N in turn-off stars of NGC 6397 and NGC 6752

TL;DR

This study measures nitrogen abundances in turn-off stars of two globular clusters, NGC 6397 and NGC 6752, revealing different patterns of nitrogen variation that inform theories of stellar pollution and cluster formation.

Contribution

It provides direct nitrogen abundance measurements in cluster stars using a consistent method, highlighting differences in nitrogen variation between the two clusters and implications for stellar pollution models.

Findings

NGC 6397 stars are uniformly N-rich with no variation.

NGC 6752 stars show over one order of magnitude variation in N.

Nitrogen variation patterns differ significantly between the two clusters.

Abstract

We measure the nitrogen abundance in 5 Turn Off(TO) stars of the Globular Clusters NGC 6397 and NGC 6752, and compare the cluster abundances with those of field stars of comparable metallicity. We determine the nitrogen abundance from the band head system at 3360 \AA, using spectra of resolution R=45000 obtained with the UVES spectrograph on the VLT. We apply the same method previously used on field stars, to allow a direct comparison of the results. Nitrogen is found to have the same abundance in two of the NGC 6397 stars, in spite of a difference of one order of magnitude in oxygen abundance between them. In a third star of NGC 6397 the value is slightly lower, but compatible with the other two, within the uncertainties. All the stars in NGC 6397 are N-rich with respect to field objects of similar metallicity. The two stars in NGC 6752 show a difference in nitrogen abundance by over one order of magnitude. The same stars differ in the abundances of other elements such as Na, O and Li, only by a factor 3-4. The behaviour of N is different in the two clusters: no variation is observed NGC 6397, while a large variation is observed in NGC 6752. This is consistent with a picture in which the stars in NGC 6752 have been formed by a mixture of ``pristine'' material and material which has been processed by an early generation of stars, referred to as ``polluters''. The N abundances here reported will help to constrain the properties of the polluters. In the case of NGC 6397 a simple pollution history is probably not viable, since the observed variations in O abundances are not accompanied by corresponding variations in N or Li.