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We present chemical abundances of the very bright metal‐poor star HD 1936 based on high‐resolution and high SNR spectra from AUKR. We obtain the abundances of 29 atomic species with atomic numbers between 3 and 63. In this context, the derived lithium abundance of 1.01 is consistent with the thin Li plateau observed in lower red giant branch stars. The star is a carbon‐normal with a ratio of −0.31, just like other low‐luminosity red giants on the thin Li plateau. We find the ratios of [Eu/Fe] = 0.43 and [Ba/Eu] = −0.64, indicating very little s‐process contamination. These ratios allow us to classify the star as a moderately r‐process‐enhanced (r‐I) metal‐poor star for the first time. It is worth mentioning that the star has a metallicity of −1.74, a [Cu/Fe] of −0.74, a [Zn/Fe] of 0.04, and a [Mg/C] of 0.69. The results suggest that it may be a second‐generation star formed in a multi‐enriched environment, rather than being a descendant of very massive first‐generation stars. A last point worth mentioning is the possibility that HD 1936 may host a sub‐stellar component with a mass of 18.35MJ$$ 18.35{M}_{\mathrm{J}} $$. Although our study does not confirm or deny this, we briefly discuss the possibility of the star hosting a planet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Old stellar populations in our Galaxy provide fossil records of the metal enrichment in the first few billion years of the cosmic history. Growing elemental abundance data of individual stars combined with stellar ages and kinematics allow us to make constraints on characteristic properties of the metal-enrichment sources in the early Universe, such as the first stars. In order to interpret observed chemical abundances in the oldest stellar populations in terms of metal-enrichment sources, stellar and supernova yield models are crucial. In this article, we review how we can interpret observed chemical abundances in old stars in terms of the nature of metal enrichment sources. We discuss the limitations and the prospects of empirically constraining supernova yield models based on a large sample of extremely metal-poor stars. At the same time, we emphasize the importance of hunting old stars beyond the Solar neighborhood, which can be achieved with the next-generation multi-object spectrographs at large telescopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lowest luminosity ( L) Milky Way satellite galaxies represent the extreme lower limit of the galaxy luminosity function. These ultra-faint dwarfs are the oldest, most dark matter–dominated, most metal-poor, and least chemically evolved stellar systems known. They therefore provide unique windows into the formation of the first galaxies and the behavior of dark matter on small scales. In this review, we summarize the discovery of ultra-faint dwarfs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey in 2005 and the subsequent observational and theoretical progress in understanding their nature and origin. We describe their stellar kinematics, chemical abundance patterns, structural properties, stellar populations, orbits, and luminosity function, as well as what can be learned from each type of measurement. We conclude the following: ▪ In most cases, the stellar velocity dispersions of ultra-faint dwarfs are robust against systematic uncertainties such as binary stars and foreground contamination. ▪ The chemical abundance patterns of stars in ultra-faint dwarfs require two sources of r-process elements, one of which can likely be attributed to neutron star mergers. ▪ Even under conservative assumptions, only a small fraction of ultra-faint dwarfs may have suffered significant tidal stripping of their stellar components. ▪ Determining the properties of the faintest dwarfs out to the virial radius of the Milky Way will require very large investments of observing time with future telescopes. Finally, we offer a look forward at the observations that will be possible with future facilities as the push toward a complete census of the Local Group dwarf galaxy population continues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have improved the Ba II model atom by taking into account the excitation of transitions through collisions with hydrogen atoms with the rate coefficients from the quantum-mechanical calculations of Belyaev and Yakovleva (2018). Using high-resolution spectra and Ba II line modeling when abandoning the assumption of LTE, we have determined the fraction of barium isotopes with an odd mass number (fodd) in four Galactic halo giants with well-known atmospheric parameters. We use a method based on the requirement that the abundances from the resonance (Ba II 4554 Å) and subordinate (Ba II 5853, 6496 Å) lines be equal. A accuracy of 0.04 dex in determining the barium abundance from individual lines has been achieved. In three stars (HD 2796, HD 108317, and HD 122563) fodd ≳ 0.4. This suggests that ≳80% of the barium observed in these stars was synthesized in the r-process. In HD 128279 fodd = 0.27 exceeds the fraction of odd barium isotopes in the Solar system, but only slightly. The dominance of the r-process at the formation epoch of the stars from our sample is confirmed by the presence of a europium overabundance relative barium in them, with [Eu/Ba] > 0.3. We have calculated the non-LTE barium abundance corrections for five Ba II lines and investigated their dependence on atmospheric parameters in the ranges of effective temperatures from 4500 to 6500 K, surface gravities log g from 0.5 to 4.5, and metallicities [Fe/H] from 0 to −3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present chemical abundances and radial velocities of six H  ii regions in the