The lithium abundance of M67 blue stragglers - A constraint on the blue straggler phenomenon
- Victoria, University (Canada) Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Corp., Kamuela, HI (Canada)
Upper limits have been placed on the line strength of the 6707 A Li I resonance doublet in seven blue stragglers in M67. The corresponding upper limits on abundances range from log N(Li) less than about 1.3 to less than about 2.3. This result is significantly below the level of log N(Li) about 3.1 + or {minus} 0.1 found in field main-sequence stars of comparable temperature. It is concluded that some form of mixing has affected the outer envelopes of blue stragglers. (Such mixing has been proposed as the mechanism needed to prolong the lifetimes of blue stragglers relative to normal main-sequence stars at the same luminosity). Virtually all mechanisms for the production of blue stragglers other than mixing, binary mass transfer, or binary coalescence appear to be ruled out by the present observations. 45 refs.
- OSTI ID:
- 5588724
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal; (United States), Vol. 373; ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
GENERAL PHYSICS
LITHIUM
ELEMENT ABUNDANCE
MAIN SEQUENCE STARS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
STAR CLUSTERS
BINARY STARS
COLOR
LIMITING VALUES
MASS TRANSFER
MIXING
STAR EVOLUTION
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
ABUNDANCE
ALKALI METALS
ELEMENTS
METALS
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
ORGANOLEPTIC PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
STARS
640102* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
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