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Spectroscopic observations of barium star ζ Capricornus (HD204075) obtained at the 8.2 m telescope of the European Southern Observatory, with a spectral resolving power R = 80,000 and signal to noise ratio greater than 300, were used to refine the atmospheric parameters. We found new values for effective temperature (Teff = 5,300 ± 50 K), surface gravity (log g = 1.82 ± 0.15), micro-turbulent velocity (vmicro = 2.52 ± 0.10 km/s), and iron abundance (log N (Fe) = 7.32 ± 0.06). Previously published abundances of chemical elements in the atmosphere of HD204075 were analyzed and no correlations of these abundances with the second ionization potentials of these elements were found. This excludes the possible influence of accretion of hydrogen and helium atoms from the interstellar or circumstellar environment to the atmosphere of this star. The accretion of nuclear processed matter from the evolved binary companion was primary cause of the abundance anomalies. The young age of HD204075 allows an estimation of the time-scale for the creation of the abundance anomalies arising from accretion of interstellar hydrogen and helium as is the case of stars with low magnetic fields; which we estimate should exceed 108 years.

We examine the composition of barium stars in the context of mass transfer from an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) companion. We accrete between 0.01 and 0.5 M$_\odot$ of AGB ejecta on to low mass companions of [Fe/H] = -0.25 at the ages expected for the end of the lives of AGB stars of 2.5, 3 and 4M$_\odot$. In each case, we form a star of 2.5 M$_\odot$ which is thought to be a typical barium star mass. We discuss the extent of dilution of accreted material as the star evolves, and describe the impact on the surface abundances. For accretion from a 2.5\ms\ primary, if the secondary's initial mass is 2.45 M$_\odot$ or more, accretion takes place when the secondary is undergoing core helium burning. Using data from the sample of De Castro et al., we attempt to fit the observed properties of 74 barium giants using the models we have computed. We find that all but six of these objects are best fit using ejecta from 2.5 M$_\odot$ (32 objects) or 3 M$_\odot$ (36 objects) AGB stars. Higher accretion masses are typically required when accreting from a lower mass companion. We find accretion masses that are broadly consistent with recent hydrodynamical simulations of wind mass transfer, though the accretion efficiency is toward the upper limit found in these simulations. For the 18 stars with reported orbital periods, we find no strong correlations between period and accretion mass., Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS 14/6/21

Barium (Ba), CH, and extrinsic or Tc-poor S-type stars are evolved low- and intermediate-mass stars that show enhancement of slow-neutron-capture-process elements on their surface, an indication of mass accretion from a former asymptotic giant branch (AGB) companion, which is now a white dwarf (WD). Ba and CH stars can be found in the main-sequence (MS), the sub-giant, and the giant phase, while extrinsic S-type stars populate the giant branches only. As these polluted stars evolve, they might be involved in a second phase of interaction with their now white dwarf companion. In this paper, we consider systems composed of a main-sequence Ba star and a WD companion when the former evolves along the Red Giant Branch (RGB). We want to determine if the orbital properties of the known population of Ba, CH, and S giants can be inferred from the evolution of their suspected dwarf progenitors. For this purpose, we use the BINSTAR binary evolution code and model MS+WD binary systems, considering different binary interaction mechanisms, such as a tidally-enhanced wind mass-loss and a reduced circularisation efficiency. To explore their impact on the second RGB ascent, we compare the modelled orbits with the observed period and eccentricity distributions of Ba and related giants. We show that, independently of the considered mechanism, there is a strong period cut off below which core-He burning stars should not be found in binary systems with a WD companion. This limit is shorter for more massive RGB stars and for more metal-poor systems. However, we still find a few low-mass short-period giant systems that are difficult to explain with our models as well as two systems with very high eccentricities., Accepted for publication in A&A

Barium stars are now primaries in a binary system with a former asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star. Here we compare some available AGB nucleosynthesis models and the observed s-process abundances of individual Ba star measurements to constrain the nature of the s-process in low mass AGB stars. After correcting the models with a dilution factor calculated for [Ce/Fe], we found that some of the sample stars show higher abundances for light s-process elements than the model predictions. This might be attributed to diffusive mixing in the stars.

We report the discovery of a spiral-like nebula with the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and the results of optical spectroscopy of its associated star TYC 8606-2025-1 with the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT). We find that TYC 8606-2025-1 is a G8 III star of $\approx3$ M$_\odot$, showing a carbon depletion by a factor of two and a nitrogen enhancement by a factor of three. We also derived an excess of s-process elements, most strongly for barium, which is a factor of three overabundant, indicating that TYC 8606-2025-1 is a mild barium star. We thereby add a new member to the small group of barium stars with circumstellar nebulae. Our radial velocity measurements indicate that TYC 8606-2025-1 has an unseen binary companion. The advanced evolutionary stage of TYC 8606-2025-1, together with the presence of a circumstellar nebula, implies an initial mass of the companion of also about 3 M$_\odot$. We conclude that the infrared nebula, due to its spiral shape, and because it has no optical counterpart, was ejected by the companion as a consequence of a very late thermal pulse, during about one orbital rotation., Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

We present a new abundance analysis of HD 55496, previously known as a metal-poor barium star. We found that HD 55496 has a metallicity [Fe/H] = −1.55 and is s-process enriched. We find that HD 55496 presents four chemical peculiarities: (i) a Na–O abundance anticorrelation; (ii) it is aluminium rich; (iii) it is carbon poor for an s-process enriched star, and (iv) the heavy second s-process peak elements, such as Ba, La, Ce, and Nd, present smaller abundances than the light s-process elements, such as Sr, Y, and Zr, which is not usually observed among the chemically peculiar binary stars at this metallicity. The heavy-element abundance pattern suggests that the main source of the neutrons is the 22Ne(α,n)25Mg reaction. Taking all these abundance evidences together into consideration strongly suggests that HD 55496 is a ‘second-generation of globular cluster stars’ formed from gas already strongly enriched in s-process elements and now is a field halo object. Our dynamical analysis, however, indicates that the past encounter probabilities with the known globular clusters are very low ($\le \!6{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$). This evidence, together with the retrograde motion, points to a halo intruder possibly originated from the tidal disruption of a dwarf galaxy.

