CARBON-ENHANCED METAL-POOR STARS IN THE INNER AND OUTER HALO COMPONENTS OF THE MILKY WAY
- Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Cotter Road, Weston, ACT 2611 (Australia)
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and JINA (Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics), Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI 48824 (United States)
- Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics Department of Physics, New York University, 4 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003 (United States)
- Indian Institute of Astrophysics, II Block, Koramangala, Bangalore 560034 (India)
- National Astronomical Observatory, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan)
Carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars in the halo components of the Milky Way are explored, based on accurate determinations of the carbon-to-iron ([C/Fe]) abundance ratios and kinematic quantities for over 30,000 calibration stars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Using our present criterion that low-metallicity stars exhibiting [C/Fe] ratios ({sup c}arbonicity{sup )} in excess of [C/Fe] =+0.7 are considered CEMP stars, the global frequency of CEMP stars in the halo system for [Fe/H] <-1.5 is 8%, for [Fe/H] <-2.0 it is 12%, and for [Fe/H] <-2.5 it is 20%. We also confirm a significant increase in the level of carbon enrichment with declining metallicity, growing from ([C/Fe]) {approx}+1.0 at [Fe/H] =-1.5 to ([C/Fe]) {approx}+1.7 at [Fe/H] =-2.7. The nature of the carbonicity distribution function (CarDF) changes dramatically with increasing distance above the Galactic plane, |Z|. For |Z| <5 kpc, relatively few CEMP stars are identified. For distances |Z| >5 kpc, the CarDF exhibits a strong tail toward high values, up to [C/Fe] > +3.0. We also find a clear increase in the CEMP frequency with |Z|. For stars with -2.0 < [Fe/H] <-1.5, the frequency grows from 5% at |Z| {approx}2 kpc to 10% at |Z| {approx}10 kpc. For stars with [Fe/H] <-2.0, the frequency grows from 8% at |Z| {approx}2 kpc to 25% at |Z| {approx}10 kpc. For stars with -2.0 < [Fe/H] <-1.5, the mean carbonicity is ([C/Fe]) {approx}+1.0 for 0 kpc < |Z| < 10 kpc, with little dependence on |Z|; for [Fe/H] <-2.0, ([C/Fe]) {approx}+1.5, again roughly independent of |Z|. Based on a statistical separation of the halo components in velocity space, we find evidence for a significant contrast in the frequency of CEMP stars between the inner- and outer-halo components-the outer halo possesses roughly twice the fraction of CEMP stars as the inner halo. The carbonicity distribution also differs between the inner-halo and outer-halo components-the inner halo has a greater portion of stars with modest carbon enhancement ([C/Fe] {approx}+0.5]); the outer halo has a greater portion of stars with large enhancements ([C/Fe] {approx}+2.0), although considerable overlap still exists. We interpret these results as due to the possible presence of additional astrophysical sources of carbon production associated with outer-halo stars, beyond the asymptotic giant-branch source that may dominate for inner-halo stars, with implications for the progenitors of these populations.
- OSTI ID:
- 22004249
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 744, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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