extremely metal-poor star-forming dwarf galaxy DDO 68. They are derived from deep spectra in the wavelength range 3500–10 000 Å, acquired with the Multi-Object Double Spectrograph at the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). In the three regions where the [O  iii ] λ4363 Å line was detected, we inferred the abundance of He, N, O, Ne, Ar, and S through the 'direct' method. We also derived the oxygen abundances of all the six regions adopting indirect-method calibrations. We confirm that DDO 68 is an extremely metal-poor galaxy, and a strong outlier in the luminosity–metallicity relation defined by star-forming galaxies. With the direct method, we find indeed an oxygen abundance of 12+log(O/H) = 7.14 ± 0.07 in the northernmost region of the galaxy and, although with large uncertainties, an even lower 12 + log(O/H)  = 6.96 ± 0.09 in the 'tail'. This is, at face value, the most metal-poor direct abundance detection of any galaxy known. We derive a radial oxygen gradient of −0.06 ± 0.03 dex kpc−1 (or −0.30 dex |$R_{25}^{-1}$|⁠) with the direct method, and a steeper gradient of −0.12 ± 0.03 dex kpc−1 (or −0.59 dex |$R_{25}^{-1}$|⁠) from the indirect method. For the α-element to oxygen ratios, we obtain values in agreement with those found in other metal-poor star-forming dwarfs. For nitrogen, instead, we infer much higher values, leading to log(N/O)∼− 1.4, at variance with the suggested existence of a tight plateau at −1.6 in extremely metal-poor dwarfs. The derived helium mass fraction ranges from Y  = 0.240 ± 0.005 to Y  = 0.25 ± 0.02, compatible with standard big bang nucleosynthesis. Finally, we measured H  ii region radial velocities in the range 479−522  km  s−1 from the tail to the head of the 'comet', consistent with the rotation derived in the H  i. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars in the Milky Way inherited the chemical composition of the gas out of which they formed. They therefore carry the chemical fingerprint of the first stars in their spectral lines. It is commonly assumed that EMP stars form from gas that was enriched by only one progenitor supernova ('mono-enriched'). However, recent numerical simulations show that the first stars form in small clusters. Consequently, we expect several supernovae to contribute to the abundances of an EMP star ('multi-enriched'). We analyse seven recently observed EMP stars from the TOPoS survey by applying the divergence of the chemical displacement and find that J1035+0641 is mono-enriched (⁠|$p_\mathrm{mono}=53{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$|⁠) and J1507+0051 is multi-enriched (⁠|$p_\mathrm{mono}=4{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$|⁠). For the remaining five stars, we cannot make a distinct prediction (⁠|$p_\mathrm{mono} \lesssim 50{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$|⁠) due to theoretical and observational uncertainties. Further observations in the near-UV will help to improve our diagnostic and therefore contribute to constrain the nature of the first stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars with low abundances of neutron capture elements (CEMP-no stars) are ubiquitous among metal-poor stars in the Milky Way. Recent observations have uncovered their two subgroups that differ in the carbon to magnesium ([C/Mg]) abundance ratio. Here, we demonstrate that similar abundance patterns are also present in Milky Way-like galaxies in the eagle cosmological hydrodynamical simulation, where these patterns originate from the fact that stars may form from gas enriched predominantly by asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars or by type II supernovae. This occurs when stars form in the poorly mixed interstellar medium of Milky Way progenitor galaxies that are undergoing bursty star formation. The CEMP-no stars with lower [C/Mg] form at the onset of a starburst from gas enriched by low-metallicity type II supernovae that power a strong outflow, quenching further star formation. When star formation resumes following cosmological gas accretion, the CEMP-no stars with higher [C/Mg] form, with enrichment by AGB ejecta evident in their higher abundance of barium and lower abundance of magnesium. This suggests that bursty star formation in the progenitors of the Galaxy leaves a permanent imprint in the abundance patterns of CEMP stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The early Universe presented a star formation environment that was almost devoid of heavy elements. The lowest metallicity stars thus provide a unique window into the earliest Galactic stages, but are exceedingly rare and difficult to find. Here, we present the discovery of an ultra-metal-poor star, Pristine_221.8781+9.7844, using narrow-band Ca H&K photometry from the Pristine survey. Follow-up medium- and high-resolution spectroscopy confirms the ultra-metal-poor nature of Pristine_221.8781+9.7844 ([Fe/H] = −4.66 ± 0.13 in 1D LTE) with an enhancement of 0.3–0.4 dex in α-elements relative to Fe, and an unusually low carbon abundance. We derive an upper limit of A(C) = 5.6, well below typical A(C) values for such ultra-metal-poor stars. This makes Pristine_221.8781+9.7844 one of the most metal-poor stars; in fact, it is very similar to the most metal-poor star known (SDSS J102915+172927). The existence of a class of ultra-metal-poor stars with low(er) carbon abundances suggest that there must have been several formation channels in the early Universe through which long-lived, low-mass stars were formed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observations suggest that the interstellar medium (ISM) might have been highly enriched in carbon at very early times. We explore nucleosynthesis in massive carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars of 12– |$40\, \mathrm{M}_\odot$| formed from such an ISM with [Fe] ≤ −2. We find substantial production of elements heavier than Fe, mostly up to Sr, by the weak s-process in stars with initial abundances of [CNO] ≳ −1.5. Even heavier elements, up to Ba, can be produced for [CNO] ≳ −0.5. The efficiency of this s-process is sensitive to the initial enhancement of C (or more generally, CNO) and mass of the star, with the yield increasing approximately linearly with the initial Fe abundance. The s-process in CEMP stars of |${\gtrsim } 20 \, \mathrm{M}_\odot$| with [CNO] ≳ −1.5 can be an important source for heavy elements in the early Galaxy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. The most metal-poor stars are the relics of the early chemical evolution of the Galaxy. Their chemical composition is an important tool to constrain the nucleosynthesis in the first generation of stars. The aim is to observe a sample of extremely metal-poor star (EMP stars) candidates selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 12 (SDSS DR12) and determine their chemical composition. Aims. We obtain medium resolution spectra of a sample of six stars using the X-shooter spectrograph at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and we used ATLAS models to compute the abundances. Methods. Five stars of the sample have a metallicity [Fe/H] between −2.5 dex and −3.2 dex. We confirm the recent discovery of SDSS J002314.00+030758.0 as a star with an extremely low [Fe/H] ratio. Assuming the α-enhancement [Ca/Fe] = +0.4 dex, we obtain [Fe/H] = −6.1 dex. Results. We could also determine its magnesium abundance and found that this star exhibits a very high ratio [Mg/Fe]≤ +3.60 dex assuming [Fe/H] = −6.13 dex. We determined the carbon abundance and found A(C) = 6.4 dex. From this carbon abundance, this stars belongs to the lower band of the A(C)–[Fe/H] diagram. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the origin of the elements has been a decades-long pursuit, with many open questions remaining. Old stars found in the Milky Way and its dwarf satellite galaxies can provide answers because they preserve clean element abundance patterns of the nucleosynthesis processes that operated some 13 billion years ago, enabling reconstruction of the chemical evolution of the elements. This review focuses on the astrophysical signatures of heavy neutron-capture elements made in the s-, i-, and r-processes found in old stars. A highlight is the recently discovered r-process galaxy Reticulum II, which was enriched by a neutron star merger. These results show that old stars in dwarf galaxies provide a novel means to constrain the astrophysical site of the r-process, ushering in much-needed progress on this major outstanding question. This nuclear astrophysics research complements the many experimental and theoretical nuclear physics efforts into heavy-element formation, and also aligns with results on the gravitational-wave signature of neutron star mergers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oldest stars in the Milky Way (MW) bear imprints of the Galaxy's early assembly history. We use FIRE cosmological zoom-in simulations of three MW-mass disc galaxies to study the spatial distribution, chemistry, and kinematics of the oldest surviving stars ($$z$$ form ≳ 5) in MW-like galaxies. We predict the oldest stars to be less centrally concentrated at $$z$$ = 0 than stars formed at later times as a result of two processes. First, the majority of the oldest stars are not formed in situ but are accreted during hierarchical assembly. These ex situ stars are deposited on dispersion-supported, halo-like orbits but dominate over old stars formed in situ in the solar neighbourhood, and in some simulations, even in the galactic centre. Secondly, old stars formed in situ are driven outwards by bursty star formation and energetic feedback processes that create a time-varying gravitational potential at $$\mathit{ z}$$ ≳ 2, similar to the process that creates dark matter cores and expands stellar orbits in bursty dwarf galaxies. The total fraction of stars that are ancient is more than an order of magnitude higher for sight lines away from the bulge and inner halo than for inward-looking sight lines. Although the task of identifying specific stars as ancient remains challenging, we anticipate that million-star spectral surveys and photometric surveys targeting metal-poor stars already include hundreds of stars formed before $$\mathit{ z}$$ = 5. We predict most of these targets to have higher metallicity ($$-3 \lt \rm [Fe/H] \lt -2$$) than the most extreme metal-poor stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have checked the consistency between the copper abundance derived in six metal-poor stars using ultraviolet (UV) Cu  ii lines, which are assumed to form in the local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE), and UV Cu  i lines, treated in the non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE). The stars in our programme cover the atmospheric parameters that are typical for intermediate temperature dwarfs: the effective temperature is in the range of approximately  5800–6100  K, the surface garvity is from 3.6 to 4.5 and the metallicity is from about −1 to −2.6 dex. We have obtained good agreement for the abundances from these two sets of lines, and this demonstrates the reliability of our NLTE copper atomic model. We confirm that no underabundace of this element is seen at low metallicities: the mean [Cu/Fe] value is about −0.2 dex while, as follows from previous LTE studies, copper behaves as a secondary element and the [Cu/Fe] ratio in the range of [Fe/H] from −2 to −3 dex should be about −1 