Context. Barium stars are s-process enriched giants. They owe their chemical peculiarities to a past mass transfer phase. During this phase they were polluted by their binary companion, which at the time was an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star, but is now an extinct white dwarf. Barium stars are thus ideal targets for understanding and constraining the s-process in low-and intermediate-mass AGB stars. Aims. We derive the abundances of a large number of heavy elements in order to shed light on the conditions of operation of the neutron source responsible for the production of s-elements in the former companions of the barium stars. Methods. Adopting a recently used methodology, we analyse a sample of eighteen highly enriched barium stars observed with the high-resolution HERMES spectrograph mounted on the Mercator telescope (La Palma). We determine the stellar parameters and abundances using MARCS model atmospheres. In particular, we derive the Nb-Zr ratio which was previously shown to be a sensitive thermometer for the s-process nucleosynthesis. Indeed, in barium stars, 93Zr has fully decayed into mono-isotopic 93Nb, so Nb/Zr is a measure of the temperature-sensitive 93Zr/Zr isotopic ratio. Results. HD 28159, previously classified as K5III and initially selected to serve as a reference cool K star for our abundance analysis, turns out to be enriched in s-process elements, and as such is a new barium star. Four stars are characterised by high nitrogen abundances, and among those three have high [Nb/Zr] and [hs/ls] ratios. The derived Zr and Nb abundances provide more accurate constraints on the s-process neutron source, identified to be 13C(α, n)16O for barium stars. The comparison with stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis models shows that the investigated barium stars were polluted by a low-mass (M ∼ 2-3 M⊙) AGB star. HD 100503 is potentially identified as a high metallicity analogue of carbon-enhanced metal-poor star enriched in both r-and s-process elements (CEMP-rs)., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Barium (Ba) stars form via mass-transfer in binary systems, and can subsequently interact with their white dwarf companion in a second stage of binary interaction. We used observations of main-sequence Ba systems as input for our evolutionary models, and try to reproduce the orbits of the Ba giants. We show that to explain short and sometimes eccentric orbits, additional interaction mechanisms are needed along the RGB., SCOPUS: ar.k, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Context. Barium and S stars without technetium are red giants and are suspected of being members of binary systems due to their overabundances in heavy elements. These elements are produced by the s-process of nucleosynthesis, despite the stars not being evolved enough to be able to activate the s-process in their interiors. A companion formerly on the asymptotic giant branch (now a white dwarf) is supposed to be responsible for the barium-And S-star enrichment in s-process elements through mass transfer. Aims. This paper provides both long-period and revised orbits for barium and S stars, adding to previously published orbits. The sample of barium stars with strong anomalies (i.e. those classified as Ba3, Ba4, or Ba5 in the Warner scale) comprises all known stars of that kind, and in that sense forms a complete sample that allows us to investigate several orbital properties of these post-mass-Transfer binaries in an unbiased way. Methods. Orbital elements are derived from radial velocities collected from a long-Term radial-velocity monitoring campaign performed with the HERMES spectrograph mounted on the Mercator 1.2m telescope. These new measurements were combined with older, CORAVEL measurements. With the aim of investigating possible correlations between orbital properties and abundances, we also collected a set of abundances for barium stars with orbital elements that is as homogeneous as possible. When unavailable in the literature, abundances were derived from high-resolution HERMES spectra. Results. We find orbital motion for all barium and extrinsic S stars monitored (except for the mild barium star HD95345). We obtain the longest period known so far for a spectroscopic binary involving an S star, namely 57 Peg with a period of the order of 100-500 yr. We present the mass distribution for the barium stars, which ranges from 1 to 3 Ṁ, with a tail extending up to 5 M ·in the case of mild barium stars. This high-mass tail is mostly comprised of high-metallicity objects ([Fe/H] ≥-0:1). The distribution of the companion masses was extracted from the barium-star mass distribution combined with the finding that Q = f (MBa; MWD)= sin3 i = M3 WD=(MBa + MWD)2 is peaked at 0:057 ± 0:009 and 0:036 ± 0:027 M ·for strong and mild barium stars, respectively ( f (MBa; MWD) is the mass function obtained from the orbital elements of spectroscopic binaries with one observable spectrum). Mass functions are compatible with WD companions whose masses range from 0.5 to 1 M·. Strong barium stars have a tendency to be found in systems with shorter periods than mild barium stars, although this correlation is rather lose, with metallicity and WD mass also playing a role. Using the initialfinal mass relationship established for field WDs, we derived the distribution of the mass ratio q0 = MAGB;ini=MBa (where MAGB;ini is the WD progenitor initial mass, i.e. the mass of the former primary component of the system) which is a proxy for the initial mass ratio (the less mass the barium star has accreted, the better the proxy). It appears that the distribution of q0 is highly nonuniform, and significantly different for mild and strong barium stars, the latter being characterized by values mostly in excess of 1.4, whereas mild barium stars occupy the range 1-1.4. Conclusions. The orbital properties presented in this paper pave the way for a comparison with binary-evolution and nucleosynthesis models, which should account for the various significant correlations found between abundances and dynamical parameters (e.g. between MBa on one hand and MWD, [Fe/H], and [s/Fe] on the other hand, between q0 and [s/Fe], between P and e, and between P and [s/Fe] altogether)., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Abell 70 (PN G038.1-25.4, hereafter A 70) is a planetary nebula (PN) known for its diamond ring appearance due a superposition with a background galaxy. The previously unstudied central star is found to be a binary consisting of a G8IV-V secondary at optical wavelengths and a hot white dwarf (WD) at UV wavelengths. The secondary shows Ba II and Sr II features enhanced for its spectral type that, combined with the chromospheric Halpha emission and possible 20-30 km/s radial velocity amplitude, firmly classifies the binary as a Barium star. The proposed origin of Barium stars is intimately linked to PNe whereby wind accretion pollutes the companion with dredged-up material rich in carbon and s-process elements when the primary is experiencing thermal pulses on the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB). A 70 provides further evidence for this scenario together with the other very few examples of Barium central stars. The nebula is found to have Type-I chemical abundances with helium and nitrogen enrichment, which when combined with future abundance studies of the central star, will establish A 70 as a unique laboratory for studying s-process AGB nucleosynthesis. We also discuss guidelines to discover more binary central stars with cool secondaries in large orbits that are required to balance our knowledge of binarity in PNe against the currently better studied post common-envelope binary central stars.

Abell 70 is a planetary nebula (PN) whose nucleus at optical wavelengths is a G8 star with enhanced carbon and s-process abundances--a "barium star." The cool star is a binary companion of the true, hot central star. In several other members of this rare class, the cool star is known to rotate with a period of only a few days. This is attributed to a spin-up that occurred due to accretion from the wind of the central star during its post-AGB PN ejection; this also accounts for the unusual chemical composition of the companion's photosphere. We obtained photometry of the central star of Abell 70 on 104 nights in 2010-11, and find a periodic 2.061-day variation, but with a variable amplitude--indicating that the variability is due to starspots on a chromospherically active star. Abell 70 thus joins other members of this class in having a rapidly rotating and chemically peculiar late-type companion of the hot central star.

Aims. We determined the atmospheric parameters and abundance pattern of two chemically peculiar metal-poor stars: HD 10613 and BD+04 ◦ 2466 in order to better understand their evolutionary state and the nature of the s-element enhancement of these stars. Methods. We used high resolution optical spectroscopy. Atmospheric parameters and abundances were determined in the localthermodynamic-equilibrium model atmospheres of Kurucz using the spectral analysis code MOOG. Results. We conclude that HD 10613 is another metal-poor barium star with C/O = 0.52 and [Fe/H] = −0.82, while BD+04 ◦ 2466 is a CH star with C/O = 3.6 and [Fe/H] = −1.92 rather than a metal-deficient barium star as it was previously classified. BD+04 ◦ 2466 appears to be enriched in lead with [Pb/Ce] =+ 0.85 and [Pb/La] =+ 0.72. For BD+04 ◦ 2466 the abundance of lead is in agreement with predictions from AGB models. Due to the low luminosity of these two stars, their observed s-process overabundance is better explained by mass-transfer in the past from an AGB star.

We derive carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and lithium abundances as well as 12C/13C isotopic ratios in two chemically peculiar red giant stars: HD 104340 and HD 206983. The abundances were determined via spectrum synthesis of optical high-resolution spectra containing C2, CH, CN, [O I], and Li I lines. Our results indicate that HD 206983 is a barium star, while HD 104340, although showing enhancements of s-process elements, should not be considered as a classical barium star: its barium star nature can be explained by internal nucleosynthesis. The low metallicity giant HD 104340 can experience deeper convective mixing and, consequently, a larger dredge-up of CNO-cycle products compared to normal red giants. The light element abundance pattern of HD 104340 resembles anomalies resulting from the appearance on the stellar surface of material enriched by triple-α and CNO cycling.

Many binary stellar systems in which the primary star is beyond the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) evolutionary phase show significant orbital eccentricities whereas current binary interaction models predict their orbits to be circularised. We analyse how the orbital parameters in a system are modified under mass loss and mass exchange among its binary components and propose a model for enhanced mass-loss from the AGB star due to tidal interaction with its companion, which allows a smooth transition between the wind and Roche-lobe overflow mass-loss regimes. We explicitly follow its effect along the orbit on the change of eccentricity and orbital semi-major axis, as well as the effect of accretion by the companion. We calculate timescales for the variation of these orbital parameters and compare them to the tidal circularisation timescale. We find that in many cases, due to the enhanced mass loss of the AGB component at orbital phases closer to the periastron, the net eccentricity growth rate in one orbit is comparable to the rate of tidal circularisation. We show that with this eccentricity enhancing mechanism it is possible to reproduce the orbital period and eccentricity of the Sirius system, which under the standard assumptions of binary interaction is expected to be circularised. We also show that this mechanism may provide an explanation for the eccentricities of most barium star systems, which are expected to be circularised due to tidal dissipation. By proposing a tidally enhanced model of mass loss from AGB stars we find a mechanism which efficiently works against the tidal circularisation of the orbit, which explains the significant eccentricities observed in binary systems containing a white dwarf and a less evolved companion, such as Sirius and systems with barium stars., 9 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics on 24th of October of 2007

Context. The enrichment in s-process elements of barium stars is known to be due to pollution by mass transfer from a companion formerly on the thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch (AGB), now a carbon-oxygen white-dwarf (WD). Aims. We are investigating the relationship between the s-process enrichment in the barium star and the mass of its WD companion. It is expected that helium WDs, which have masses lower than about 0.5 M⊙ and never reached the AGB phase, should not pollute their giant companion with s-process elements. Therefore the companion should never turn into a barium star. Methods. Spectra with a resolution of R ∼ 86 000 were obtained with the HERMES spectrograph on the 1.2 m Mercator telescope for a sample of 11 binary systems involving WD companions of various masses. We used standard 1D local thermodynamical equilibrium MARCS model atmospheres coupled with the Turbospectrum radiative-transfer code that is embedded in the BACCHUS pipeline to derive the atmospheric parameters through equivalent widths of Fe I and Fe II lines. Least-squares minimization between the observed and synthetic line shape was used to derive the detailed chemical abundances of CNO and s-process elements. Results. The abundances of s-process elements for the entire sample of 11 binary stars were derived homogeneously. The sample encompasses all levels of overabundances: from solar [s/Fe] = 0 to 1.5 dex in the two binary systems with S-star primaries (for which dedicated MARCS model atmospheres were used). The primary components of binary systems with a WD more massive than 0.5 M⊙ are enriched in s-process elements. We also found a trend of increasing [s/Fe] with [C/Fe] or [(C+N)/Fe]. Conclusions. Our results confirm the expectation that binary systems with WD companions less massive than 0.5 M⊙ do not host barium stars., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

HD 44179 is the binary, post-asymptotic giant branch, central star of the Red Rectangle Nebula. Echelle spectra of the star have been obtained over a wavelength range from about 3800 to 10000 A at a resolving power R = 38,000. A maximum S/N of 850 was achieved near 6800 A. Fifty-seven identified atomic or ionic emission lines of 12 elements are detected in the star's spectrum, along with 76 emission lines of CH, CH+, or CN. Three other CN lines are also present in absorption. Fewer than 30 of these 136 lines apparently have been previously reported, and the newly detected species include N II, Mg I, S II, K I, Fe I, Fe II, Rb I, Ba II, CH, and CN. On the basis of their shapes and widths, the line profiles of the various species can be classified into three groups: narrow, broad, or double-peaked. The emission apparently originates in an unusual, compact H II region and in associated neutral gas, both concentrated primarily within the small, dusty torus that optically obscures the central star. The detection of the Ba II emission from the gas may support the hypothesis of Waelkens et al. that HD 44179 is destined to become a barium star.

We have carried out a series of Monte Carlo simulations to study the distributions of the orbital elements of normal red giant binary systems and barium stars with the wind accretion model under the condition of total angular momentum conservation. Since barium star systems have evolved from normal red giant binary systems, their distributions of orbital eccentricities and periods exhibit the characteristics of the final orbits of binaries after mass accretion. Our calculations show that in the process of wind accretion and in the mass-losing stage, the system gets bigger, and its orbital period increases, while the orbital eccentricity does not vary much. This can explain the various features in the distributions of the orbital elements of normal red giant binary systems and barium stars, as well as features in the distribution of the heavy-element abundances of barium stars.

WeBo 1 (PN G135.6+01.0), a previously unrecognized planetary nebula with a remarkable thin-ring morphology, was discovered serendipitously on Digitized Sky Survey images. The central star is found to be a late-type giant with overabundances of carbon and s-process elements. The giant is chromospherically active and photometrically variable, with a probable period of 4.7 days; this suggests that the star is spotted, and that 4.7 days is its rotation period. We propose a scenario in which one component of a binary system became an AGB star with a dense stellar wind enriched in C and s-process elements; a portion of the wind was accreted by the companion, contaminating its atmosphere and spinning up its rotation. The AGB star has now become a hot subdwarf, leaving the optical companion as a freshly contaminated barium star inside an ionized planetary nebula.

Abundance studies of solar-type stars revealed a small fraction of objects with extreme depletion of beryllium. We investigate the possible link between the beryllium depletion and the presence of companions. The classical methods (radial velocity, astrometry, imaging) used to search for binary companions were exploited. We also performed a chemical analysis to identify binaries by the alteration in abundances that is produced by the accretion of material lost by a former evolved companion. We found that all the four previously investigated stars that were found to be ultra--depleted in Be are binaries. In two cases the companion is a white dwarf, and in the other two cases the companion might be a white dwarf or a main-sequence star. One new barium star was identified. We speculate that the interaction with the white dwarf progenitor caused an alteration in the abundance pattern of the star, which resulted in severe beryllium depletion. Possible mechanisms such as thermohaline mixing, episodic accretion, and rotational mixing are discussed. We also briefly discuss predictions for validating this scenario, Comment: Astronomy & Astrophysics, in press, 6 pages, 3 figures

In order to increase the completeness of the investigations of stellar abundances, we can use spectrum synthesis method, new atomic data and observation of stellar spectra with resolution comparable to solar spectral atlases. We made a brief review of main problems of these three ways. We present new results of abundance determinations in the atmospheres of four stars. The first is the implementation of new atomic data to well known Przybylski`s star. We show that the number of spectral lines, which can be identificated in the spectrum of this star, can be significantly higher. The second example is the investigation of Cyg. We found the abundances of 51 elements in the atmosphere of this mild barium star. The third example is halo star HD221170. Our preliminary abundance pattern consists of 42 elements. The heaviest elements in this pattern are U and Th. The last star is the spectroscopic binary HD153720. The number of elements investigated in the spectra of components of this star is not large, but the results show that the components are Am-stars.

V471 Tauri is a short-period eclipsing binary, and a member of the Hyades. It is composed of a hot DA white dwarf (WD) and a cool main-sequence dK2 companion. HST radial velocities of the WD, in combination with the ground-based spectroscopic orbit of the K star, yield dynamical masses of MWD = 0.84 and MdK = 0.93 M⊙. During the UV observations we serendipitously detected coronal mass ejections from the K star, passing in front of the WD and appearing as sudden, transient metallic absorption. Eclipse timings show that the active dK star is 18% larger than a main-sequence star of the same mass, an apparent consequence of its extensive starspot coverage. The high Teff and high mass of the WD are paradoxical: the WD is the most massive in the Hyades, but also the youngest. A plausible scenario is that the progenitor system was a triple, with a close inner pair that merged after several × 108 yr to produce a single blue straggler. When this star evolved to the AGB phase, it underwent a common-envelope interaction with a distant dK companion, which spiraled down to its present separation and ejected the envelope. The common-envelope efficiency parameter, αCE, was of order 0.3–1.0, in good agreement with recent hydrodynamical simulations.SuWt 2 is a southern-hemisphere planetary nebula (PN) with an unusual ring-shaped morphology. The central star is an eclipsing binary with a period of 4.9 days. Surprisingly, the binary is composed of two main-sequence A-type stars with similar masses of ~ 2.5 M⊙. We discuss scenarios involving a third companion which ejected and ionizes the PN.WeBo 1 is a northern PN with a ring morphology remarkably similar to that of SuWt 2. Although we hoped that its central star would shed light on the nature of SuWt 2, it has proven instead to be a late-type barium star!

We present initial results from a Hubble Space Telescope ultraviolet imaging survey of stars known to have hot white-dwarf companions which are unresolved from the ground. The hot companions, discovered through their EUV or UV emission, are hidden by the overwhelming brightnesses of the primary stars at visible wavelengths. Out of 17 targets observed, we have resolved eight of them with the Wide Field Planetary Camera~2, using various ultraviolet filters. Most of the implied orbital periods for the resolved systems are hundreds to thousands of years, but in at least three cases (56 Persei, zeta Cygni, and REJ1925-566) it shouldbe possible to detect the orbital motions within the next few years, and they may eventually yield new dynamically determined masses for the white-dwarf components. The 56 Persei and 14 Aurigae systems are found to be quadruple and quintuple, respectively, including the known optical components as well as the newly resolved white-dwarf companions. The mild barium star zeta Cygni, known to have an 18 year spectroscopic period, is marginally resolved. All of these new resolved Sirius-type binaries will be useful in determining gravitational redshifts and masses of the white-dwarf components., Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, to be published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

With the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) we have observed four barium stars, three mild barium stars, and one weak G-band star in the ultraviolet spectral region. One barium star was observed with HST and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). The aim was to check the hypothesis that all these peculiar stars have white dwarf (WD) companions, which at their asymptotic giant branch phase transferred mass with peculiar element abundances to the present barium and CH peculiar stars. Assuming that the ultraviolet continua of the cool giants, including the barium stars, are generated in their chromospheres and that the relations between the continua and the emission lines created in the chromospheres and transition layers are similar in field giants and barium stars, we found that, indeed, most of our target barium and weak barium stars appear to have excess flux in the UV when compared to standard giant stars. For most of the stars the excess flux can be attributed to WD companions with temperatures between 10,000 and 12,000 K, if the WD mass is about 0.6 M☉. Cooling times for the WDs were derived from their effective temperatures and model calculations by M. Wood. The calculated cooling times are longer than the lifetimes of the barium stars on the giant branch. For our target stars the mass transfer therefore happened while they were still on the main sequence. For two of the mild barium stars and one or perhaps two barium stars the derived cooling times for the WD companions come out to be longer than the total evolutionary times of the barium stars as calculated by Schaller et al. If our derivations are correct (the error bars are rather large) then either evolutionary models with larger convective overshoot have to be used for the barium stars or the cooling times of the white dwarfs have to be revised downward. Possibly an additional (as yet unknown) cooling mechanism has to be considered? The weak G-band star HD 165634, which has a carbon underabundance of about a factor of 10, also appears to have a WD companion. We discuss the implications of this very low carbon abundance.

We report on the analysis of high-resolution optical spectra of the yellow component of the symbiotic star He2-467. The chemical composition of its atmosphere reveals He2-467 to be a metal-poor K giant with [Fe/H] = -1.1. From a set of 14 Fe I lines, its radial velocity is found to be -106.9 ± 0.5 km s-1. This high velocity plus low metallicity points to He2-467 being a halo star. The K giant in He2-467 is also enriched in the heavy s-process elements. Because its luminosity is below that for an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star that could have commenced shell helium-burning (via thermal pulses) and become self-enriched in the neutron-capture elements, we ascribe its heavy-element excess to the barium star phenomenon. In this scenario, the secondary component accreted matter from the primary (now the white dwarf) when it was a thermally pulsing AGB star overabundant in s-process elements. The heavy-element abundance distribution of He2-467, as well as its atmospheric parameters, is almost identical to two yellow symbiotics analyzed previously, AG Dra and BD -21°3873. In particular, its neutron exposure parameter, τ, which characterizes the s-process abundance distribution, is larger than for solar metallicities (with a single-exposure τ = 1.1 millibarn-1). Also, analysis of the rubidium abundance in He2-467 reveals that the s-process ratio of N(Rb)/N(Zr) is much larger than for solar metallicity s-process material, indicating that the s-process neutron density is considerably larger at lower metallicities, in agreement with the 13C(α, n)16O neutron source.

This paper provides orbital parameters for 38 barium stars and 10 extrinsic S stars derived from a decade-long CORAVEL monitoring. Lower bounds on the orbital period (generally exceeding 10 y) have been obtained for 10 more systems. Mira S, SC and (Tc-poor) C stars have also been monitored and show intrinsic radial-velocity variations due to atmospheric phenomena. Tentative orbital solutions are proposed for 3 stars (S UMa, X Cnc, BD-08:1900) where the velocity and photometric periods are different. Three stars (RZ Peg, SS Vir and R CMi) exhibit radial-velocity variations synchronous with the light variations. Pseudo-orbital solutions have been derived for those stars. In the case of RZ Peg, a line-doubling phenomenon is observed near maximum light, and probably reflects the shock wave propagating through the photosphere., Comment: Astronomy & Astrophysics Supplements, 20 pages, 8 figures, 8 tables (LaTeX). Also available at: http://obswww.unige.ch/~udry/cine/barium/barium.html

CNO and Li abundances and 12C/13C isotopic ratios have been derived for two metal-poor Ba giants, HD 104340 and HD 206983, and two CH subgiants, HD 50264 and HD 87080. High resolution spectra obtained with the 1.52 m telescope and the FEROS echelle spectrograph at ESO, La Silla, Chile, were used in this study. CNO and Li abundances so as 12C/13C isotopic ratios were determined by applying the synthetic spectrum method to the lines of C2, CH, CN, [O I’ and Li I. Our analysis showed that the giant stars studied here have quite different natures: HD 206983 is a metal-poor barium star while HD 104340, although showing enhancement of s-process elements, should not be considered as a classical barium star: its barium syndrome can be explained by internal nucleosynthesis. The low metallicity giant HD 104340 can experience deeper convective mixing and, consequently, a larger dredge-up of CNO-cycle products compared to normal red giants. Light element abundance pattern of HD 104340 resembles anomalies resulting from the appearance on the stellar surface of material enriched in triple-α and CNO cycling.

The young solar-type star HR 6094 is found to be a barium dwarf, overabundant in the s-process elements as well as deficient in C. It is a member of the solar-metallicity, 0.3 Gyr old Ursa Major kinematical group. Measurements of radial velocity and ultraviolet flux do not support the attribution of such abundance anomalies to an unseen degenerate companion. A common proper motion, V = 10, DA white dwarf (WD), located 5360 AU away, however, strongly supports the explanation of the origin of this barium star by the process of mass transfer in a binary system, in which the secondary component accreted matter from the primary one (now the WD) when it was an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star self-enriched in the s-process elements. The membership in the UMa group of another s-process-rich and C-deficient star, HR 2047, suggests that these stars could have formed a multiple system in the past, which was disrupted by the mass-loss episode of the former AGB star. Their [C/Fe] deficiency could be explained by the action of the hot-bottomed envelope burning process in the late AGB, thereby reconverting it from a C-rich to an O-rich star, depleting C while enriching its envelope with Li and neutron capture elements. This is the first identification of the barium phenomenon in a near-zero-age star, besides being the first barium system in which the remnant of the late AGB star responsible for the heavy-element enrichment may have been directly spotted.

Smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) is used to estimate accretion rates of mass, linear and angular momentum in a binary system where one component undergoes mass loss through a wind. Physical parameters are chosen such as to model the alleged binary precursors of barium stars, whose chemical peculiarities are believed to result from the accretion of the wind from a companion formerly on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB). The binary system modelled consists of a 3 solar masses AGB star on the main sequence, in a 3AU circular orbit. Three-dimensional simulations are performed for gases with polytropic indices gamma=1, 1.1 and 1.5, to bracket more realistic situations that would include radiative cooling. Mass accretion rates are found to depend on resolution and we estimate typical values of 1-2% for the gamma=1.5 case and 8% for the other models. The highest resolution obtained (with 400k particles) corresponds to an accretor of linear size 16 solar radii. Despite being (in the gamma = 1.5 case) about ten times smaller than theoretical estimates based on the Bondi-Hoyle prescription, the SPH accretion rates remain large enough to explain the pollution of barium stars. Uncertainties in the current SPH rates remain however, due to the simplified treatment of the wind acceleration mechanism, as well as to the absence of any cooling prescription and to the limited numerical resolution. Angular momentum transfer leads to significant spin up of the accretor and can account for the rapid rotation of HD165141, a barium star with a young white dwarf companion and a rotation rate unusually large among K giants., Comment: 13 pages, mn style, 5 figures, to be published by MNRAS

Context. A complete set of orbital parameters for barium stars, including the longest orbits, has recently been obtained thanks to a radial-velocity monitoring with the HERMES spectrograph installed on the Flemish Mercator telescope. Barium stars are supposed to belong to post-mass-transfer systems. Aims. In order to identify diagnostics distinguishing between pre- and post-mass-transfer systems, the properties of barium stars (more precisely their mass-function distribution and their period-eccentricity (P-e) diagram) are compared to those of binary red giants in open clusters. As a side product, we aim to identify possible post-mass-transfer systems among the cluster giants from the presence of s-process overabundances. We investigate the relation between the s-process enrichment, the location in the (P-e) diagram, and the cluster metallicity and turn-off mass. Methods. To invert the mass-function distribution and derive the mass-ratio distribution, we used the method pioneered by Boffin et al. (1992) that relies on a Richardson-Lucy deconvolution algorithm. The derivation of s-process abundances in the open-cluster giants was performed through spectral synthesis with MARCS model atmospheres. Results. A fraction of 22% of post-mass-transfer systems is found among the cluster binary giants (with companion masses between 0.58 and 0.87 M⊙, typical for white dwarfs), and these systems occupy a wider area than barium stars in the (P-e) diagram. Barium stars have on average lower eccentricities at a given orbital period. When the sample of binary giant stars in clusters is restricted to the subsample of systems occupying the same locus as the barium stars in the (P-e) diagram, and with a mass function compatible with a WD companion, 33% (=4/12) show a chemical signature of mass transfer in the form of s-process overabundances (from rather moderate - about 0.3 dex - to more extreme - about 1 dex). The only strong barium star in our sample is found in the cluster with the lowest metallicity in the sample (i.e. star 173 in NGC 2420, with [Fe/H] = -0.26), whereas the barium stars with mild s-process abundance anomalies (from 0.25 to 0.6 dex) are found in the clusters with slightly subsolar metallicities. Our finding confirms the classical prediction that the s-process nucleosynthesis is more efficient at low metallicities, since the s-process overabundance is not clearly correlated with the cluster turn-off (TO) mass; such a correlation would instead hint at the importance of the dilution factor. We also find a mild barium star in NGC 2335, a cluster with a large TO mass of 4.3 M⊙, which implies that asymptotic giant branch stars that massive still operate the s-process and the third dredge-up., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Classical barium stars are binary systems which consist of a late-type giant enriched in carbon and slow neutron capture (s-process) elements and an evolved white dwarf (WD) that is invisible at optical wavelengths. The youngest observed barium stars are surrounded by planetary nebulae (PNe), ejected soon after the wind accretion of polluted material when the WD was in its preceeding asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase. Such systems are rare but powerful laboratories for studying AGB nucleosynthesis as we can measure the chemical abundances of both the polluted star and the nebula ejected by the polluter. Here we present evidence for a barium star in the PN Hen 2-39. The polluted giant is very similar to that found in WeBo 1. It is a cool (Teff=4250 +/- 150 K) giant enhanced in carbon ([C/H]=0.42 +/- 0.02 dex) and barium ([Ba/Fe]=1.50 +/- 0.25 dex). A spectral type of C-R3 C_24 nominally places Hen 2-39 amongst the peculiar early R-type carbon stars, however the barium enhancement and likely binary status mean that it is more likely to be a barium star with similar properties, rather than a true member of this class. An AGB star model of initial mass 1.8 Msun and a relatively large carbon pocket size can reproduce the observed abundances well, provided mass is transferred in a highly conservative way from the AGB star to the polluted star (e.g. wind Roche-lobe overflow). The nebula exhibits an apparent ring morphology in keeping with the other PNe around barium stars (WeBo 1 and A 70) and shows a high degree of ionization implying the presence of an invisible hot pre-WD companion that will require confirmation with UV observations. In contrast to A 70, the nebular chemical abundance pattern is consistent with non-Type I PNe, in keeping with the trend found from nebular s-process studies that non-Type I PNe are more likely to be s-process enhanced. (abridged), Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 15 pages, 8 figures and 8 tables

The enrichment of barium stars in s-process elements is known to be due to pollution by mass transfer from an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) companion star, now an extincted C-O white-dwarf (McClure et al. [4]; Gray et al. [1]). We investigate the relationship between the level of enrichment in s-process elements in the barium star and the mass of its white dwarf (WD) companion. It is expected that helium WDs, which have masses smaller than about 0.5 M⊙ and whose progenitor never reached the AGB phase, should not pollute with s-process elements their giant companion. That companion should thus never turn into a barium star. Our results conform to the expectation that binary systems with WD companions less massive than 0.5 M⊙ do not host barium stars., info:eu-repo/semantics/published

We have found the central star of Abell 70 (PN G038.1-25.4, hereafter A 70) to be a binary consisting of a G8 IV-V secondary and a hot white dwarf. The secondary shows enhanced Ba II and Sr II features, firmly classifying it as a barium star. The nebula is found to have Type-I chemical abundances with helium and nitrogen enrichment, which combined with future abundance studies of the central star, will establish A 70 as a unique laboratory for studying s-process AGB nucleosynthesis., Comment: To be published in IAU Symp. 283: Planetary Nebulae, an Eye to the Future; 2 pages

The formation mechanism of the barium stars is thought to be well understood. Barium-rich material, lost in a stellar wind from a thermally-pulsing asymptotic-giant branch star in a binary system, is accreted by its companion main-sequence star. Now, many millions of years later, the primary is an unseen white dwarf and the secondary has itself evolved into a giant which displays absorption lines of barium in its spectrum and is what we call a barium star. A similar wind-accretion mechanism is also thought to form the low-metallicity CH and carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars. Qualitatively the picture seems clear but quantitatively it is decidedly murky: several key outstanding problems remain which challenge our basic understanding of binary-star physics. Barium stars with orbital periods less than about 4,000 days should -- according to theory -- be in circular orbits because of tidal dissipation, yet they are often observed to be eccentric. Only one barium-star period longer than 10^4 days has been published although such stars are predicted to exist in large numbers. In this paper we attempt to shed light on these problems. First, we consider the impact of kicking the white dwarf at its birth, a notion which is supported by independent evidence from studies of globular clusters. Second, we increase the amount of orbital angular momentum loss during wind mass transfer, which shrinks barium-star binaries to the required period range. We conclude with a discussion of possible physical mechanisms and implications of a kick, such as the break up of wide barium-star binaries and the limits imposed on our models by observations., 7 pages, 6 figures

Barium stars are extrinsic Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars. They present the s-enhancement characteristic for AGB and post-AGB stars, but are in an earlier evolutionary stage (main sequence dwarfs, subgiants, red giants). They are believed to form in binary systems, where a more massive companion evolved faster, produced the s-elements during its AGB phase, polluted the present barium star through stellar winds and became a white dwarf. The samples of barium stars of Allen & Barbuy (2006) and of Smiljanic et al. (2007) are analysed here. Spectra of both samples were obtained at high-resolution and high S/N. We compare these observations with AGB nucleosynthesis models using different initial masses and a spread of 13C-pocket efficiencies. Once a consistent solution is found for the whole elemental distribution of abundances, a proper dilution factor is applied. This dilution is explained by the fact that the s-rich material transferred from the AGB to the nowadays observed stars is mixed with the envelope of the accretor. We also analyse the mass transfer process, and obtain the wind velocity for giants and subgiants with known orbital period. We find evidence that thermohaline mixing is acting inside main sequence dwarfs and we present a method for estimating its depth., 8 pages, 11 figures, 6 tables

We present a detailed analysis of 26 barium stars, including dwarf barium stars, providing their atmospheric parameters (Teff, log g, [Fe/H], vt) and elemental abundances. We aim at deriving gravities and luminosity classes of the sample stars, in particular to confirm the existence of dwarf barium stars. Accurate abundances of chemical elements were derived. Abundance ratios between nucleosynthetic processes, by using Eu and Ba as representatives of the r- and s-processes are presented. High-resolution spectra with the FEROS spectrograph at the ESO-1.5m Telescope, and photometric data with Fotrap at the Zeiss telescope at the LNA were obtained. The atmospheric parameters were derived in an iterative way, with temperatures obtained from colour-temperature calibrations. The abundances were derived using spectrum synthesis for Li, Na, Al, alpha-, iron peak, s- and r-elements atomic lines, and C and N molecular lines. Atmospheric parameters in the range 4300 < Teff < 6500, -1.2 < [Fe/H] < 0.0 and 1.4 < log g < 4.6 were derived, confirming that our sample contains giants, subgiants and dwarfs. The abundance results obtained for Li, Al, Na, alpha- and iron peak elements for the sample stars show that they are compatible with the values found in the literature for normal disk stars in the same range of metallicities. Enhancements of C, N and heavy elements relative to Fe, that characterise barium stars, were derived and showed that [X/Ba] vs. [Ba/H] and [X/Ba] vs. [Fe/H] present different behaviour as compared to [X/Eu] vs. [Eu/H] and [X/Eu] vs. [Fe/H], reflecting the different nucleosynthetic sites for the s- and r-processes., 32 pages including 18 figures, accepted to A&A

Barium stars show enhanced abundances of the slow neutron capture (s-process) heavy elements, and for this reason they are suitable objects for the study of s-process elements. The aim of this work is to quantify the contributions of the s-, r- and p-processes for the total abundance of heavy elements from abundances derived for a sample of 26 barium stars. The abundance ratios between these processes and neutron exposures were studied. The abundances of the sample stars were compared to those of normal stars thus identifying the fraction relative to the s-process main component. The fittings of the sigmaN curves (neutron capture cross section times abundance, plotted against atomic mass number) for the sample stars suggest that the material from the companion asymptotic giant branch star had approximately the solar isotopic composition as concerns fractions of abundances relative to the s-process main component. The abundance ratios of heavy elements, hs, ls and s and the computed neutron exposure are similar to those of post-AGB stars. For some sample stars, an exponential neutron exposure fits well the observed data, whereas for others, a single neutron exposure provides a better fit. The comparison between barium and AGB stars supports the hypothesis of binarity for the barium star formation. Abundances of r-elements that are part of the s-process path in barium stars are usually higher than those in normal stars,and for this reason, barium stars seemed to be also enriched in r-elements, although in a lower degree than s-elements. No dependence on luminosity classes was found in the abundance ratios behaviour among the dwarfs and giants of the sample barium stars., Comment: 30 pages including 24 figures, accepted to A&A

This paper addresses the question of why metal-deficient barium stars are not yellow symbiotic stars (YSyS). Samples of (suspected) metal-deficient barium (mdBa) stars and YSyS have been collected from the literature, and their properties reviewed. It appears in particular that the barium nature of the suspected mdBa stars needs to be ascertained by detailed abundance analyses. Abundances are therefore derived for two of them, HD 139409 and HD 148897, which reveal that HD 148897 should not be considered a barium star. HD 139409 is a mild barium star, with overabundances observed only for elements belonging to the first s-process peak (Y and Zr). The evidence for binarity among mdBa stars is then reviewed, using three different methods: (i) radial-velocity variations (from CORAVEL observations), (ii) Hipparcos astrometric data, and (iii) a method based on the comparison between the Hipparcos and Tycho-2 proper motions. A first-time orbit is obtained for HIP 55852, whereas evidence for the (so far unknown) binary nature of HIP 34795, HIP 76605, HIP 97874 and HIP 107478 is presented. Two stars with no evidence for binarity whatsoever (HIP 58596 and BD +3 2688) are candidates low-metallicity thermally-pulsing asymptotic giant branch stars, as inferred from their large luminosities. The reason why mdBa stars are not YSyS is suggested to lie in their different orbital period distributions: mdBa stars have on average longer orbital periods than YSyS, and hence their companion accretes matter at a lower rate, for a given mass loss rate of the giant star. The definite validation of this explanation should nevertheless await the determination of the orbital periods for the many mdBa stars still lacking periods, in order to make the comparison more significant., Astronomy & Astrophysics, in press; 16 pages, 14 figures; also available at http://www.astro.ulb.ac.be/Html/ps.html#PRS

