Li distribution, kinematics and detailed abundance analysis among very metal-poor stars in the Galactic halo from the HESP-GOMPA survey

TL;DR

This study analyzes the elemental abundances, lithium distribution, and kinematics of very metal-poor stars in the Galactic halo, revealing common origins, stellar population mixes, and the effects of Galactic dynamics.

Contribution

It provides detailed lithium and elemental abundance measurements for very metal-poor stars, along with kinematic analysis, offering new insights into their origins and Galactic evolution.

Findings

Similar Li distributions across star classes suggest common origins.

Li abundance correlates with temperature and Galactic plane distance.

Stellar populations include both in situ and accreted stars.

Abstract

We present a study on the detailed elemental abundances of newly identified bright very metal-poor stars with the detection of lithium, initially observed as part of the SDSS/MARVELS pre-survey. These stars were selected for high-resolution spectroscopic follow-up as part of the HESP-GOMPA survey. In this work, we discuss the Li abundances detected for several stars in the survey, which include main-sequence stars, subgiants, and red giants. Different classes of stars are found to exhibit very similar distributions of Li, which point towards a common origin. We derive a scaling relation for the depletion of Li as a function of temperature for giants and main-sequence stars; the majority of the samples from the literature were found to fall within 1sigma (0.19 and 0.12 dex/K for giants and dwarfs respectively) of this relationship. We also report the existence of a slope of the Li abundances as a function of distances from the Galactic plane, indicating mixed stellar populations. Most Li-rich stars are found to be in or close to the galactic plane. Along with Li, we have derived detailed abundances for C, odd-Z, alpha-, Fe-peak, and neutron-capture elements for each star. We have also used astrometric parameters from Gaia-EDR3 to complement our study, and derived kinematics to differentiate between the motions of the stars; those formed in situ and accreted. The stellar population of the Spite plateau, including additional stars from the literature, is found to have significant contributions from stars formed in situ and through accretion. The orbits for the program stars have also been derived and studied for a period of 5 Gyr backward in time.