WIYN Open Cluster Study. LXXXI. Caught in the Act? The Peculiar Red Giant NGC 2243-W2135
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045-7582 (United States)
High-dispersion spectra for giants through turnoff stars in the Li 6708 Å region have been obtained and analyzed in the old, metal-deficient open cluster, NGC 2243. When combined with high-dispersion data from other surveys, the cluster is found to contain a uniquely peculiar star at the luminosity level of the red clump. The giant is the reddest star at its luminosity, exhibits variability at a minimum 0.1 mag level on a timescale of days, is a single-lined, radial-velocity variable, and has vsin i between 35 and 40 km s{sup −1}. In sharp contrast with the majority of the red giant cluster members, the star has a detectable Li abundance, potentially as high or higher than other giants observed to date while at or just below the boundary normally adopted for Li-rich giants. The observed anomalies may be indicators of the underlying process by which the giant has achieved its unusual Li abundance, with a recent mass transfer episode being the most probable within the currently limited constraints.
- OSTI ID:
- 23013307
- Journal Information:
- Astronomical Journal (New York, N.Y. Online), Vol. 160, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1538-3881
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
BV CCD photometry of the old open cluster NGC 2243
A LITHIUM-RICH RED GIANT BELOW THE CLUMP IN THE KEPLER CLUSTER, NGC 6819