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7 - Hercules-stream stars and the metal-rich thick disk

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2009

T. Bensby
Affiliation:
European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Vitacura, Casilla 19001, Santiago 19, Chile
M. S. Oey
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 830 Dennison Building, 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1042, USA
S. Feltzing
Affiliation:
Lund Observatory, Box 43, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
B. Gustafsson
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy and Space Physics, University of Uppsala, Box 515, SE-751 20 Uppsala, Sweden
Garik Israelian
Affiliation:
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Tenerife
Georges Meynet
Affiliation:
Geneva Observatory
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Summary

Using the MIKE spectrograph, mounted on the 6.5-m Magellan/Clay telescope at the Las Campanas observatory in Chile, we have obtained highresolution spectra for 60 F and G dwarf stars, all likely members of a density enhancement in the local velocity distribution, referred to as the Hercules stream. By comparing with an existing sample of 102 thin- and thick-disk stars we have used space velocities, detailed elemental abundances, and stellar ages to trace the origin of the Hercules stream. We find that the Hercules-stream stars exhibit a wide spread in stellar ages, metallicities, and element abundances. However, the spreads are not random but separate the Hercules stream into the abundance and age trends outlined by either the thin disk or the thick disk. We hence claim that the major constituents of the Hercules stream actually are thin- and thick-disk stars. These diverse properties of the Hercules stream indicate a dynamical origin, probably caused by the Galactic bar. However, we can at the moment not entirely rule out the possibility that the Hercules stream could be the remnants of a relatively recent merger event.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2008

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  • Hercules-stream stars and the metal-rich thick disk
    • By T. Bensby, European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Vitacura, Casilla 19001, Santiago 19, Chile, M. S. Oey, Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 830 Dennison Building, 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1042, USA, S. Feltzing, Lund Observatory, Box 43, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden, B. Gustafsson, Department of Astronomy and Space Physics, University of Uppsala, Box 515, SE-751 20 Uppsala, Sweden
  • Edited by Garik Israelian, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Tenerife, Georges Meynet
  • Book: The Metal-Rich Universe
  • Online publication: 02 December 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511536267.008
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  • Hercules-stream stars and the metal-rich thick disk
    • By T. Bensby, European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Vitacura, Casilla 19001, Santiago 19, Chile, M. S. Oey, Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 830 Dennison Building, 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1042, USA, S. Feltzing, Lund Observatory, Box 43, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden, B. Gustafsson, Department of Astronomy and Space Physics, University of Uppsala, Box 515, SE-751 20 Uppsala, Sweden
  • Edited by Garik Israelian, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Tenerife, Georges Meynet
  • Book: The Metal-Rich Universe
  • Online publication: 02 December 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511536267.008
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Hercules-stream stars and the metal-rich thick disk
    • By T. Bensby, European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Vitacura, Casilla 19001, Santiago 19, Chile, M. S. Oey, Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 830 Dennison Building, 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1042, USA, S. Feltzing, Lund Observatory, Box 43, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden, B. Gustafsson, Department of Astronomy and Space Physics, University of Uppsala, Box 515, SE-751 20 Uppsala, Sweden
  • Edited by Garik Israelian, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Tenerife, Georges Meynet
  • Book: The Metal-Rich Universe
  • Online publication: 02 December 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511536267.008
Available formats
×