Examinando por Autor "Beers T.C."
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Ítem Aluminium-enriched metal-poor stars buried in the inner Galaxy(EDP Sciences, 2020-11) Fernández-Trincado J.G.; Beers T.C.; Minniti D.; Tang B.; Villanova S.; Geisler D.; Pérez-Villegas A.; Vieira K.Stars with higher levels of aluminium and nitrogen enrichment are often key pieces in the chemical makeup of multiple populations in almost all globular clusters (GCs). There is also compelling observational evidence that some Galactic components could be partially built from dissipated GCs. The identification of such stars among metal-poor field stars may therefore provide insight into the composite nature of the Milky Way (MW) bulge and inner stellar halo, and could also reveal other chemical peculiarities. Here, based on APOGEE spectra, we report the discovery of 29 mildly metal-poor ([Fe/H] -0.7) stars with stellar atmospheres strongly enriched in aluminium (Al-rich stars: [Al/Fe] +0.5), well above the typical Galactic levels, located within the solar radius toward the bulge region, which lies in highly eccentric orbits (e 0.6). We find many similarities for almost all of the chemical species measured in this work with the chemical patterns of GCs, and therefore we propose that they have likely been dynamically ejected into the bulge and inner halo from GCs formed in situ and/or GCs formed in different progenitors of known merger events experienced by the MW, such as the Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus and/or Sequoia. © 2020 ESO.Ítem Atypical Mg-poor Milky Way Field Stars with Globular Cluster Second-generation-like Chemical Patterns(Institute of Physics Publishing, 2017-09) Fernández-Trincado J.G.; Zamora O.; Garcia-Hernández D.A.; Souto, Diogo; Dell'Agli F.; Schiavon R.P.; Geisler D.; Tang B.; Villanova S.; Hasselquist, Sten; Mennickent R.E.; Cunha, Katia; Shetrone M.; Prieto, Carlos Allende; Vieira K.; Zasowski G.; Sobeck J.; Hayes C.R.; Majewski S.R.; Placco V.M.; Beers T.C.; Schleicher D.R.G.; Robin A.C.; Mészáros, Sz.; Masseron T.; Pérez, Ana E. Garcia; Anders F.; Meza A.; Alves-Brito A.; Carrera R.; Minniti D.; Lane R.R.; Fernández-Alvar E.; Moreno E.; Pichardo B.; Pérez-Villegas A.; Schultheis M.; Roman-Lopes A.; Fuentes C.E.; Nitschelm C.; Harding P.; Bizyaev D.; Pan K.; Oravetz D.; Simmons A.; Ivans, Inese; Blanco-Cuaresma S.; Hernández J.; Alonso-Garcia J.; Valenzuela O.; Chanamé J.We report the peculiar chemical abundance patterns of 11 atypical Milky Way (MW) field red giant stars observed by the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE). These atypical giants exhibit strong Al and N enhancements accompanied by C and Mg depletions, strikingly similar to those observed in the so-called second-generation (SG) stars of globular clusters (GCs). Remarkably, we find low Mg abundances ([Mg/Fe] < 0.0) together with strong Al and N overabundances in the majority (5/7) of the metal-rich ([Fe/H] -1.0) sample stars, which is at odds with actual observations of SG stars in Galactic GCs of similar metallicities. This chemical pattern is unique and unprecedented among MW stars, posing urgent questions about its origin. These atypical stars could be former SG stars of dissolved GCs formed with intrinsically lower abundances of Mg and enriched Al (subsequently self-polluted by massive AGB stars) or the result of exotic binary systems. We speculate that the stars Mg-deficiency as well as the orbital properties suggest that they could have an extragalactic origin. This discovery should guide future dedicated spectroscopic searches of atypical stellar chemical patterns in our Galaxy, a fundamental step forward to understanding the Galactic formation and evolution. © 2017. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.Ítem Baade's window and APOGEE: Metallicities, ages, and chemical abundances(2017-04) Schultheis M.; Rojas-Arriagada A.; García Pérez A.E.; Jönsson H.; Hayden M.; Nandakumar G.; Cunha K.; Allende Prieto C.; Holtzman J.A.; Beers T.C.; Bizyaev D.; Brinkmann J.; Carrera R.; Cohen R.E.; Geisler D.; Hearty F.R.; Fernandez-Tricado J.G.; Maraston C.; Minnitti D.; Nitschelm C.; Roman-Lopes A.; Schneider D.P.; Tang B.; Villanova S.; Zasowski G.; Majewski S.R.Context. Baade's window (BW) is one of the most observed Galactic bulge fields in terms of chemical abundances. Owing to its low and homogeneous interstellar absorption it is considered the perfect calibration field for Galactic bulge studies. Aims. In the era of large spectroscopic surveys, calibration fields such as BW are necessary for cross calibrating the stellar parameters and individual abundances of the APOGEE survey. Methods. We use the APOGEE BW stars to derive the metallicity distribution function (MDF) and individual abundances for α-and iron-peak elements of the APOGEE ASPCAP pipeline (DR13), as well as the age distribution for stars in BW. Results. We determine the MDF of APOGEE stars in BW and find a remarkable agreement with that of the Gaia-ESO survey (GES). Both exhibit a clear bimodal distribution. We also find that the Mg-metallicity planes of the two surveys agree well, except for the metal-rich part ([Fe/H] > 