scholarly journals Metal-Poor Stars and the Chemical Enrichment of the Universe

2013 ◽  
pp. 55-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Frebel ◽  
John E. Norris
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Enrichment ◽  
The Universe

scholarly journals Dust Production around Carbon-Rich Stars: The Role of Metallicity

Universe ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 233
Author(s):  
Ambra Nanni ◽  
Sergio Cristallo ◽  
Jacco Th. van Loon ◽  
Martin A. T. Groenewegen
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Galactic Halo ◽  
Magellanic Clouds ◽  
Asymptotic Giant Branch ◽  
Agb Stars ◽  
Circumstellar Envelopes ◽  
Chemical Enrichment ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Universe

Background: Most of the stars in the Universe will end their evolution by losing their envelope during the thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB) phase, enriching the interstellar medium of galaxies with heavy elements, partially condensed into dust grains formed in their extended circumstellar envelopes. Among these stars, carbon-rich TP-AGB stars (C-stars) are particularly relevant for the chemical enrichment of galaxies. We here investigated the role of the metallicity in the dust formation process from a theoretical viewpoint. Methods: We coupled an up-to-date description of dust growth and dust-driven wind, which included the time-averaged effect of shocks, with FRUITY stellar evolutionary tracks. We compared our predictions with observations of C-stars in our Galaxy, in the Magellanic Clouds (LMC and SMC) and in the Galactic Halo, characterised by metallicity between solar and 1/10 of solar. Results: Our models explained the variation of the gas and dust content around C-stars derived from the IRS Spitzer spectra. The wind speed of the C-stars at varying metallicity was well reproduced by our description. We predicted the wind speed at metallicity down to 1/10 of solar in a wide range of mass-loss rates.

scholarly journals Athena X-IFU synthetic observations of galaxy clusters to probe the chemical enrichment of the Universe

2018 ◽  
Vol 620 ◽  
pp. A173 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Cucchetti ◽  
E. Pointecouteau ◽  
P. Peille ◽  
N. Clerc ◽  
E. Rasia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Galaxy Clusters ◽  
Chemical Elements ◽  
Cosmic Time ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Metal Production ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Chemical Enrichment ◽  
Spatially Resolved ◽  
Hydrodynamical Simulations ◽  
The Universe

Answers to the metal production of the Universe can be found in galaxy clusters, notably within their intra-cluster medium (ICM). The X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) on board the next-generation European X-ray observatory Athena (2030s) will provide the necessary leap forward in spatially-resolved spectroscopy required to disentangle the intricate mechanisms responsible for this chemical enrichment. In this paper, we investigate the future capabilities of the X-IFU in probing the hot gas within galaxy clusters. From a test sample of four clusters extracted from cosmological hydrodynamical simulations, we present comprehensive synthetic observations of these clusters at different redshifts (up to z ≤ 2) and within the scaled radius R500 performed using the instrument simulator SIXTE. Through 100 ks exposures, we demonstrate that the X-IFU will provide spatially resolved mapping of the ICM physical properties with little to no biases (⪅5%) and well within statistical uncertainties. The detailed study of abundance profiles and abundance ratios within R500 also highlights the power of the X-IFU in providing constraints on the various enrichment models. From synthetic observations out to z = 2, we have also quantified its ability to track the chemical elements across cosmic time with excellent accuracy, and thereby to investigate the evolution of metal production mechanisms as well as the link to the stellar initial mass-function. Our study demonstrates the unprecedented capabilities of the X-IFU of unveiling the properties of the ICM but also stresses the data analysis challenges faced by future high-resolution X-ray missions such as Athena.

scholarly journals IAU Focus Meeting 7: Stellar Physics in Galaxies throughout the Universe

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (A29B) ◽  
pp. 139-141
Author(s):  
Claus Leitherer ◽  
Stéphane Charlot ◽  
Claudia Maraston
Keyword(s):  
Stellar Evolution ◽  
Binary Stars ◽  
Main Sequence ◽  
High Redshift ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
General Assembly ◽  
Dust Production ◽  
Chemical Enrichment ◽  
The Universe

AbstractA 3-day Focus Meeting entitled “Stellar Physics in Galaxies throughout the Universe” was held during the IAU XXIX General Assembly. The meeting brought together astrophysicists from the stellar physics, extragalactic astrophysics and cosmology communities to discuss how current and future results can foster progress in these disjoint science areas. Areas covered include stellar evolution of single and binary stars from the zero-age main-sequence to the terminal stage, the feedback of stars to the interstellar medium via radiation, dust production and chemical enrichment, and the properties of the most massive stars and of cosmologically significant stellar phases such as AGB and Wolf-Rayet stars. The limitations of our understanding of the physics of local stars and their effects on, e.g., ages, chemical composition and the initial mass function of galaxies at low to high redshift were evaluated.

scholarly journals M31 Globular Cluster Metallicities and Ages

2002 ◽  
Vol 207 ◽  
pp. 58-61
Author(s):  
Pauline Barmby
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Evolution ◽  
Galaxy Formation ◽  
Globular Cluster ◽  
Chemical Enrichment ◽  
Detailed Explanation ◽  
Age Gap ◽  
Small Delay ◽  
Age Of The Universe ◽  
Lower Limits ◽  
The Universe

Globular cluster ages are more than just lower limits to the age of the universe; the distribution of ages constraints the timescales for galaxy formation and chemical evolution. Globular cluster populations with different metallicities have now been detected in many galaxies, and understanding how these populations formed requires knowing their relative ages. We examined the relative ages of the two M31 globular cluster populations using their color and luminosity distributions and found that the metal-rich clusters could be up to 50% younger than the metal-poor clusters. While a small delay in the formation of metal-rich clusters might be imposed by chemical enrichment timescales, a large age gap demands a more detailed explanation. I outline several possibilities and their promises and problems.

Very Metal-Poor Stars and the Early Universe

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (S334) ◽  
pp. 3-10
Author(s):  
John E. Norris
Keyword(s):  
Near Field ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Far Field ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Chemical Enrichment ◽  
Physical Conditions ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Formation And Evolution ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractVery metal-poor stars ([Fe/H] < –2.0) inform our understanding of the formation and evolution of the Galaxy, and the physical conditions in the earliest star-forming environments of the Universe. They play an integral part in the paradigms of stellar populations, stellar archaeology, and near-field cosmology. We review the carbon-rich and carbon-normal sub-populations of the most iron-poor stars, providing insight into chemical enrichment at the earliest times in the Universe. We also discuss the role of very metal-poor stars in providing insight into the Galaxy’s halo, thick disk, and bulge, and the promise they hold for the future. A comparison between the abundances obtained for the nine most Fe-poor stars ([Fe/H] < –4.5) (all but one of which is C-rich) with abundances obtained from far-field cosmology suggests that the former are the most chemically primitive objects yet observed and probably older than the DLA- and sub-DLA systems for which data are currently available from far-field studies.

scholarly journals Light Elements in the Universe

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofia Randich ◽  
Laura Magrini
Keyword(s):  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Light Element ◽  
Big Bang ◽  
Stellar Structure ◽  
Age Dating ◽  
Sequence Evolution ◽  
Light Elements ◽  
Chemical Enrichment ◽  
Star Formation Histories ◽  
The Universe

Due to their production sites, as well as to how they are processed and destroyed in stars, the light elements are excellent tools to investigate a number of crucial issues in modern astrophysics: from stellar structure and non-standard processes at work in stellar interiors to age dating of stars; from pre-main sequence evolution to the star formation histories of young clusters and associations and to multiple populations in globular clusters; from Big Bang nucleosynthesis to the formation and chemical enrichment history of the Milky Way Galaxy and its populations, just to cite some relevant examples. In this paper, we focus on lithium, beryllium, and boron (LiBeB) and on carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen (CNO). LiBeB are rare elements, with negligible abundances with respect to hydrogen; on the contrary, CNO are among the most abundant elements in the Universe, after H and He. Pioneering observations of light-element surface abundances in stars started almost 70 years ago and huge progress has been achieved since then. Indeed, for different reasons, precise measurements of LiBeB and CNO are difficult, even in our Sun; however, the advent of state-of-the-art ground- and space-based instrumentation has allowed the determination of high-quality abundances in stars of different type, belonging to different Galactic populations, from metal-poor halo stars to young stars in the solar vicinity and from massive stars to cool dwarfs and giants. Noticeably, the recent large spectroscopic surveys performed with multifiber spectrographs have yielded detailed and homogeneous information on the abundances of Li and CNO for statistically significant samples of stars; this has allowed us to obtain new results and insights and, at the same time, raise new questions and challenges. A complete understanding of the light-element patterns and evolution in the Universe has not been still achieved. Perspectives for further progress will open up soon thanks to the new generation instrumentation that is under development and will come online in the coming years.

