Constraining Metallicity-dependent Mixing and Extra Mixing Using [C/N] in Alpha-rich Field Giants

Shetrone, M.; Tayar, Jamie; Johnson, Jennifer A.; Somers, Garrett; Pinsonneault, Marc H.; Holtzman, Jon A.; Hasselquist, Sten; Masseron, T.; Mészáros, Szabolcs; Jönsson, Henrik; Hawkins, Keith; Sobeck, Jennifer; Zamora, O.; García-Hernández, D. A.
Bibliographical reference

The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 872, Issue 2, article id. 137, 11 pp. (2019).

Advertised on:
2
2019
Number of authors
14
IAC number of authors
3
Citations
51
Refereed citations
45
Description
Internal mixing on the giant branch is an important process which affects the evolution of stars and the chemical evolution of the galaxy. While several mechanisms have been proposed to explain this mixing, better empirical constraints are necessary. Here, we use [C/N] abundances in 26,097 evolved stars from the SDSS-IV/APOGEE-2 Data Release 14 to trace mixing and extra mixing in old field giants with ‑1.7 < [Fe/H] < 0.1. We show that the APOGEE [C/N] ratios before any dredge-up occurs are metallicity dependent, but that the change in [C/N] at the first dredge-up is metallicity independent for stars above [Fe/H] ∼ ‑1. We identify the position of the red giant branch (RGB) bump as a function of metallicity, note that a metallicity-dependent extra mixing episode takes place for low-metallicity stars ([Fe/H] <‑0.4) 0.14 dex in log g above the bump, and confirm that this extra mixing is stronger at low metallicity, reaching Δ[C/N] = 0.58 dex at [Fe/H] = ‑1.4. We show evidence for further extra mixing on the upper giant branch, well above the bump, among the stars with [Fe/H] <‑1.0. This upper giant branch mixing is stronger in the more metal-poor stars, reaching 0.38 dex in [C/N] for each 1.0 dex in log g. The APOGEE [C/N] ratios for red clump (RC) stars are significantly higher than for stars at the tip of the RGB, suggesting additional mixing processes occur during the helium flash or that unknown abundance zero points for C and N may exist among the RC sample. Finally, because of extra mixing, we note that current empirical calibrations between [C/N] ratios and ages cannot be naively extrapolated for use in low-metallicity stars specifically for those above the bump in the luminosity function.
Related projects
Project Image
Nucleosynthesis and molecular processes in the late stages of Stellar Evolution

Low- to intermediate-mass (M < 8 solar masses, Ms) stars represent the majority of stars in the Cosmos. They finish their lives on the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) - just before they form planetary nebulae (PNe) - where they experience complex nucleosynthetic and molecular processes. AGB stars are important contributors to the enrichment of the

Domingo Aníbal
García Hernández
spectrum of mercury lamp
Chemical Abundances in Stars

Stellar spectroscopy allows us to determine the properties and chemical compositions of stars. From this information for stars of different ages in the Milky Way, it is possible to reconstruct the chemical evolution of the Galaxy, as well as the origin of the elements heavier than boron, created mainly in stellar interiors. It is also possible to

Carlos
Allende Prieto