The C+N+O abundance of Omega Centauri giant stars: implications on the chemical enrichment scenario and the relative ages of different stellar populations

TL;DR

This study analyzes the chemical composition of 77 giant stars in Omega Centauri, revealing C+N+O variations and element correlations that shed light on the cluster's complex enrichment history and impact age estimations.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed measurement of C and N abundances in Omega Centauri giants, linking chemical variations to enrichment processes and age differences among populations.

Findings

C+N+O/Fe increases by 0.5 dex from [Fe/H] -2.0 to -0.9

Observed element correlations match nuclearly processed matter predictions

CNO variations influence relative age estimates of stellar populations

Abstract

We present a chemical-composition analysis of 77 red-giant stars in Omega Centauri. We have measured abundances for carbon and nitrogen, and combined our results with abundances of O, Na, La, and Fe that we determined in our previous work. Our aim is to better understand the peculiar chemical-enrichment history of this cluster, by studying how the total C+N+O content varies among the different-metallicity stellar groups, and among stars at different places along the Na-O anticorrelation. We find the (anti)correlations among the light elements that would be expected on theoretical ground for matter that has been nuclearly processed via high-temperature proton captures. The overall [(C+N+O)/Fe] increases by 0.5 dex from [Fe/H] -2.0 to [Fe/H] -0.9. Our results provide insight into the chemical-enrichment history of the cluster, and the measured CNO variations provide important corrections for estimating the relative ages of the different stellar populations.