The Hamburg/ESO R-process Enhanced Star survey (HERES). V. Detailed abundance analysis of the r-process enhanced star HE 2327-5642

TL;DR

This paper presents a detailed abundance analysis of the r-process enhanced star HE 2327-5642, revealing its element pattern, age estimates, and potential radial velocity variability, contributing to understanding nucleosynthesis in metal-poor stars.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed abundance pattern for HE 2327-5642, including 40 elements and 23 neutron-capture elements, and compares its r-process pattern with solar and stellar data.

Findings

Heavy element pattern matches scaled Solar r-process.

Age estimates of 13.3 Gyr and 5.9 Gyr from different methods.

Distinct Sr/Eu ratios between halo star groups.

Abstract

We report on a detailed abundance analysis of the strongly r-process enhanced giant star, HE 2327-5642 ([Fe/H] = -2.78, [r/Fe] = +0.99). Determination of stellar parameters and element abundances was based on analysis of high-quality VLT/UVES spectra. The surface gravity was calculated from the NLTE ionization balance between Fe I and Fe II, and Ca I and Ca II. Accurate abundances for a total of 40 elements and for 23 neutron-capture elements beyond Sr and up to Th were determined. The heavy element abundance pattern of HE 2327-5642 is in excellent agreement with those previously derived for other strongly r-process enhanced stars. Elements in the range from Ba to Hf match the scaled Solar r-process pattern very well. No firm conclusion can be drawn with respect to a relationship between the fisrt neutron-capture peak elements, Sr to Pd, in HE 2327-5642 and the Solar r-process, due to the uncertainty of the latter. A clear distinction in Sr/Eu abundance ratios was found between the halo stars with different europium enhancement. The strongly r-process enhanced stars reveal a low Sr/Eu abundance ratio at [Sr/Eu] = -0.92+-0.13, while the stars with 0 < [Eu/Fe] < 1 and [Eu/Fe] < 0 have 0.36 dex and 0.93 dex larger Sr/Eu values, respectively. Radioactive dating for HE 2327-5642 with the observed thorium and rare-earth element abundance pairs results in an average age of 13.3 Gyr, when based on the high-entropy wind calculations, and 5.9 Gyr, when using the Solar r-residuals. HE 2327-5642 is suspected to be radial-velocity variable based on our high-resolution spectra, covering ~4.3 years.