dex. According to our NLTE data, copper behaves as a primary element in the low-metallicity regime. We also conclude that our new NLTE copper abundance in metal-poor stars requires significant reconsideration of this element's yields in explosive nucleosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SBS 0335 − 052E, one of the most metal-poor (Z ∼ 3–4 $${{\ \rm per\ cent}}$$ Z⊙) He  ii -emitter starbursts known in the nearby Universe, is studied using optical VLT/MUSE spectroscopic and Chandra X-ray observations. We spatially resolved the spectral map of the nebular He  ii λ4686 emission from which we derived for the first time the total He  ii -ionizing energy budget of SBS 0335 − 052E. The nebular He  ii line is indicative of a quite hard ionizing spectrum with photon energies > 4 Ryd, and is observed to be more common at high- $$z$$ than locally. Our study rules out a significant contribution from X-ray sources and shocks to the He  ii photoionization budget, indicating that the He+ excitation is mainly due to hot stellar continua. We discovered a new WR knot, but we also discard single Wolf–Rayet stars as the main responsible for the He  ii ionization. By comparing observations with current models, we found that the He  ii -ionization budget of SBS 0335 − 052E can only be produced by either single, rotating metal-free stars or a binary population with Z ∼ 10−5 and a 'top-heavy' initial mass function. This discrepancy between the metallicity of such stars and that of the H  ii regions in SBS 0335 − 052E is similar to results obtained by Kehrig et al. for the very metal-deficient He  ii -emitting galaxy IZw18. These results suggest that the He  ii ionization is still beyond the capabilities of state-of-the-art models. Extremely metal-poor, high-ionizing starbursts in the local Universe, like SBS 0335 − 052E, provide unique laboratories for exploring in detail the extreme conditions likely prevailing in the reionization era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astronomy is in the era of large spectroscopy surveys, with the spectra of hundreds of thousands of stars in the Galaxy being collected. Although most of these surveys have low or medium resolution, which makes precise abundance measurements not possible, there is still important information to be extracted from the available data. Our aim is to identify chemically distinct classes among metal-poor stars, observed by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, using line indices. The present work focused on carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars and their subclasses. We applied the latent profile analysis technique to line indices for carbon, barium, iron and europium, in order to separate the sample into classes with similar chemical signatures. This technique provides not only the number of possible groups but also the probability of each object to belong to each class. The method was able to distinguish at least two classes among the observed sample, with one of them being probable CEMP stars enriched in s-process elements. However, it was not able to separate CEMP-no stars from the rest of the sample. Latent profile analysis is a powerful model-based tool to be used in the identification of patterns in astrophysics. Our tests show the potential of the technique for the attainment of additional chemical information from 'poor' data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies of chemical abundances in metal-poor halo stars show the existence of different populations, which is important for studies of Galaxy formation and evolution. Here, we revisit the twin pair of chemically anomalous stars HD 134439 and HD 134440, using high resolution (R ~ 72 000) and high S/N ratio (S/N ~ 250) HDS/Subaru spectra. We compare them to the well-studied halo star HD 103095, using the line-by-line differential technique to estimate precise stellar parameters and LTE chemical abundances. We present the abundances of C, O, Na, Mg, Si, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr, Y, Ba, La, Ce, Nd, and Sm. We compare our results to the precise abundance patterns of Nissen & Schuster (2010) and data from dwarf Spheroidal galaxies (dSphs). We show that the abundance pattern of these stars appears to be closely linked to that of dSphs with [α/Fe] knee below [Fe/H] < -1.5. We also find a systematic difference of 0.06 ± 0.01 dex between the abundances of these twin binary stars, which could be explained by the engulfment of a planet, thus suggesting that planet formation is possible at low metallicities ([Fe/H]=-1.4). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. The abundance patterns of the neutron-capture elements in metal-poor stars provide a unique record of the nucleosynthesis products of the earlier massive primitive objects. Methods. We measured new abundances of so-called light neutron-capture of first peak elements using local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) 1D analysis; this analysis resulted in a sample of 11 very metal-poor stars, from [Fe/H] = -2.5 to [Fe/H] = -3.4 and one carbon-rich star, CS 22949-037 with [Fe/H] = -4.0. The abundances were compared to those observed in two classical metal-poor stars: the typical r-rich star CS 31082-001 ([Eu/Fe] > +1.0) and the r-poor star HD122563 ([Eu/Fe] < 0.0), which are known to present a strong enrichment of the first peak neutron-capture elements relative to the second peak. Results. Within the first peak, the abundances are well correlated in analogy to the well-known correlation inside the abundances of the second-peak elements. In contrast, there is no correlation between any first peak element with any second peak element. We show that the scatter of the ratio of the first peak abundance over second peak abundance increases when the mean abundance of the second peak elements decreases from r-rich to r-poor stars. We found two new r-poor stars that are very similar to HD122563. A third r-poor star, CS 22897-008, is even more extreme; this star shows the most extreme example of first peak elements enrichment to date. On the contrary, another r-poor star (BD-18 5550) has a pattern of first peak elements that is similar to the typical r-rich stars CS 31082-001, however this star has some Mo enrichment. Conclusions. The distribution of the neutron-capture elements in our very metal-poor stars can be understood as the combination of at least two mechanisms: one that enriches the forming stars cloud homogeneously through the main r-process and leads to an element pattern similar to the r-rich stars, such as CS 31082-001; and another that forms mainly lighter, first peak elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the nature of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars in Milky Way (MW) analogues selected from the EAGLE cosmological hydrodynamical simulation. The stellar evolution model in EAGLE includes the physics of enrichment by asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, winds from massive stars, and Type Ia and Type II supernovae (SNe). In the simulation, star formation in young MW progenitors is bursty due to efficient stellar feedback, which enables poor metal mixing leading to the formation of CEMP stars with extreme abundance patterns. Two classes of CEMP stars emerge: those mostly enriched by low-metallicity Type II SNe with low Fe yields that drive galactic outflows, and those mostly enriched by AGB stars when a gas-poor galaxy accretes pristine gas. The first class resembles CEMP-no stars with high [C/Fe] and low [C/O], the second class resembles CEMP-s stars overabundant in s-process elements and high values of [C/O]. These two enrichment channels explain several trends seen in data: (i) the increase in the scatter and median of [C/O] at low and decreasing [O/H], (ii) the trend of stars with very low [Fe/H] or [C/H] to be of type CEMP-no and (iii) the reduction in the scatter of [α/Fe] with atomic number in metal-poor stars. In this interpretation, CEMP-no stars were enriched by the stars that enabled galaxies to reionize the Universe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pristine survey is a narrow-band, photometric survey focused around the wavelength region of the Ca II H&K absorption lines, designed to efficiently search for extremely metalpoor stars. In this work, we use the first results of amedium-resolution spectroscopic follow-up to refine the selection criteria for finding extremely metal-poor stars ([Fe/H] ≤ -3.0) in the Pristine survey. We consider methods by which stars can be selected from available broadband and infrared photometry plus the additional Pristine narrow-band photometry. The sample consists of 205 stars in the magnitude range 14 < V < 18. Applying the photometric selection criteria cuts the sample down to 149 stars, and from these we report a success rate of 70 per cent for finding stars with [Fe/H] ≤ -2.5 and 22 per cent for finding stars with [Fe/H] ≤ -3.0. These statistics compare favourably with other surveys that search for extremely metal-poor stars, namely an improvement by a factor of ~4 - 5 for recovering stars with [Fe/H]≤-3.0. In addition, Pristine covers a fainter magnitude range than its predecessors and can thus probe deeper into the Galactic halo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Star clusters are invaluable tracers of the Galactic components and the discovery and characterization of low-mass stellar systems can be used to appraise their prevailing disruption mechanisms and time scales. However, owing to significant foreground contamination, high extinction, and still uncharted interfaces of the underlying Milky Way components, objects at low Galactic latitudes are notoriously difficult to characterize. Here, we present the first spectroscopic campaign to identify the chemodynamical properties of the low-latitude star cluster FSR 1716. While its photometric age and distance are far from settled, the presence of RR Lyrae variables indicates a rather old cluster variety. Using medium-resolution (R ~ 10 600) calcium triplet (CaT) spectroscopy obtained with the wide-field, multi-fiber AAOmega instrument, we identified six member candidates with a mean velocity of −30 km s-1 and a velocity dispersion of 2.5 ± 0.9 km -1. The latter value implies a dynamic mass of ~ 1.3 × 104M⊙, typical of a low-mass globular cluster. Combined with our derived CaT metallicity of −1.38 ± 0.20 dex, this object is finally confirmed as an old, metal-poor globular cluster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. We have identified several tens of extremely metal-poor star candidates from SDSS and LAMOST, which we follow up with the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope (WHT) telescope to confirm their metallicity. Methods.We followed a robust two-step methodology.We first analyzed the SDSS and LAMOST spectra. A first set of stellar parameters was derived from these spectra with the FERRE code, taking advantage of the continuum shape to determine the atmospheric parameters, in particular, the effective temperature. Second, we selected interesting targets for follow-up observations, some of them with very low-quality SDSS or LAMOST data. We then obtained and analyzed higher-quality medium-resolution spectra obtained with the Intermediate dispersion Spectrograph and Imaging System (ISIS) on the WHT to arrive at a second more reliable set of atmospheric parameters. This allowed us to derive the metallicity with accuracy, and we