Browsing by Author "Marino, A. F."

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    A double stellar generation in the globular cluster NGC 6656 (M 22) Two stellar groups with different iron and s-process element abundances
    (2009) Marino, A. F.; Milone, A. P.; Piotto, G.; Villanova, S.; Bedin, L. R.; Bellini, A.; Renzini, A.
    We present a chemical abundance analysis based on high resolution UVES spectra of seventeen bright giant stars in the Globular Cluster (GC) M 22. We obtained an average iron abundance of [Fe/H] = -1.76 +/- 0.02 (internal errors only) and an alpha enhancement of 0.36 +/- 0.04 (internal errors only). Na and O, and Al and O follow the well known anticorrelations found in many other GCs. We identified two groups of stars with significantly different abundances of the s-process elements Y, Zr, and Ba. The relative numbers of the two group members are very similar to the ratio of the number of stars in the two sub giant branches (SGB) of M 22. Y and Ba abundances do not correlate with Na, O, and Al. The s-element rich stars are also richer in iron and have higher Ca abundances. The results from high resolution spectra were confirmed by analyses of lower resolution GIRAFFE spectra of fourteen additional M 22 stars. The analyses of the GIRAFFE spectra also show that the Eu - a pure r-process element - abundance is not related to the iron content. We discuss the chemical abundance pattern of M 22 stars in the context of GC multiple stellar populations phenomenon.
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    Chemical abundances in the multiple sub-giant branch of 47 Tucanae: insights on its faint sub-giant branch component
    (2016) Marino, A. F.; Milone, A. P.; Casagrande, L.; Collet, R.; Dotter, A.; Johnson, C. I.; Lind, K.; Bedin, L. R.; Jerjen, H.; Aparicio, A.; Sbordone, L.
    The globular cluster 47 Tuc exhibits a complex sub-giant branch (SGB) with a faint-SGB comprising only about the 10 per cent of the cluster mass and a bright-SGB hosting at least two distinct populations. We present a spectroscopic analysis of 62 SGB stars including 21 faint-SGB stars. We thus provide the first chemical analysis of the intriguing faint-SGB population and compare its abundances with those of the dominant populations. We have inferred abundances of Fe, representative light elements C, N, Na, and Al, alpha elements Mg and Si for individual stars. Oxygen has been obtained by co-adding spectra of stars on different sequences. In addition, we have analysed 12 stars along the two main RGBs of 47 Tuc. Our principal results are (i) star-to-star variations in C/N/Na among RGB and bright-SGB stars; (ii) substantial N and Na enhancements for the minor population corresponding to the faint-SGB; (iii) no high enrichment in C+N+O for faint-SGB stars. Specifically, the C+N+O of the faint-SGB is a factor of 1.1 higher than the bright-SGB, which, considering random (+/- 1.3) plus systematic errors (+/- 0.3), means that their C+N+O is consistent within observational uncertainties. However, a small C+N+O enrichment for the faint-SGB, similar to what predicted on theoretical ground, cannot be excluded. The N and Na enrichment of the faint-SGB qualitatively agrees with this population possibly being He-enhanced, as suggested by theory. The iron abundance of the bright and faint-SGB is the same to a level of similar to 0.10 dex, and no other significant difference for the analysed elements has been detected.
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    Iron and s-elements abundance variations in NGC 5286: comparison with 'anomalous' globular clusters and Milky Way satellites
    (2015) Marino, A. F.; Milone, A. P.; Karakas, A. I.; Casagrande, L.; Yong, D.; Shingles, L.; Da Costa, G.; Norris, J. E.; Stetson, P. B.; Lind, K.; Asplund, M.; Collet, R.; Jerjen, H.; Sbordone, L.; Aparicio, A.; Cassisi, S.
    We present a high-resolution spectroscopic analysis of 62 red giants in the Milky Way globular cluster (GC) NGC 5286. We have determined abundances of representative light proton-capture, a, Fe-peak and neutron-capture element groups, and combined them with photometry of multiple sequences observed along the colour-magnitude diagram. Our principal results are: (i) a broad, bimodal distribution in s-process element abundance ratios, with two main groups, the s-poor and s-rich groups; (ii) substantial star-to-star Fe variations, with the s-rich stars having higher Fe, e.g. <[Fe/H]>(s-rich) - <[Fe/H]>(s-poor) similar to 0.2 dex; and (iii) the presence of O-Na-Al (anti) correlations in both stellar groups. We have defined a new photometric index, c(BVI) = (B - V) -(V - I), to maximize the separation in the colour-magnitude diagram between the two stellar groups with different Fe and s-element content, and this index is not significantly affected by variations in light elements (such as the O-Na anticorrelation). The variations in the overall metallicity present in NGC 5286 add this object to the class of anomalous GCs. Furthermore, the chemical abundance pattern of NGC 5286 resembles that observed in some of the anomalous GCs, e.g. M 22, NGC 1851, M 2, and the more extreme omega Centauri, that also show internal variations in s-elements, and in light elements within stars with different Fe and s-elements content. In view of the common variations in s-elements, we propose the term s-Fe-anomalous GCs to describe this sub-class of objects. The similarities in chemical abundance ratios between these objects strongly suggest similar formation and evolution histories, possibly associated with an origin in tidally disrupted dwarf satellites.
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    MULTIPLE STELLAR POPULATIONS IN THE GALACTIC GLOBULAR CLUSTER NGC 6752
    (2010) Milone, A. P.; Piotto, G.; King, I. R.; Bedin, L. R.; Anderson, J.; Marino, A. F.; Momany, Y.; Malavolta, L.; Villanova, S.
    We have carried out high-precision photometry on a large number of archival Hubble Space Telescope images of the Galactic globular cluster NGC 6752, to search for signs of multiple stellar populations. We find a broadened main sequence (MS) and demonstrate that this broadening cannot be attributed either to binaries or to photometric errors. There is also some indication of an MS split. No significant spread could be found along the sub-giant branch, however. Ground-based photometry reveals that in the U versus (U - B) color-magnitude diagram the red-giant branch (RGB) exhibits a clear color spread, which we have been able to correlate with variations in Na and O abundances. In particular, the Na-rich, O-poor stars identified by Carretta et al. define a sequence on the red side of the RGB, while Na-poor, O-rich stars populate a bluer, more dispersed portion of the RGB.
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    The Hubble Space Telescope UV Legacy Survey of galactic globular clusters - II. The seven stellar populations of NGC 7089 (M2)
    (2015) Milone, A. P.; Marino, A. F.; Piotto, G.; Bedin, L. R.; Anderson, J.; Renzini, A.; King, I. R.; Bellini, A.; Brown, T. M.; Zoccali, Manuela
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    The Hubble Space Telescope UV legacy survey of galactic globular clusters. I. Overview of the project and detection of multiple stellar populations
    (2015) Piotto, G.; Milone, A. P.; Bedin, L. R.; Anderson, J.; King, I. R.; Marino, A. F.; Nardiello, D.; Aparicio Alonso, Andrés; Barbuy, B.; Zoccali, Manuela