Evidence for planet engulfment by the star HD82943

Current models of the evolution of the known extrasolar planetary systems need to incorporate orbital migration and/or gravitational interactions among giant planets to explain the presence of large bodies close to their parent stars. These processes could also lead to planets being ingested by their parent stars, which would alter the relative abundances of elements heavier than helium in the stellar atmospheres. In particular, the abundance of the rare 6Li isotope, which is normally destroyed in the early evolution of solar-type stars but preserved intact in the atmospheres of giant planets, would be boosted substantially. 6Li has not hitherto been observed reliably in a metal-rich star, where metallicity refers to the total abundance of elements heavier than helium. Here we report the discovery of 6Li in the atmosphere of the metal-rich solar-type star HD82943, which is known to have an orbiting giant planet. The presence of 6Li can probably be interpreted as evidence for a planet (or planets) having been engulfed by the parent star.     

Imprints of fast-rotating massive stars in the Galactic Bulge

The first stars that formed after the Big Bang were probably massive, and they provided the Universe with the first elements heavier than helium ('metals'), which were incorporated into low-mass stars that have survived to the present. Eight stars in the oldest globular cluster in the Galaxy, NGC?6522, were found to have surface abundances consistent with the gas from which they formed being enriched by massive stars (that is, with higher α-element/Fe and Eu/Fe ratios than those of the Sun). However, the same stars have anomalously high abundances of Ba and La with respect to Fe, which usually arises through nucleosynthesis in low-mass stars (via the slow-neutron-capture process, or s-process). Recent theory suggests that metal-poor fast-rotating massive stars are able to boost the s-process yields by up to four orders of magnitude, which might provide a solution to this contradiction. Here we report a reanalysis of the earlier spectra, which reveals that Y and Sr are also overabundant with respect to Fe, showing a large scatter similar to that observed in extremely metal-poor stars, whereas C abundances are not enhanced. This pattern is best explained as originating in metal-poor fast-rotating massive stars, which might point to a common property of the first stellar generations and even of the 'first stars'.     

Nucleosynthetic signatures of the first stars

The chemically most primitive stars provide constraints on the nature of the first stellar objects that formed in the Universe; elements other than hydrogen, helium and traces of lithium present within these objects were generated by nucleosynthesis in the very first stars. The relative abundances of elements in the surviving primitive stars reflect the masses of the first stars, because the pathways of nucleosynthesis are quite sensitive to stellar masses. Several models have been suggested to explain the origin of the abundance pattern of the giant star HE0107-5240, which hitherto exhibited the highest deficiency of heavy elements known. Here we report the discovery of HE1327-2326, a subgiant or main-sequence star with an iron abundance about a factor of two lower than that of HE0107-5240. Both stars show extreme overabundances of carbon and nitrogen with respect to iron, suggesting a similar origin of the abundance patterns. The unexpectedly low Li and high Sr abundances of HE1327-2326, however, challenge existing theoretical understanding: no model predicts the high Sr abundance or provides a Li depletion mechanism consistent with data available for the most metal-poor stars.     

贫金属星HD 122956的中子俘获元素丰度

根据贫金属星ＨＤ１２２９５６的中子俘获元素的观测丰度,利用贫金属星中子俘获元素丰度的计算模型,采用最小二乘法精确地确定了三种不同的中子俘获过程对该贫金属星中子俘获元素丰度的贡献,从理论上预言了贫金属星ＨＤ１２２９５６的中子俘获元素的丰度,并给出了计算结果与预测结果的比较。     

再生AGB星重核素丰度演化

以１３Ｃ（α，ｎ）１６Ｏ及２２Ｎｅ（α，ｎ）２５Ｍｇ作为双脉冲中子源，对于低质量ＡＧＢ星，采用无分叉ｓ－过程反应通道，结合最近恒星演化的计算结果，在各物理参量合理取值范围内，计算了ＡＧＢ星Ｈｅ壳层内、表面重核素的丰度，在此基础上将星风吸积模型同内禀ＡＧＢ星核合成模型结合起来计算外赋ＡＧＢ星重元素的超丰；以此为丰度初始条件，计算了再生ＡＧＢ星重核素的丰度的演化     