confirm the extremely metal-poor nature in most cases. In this second step we also employed FERRE, but we took a running mean to normalize both the observed and the synthetic spectra, and therefore the final parameters do not rely on having an accurate flux calibration or continuum placement. We have analyzed with the same tools and following the same procedure six well-known metal-poor stars, five of them at [Fe/H] < --4 to verify our results. This showed that our methodology is able to derive accurate metallicity determinations down to [Fe/H] < --5:0. Results. The results for these six reference stars give us confidence on the metallicity scale for the rest of the sample. In addition, we present 12 new extremely metal-poor candidates: 2 stars at [Fe/H] ≃ --4, 6 more in the range --4 < [Fe=H] < --3:5, and 4 more at --3:5 < [Fe=H] < --3:0. Conclusions.We conclude that we can reliably determine metallicities for extremely metal-poor stars with a precision of 0.2 dex from medium-resolution spectroscopy with our improved methodology. This provides a highly effective way of verifying candidates from lower quality data. Our model spectra and the details of the fitting algorithm are made public to facilitate the standardization of the analysis of spectra from the same or similar instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents new results from the ongoing study of the unusual Lynx--Cancer void galaxy DDO 68, which has star-forming regions of record low metallicity [12+log (O/H) ~7.14]. The results include the following. (i) A new spectrum and photometry have been obtained with the 6-m SAO RAS telescope (BTA) for the luminous blue variable (LBV = DDO68-V1). Photometric data sets were complemented with others based on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) archive images. (ii) We performed an analysis of the DDO 68 supergiant shell (SGS) and the prominent smaller Hα arcs/shells visible in the HST image coupled with kinematic maps in Hα obtained with the Fabry--Perot interferometer (FPI) at the BTA. (iii) We compiled a list of about 50 of the most luminous stars (-9.1?mag < MV < -6.0 mag) identified from the HST images associated with the star-forming regions with known extremely low O/H. This is intended to pave the path for the current science to be investigated with the next generation of giant telescopes. We have confirmed earlier hints of significant variation of the LBV optical light, deriving its amplitude as ΔV ≳ 3.7 mag for the first time. New data suggest that in 2008--2010 the LBV reached MV = -10.5 mag and probably underwent a giant eruption. We argue that the structure of star-forming complexes along the SGS ('Northern Ring') perimeter provides evidence for sequential induced star-formation episodes caused by the shell gas instabilities and gravitational collapse. The variability of some luminous extremely metal-poor stars in DDO 68 can currently be monitored with medium-size telescopes at sites with superb seeing.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical abundances for five metal-poor stars in and towards the Galactic bulge have been determined from the H-band infrared spectroscopy taken with the RAVEN multi-object adaptive optics science demonstrator and the Infrared Camera and Spectrograph at the Subaru 8.2-m telescope. Three of these stars are in the Galactic bulge and have metallicities between -2.1<[Fe/H]<-1.5, and high [α/Fe]~+0.3, typical of Galactic disc and bulge stars in this metallicity range; [Al/Fe] and [N/Fe] are also high, whereas [C/Fe] < +0.3. An examination of their orbits suggests that two of these stars may be confined to the Galactic bulge and one is a halo trespasser, though proper motion values used to calculate orbits are quite uncertain. An additional two stars in the globular cluster M22 show [Fe/H] values consistent to within 1σ, although one of these two stars has [Fe/H] = -2.01 ± 0.09, which is on the low end for this cluster. The [α/Fe] and [Ni/Fe] values differ by 2σ, with the most metal-poor star showing significantly higher values for these elements. M22 is known to show element abundance variations, consistent with a multipopulation scenario though our results cannot discriminate this clearly given our abundance uncertainties. This is the first science demonstration of multiobject adaptive optics with high-resolution infrared spectroscopy, and we also discuss the feasibility of this technique for use in the upcoming era of 30-m class telescope facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the spatial distribution of the oldest and most metal-poor stellar populations of Milky Way-sized galaxies using the A Project Of Simulating The Local Environment (APOSTLE) cosmological hydrodynamical simulations of the Local Group. In agreement with earlier work, we find strong radial gradients in the fraction of the oldest (tform < 0.8 Gyr) and most metal-poor ([Fe/H]<-2.5) stars, both of which increase outwards. Themost metalpoor stars form over an extended period of time; half of them form after z = 5.3, and the last 10 per cent after z = 2.8. The age of the metal-poor stellar population also shows significant variation with environment; a high fraction of them are old in the galaxy's central regions and an even higher fraction in some individual dwarf galaxies, with substantial scatter from dwarf to dwarf. We investigate the dependence of these results on the assumptions made for metal mixing. Overall, over half of the stars that belong to both the oldest and most metal-poor population are found outside the solar circle. Somewhat counter-intuitively, we find that dwarf galaxies with a large fraction of metal-poor stars that are very old are systems where metalpoor stars are relatively