Detailed Chemical Abundance Analysis of the Brightest Stars in the Turranburra and Willka Yaku Stellar Streams*

Abstract We present a detailed chemical abundance analysis of the three brightest known stars from each of the Turranburra and Willka Yaku stellar streams using high-resolution Magellan/Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle spectra. Abundances for 27 elements, ranging from carbon to dysprosium, were derived. Our results support the original classification that Turranburra, with a low average metallicity of [Fe/H] = −2.45 ± 0.07, likely originates from a dwarf galaxy progenitor. Willka Yaku has a low average metallicity of [Fe/H] = −2.35 ± 0.03 with a small scatter in the abundances, consistent with a globular cluster progenitor as suggested by previous studies. Both streams exhibit mild enhancements in neutron-capture elements, with averages of [Eu II /Fe] = 0.47 ± 0.09 for Turranburra and 0.44 ± 0.05 for Willka Yaku, consistent with enrichment from an r -process event. A similar enrichment is observed in other stellar streams, and we further discuss this signature as it relates to the potential enrichment histories of these two streams.

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Publication Details

Journal
The Astrophysical Journal
Published
2026-02-05
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ae2d59
Primary Topic
Astronomy and Astrophysical Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Detailed Chemical Abundance Analysis of the Brightest Stars in the Turranburra and Willka Yaku Stellar Streams*

Lara R. Cullinane, Denis Erkal, Zhen Wan, J. M. Simpson et al.
The Astrophysical Journal
Astronomy and Astrophysical Research
article

Detailed Chemical Abundance Analysis of the Brightest Stars in the Turranburra and Willka Yaku Stellar Streams*

Lara R. Cullinane, Denis Erkal, Zhen Wan, J. M. Simpson, Kyler W. Kuehn, Daniel B Zucker, S. A. Usman, Nora Shipp, Guilherme Limberg, Gustavo E. Medina, Gary S. Da Costa, Geraint F. Lewis, Dougal Mackey, Joss Bland-Hawthorn, Alexander P. Ji, K. B. Webber, Ting S. Li, Sergey E. Koposov, J. L. Marshall, T. T. Hansen, Victor A. Alvarado, Andrew B. Pace
article en

Abstract

Abstract We present a detailed chemical abundance analysis of the three brightest known stars from each of the Turranburra and Willka Yaku stellar streams using high-resolution Magellan/Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle spectra. Abundances for 27 elements, ranging from carbon to dysprosium, were derived. Our results support the original classification that Turranburra, with a low average metallicity of [Fe/H] = −2.45 ± 0.07, likely originates from a dwarf galaxy progenitor. Willka Yaku has a low average metallicity of [Fe/H] = −2.35 ± 0.03 with a small scatter in the abundances, consistent with a globular cluster progenitor as suggested by previous studies. Both streams exhibit mild enhancements in neutron-capture elements, with averages of [Eu II /Fe] = 0.47 ± 0.09 for Turranburra and 0.44 ± 0.05 for Willka Yaku, consistent with enrichment from an r -process event. A similar enrichment is observed in other stellar streams, and we further discuss this signature as it relates to the potential enrichment histories of these two streams.

The Astrophysical JournalVol. 998(1)
Openalex Percentile: Top 63%
Astronomy and Astrophysical Research
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Detailed Chemical Abundance Analysis of the Brightest Stars in the Turranburra and Willka Yaku Stellar Streams* — Lara R. Cullinane, Denis Erkal, et al. · The Astrophysical Journal (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS