Detailed Chemical Abundance Analysis of the Brightest Stars in the Turranburra and Willka Yaku Stellar Streams

TL;DR

This study provides a detailed chemical abundance analysis of the brightest stars in the Turranburra and Willka Yaku stellar streams, revealing their likely origins and enrichment histories through high-resolution spectroscopy.

Contribution

It offers the first comprehensive chemical abundance profiles for these streams, supporting their progenitor classifications and neutron-capture element enrichment patterns.

Findings

Turranburra likely from a dwarf galaxy progenitor with [Fe/H]=-2.45

Willka Yaku likely from a globular cluster progenitor with [Fe/H]=-2.35

Both streams show neutron-capture element enhancements consistent with r-process enrichment

Abstract

We present a detailed chemical abundance analysis of the three brightest known stars from each of the Turranburra and Willka Yaku stellar streams using high-resolution Magellan/MIKE spectra. Abundances for 27 elements, ranging from carbon to dysprosium, were derived. Our results support the original classification that Turranburra, with a low average metallicity of $\mathrm{[Fe/H]=-2.45} \pm 0.07$, likely originates from a dwarf-galaxy progenitor. Willka Yaku has a low average metallicity of $\mathrm{[Fe/H]=-2.35 \pm 0.03}$ with a small scatter in the abundances, consistent with a globular cluster progenitor as suggested by previous studies. Both streams exhibit mild enhancements in neutron-capture elements, with averages of $\mathrm{[Eu II/Fe]}=$ $0.47 \pm{0.09}$ for Turranburra and $0.44 \pm{0.05}$ for Willka Yaku, consistent with enrichment from an $r$-process event. A similar enrichment is observed in other stellar streams, and we further discuss this signature as it relates to the potential enrichment histories of these two streams.