Surface abundance and the hunt for stratification in chemically peculiar hot subdwarfs: PG 0909+276 and UVO 0512-08

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution ultraviolet spectroscopy to analyze the chemical composition of two peculiar hot subdwarfs, revealing extreme metal overabundances and potential stratification, thus advancing understanding of their unique atmospheric properties.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed UV spectral analysis of PG 0909+276 and UVO 0512-08, confirming their extreme metal enrichments and exploring evidence for chemical stratification.

Findings

High overabundances of iron-group elements confirmed

Detection of gallium, germanium, tin, and lead in spectra

Evidence suggests these stars are chemically peculiar and distinct

Abstract

Edelmann (2003) identified two chemically peculiar hot subdwarfs, PG 0909+276 and UVO 0512-08, as having very high overabundances of iron-group elements. We obtained high-resolution ultraviolet spectroscopy in order to measure abundances of species not observable in the optical, and to seek evidence for chemical stratification in the photosphere. Abundances were measured in three wavelength regions; the optical 3900\AA-6900\AA\ range was re-analysed to confirm consistency with Edelmann. Ultraviolet spectra were obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), covering the far-UV (1140\AA-1740\AA) and the near-UV (1740\AA-2500\AA). We computed a grid of theoretical LTE spectra to find basic parameters (effective temperatures, surface gravity, surface hydrogen and helium fractions). We measured abundances using a spectral-synthesis approach in each wavelength range. We confirm that several iron-group metals are highly enriched, including cobalt, copper and zinc, relative to typical sdB stars. We detect gallium, germanium, tin, and lead, similar to analysis of ultraviolet spectra of some other sdB stars. Our results confirm that PG 0909+276 and UVO 0512-08 exhibit peculiarities which make them distinct from both the normal H-rich sdB and intermediate He-rich sdB stars. The process which leads to this particular composition has still to be identified.