit the turnoffs and broad RGBs well, indicating that the two populations formed at comparable times within the uncertainties. We find that the mean tangential velocity of disk stars increases steadily with decreasing metallicity, and that the red sequence is made up of the high-velocity stars at the lowest metallicities of the thick-disk population. Using relative number densities, we further find that the red-sequence stars are more centrally concentrated in the Galaxy, and we estimate the radial scale length of this population to be on the order of 2-3 kpc. The blue-sequence stars, on the other hand, follow a nearly flat radial density profile. These findings tighten the link between the red-sequence stars and the chemically defined thick disk.
|
|
