Chemical footprints of Sgr dSph & neighbour dwarf galaxies of the Milky Way

Chemical characterisation is key to understanding the formation history of the Milky Way (MW) and its accretion events, yet major challenges remain at low metallicity. Neutron-capture elements show a large dispersion in very metal-poor MW stars that current chemical evolution models struggle to explain, possibly reflecting the diversity of accreted satellites. In this context, I investigate the role of the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy (dSph) in the MW’s chemical evolution. I observed ~100 Sagittarius stars (−2 < [Fe/H] < −0.5) with GIRAFFE@FLAMES to derive precise abundances of the r-process element Eu and the s-process elements Y, Zr, Ba, and La. We compare these trends with those of other MW systems (Fornax, LMC, GSE, Sculptor) and with Icarus, a candidate accreted structure in the disk, for which we obtained a high-resolution follow-up sample with the high-resolution spectrograph HARPS-N. By combining multiple elemental families with the innovative technique of stellar phylogenetics, we aim to better trace the chemical signatures of past and ongoing merger events.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-02-04
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18659472
Primary Topic
Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Chemical footprints of Sgr dSph & neighbour dwarf galaxies of the Milky Way

Sara Vitali
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
article

Chemical footprints of Sgr dSph & neighbour dwarf galaxies of the Milky Way

Sara Vitali
article en

Abstract

Chemical characterisation is key to understanding the formation history of the Milky Way (MW) and its accretion events, yet major challenges remain at low metallicity. Neutron-capture elements show a large dispersion in very metal-poor MW stars that current chemical evolution models struggle to explain, possibly reflecting the diversity of accreted satellites. In this context, I investigate the role of the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy (dSph) in the MW’s chemical evolution. I observed ~100 Sagittarius stars (−2 < [Fe/H] < −0.5) with GIRAFFE@FLAMES to derive precise abundances of the r-process element Eu and the s-process elements Y, Zr, Ba, and La. We compare these trends with those of other MW systems (Fornax, LMC, GSE, Sculptor) and with Icarus, a candidate accreted structure in the disk, for which we obtained a high-resolution follow-up sample with the high-resolution spectrograph HARPS-N. By combining multiple elemental families with the innovative technique of stellar phylogenetics, we aim to better trace the chemical signatures of past and ongoing merger events.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Universidad Diego Portales (CL)
Openalex Percentile: Top 48%
Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.

Chemical footprints of Sgr dSph & neighbour dwarf galaxies of the Milky Way — Sara Vitali · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS