Browsing by Subject "abundance patterns"
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Item Chemical Signatures Of The First Galaxies: Criteria For One-Shot Enrichment(2012-11) Frebel, Anna; Bromm, Volker; Bromm, VolkerWe utilize metal-poor stars in the local, ultra-faint dwarf galaxies (UFDs; L-tot <= 10(5) L-circle dot) to empirically constrain the formation process of the first galaxies. Since UFDs have much simpler star formation histories than the halo of the Milky Way, their stellar populations should preserve the fossil record of the first supernova (SN) explosions in their long-lived, low-mass stars. Guided by recent hydrodynamical simulations of first galaxy formation, we develop a set of stellar abundance signatures that characterize the nucleosynthetic history of such an early system if it was observed in the present-day universe. Specifically, we argue that the first galaxies are the product of chemical "one-shot" events, where only one (long-lived) stellar generation forms after the first, Population III, SN explosions. Our abundance criteria thus constrain the strength of negative feedback effects inside the first galaxies. We compare the stellar content of UFDs with these one-shot criteria. Several systems (Ursa Major II, and also Coma Berenices, Bootes I, Leo IV, Segue 1) largely fulfill the requirements, indicating that their high-redshift predecessors did experience strong feedback effects that shut off star formation. We term the study of the entire stellar population of a dwarf galaxy for the purpose of inferring details about the nature and origin of the first galaxies "dwarf galaxy archaeology." This will provide clues to the connection of the first galaxies, the surviving, metal-poor dwarf galaxies, and the building blocks of the Milky Way.Item Uncovering The Chemical Signature Of The First Stars In The Universe(2008-05) Karlsson, Torgny; Johnson, Jarrett L.; Bromm, Volker; Johnson, Jarrett L.; Bromm, VolkerThe chemical abundance patterns observed in metal-poor Galactic halo stars contain the signature of the first supernovae, and thus allow us to probe the first stars that formed in the universe. We construct a theoretical model for the early chemical enrichment history of the Milky Way, aiming in particular at the contribution from pair-instability supernovae (PISNe). These are a natural consequence of current theoretical models for primordial star formation at the highest masses. However, no metal-poor star displaying the distinct PISN signature has yet been observed. We here argue that this apparent absence of any PISN signature is due to an observational selection effect. Whereas most surveys traditionally focus on the most metal-poor stars, we predict that early PISN enrichment tends to "overshoot,'' reaching enrichment levels of [Ca/H] similar or equal to -2.5 that would be missed by current searches. We utilize existing observational data to place constraints on the primordial initial mass function (IMF). The number fraction of PISNe in the primordial stellar population is estimated to be < 0.07, or <= 40% by mass, assuming that metal-free stars have masses in excess of 10 M-circle dot. We further predict, based on theoretical estimates for the relative number of PISNe, that the expected fraction of second-generation stars below [Ca/H] = -2 with a dominant (i. e., > 90%) contribution from PISNe is merely similar to 10(-4) to 5 x 10(-4). The corresponding fraction of stars formed from gas exclusively enriched by PISNe is a factor of similar to 4 smaller. With the advent of next-generation telescopes and new, deeper surveys, we should be able to test these predictions.Item A Unique Star in the Outer Halo of the Milky Way(2009-05) Lai, David K.; Rockosi, Constance M.; Bolte, Michael; Johnson, Jennifer A.; Beers, Timothy C.; Lee, Young Sun; Prieto, Carlos Allende; Yanny, Brian; Prieto, Carlos AllendeAs part of a program to measure abundance ratios in stars beyond 15 kpc from the Galactic center, we have discovered a metal-poor star in the outer halo with a unique chemical signature. We originally identified it in the Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration survey as a distant metal-poor star. We obtained a follow-up spectrum using the Echelle Spectrometer and Imager at the Keck 2 telescope, and measure [Fe/H] = -3.17, [Mg/Fe]= -0.10, and [Ca/Fe] = +1.11. This is one of the largest over-abundances of Ca measured in any star to date; the extremely low value of [Mg/Ca] = -1.21 is entirely unique. To have found such an unusual star in our small sample of 27 targets suggests that there may be previously unobserved classes of stars yet to be found in situ in the Galactic halo.