Low-mass relics of early star formation

The earliest stars to form in the Universe were the first sources of light, heat and metals after the Big Bang. The products of their evolution will have had a profound impact on subsequent generations of stars. Recent studies of primordial star formation have shown that, in the absence of metals (elements heavier than helium), the formation of stars with masses 100 times that of the Sun would have been strongly favoured, and that low-mass stars could not have formed before a minimum level of metal enrichment had been reached. The value of this minimum level is very uncertain, but is likely to be between 10(-6) and 10(-4) that of the Sun. Here we show that the recent discovery of the most iron-poor star known indicates the presence of dust in extremely low-metallicity gas, and that this dust is crucial for the formation of lower-mass second-generation stars that could survive until today. The dust provides a pathway for cooling the gas that leads to fragmentation of the precursor molecular cloud into smaller clumps, which become the lower-mass stars.     

外赋AGB星s-元素丰度与金属丰度的关系

以内禀AGB星重元素丰度的演化和外赋AGB星重元素超丰的计算为基础,计算了外赋AGB星较重s-元素丰度、较轻s-元素丰度、重s-元素和s-元素丰度的比与平均中子辐照量的关系,从理论上定量解释了外赋AGB星s-元素与金属丰度的逆相关性.     

贫金属星的重核素丰度

利用太阳系的重核素丰度以及ｓ－过程、ｒ－过程的相对贡献,结合贫金属星重元素的观测值及星系化学演化的计算结果,计算了不同金属度贫金属星重核素丰度分布。     

有行星系统恒星的金属丰度研究

计算了7颗类太阳恒星（带有类似太阳的行星系统）的大气参数和多种金属无互的丰度，所有样本星的金属丰度平均值为0.101，其中HD98230的值为－0.271，相对其余6颗星的值小很多（其余6颗星的平均值为0.184），比银盘附近类太阳星的平均值（[Fe/H]≈-0.3）相对较高，计算结果表明行星系统的形成与恒星的富金属丰度存在着一定的联系。     

AGB星s-过程核合成:铁种子核受中子照射的概率

根据3种典型的AGB星s-过程核合成模型的中子辐照量分布,讨论了各恒星模型氦壳层区域内受中子照射的铁种子核数目比率(或铁种子核受中子照射的概率).该值在一定程度上反映了s-过程核合成模型的特点.结果表明,所有概率都随重叠因子r单调增加,r=1时,存在极限值1.在辐射s-过程核合成模型的情形,概率对13C壳层占氦壳层的质量比例q的变化很敏感.     

A stellar relic from the early Milky Way

The chemical composition of the most metal-deficient stars largely reflects the composition of the gas from which they formed. These old stars provide crucial clues to the star formation history and the synthesis of chemical elements in the early Universe. They are the local relics of epochs otherwise observable only at very high redshifts; if totally metal-free ('population III') stars could be found, this would allow the direct study of the pristine gas from the Big Bang. Earlier searches for such stars found none with an iron abundance less than 1/10,000 that of the Sun, leading to the suggestion that low-mass stars could form from clouds above a critical iron abundance. Here we report the discovery of a low-mass star with an iron abundance as low as 1/200,000 of the solar value. This discovery suggests that population III stars could still exist--that is, that the first generation of stars also contained long-lived low-mass objects. The previous failure to find them may be an observational selection effect.     

The formation of the first low-mass stars from gas with low carbon and oxygen abundances

The first stars in the Universe are predicted to have been much more massive than the Sun. Gravitational condensation, accompanied by cooling of the primordial gas via molecular hydrogen, yields a minimum fragmentation scale of a few hundred solar masses. Numerical simulations indicate that once a gas clump acquires this mass it undergoes a slow, quasi-hydrostatic contraction without further fragmentation; lower-mass stars cannot form. Here we show that as soon as the primordial gas--left over from the Big Bang--is enriched by elements ejected from supernovae to a carbon or oxygen abundance as small as approximately 0.01-0.1 per cent of that found in the Sun, cooling by singly ionized carbon or neutral oxygen can lead to the formation of low-mass stars by allowing cloud fragmentation to smaller clumps. This mechanism naturally accommodates the recent discovery of solar-mass stars with unusually low iron abundances (10(-5.3) solar) but with relatively high (10(-1.3) solar) carbon abundance. The critical abundances that we derive can be used to identify those metal-poor stars in our Galaxy with elemental patterns imprinted by the first supernovae. We also find that the minimum stellar mass at early epochs is partially regulated by the temperature of the cosmic microwave background.     

First-generation black-hole-forming supernovae and the metal abundance pattern of a very iron-poor star

It has been proposed theoretically that the first generation of stars in the Universe (population III) would be as massive as 100 solar masses (100 M(O)), because of inefficient cooling of the precursor gas clouds. Recently, the most iron-deficient (but still carbon-rich) low-mass star--HE0107-5240--was discovered. If this is a population III star that gained its metals (elements heavier than helium) after its formation, it would challenge the theoretical picture of the formation of the first stars. Here we report that the patterns of elemental abundance in HE0107-5240 (and other extremely metal-poor stars) are in good accord with the nucleosynthesis that occurs in stars with masses of 20-130 M(O) when they become supernovae if, during the explosions, the ejecta undergo substantial mixing and fallback to form massive black holes. Such supernovae have been observed. The abundance patterns are not, however, consistent with enrichment by supernovae from stars in the range 130-300 M(O). We accordingly infer that the first-generation supernovae came mostly from explosions of approximately 20-130 M(O) stars; some of these produced iron-poor but carbon- and oxygen-rich ejecta. Low-mass second-generation stars, like HE0107-5240, could form because the carbon and oxygen provided pathways for the gas to cool.     

A collimated, high-speed outflow from the dying star V Hydrae

Stars with masses in the range 1-8 solar masses (M(\circ)) live ordinary lives for approximately 10(9)-10(10) years, but die extraordinary deaths. First, during their death throes as asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars they eject, over 10(4)-10(5) years, half or more of their mass in slowly expanding, spherical winds, and then, in a short (a few 100-1,000 years) and poorly understood phase, they are transformed into aspherical planetary nebula. Recent studies support the idea that high-speed, jet-like flows play a crucial role in this transformation. Evidence for such outflows is indirect, however; this phase is so short that few nearby stars are likely to be caught in the act. Here we report the discovery of a newly launched, high-speed jet-like outflow in the nearby AGB star, V Hydrae. We have detected both proper motions and ongoing evolution in the jet. These results support a model in which the jet is driven by an accretion disk around an unseen, compact companion. We also find a central, dense equatorial disk-like structure which may enable and/or enhance the formation of the accretion disk.     

星系中子辐照量分布函数

先引入随时间t变化的星系中子辐照量分布函数gρal(t,τ)描述各演化阶段星系s-过程核素丰度的分布规律.利用星系化学演化的三成分模型导出星系中子辐照量分布函数的演化方程,从而建立星系的中子辐照量分布函数gρal(t,τ)与AGB星的中子辐照量分布函数ρAGB(τ)之间的关系.取AGB星中子辐照量为指数分布,当取t=t⊙时,得到了太阳系的中子辐照量分布Sρun(τ).     

AGB星He壳层内重核素丰度分布

以13C（α，n）16O及22Ne（α，n）25Mg作为双脉冲中子源，对于星族Ⅰ低质量AGB星，采用无分叉s-过程反应通道，结合最新恒星演化的计算结果，在各物理参量合理取值范围内，计算了He壳层内重核素核合成。结果表明，随着脉冲数的增加，逐渐达到渐近丰度分布。渐近分布达到后，He壳层内s-元素的丰度仅与平均中予辐照量τ0有关。     

An extrasolar planetary system with three Neptune-mass planets

Over the past two years, the search for low-mass extrasolar planets has led to the detection of seven so-called 'hot Neptunes' or 'super-Earths' around Sun-like stars. These planets have masses 5-20 times larger than the Earth and are mainly found on close-in orbits with periods of 2-15 days. Here we report a system of three Neptune-mass planets with periods of 8.67, 31.6 and 197 days, orbiting the nearby star HD 69830. This star was already known to show an infrared excess possibly caused by an asteroid belt within 1 au (the Sun-Earth distance). Simulations show that the system is in a dynamically stable configuration. Theoretical calculations favour a mainly rocky composition for both inner planets, while the outer planet probably has a significant gaseous envelope surrounding its rocky/icy core; the outer planet orbits within the habitable zone of this star.     

A probable stellar solution to the cosmological lithium discrepancy

The measurement of the cosmic microwave background has strongly constrained the cosmological parameters of the Universe. When the measured density of baryons (ordinary matter) is combined with standard Big Bang nucleosynthesis calculations, the amounts of hydrogen, helium and lithium produced shortly after the Big Bang can be predicted with unprecedented precision. The predicted primordial lithium abundance is a factor of two to three higher than the value measured in the atmospheres of old stars. With estimated errors of 10 to 25%, this cosmological lithium discrepancy seriously challenges our understanding of stellar physics, Big Bang nucleosynthesis or both. Certain modifications to nucleosynthesis have been proposed, but found experimentally not to be viable. Diffusion theory, however, predicts atmospheric abundances of stars to vary with time, which offers a possible explanation of the discrepancy. Here we report spectroscopic observations of stars in the metal-poor globular cluster NGC 6397 that reveal trends of atmospheric abundance with evolutionary stage for various elements. These element-specific trends are reproduced by stellar-evolution models with diffusion and turbulent mixing. We thus conclude that diffusion is predominantly responsible for the low apparent stellar lithium abundance in the atmospheres of old stars by transporting the lithium deep into the star.     

The excitation of solar-like oscillations in a δSct star by efficient envelope convection

Delta Scuti (δSct) stars are opacity-driven pulsators with masses of 1.5-2.5 M⊙, their pulsations resulting from the varying ionization of helium. In less massive stars such as the Sun, convection transports mass and energy through the outer 30 per cent of the star and excites a rich spectrum of resonant acoustic modes. Based on the solar example, with no firm theoretical basis, models predict that the convective envelope in δSct stars extends only about 1 per cent of the radius, but with sufficient energy to excite solar-like oscillations. This was not observed before the Kepler mission, so the presence of a convective envelope in the models has been questioned. Here we report the detection of solar-like oscillations in the δSct star HD187547, implying that surface convection operates efficiently in stars about twice as massive as the Sun, as the ad hoc models predicted.     

Revised rates for the stellar triple-alpha process from measurement of 12C nuclear resonances

In the centres of stars where the temperature is high enough, three alpha-particles (helium nuclei) are able to combine to form 12C because of a resonant reaction leading to a nuclear excited state. (Stars with masses greater than approximately 0.5 times that of the Sun will at some point in their lives have a central temperature high enough for this reaction to proceed.) Although the reaction rate is of critical significance for determining elemental abundances in the Universe, and for determining the size of the iron core of a star just before it goes supernova, it has hitherto been insufficiently determined. Here we report a measurement of the inverse process, where a 12C nucleus decays to three alpha-particles. We find a dominant resonance at an energy of approximately 11 MeV, but do not confirm the presence of a resonance at 9.1 MeV (ref. 3). We show that interference between two resonances has important effects on our measured spectrum. Using these data, we calculate the triple-alpha rate for temperatures from 10(7) K to 10(10) K and find significant deviations from the standard rates. Our rate below approximately 5 x 10(7) K is higher than the previous standard, implying that the critical amounts of carbon that catalysed hydrogen burning in the first stars are produced twice as fast as previously believed. At temperatures above 10(9) K, our rate is much less, which modifies predicted nucleosynthesis in supernovae.