Browsing by Author "Salaris, M."

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    On the Use of Field RR Lyrae as Galactic Probes. III. The α-element Abundances*
    (2021) Crestani, J.; Braga, V. F.; Fabrizio, M.; Bono, G.; Sneden, C.; Preston, G.; Ferraro, I.; Iannicola, G.; Nonino, M.; Fiorentino, G.; Thevenin, F.; Lemasle, B.; Prudil, Z.; Alves-Brito, A.; Altavilla, G.; Chaboyer, B.; Dall'Ora, M.; D'Orazi, V.; Gilligan, C.; Grebel, E. K.; Koch-Hansen, A. J.; Lala, H.; Marengo, M.; Marinoni, S.; Marrese, P. M.; Martinez-Vazquez, C.; Matsunaga, N.; Monelli, M.; Mullen, J. P.; Neeley, J.; da Silva, R.; Stetson, P. B.; Salaris, M.; Storm, J.; Valenti, E.; Zoccali, M.
    We provide the largest and most homogeneous sample of alpha-element (Mg, Ca, Ti) and iron abundances for field RR Lyrae (RRLs; 162 variables) by using high-resolution spectra. The current measurements were complemented with similar abundances available in the literature for 46 field RRLs brought to our metallicity scale. We ended up with a sample of old (t >= 10 Gyr), low-mass stellar tracers (208 RRLs: 169 fundamental, 38 first overtone, and 1 mixed mode) covering 3 dex in iron abundance (-3.00 <= [Fe/H] <= 0.24). We found that field RRLs are similar to 0.3 dex more alpha poor than typical halo tracers in the metal-rich regime ([Fe/H] >= -1.2), while in the metal-poor regime ([Fe/H] <= -2.2) they seem to be on average similar to 0.1 dex more alpha enhanced. This is the first time that the depletion in alpha elements for solar iron abundances is detected on the basis of a large, homogeneous, and coeval sample of old stellar tracers. Interestingly, we also detected a close similarity in the [alpha/Fe] trend between alpha-poor, metal-rich RRLs and red giants (RGs) in the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy as well as between alpha-enhanced, metal-poor RRLs and RGs in ultrafaint dwarf galaxies. These results are supported by similar elemental abundances for 46 field horizontal branch stars. These stars share with RRLs the same evolutionary phase and the same progenitors. This evidence further supports the key role that old stellar tracers play in constraining the early chemical enrichment of the halo and, in particular, in investigating the impact that dwarf galaxies have had in the mass assembly of the Galaxy.
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    ON THE ΔVHBbump PARAMETER IN GLOBULAR CLUSTERS
    (2010) Di Cecco, A.; Bono, G.; Stetson, P. B.; Pietrinferni, A.; Becucci, R.; Cassisi, S.; Degl'Innocenti, S.; Iannicola, G.; Moroni, P. G. Prada; Buonanno, R.; Calamida, A.; Caputo, F.; Castellani, M.; Corsi, C. E.; Ferraro, I.; Dall'Ora, M.; Monelli, M.; Nonino, M.; Piersimoni, A. M.; Pulone, L.; Romaniello, M.; Salaris, M.; Walker, A. R.; Zoccali, M.
    We present new empirical estimates of the del V-HB(bump) parameter for 15 Galactic globular clusters (GGCs) using accurate and homogeneous ground-based optical data. Together with similar evaluations available in the literature, we ended up with a sample of 62 GGCs covering a very broad range in metal content (-2.16 dex <= [M/H] <= -0.58 dex). Adopting the homogeneous metallicity scale provided either by Kraft & Ivans or by Carretta et al., we found that the observed del V-HB(bump) parameters are larger than predicted. In the metal-poor regime ([M/H] less than or similar to -1.7, -1.6 dex) 40% of GCs show discrepancies of 2s (approximate to 0.40 mag) or more. Evolutionary models that account either for alpha- and CNO-enhancement or for helium enhancement do not alleviate the discrepancy between theory and observations. The outcome is the same if we use the new solar heavy-element mixture. The comparison between alpha- and CNO-enhanced evolutionary models and observations in the Carretta et al. metallicity scale also indicates that observed del V-HB(bump) parameters, in themetal- rich regime ([M/H] >= 0), might be systematically smaller than predicted.