AGB star atmospheres modeling as feedback to stellar evolutionary and galaxy models

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (S343) ◽  
pp. 491-492
Author(s):  
Gioia Rau ◽  
M. Wittkowski ◽  
A. Chiavassa ◽  
K. Carpenter ◽  
K. Nielsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Model ◽  
Chemical Enrichment ◽  
Evolved Stars ◽  
The Universe

AbstractThe chemical enrichment of the Universe is considerably affected by the contribution of cool evolved stars. We studied the O-rich star R Peg and the C-rich star V Oph, using respectively the VLTI/GRAVITY and VLTI/MIDI instruments. We interpret the data using grids of 1-D and 3-D dynamic model atmospheres.

scholarly journals Observational Searches for Star-Forming Galaxies at z > 6

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven L. Finkelstein
Keyword(s):  
Galaxy Evolution ◽  
Galaxy Formation ◽  
Cosmic Time ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Chemical Enrichment ◽  
Large Samples ◽  
Galaxy Formation And Evolution ◽  
Observational Techniques ◽  
The Universe

AbstractAlthough the universe at redshifts greater than six represents only the first one billion years (< 10%) of cosmic time, the dense nature of the early universe led to vigorous galaxy formation and evolution activity which we are only now starting to piece together. Technological improvements have, over only the past decade, allowed large samples of galaxies at such high redshifts to be collected, providing a glimpse into the epoch of formation of the first stars and galaxies. A wide variety of observational techniques have led to the discovery of thousands of galaxy candidates at z > 6, with spectroscopically confirmed galaxies out to nearly z = 9. Using these large samples, we have begun to gain a physical insight into the processes inherent in galaxy evolution at early times. In this review, I will discuss (i) the selection techniques for finding distant galaxies, including a summary of previous and ongoing ground and space-based searches, and spectroscopic follow-up efforts, (ii) insights into galaxy evolution gleaned from measures such as the rest-frame ultraviolet luminosity function, the stellar mass function, and galaxy star-formation rates, and (iii) the effect of galaxies on their surrounding environment, including the chemical enrichment of the universe, and the reionisation of the intergalactic medium. Finally, I conclude with prospects for future observational study of the distant universe, using a bevy of new state-of-the-art facilities coming online over the next decade and beyond.

scholarly journals The first galactic stars and chemical enrichment in the halo

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (S265) ◽  
pp. 81-89
Author(s):  
Piercarlo Bonifacio
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Mass Star ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
Chemical Enrichment ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Low Metallicity ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Indirect Information ◽  
The Universe

AbstractThe cosmic microwave background and the cosmic expansion can be interpreted as evidence that the Universe underwent an extremely hot and dense phase about 14 Gyr ago. The nucleosynthesis computations tell us that the Universe emerged from this state with a very simple chemical composition: H, 2H, 3He, 4He, and traces of 7Li. All other nuclei where synthesised at later times. Our stellar evolution models tell us that, if a low-mass star with this composition had been created (a “zero-metal” star) at that time, it would still be shining on the Main Sequence today. Over the last 40 years there have been many efforts to detect such primordial stars but none has so-far been found. The lowest metallicity stars known have a metal content, Z, which is of the order of 10−4Z⊙. These are also the lowest metallicity objects known in the Universe. This seems to support the theories of star formation which predict that only high mass stars could form with a primordial composition and require a minimum metallicity to allow the formation of low-mass stars. Yet, since absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, we cannot exclude the existence of such low-mass zero-metal stars, at present. If we have not found the first Galactic stars, as a by product of our searches we have found their direct descendants, stars of extremely low metallicity (Z ≤ 10−3Z⊙). The chemical composition of such stars contains indirect information on the nature of the stars responsible for the nucleosynthesis of the metals. Such a fossil record allows us a glimpse of the Galaxy at a look-back time equivalent to redshift z = 10, or larger. The last ten years have been full of exciting discoveries in this field, which I will try to review in this contribution.

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