ELEMENTAL ABUNDANCE RATIOS IN STARS OF THE OUTER GALACTIC DISK. IV. A NEW SAMPLE OF OPEN CLUSTERS
- Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Weston, ACT 2611 (Australia)
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3255 (United States)
We present radial velocities and chemical abundances for nine stars in the old, distant open clusters Be18, Be21, Be22, Be32, and PWM4. For Be18 and PWM4, these are the first chemical abundance measurements. Combining our data with literature results produces a compilation of some 68 chemical abundance measurements in 49 unique clusters. For this combined sample, we study the chemical abundances of open clusters as a function of distance, age, and metallicity. We confirm that the metallicity gradient in the outer disk is flatter than the gradient in the vicinity of the solar neighborhood. We also confirm that the open clusters in the outer disk are metal-poor with enhancements in the ratios [{alpha}/Fe] and perhaps [Eu/Fe]. All elements show negligible or small trends between [X/Fe] and distance (<0.02 dex kpc{sup -1}), but for some elements, there is a hint that the local (R{sub GC} < 13 kpc) and distant (R{sub GC} > 13 kpc) samples may have different trends with distance. There is no evidence for significant abundance trends versus age (<0.04 dex Gyr{sup -1}). We measure the linear relation between [X/Fe] and metallicity, [Fe/H], and find that the scatter about the mean trend is comparable to the measurement uncertainties. Comparison with solar neighborhood field giants shows that the open clusters share similar abundance ratios [X/Fe] at a given metallicity. While the flattening of the metallicity gradient and enhanced [{alpha}/Fe] ratios in the outer disk suggest a chemical enrichment history different from that of the solar neighborhood, we echo the sentiments expressed by Friel et al. that definitive conclusions await homogeneous analyses of larger samples of stars in larger numbers of clusters. Arguably, our understanding of the evolution of the outer disk from open clusters is currently limited by systematic abundance differences between various studies.
- OSTI ID:
- 22089868
- Journal Information:
- Astronomical Journal (New York, N.Y. Online), Vol. 144, Issue 4; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1538-3881
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
A CHEMICAL ABUNDANCE STUDY OF 10 OPEN CLUSTERS BASED ON WIYN -HYDRA SPECTROSCOPY
THE GALACTIC STRUCTURE AND CHEMICAL EVOLUTION TRACED BY THE POPULATION OF PLANETARY NEBULAE