The

Context. The astrophysical origin of the rapid neutron-capture process (r-process), responsible for producing roughly half of the elements heavier than iron, remains uncertain. Detailed chemical signatures from the oldest, most metal-poor stars, which act as fossil records of the earliest nucleosynthesis events, can be used to identify the dominant r-process sites. Aims. We present a homogeneous chemical abundance analysis of ten r-process element-enhanced stars. These old and metal-poor stars are strongly enriched in r-process elements with minimal contamination from other nucleosynthetic sources. By focusing on this chemically pure sample, we aim to investigate intrinsic variations in the r-process abundance patterns and explore their implications for the nature and potential diversity of r-process sites. Methods. We performed a detailed chemical abundance analysis of high-resolution, high-signal-to-noise spectra. For each star, we inspected over 1400 individual absorption lines using a combination of equivalent width measurements and spectral synthesis. The analysis was conducted under the assumption of 1D local thermodynamic equilibrium and employing the <ns0:monospace>MOOG</ns0:monospace> radiative transfer code. Results. We derived abundances for 54 chemical species, including 29 neutron-capture (n-capture) elements, covering the full mass range of the r-process abundance pattern. A kinematic analysis reveals that stars likely originated from ten kinematically distinct systems. Based on this assumption, we used the sample to probe the maximum variation expected from ten independent r-process nucleosynthesis events and computed the intrinsic dispersion of each element relative to Zr and Eu for the light and heavy r-process elements, respectively. This exercise resulted in a remarkably low cosmic scatter across the ten r-process sites enriching these stars; for the rare earth and third peak elements, for example, we find σ[La/Eu] = 0.08 and σ[Os/Eu] = 0.11 dex, while the scatter between light and heavy elements, σ[Zr/Eu], is slightly higher at 0.18 dex. Conclusions. The elemental abundance patterns across the ten independent r-process sites show remarkably small cosmic dispersions. This minimal dispersion suggests a high degree of uniformity in r-process yields across diverse astrophysical environments.

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Publication Details

Journal
Springer Link (Chiba Institute of Technology)
Published
2025-12-17
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202556947/pdf
Primary Topic
Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

The

I. U. Roederer, M. Racca, C. M. Sakari, Ø. Harket et al.
Springer Link (Chiba Institute of Technology)
Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
article

The

I. U. Roederer, M. Racca, C. M. Sakari, Ø. Harket, E. M. Holmbeck, C. Sneden, V. M. Placco, T. T. Hansen, J. D. Simon, T. C. Beers, A. Frebel, I. B. Thompson, R. Ezzeddine, S. Monty
article en

Abstract

Context. The astrophysical origin of the rapid neutron-capture process (r-process), responsible for producing roughly half of the elements heavier than iron, remains uncertain. Detailed chemical signatures from the oldest, most metal-poor stars, which act as fossil records of the earliest nucleosynthesis events, can be used to identify the dominant r-process sites. Aims. We present a homogeneous chemical abundance analysis of ten r-process element-enhanced stars. These old and metal-poor stars are strongly enriched in r-process elements with minimal contamination from other nucleosynthetic sources. By focusing on this chemically pure sample, we aim to investigate intrinsic variations in the r-process abundance patterns and explore their implications for the nature and potential diversity of r-process sites. Methods. We performed a detailed chemical abundance analysis of high-resolution, high-signal-to-noise spectra. For each star, we inspected over 1400 individual absorption lines using a combination of equivalent width measurements and spectral synthesis. The analysis was conducted under the assumption of 1D local thermodynamic equilibrium and employing the <ns0:monospace>MOOG</ns0:monospace> radiative transfer code. Results. We derived abundances for 54 chemical species, including 29 neutron-capture (n-capture) elements, covering the full mass range of the r-process abundance pattern. A kinematic analysis reveals that stars likely originated from ten kinematically distinct systems. Based on this assumption, we used the sample to probe the maximum variation expected from ten independent r-process nucleosynthesis events and computed the intrinsic dispersion of each element relative to Zr and Eu for the light and heavy r-process elements, respectively. This exercise resulted in a remarkably low cosmic scatter across the ten r-process sites enriching these stars; for the rare earth and third peak elements, for example, we find σ[La/Eu] = 0.08 and σ[Os/Eu] = 0.11 dex, while the scatter between light and heavy elements, σ[Zr/Eu], is slightly higher at 0.18 dex. Conclusions. The elemental abundance patterns across the ten independent r-process sites show remarkably small cosmic dispersions. This minimal dispersion suggests a high degree of uniformity in r-process yields across diverse astrophysical environments.

Springer Link (Chiba Institute of Technology)
Openalex Percentile: Top 30%
Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
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