The distribution of [α/Fe] in the Milky Way disc
Abstract
ABSTRACT Using a sample of red giant stars from the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) Data Release 16, we infer the conditional distribution $$p([\alpha /{\rm Fe}]\, |\, [{\rm Fe}/{\rm H}])$$ in the Milky Way disk for the α-elements Mg, O, Si, S, and Ca. In each bin of [Fe/H] and Galactocentric radius R, we model p([α/Fe]) as a sum of two Gaussians, representing ‘low-α’ and ‘high-α’ populations with scale heights $$z_1=0.45\, {\rm kpc}$$ and $$z_2=0.95\, {\rm kpc}$$, respectively. By accounting for age-dependent and z-dependent selection effects in APOGEE, we infer the [α/Fe] distributions that would be found for a fair sample of long-lived stars covering all z. Near the Solar circle, this distribution is bimodal at sub-solar [Fe/H], with the low-α and high-α peaks clearly separated by a minimum at intermediate [α/Fe]. In agreement with previous results, we find that the high-α population is more prominent at smaller R, lower [Fe/H], and larger |z|, and that the sequence separation is smaller for Si and Ca than for Mg, O, and S. We find significant intrinsic scatter in [α/Fe] at fixed [Fe/H] for both the low-α and high-α populations, typically ∼0.04-dex. The means, dispersions, and relative amplitudes of this two-Gaussian description, and the dependence of these parameters on R, [Fe/H], and α-element, provide a quantitative target for chemical evolution models and a test for hydrodynamic simulations of disk galaxy formation. We argue that explaining the observed bimodality will probably require one or more sharp transitions in the disk’s gas accretion, star formation, or outflow history in addition to radial mixing of stellar populations.
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- US Department of Energy (USDOE), Washington, DC (United States). Office of Science, Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC); National Science Foundation (NSF)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1828609
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1982548
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AST-1909841
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Journal Volume: 508 Journal Issue: 4; Journal ID: ISSN 0035-8711
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS; astronomy; astrophysics; galaxy; abundances; disc; stellar content; stars
Citation Formats
Vincenzo, Fiorenzo, Weinberg, David H., Miglio, Andrea, Lane, Richard R., and Roman-Lopes, Alexandre. The distribution of [α/Fe] in the Milky Way disc. United Kingdom: N. p., 2021.
Web. doi:10.1093/mnras/stab2899.
Vincenzo, Fiorenzo, Weinberg, David H., Miglio, Andrea, Lane, Richard R., & Roman-Lopes, Alexandre. The distribution of [α/Fe] in the Milky Way disc. United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab2899
Vincenzo, Fiorenzo, Weinberg, David H., Miglio, Andrea, Lane, Richard R., and Roman-Lopes, Alexandre. Thu .
"The distribution of [α/Fe] in the Milky Way disc". United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab2899.
@article{osti_1828609,
title = {The distribution of [α/Fe] in the Milky Way disc},
author = {Vincenzo, Fiorenzo and Weinberg, David H. and Miglio, Andrea and Lane, Richard R. and Roman-Lopes, Alexandre},
abstractNote = {ABSTRACT Using a sample of red giant stars from the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) Data Release 16, we infer the conditional distribution $p([\alpha /{\rm Fe}]\, |\, [{\rm Fe}/{\rm H}])$ in the Milky Way disk for the α-elements Mg, O, Si, S, and Ca. In each bin of [Fe/H] and Galactocentric radius R, we model p([α/Fe]) as a sum of two Gaussians, representing ‘low-α’ and ‘high-α’ populations with scale heights $z_1=0.45\, {\rm kpc}$ and $z_2=0.95\, {\rm kpc}$, respectively. By accounting for age-dependent and z-dependent selection effects in APOGEE, we infer the [α/Fe] distributions that would be found for a fair sample of long-lived stars covering all z. Near the Solar circle, this distribution is bimodal at sub-solar [Fe/H], with the low-α and high-α peaks clearly separated by a minimum at intermediate [α/Fe]. In agreement with previous results, we find that the high-α population is more prominent at smaller R, lower [Fe/H], and larger |z|, and that the sequence separation is smaller for Si and Ca than for Mg, O, and S. We find significant intrinsic scatter in [α/Fe] at fixed [Fe/H] for both the low-α and high-α populations, typically ∼0.04-dex. The means, dispersions, and relative amplitudes of this two-Gaussian description, and the dependence of these parameters on R, [Fe/H], and α-element, provide a quantitative target for chemical evolution models and a test for hydrodynamic simulations of disk galaxy formation. We argue that explaining the observed bimodality will probably require one or more sharp transitions in the disk’s gas accretion, star formation, or outflow history in addition to radial mixing of stellar populations.},
doi = {10.1093/mnras/stab2899},
journal = {Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society},
number = 4,
volume = 508,
place = {United Kingdom},
year = {Thu Oct 07 00:00:00 EDT 2021},
month = {Thu Oct 07 00:00:00 EDT 2021}
}
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