rare, but where a substantial old population is present. Our results provide guidance for interpreting the results of surveys designed to hunt for the earliest and most pristine stellar component of our Milky Way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Galaxy clusters undergo mergers that can generate extended radio sources called radio relics. Radio relics are the consequence of merger-induced shocks that propagate in the intra cluster medium (ICM). Aims. In this paper we analyse the radio, optical and X-ray data from a candidate galaxy cluster that has been selected from the radio emission coming from a candidate radio relic detected in NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS). Our aim is to clarify the nature of this source and prove that under certain conditions radio emission from radio relics can be used to trace relatively low-mass galaxy clusters. Methods. We observed the candidate galaxy cluster with the Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope (GMRT) at three different frequencies. These datasets have been analysed together with archival data from ROSAT in the X-ray and with archival data from the Gamma-Ray Burst Optical/Near-Infrared Detector (GROND) telescope in four different optical bands. Results. We confirm the presence of a 1 Mpc long radio relic located in the outskirts of a previously unknown galaxy cluster. We confirm the presence of the galaxy cluster through dedicated optical observations and using archival X-ray data. Due to its proximity and similar redshift to a known Abell cluster, we named it Abell 3527-bis. The galaxy cluster is amongst the least massive clusters known to host a radio relic. Conclusions. We showed that radio relics can be effectively used to trace a subset of relatively low-mass galaxy clusters that might have gone undetected in X-ray or Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) surveys. This technique might be used in future deep, low-frequency surveys such as those carried on by the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR), the Upgraded GMRT (uGMRT) and, ultimately, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use the Sloan Digital Sky Survey/SEGUE spectroscopic sample of stars in the leading and trailing streams of the Sagittarius (Sgr) to demonstrate the existence of two sub-populations with distinct chemistry and kinematics. The metallicity distribution function (MDF) of the trailing stream is decomposed into two Gaussians describing a metal-rich sub-population with means and dispersions (-0.74, 0.18) dex and a metal-poor with (-1.33, 0.27) dex. The metal-rich sub-population has a velocity dispersion ~8 km s-1, whilst the metal-poor is nearly twice as hot ~13 km s-1. For the leading stream, the MDF is again well described by a superposition of two Gaussians, though somewhat shifted as compared to the trailing stream. The metal-rich has mean and dispersion (-1.00, 0.34) dex, the metal-poor (-1.39, 0.22) dex. The velocity dispersions are inflated by projection effects to give 15-30 kms-1 for the metal-poor, and 6-20 kms-1 for the metal-rich, depending on longitude. We infer that, like many dwarf spheroidals, the Sgr progenitor possessed a more extended, metal-poor stellar component and less extended, metal-rich one. We study the implications of this result for the progenitor mass by simulating the disruption of the Sgr, represented as King light profiles in dark haloes of masses between 1010 and 1011 M⊙, in a three-component Milky Way whose halo is a live Truncated Flat potential in the first phase of accretion and a triaxial Law & Majewski model in the second phase. We show that that the dark halo of the Sgr must have been ≳ 6 x 1010 M⊙ to reproduce the run of velocity dispersion with longitude for the metal-rich and metal-poor sub-populations in the tails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the most important elements in astronomy, iron abundance determinations need to be as accurate as possible. We investigate the accuracy of spectroscopic iron abundance analyses using archetypal metal-poor stars. We perform detailed 3D non-LTE radiative transfer calculations based on 3D hydrodynamic STAGGER model atmospheres, and employ a new model atom that includes new quantum-mechanical neutral hydrogen collisional rate coefficients. With the exception of the red giant HD122563, we find that the 3D non-LTE models achieve Fe I/Fe II excitation and ionization balance as well as not having any trends with equivalent width to within modelling uncertainties of 0.05 dex, all without having to invoke any microturbulent broadening; for HD122563 we predict that the current best parallax-based surface gravity is overestimated by 0.5 dex. Using a 3D non-LTE analysis, we infer iron abundances from the 3D model atmospheres that are roughly 0.1 dex higher than corresponding abundances from 1D MARCS model atmospheres; these differences go in the same direction as the non-LTE effects themselves. We make available grids of departure coefficients, equivalent widths and abundance corrections, calculated on 1D MARCS model atmospheres and horizontally and temporally averaged 3D STAGGER model atmospheres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies of theMilkyWay and its satellites have paid special attention to the importance of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars due to their involvement in Galactic formation history and their possible connection with the chemical elements originating in the first stellar generation. In an ongoing study of red giants in the Sculptor dwarf galaxy, we have discovered a star with extremely strong CN and CH molecular bands. This star, Scl-1013644, has previously been identified by Geisler et al. as a