We present the result of chemical abundances of a mild barium star HD202109 (zeta Cyg) determined from the analysis of spectrum obtained by using a 2-m telescope at the Peak Terskol Observatory and a high-resolution spectrometer with R=80,000, signal to noise ratio >100. We also present the atmospheric parameters of the star determined by using various methods including iron-line abundance analysis. For line identifications, we use whole-range synthetic spectra computed by using the Kurucz database and the latest lists of spectral lines. Among the determined abundances of 51 elements, those of P, S, K, Cu, Zn, Ge, Rb, Sr, Nb, Mo, Ru, Rh, Pd, In, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Er, Tm, Hf, Os, Ir, Pt, Tl, and Pb have not been previously known. Under the assumption that the overabundance pattern of Ba stars is due to wind-accretion process, adding information of more element abundances enables one to show that the heavy element overabundances of HD202109 can be explained with the wind accretion scenario model., 10 pages, Accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysics

Aims. The aim of our paper is to investigate the low-amplitude and long-period variations in evolved stars with a precise radial velocity survey. Methods. The high-resolution, the fiber-fed Bohyunsan Observatory Echelle Spectrograph (BOES) was used from 2003 to 2013 for a radial velocity survey of giant stars as part of the exoplanet search program at Bohyunsan Optical Astronomy Observatory (BOAO). Results. We report the detection of three new planetary companions orbiting the K giants β Cnc, μ Leo, and β UMi. The planetary nature of the radial velocity variations is supported by analyzes of ancillary data. The Hipparcos photometry shows no variations with periods close to those in radial velocity variations and there is no strong correlation between the bisector velocity span (BVS) and the radial velocities for each star. Furthermore, the stars show weak or no core reversal in Ca II H lines indicating that they are inactive stars. The companion to β Cnc has a minimum mass of 7.8 MJup in a 605-day orbit with an eccentricity of 0.08. The giant μ Leo is orbited by a companion of minimum mass of 2.4 MJup having a period of 357 days and an eccentricity of 0.09. The giant β UMi is a known barium star and is suspected of harboring a white dwarf or substellar mass companion. Its companion has a minimum mass of 6.1 MJup, a period of 522 days, and an eccentricity e = 0.19.

The parameters of the binary system HD 121447, the coolest known barium star with the second shortest orbital period (P=185.7 d), have been derived from the spectroscopic orbit and the lightcurve indicating that the system is an ellipsoidal variable. A mass of about 1.6 M⊙ and Mbol∼−2.2 follow from the assumption that the barium star is located on the upper giant branch, with the companion mass (∼0.6 M⊙) compatible with that of a white dwarf. This analysis provides the first direct determination of these physical parameters for a barium star.

[Abridged] Barium stars are moderately rare, chemically peculiar objects, which are believed to be the result of the pollution of an otherwise normal star by material from an evolved companion on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB). We aim to derive carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and fluorine abundances for the first time from the infrared spectra of the barium red giant star HD 123396 to quantitatively test AGB nucleosynthesis models for producing barium stars via mass accretion. High-resolution and high S/N infrared spectra were obtained using the Phoenix spectrograph mounted at the Gemini South telescope. The abundances were obtained through spectrum synthesis of individual atomic and molecular lines, using the MOOG stellar line analysis program, together with Kurucz's stellar atmosphere models. The analysis was classical, using 1D stellar models and spectral synthesis under the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium. We confirm that HD 123396 is a metal-deficient barium star ([Fe/H] = -1.05), with A(C) = 7.88, A(N) = 6.65, A(O) = 7.93, and A(Na) = 5.28 on a logarithmic scale where A(H) = 12, leading to [(C+N)/Fe] ~ 0.5. The A(CNO) group, as well as the A(Na) abundances, is in excellent agreement with those previously derived for this star using high resolution optical data. We also found A(F) = 4.16, which implies [F/O] = 0.39, a value that is substantially higher than the F abundances measured in globular clusters of a similar metallicity, noting that there are no F measurements in field stars of comparable metallicity. The observed abundance pattern of the light elements (CNO, F and Na) recovered here as well as the heavy elements (s-process) studied elsewhere suggest that the surface composition of HD 123396 is well fitted by the predicted abundance pattern of a 1.5Msun AGB model star with Z = 0.001., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in A&A (language corrected)

An intermediate-dispersion abundance analysis has been carried out on a sample of 21 barium and 14 comparison stars. The excess of barium over iron has been used as the most representative indicator of peculiarity. These excesses are higher in the peculiar stars than in the nonpeculiar stars. Particularly interesting is the case of HD 67447, included in the comparison stars, with an excess Ba/Fe abundance = 1.61, probably a new barium star. A trend indicating a possible anticorrelation between barium overabundance and metallicity favors the suggestion that the "barium strong" group is older than the "barium weak" one.

Similar post-main sequence evolution is suspected for most binary Am systems, based on orbits and masses of a well-studied sample. More than 2/3 of these stars should begin Roche lobe overflow before the onset of helium burning. It is suggested that Roche lobe overflow, followed by mass loss via a stellar wind from the evolving primary, can lead to the formation of a more widely-separated system comprised of a white dwarf and a main sequence/evolved companion. A simple dynamical model demonstrates how many barium star orbital characteristics might result from Am binary evolution.

The abundances of the iron-peak elements Fe, Ni and Ti, the light metals Mg, Al and K and the s-process elements Rb, Y and Zr are determined for the heavy-element stars ROA 371, ROA 5293 and ROA 3812 in the globular cluster omega Centauri. ROA 3812 and ROA 5293 are classified as S stars while ROA 371 is classified as a K5 barium star. The metallicities of ROA 3812, 5293 and 371 are [Fe/H] = -0.7, -0.8 and -1.0 respectively. Thus, ROA 371 has a metallicity slightly higher than the red giants analyzed by Brown et al., 1991 and ROA 3812 and 5293 have metallicities near the upper end of the range for the cluster. All three stars show an excess of Al, which is common in red giants of omega Cen, and a mean excess of the s-process elements Rb, Y, and Zr of 1.4 dex. In addition, all three stars are too faint to by asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars according to current theory. Hence, they were either formed with their present composition, as suggested by Lloyd Evans (1983a) or are binaries that have had their atmospheres polluted by a now defunct companion. Based upon the dependence of [s/Fe] on [Fe/H] for various s-process elements over a range from [Fe/H] = -2.0 to [Fe/H] = -0.7, we show that the Lloyd Evans hypothesis is probably correct. This shows that mass-loss from AGB stars was contributing s-process elements to the intracluster gas for as much as 109 years before Type Ia SNe swept the cluster clear of gas and terminated star-formation.