0.1), where APOGEE finds systematically higher Mg abundances with respect to the GES. The ages based on the [C/N] ratio reveal a bimodal age distribution, with a major old population at ~ 10 Gyr, with a decreasing tail towards younger stars. A comparison of stellar parameters determined by APOGEE and those determined by other sources reveals detectable systematic offsets, in particular for spectroscopic surface gravity estimates. In general, we find a good agreement between individual abundances of O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Cr, Mn, Co, and Ni from APOGEE with that of literature values. Conclusions. We have shown that in general APOGEE data show a good agreement in terms of MDF and individual chemical abundances with respect to literature works. Using the [C/N] ratio we found a significant fraction of young stars in BW. © ESO, 2017.Ítem Discovery of a Large Population of Nitrogen-enhanced Stars in the Magellanic Clouds(IOP Publishing Ltd, 2020-11) Fernández-Trincado J.G.; Beers T.C.; Minniti D.; Carigi L.; Barbuy B.; Placco V.M.; Bidin C.M.; Villanova S.; Roman-Lopes A.; Nitschelm C.We report the APOGEE-2S+ discovery of a unique collection of nitrogen-enhanced mildly metal-poor giant stars, peaking at [Fe/H] ∼ −0.89 with no carbon enrichment, toward the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds (SMC and LMC), with abundances of light- (C, N), odd-Z (Al, K), and α-elements (O, Mg, Si) that are typically found in Galactic globular clusters (GCs). Here we present 44 stars in the SMC and LMC that exhibit significantly enhanced [N/Fe] abundance ratios, well above ([N/Fe] > +0.6) typical Galactic levels at similar metallicity, and a star that is very nitrogen-enhanced ([N/Fe] > +2.45). Our sample consists of luminous evolved stars on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB), eight of which are classified as bona fide semi-regular (SR) variables, as well as low-luminosity stars similar to those of stars on the tip of the red giant branch of stellar clusters in the SMC and LMC. It seems likely that whatever nucleosynthetic process is responsible for these anomalous SMC and LMC stars it is similar to that which caused the common stellar populations in GCs. We interpret these distinctive C–N patterns as observational evidence of the result of tidally shredded GCs in the SMC and LMC. These findings might explain some previous conflicting results over bulge N-rich stars, and broadly help to understand GC formation and evolution. Furthermore, the discovery of such a large population of N-rich AGB stars in the SMC and LMC suggests that multiple stellar populations might not only be exotic events from the past, but can also form at lower redshift. © 2020. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.Ítem Jurassic: A chemically anomalous structure in the Galactic halo(EDP Sciences, 2020-12) Fernandez-Trincado J.G.; Beers T.C.; Minniti D.Detailed elemental-abundance patterns of giant stars in the Galactic halo measured by the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE-2) have revealed the existence of a unique and significant stellar subpopulation of silicon-enhanced ([Si/Fe] ≳ +0.5) metal-poor stars, spanning a wide range of metallicities (-1.5 ≲ [Fe/H] ≲-0.8). Stars with over-abundances in [Si/Fe] are of great interest because these have very strong silicon (28Si) spectral features for stars of their metallicity and evolutionary stage, offering clues about rare nucleosynthetic pathways in globular clusters (GCs). Si-rich field stars have been conjectured to have been evaporated from GCs, however, the origin of their abundances remains unclear, and several scenarios have been offered to explain the anomalous abundance ratios. These include the hypothesis that some of them were born from a cloud of gas previously polluted by a progenitor that underwent a specific and peculiar nucleosynthesis event or, alternatively, that they were due to mass transfer from a previous evolved companion. However, those scenarios do not simultaneously explain the wide gamut of chemical species that are found in Si-rich stars. Instead, we show that the present inventory of such unusual stars, as well as their relation to known halo substructures (including the in situ halo, Gaia-Enceladus, the Helmi Stream(s), and Sequoia, among others), is still incomplete. We report the chemical abundances of the iron-peak (Fe), the light-(C and N), the α-(O and Mg), the odd-Z (Na and Al), and the s-process (Ce and Nd) elements of 55 newly identified Si-rich field stars (among more than ∼600 000 APOGEE-2 targets), which exhibit over-abundances of [Si/Fe] as extreme as those observed in some Galactic GCs, and they are relatively well distinguished from other stars in the [Si/Fe]-[Fe/H] plane. This new census confirms the presence of a statistically significant and chemically-anomalous structure in the inner halo: Jurassic. The chemo-dynamical properties of the Jurassic structure is consistent with it being the tidally disrupted remains of GCs, which are easily distinguished by an over-abundance of [Si/Fe] among Milky Way populations or satellites. © J. G. Fernandez-Trincado et al. 2020.