Stellar Population Astrophysics (SPA) with the TNG 23 IR elemental abundances of 114 giant stars in 41 Open Clusters

TL;DR

This study analyzes infrared elemental abundances in 114 giant stars across 41 open clusters to understand Galactic chemical evolution, revealing abundance trends and gradients in the Milky Way's disc.

Contribution

It provides new high-resolution infrared abundance measurements for multiple elements in open clusters, enhancing understanding of Galactic chemical evolution.

Findings

Identified radial abundance gradients in the Galactic disc

Detected variations in elemental abundances between clusters

Explored the dependence of chemical abundances on cluster age

Abstract

Open clusters have been extensively used as tracers of Galactic chemical evolution, as their constituent stars possess shared characteristics, including age, Galactocentric radius, metallicity, and chemical composition. By examining the trends of elemental abundances with metallicity, age, and Galactocentric radius, valuable insights can be gained into the distribution and nucleosynthetic origins of chemical elements across the Galactic disc. The infrared domain in particular facilitates the observation of some elemental abundances that can be challenging or impossible to discern in the optical, for example K and F. The objective of this study is to derive the stellar parameters and elemental abundances of up to 23 elements in 114 stars spanning 41 open clusters using high-resolution infrared spectroscopy. In addition, the present study aims to examine the chemical evolution of the Galactic disc. This is achieved by investigating radial abundance gradients, variations in abundance between clusters, and the dependence of chemical abundances on cluster age.