Fluorine Abundances of Galactic Low-Metallicity Giants

TL;DR

This study measures fluorine abundances in seven low-metallicity giant stars, compares results with galactic chemical evolution models, and discusses implications for stellar nucleosynthesis and galaxy formation.

Contribution

First measurement of fluorine in very metal-poor giants, providing new data to test nucleosynthesis models at low metallicity.

Findings

Observed fluorine yields are better matched by models including the SN II ν-process.

Models without the ν-process do not fit the observed [F/O] distribution.

A halo star shows fluorine evolution similar to globular clusters, suggesting accretion from dwarf galaxies.

Abstract

With abundances and 2{\sigma} upper limits of fluorine (F) in seven metal-poor field giants, nucleosynthesis of stellar F at low metallicity is discussed. The measurements are derived from the HF(1-0) R9 line at 23358{\AA} using nearinfrared K-band high-resolution spectra obtained with CRIRES at the Very Large Telescope. The sample reaches lower metallicities than previous studies on F of field giants, ranging from [Fe/H] = -1.56 down to -2.13. Effects of three-dimensional model atmospheres on the derived F and O abundances are quantitatively estimated and shown to be insignificant for the program stars. The observed F yield in the form of [F/O] is compared with two sets of Galactic chemical evolution models, which quantitatively demonstrate the contribution of Type II supernova (SN II) {\nu}-process and asymptotic giant branch/Wolf-Rayet stars. It is found that at this low-metallicity region, models cannot well predict the observed distribution of [F/O], while the observations are better fit by models considering an SN II {\nu}-process with a neutrino energy of E_{\nu} = 3 x 10^53 erg. Our sample contains HD 110281, a retrograde orbiting low-{\alpha} halo star, showing a similar F evolution as globular clusters. This supports the theory that such halo stars are possibly accreted from dwarf galaxy progenitors of globular clusters in the halo.