Observational Signatures and Constraints on the Intermediate Neutron-Capture Process. The Case of the CEMP star TYC 6044-714-1 (RAVE J094921.8-161722)

TL;DR

This study analyzes the chemical signatures of a metal-poor star to determine whether the intermediate neutron-capture process (i-process) or other nucleosynthesis processes best explain its observed element abundances.

Contribution

It provides a detailed spectral analysis of TYC 6044-714-1 using advanced modelling techniques and evaluates nucleosynthesis models to clarify the star's enrichment history.

Findings

The star was likely formed about 13 Gyr ago and pre-enriched by the r-process.

The s+r model best reproduces the observed abundance pattern and isotopic ratios.

Models with increasing overshooting efficiency do not consistently match the full abundance pattern.

Abstract

Observational abundances of CEMP stars with patterns in between those produced by the rapid and slow nucleosynthesis processes (CEMP-rs stars) are currently invoked as evidence of synthesis via the intermediate process in the early AGB evolutionary phase of metal-poor low mass stars. Nevertheless, discriminating between r+s- and i-process hypotheses requires high-precision abundances obtained through advanced spectral modelling techniques. Theoretical models of the i-process have become more robust, incorporating refined stellar modelling and nuclear reaction physics, providing ranges of probable elemental abundances and isotopic ratios predictions to be confronted with observational determinations. We performed a new analysis of a high resolution and high S/N UVES spectrum of TYC 6044-714-1. We derived accurate effective temperature and highly precise atmospheric parameters, element abundances, and isotopic ratios using state-of-the-art 1D non-LTE and 3D non-LTE spectral line modelling. Using the latest AGB nucleosynthesis models, we assessed the possibility of the i-process to act aside the s-process. We find that TYC~6044-714-1 was likely born as a normal in-situ halo star about 13 Gyr ago, pre-enriched by the r-process through a standard Galactic chemical-evolution pathway. The s+r model provides the best overall reproduction of the observed heavy-element abundance pattern and Ba isotopic ratios, yielding excellent agreement across all three s-process peaks. While i+s+r models with increasing overshooting efficiency improve the fit for specific elements, they do not consistently reproduce the full abundance pattern. The i+s+r models require extreme and physically implausible conditions, and predict s-process Ba fractions inconsistent with those inferred from isotopic ratios of the 4934 \AA\ resonance line. We conclude that the pure s+r scenario is the most plausible explanation.