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    The rr lyrae variables and horizontal branch of NGC 6656 (m22)
    (2013) Kunder, A.; Stetson, P.; Cassisi, S.; Layden, A.; Bono, G.; Catelan, Márcio; Walker, A.; Paredes Alvarez, L.; Clem, J.; Matsunaga, N.; Salaris, M.; Lee, J.; Chaboyer, B.
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    Theoretical modeling of the RR Lyrae variables in NGC 1851
    (2015) Kunder, A.; Salaris, M.; Cassisi, S.; de Propris, R.; Walker, A.; Stetson, P. B.; Catelan, Marcio; Amigo, P.
    The RR Lyrae instability strip (IS) in NGC 1851 is investigated, and a model is presented which reproduces the pulsational properties of the RR Lyrae population. In our model, a stellar component within the IS that displays minor helium variations (Y∼0.248-0.270) is able to reproduce the observed periods and amplitudes of the RR Lyrae variables, as well as the frequency of fundamental and first-overtone RR Lyrae variables. The RR Lyrae variables therefore may belong to an He-enriched second generation of stars. The RR Lyrae variables with a slightly enhanced helium (Y∼0.270-0.280) have longer periods at a given amplitude, as is seen with Oosterhoff II (OoII) RR Lyrae variables, whereas the RR Lyrae variables with Y∼0.248-0.270 have shorter periods, exhibiting properties of Oosterhoff I (OoI) variables. %.
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    unVEil the darknesS of The gAlactic buLgE (VESTALE)
    (2018) Bono, G.; Dall'Ora, M.; Fabrizio, M.; Crestani, J.; Braga, V. F.; Fiorentino, G.; Altavilla, G.; Botticella, M. T.; Calamida, A.; Castellani, M.; Catelan, Marcio; Chaboyer, B.; Chiappini, C.; Clarkson, W.; Contreras Ramos, R.; Creevey, O.; da Silva, R.; Debattista, V.; Degl'Innocenti, S.; Ferraro, I.; Gilligan, C. K.; Gonzalez, O.; Hambleton, K.; Iannicola, G.; Inno, L.; Kunder, A.; Lemasle, B.; Magrini, L.; Magurno, D.; Marconi, M.; Marengo, M.; Marinoni, S.; Marrese, P. M.; Martinez-Vazquez, C. E.; Matsunaga, N.; Monelli, M.; Prada Moroni, P. G.; Musella, I.; Navarro, M. G.; Neeley, J.; Nonino, M.; Pietrinferni, A.; Pulone, L.; Rich, M. R.; Ripepi, V.; Sacco, G.; Saha, A.; Salaris, M.; Sneden, C.; Stetson, P. B.; Street, R. A; Szabo, R.; Tantalo, M.; Tognelli, E.; Torelli, M.; Valenti, E.; Walker, A. R.; Zoccali, M.
    The main aim of this experiment is to provide a complete census of old (t > 10 Gyr, RR Lyrae, type II Cepheids, red horizontal branch), intermediate age (red clump, Miras) and young (classical Cepheids) stellar tracers across the Galactic Bulge. To fully exploit the unique photometric quality of LSST images, we plan to perform a Shallow minisurvey (ugrizy, -20 < l < 20 deg, -15 < b < 10 deg) and a Deep minisurvey (izy, -20 < l < 20 deg, -3 < b < 3 deg). The former one is aimed at constraining the 3D structure of the galactic Bulge across the four quadrants, and in particular, the transition between inner and outer Bulge. The u,g,r,i,z,y LSST bands provide fundamental diagnostics to constrain the evolutionary properties of low and intermediate-mass stars when moving from a metal-poor to a metal-rich regime. The deep minisurvey is aimed at tracing RR Lyrae, Red Clump stars, Miras and classical Cepheids in highly reddened regions of the Galactic center. These images will allow us to investigate the role that baryonic mass and dark matter played in the early formation and evolution of the MW....