Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-17T19:28:37.504Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Enrichment of Thorium (Th) and Lead (Pb) in the early Galaxy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2010

Wako Aoki
Affiliation:
National Astronomical Observatory Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan: email: aoki.wako@nao.ac.jp
Satoshi Honda
Affiliation:
Gunma Astronomical Observatory Takayama, Agatsuma, Gunma 377-0702, Japan: email: honda@astron.pref.gunma.jp
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

We have been determining abundances of Th, Pb and other neutron-capture elements in metal-deficient cool giant stars to constrain the enrichment of heavy elements by the r- and s-processes. Our current sample covers the metallicity range between [Fe/H] = −2.5 and −1.0. (1) The abundance ratios of Pb/Fe and Pb/Eu of most of our stars are approximately constant, and no increase of these ratios with increasing metallicity is found. This result suggests that the Pb abundances of our sample are determined by the r-process with no or little contribution of the s-process. (2) The Th/Eu abundance ratios of our sample show no significant scatter, and the average is lower by 0.2 dex in the logarithmic scale than the solar-system value. This result indicates that the actinides production by the r-process does not show large dispersion, even though r-process models suggest high sensitivity of the actinides production to the nucleosynthesis environment.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2010

References

Aoki, W., Honda, S., Sadakane, K., & Arimoto, N. 2007, PASJ, 59, L15Google Scholar
Aoki, W. & Honda, S., 2008, PASJ, 60, L1Google Scholar
Arlandini, C., Käppeler, F., Wisshak, K., Gallino, R., Lugaro, M., Busso, M., & Straniero, O. 1999, ApJ, 525, 886Google Scholar
Roederer, et al. 2009, ApJ, 698, 1963Google Scholar