star with an enrichment in the heavy elements. Spectrum synthesis has been used to derive the carbon, nitrogen and barium abundances for Scl-1013644. Our findings are [C/Fe]=+0.8, [N/Fe]=−0.3 and [Ba/Fe]=+2.1 with the latter result consistent with the value found by Geisler et al. These results reveal Scl-1013644 as a CEMP-s star, the third such star discovered in this dwarf galaxy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the search for galaxies in the proximity of two very metal-poor gas clouds at z ~ 3 towards the quasar Q0956+122. With a 5-hour Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) integration in a ~500 × 500 kpc² region centred at the quasar position, we achieve a ≥80 per cent complete spectroscopic survey of continuum-detected galaxies withmR ≤25 mag and Lyα emitters with luminosity LLyα ≥ 3 × 1041 erg s-1. We do not identify galaxies at the redshift of a z ~ 3.2 Lyman limit system (LLS) with log Z/Z⊙ = -3.35 ± 0.05, placing this gas cloud in the intergalactic medium or circumgalactic medium of a galaxy below our sensitivity limits. Conversely, we detect five Lyα emitters at the redshift of a pristine z ~ 3.1 LLS with log Z/Z&#8857;≤-3.8, while~0.4 sources were expected given the z~3Lyα luminosity function. Both this high detection rate and the fact that at least three emitters appear aligned in projection with the LLS suggest that this pristine cloud is tracing a gas filament that is feeding one or multiple galaxies. Our observations uncover two different environments for metal-poor LLSs, implying a complex link between these absorbers and galaxy haloes, which ongoing MUSE surveys will soon explore in detail. Moreover, in agreement with recent MUSE observations, we detected a ~90 kpc Lyα nebula at the quasar redshift and three Lyα emitters reminiscent of a 'dark galaxy' population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. The most metal-poor stars in the Milky Way witnessed the early phases of formation of the Galaxy, and have chemical compositions that are close to the pristine mixture from Big Bang nucleosynthesis, polluted by one or few supernovae. Aims. Only two dozen stars with ([Fe/H] < ―4) are known, and they show a wide range of abundance patterns. It is therefore important to enlarge this sample. We present the first results of an e ort to identify new extremely metal-poor stars in the Milky Way halo. Methods. Our targets have been selected from low-resolution spectra obtained as part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and followedup with medium resolution spectroscopy on the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope and, in a few cases, at high resolution on the 9.2m Hobby-Eberly Telescope. Stellar parameters and the abundances of magnesium, calcium, iron, and strontium have been inferred from the spectra using classical model atmospheres. We have also derived carbon abundances from the G band. Results. We find consistency between the metallicities estimated from SDSS and those from new data at the level of 0.3 dex. The analysis of medium resolution data obtained with ISIS on the WHT allows us to refine the metallicities and in some cases measure other elemental abundances. Our sample contains 11 new metal-poor stars with [Fe/H] < −3:0, one of them with an estimated metallicity of [Fe/H] ~ −4:0.We also discuss metallicity discrepancies of some stars in common with previous works in the literature. Only one of these stars is found to be C-enhanced at about [C/Fe] ~ +1, whereas the other metal-poor stars show C abundances at the level of [C/Fe] ~ +0:45. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The WASP-98 planetary system represents a rare case of a hot Jupiter hosted by a metal-poor main-sequence star. We present a follow-up study of this system based on multiband photometry and high-resolution spectroscopy. Two new transit events of WASP-98 b were simultaneously observed in four passbands (g', r', i', z'), using the telescope-defocusing technique, yielding eight high-precision light curves with point-to-point scatters of less than 1 mmag. We also collected three spectra of the parent star with a high-resolution spectrograph, which we used to remeasure its spectral characteristics, in particular its metallicity. We found this to be very low, [Fe/H] = -0.49 ± 0.10, but larger than was previously reported, [Fe/H] = -0.60 ± 0.19. We used these new photometric and spectroscopic data to refine the orbital and physical properties of this planetary system, finding that the stellar and planetary mass measurements are significantly larger than those in the discovery paper. In addition, the multiband light curves were used to construct an optical transmission spectrum of WASP-98 b and probe the characteristics of its atmosphere at the terminator. We measured a lower radius at z' compared with the other three passbands. The maximum variation is between the r' and z' bands, has a confidence level of roughly 6s and equates to 5.5 pressure scale heights. We compared this spectrum to theoretical models, investigating several possible types of atmospheres, including hazy, cloudy, cloud-free, and clear atmospheres with titanium and vanadium oxide opacities. We could not find a good fit to the observations, except in the extreme case of a clear atmosphere with TiO and VO opacities, in which the condensation of Ti and V was suppressed. As this case is unrealistic, our results suggest the presence of an additional optical-absorbing species in the atmosphere of WASP-98 b, of unknown chemical nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the aim of determining accurate iron abundances in stars, this work is meant to empirically calibrate H-collision crosssections with iron where no quantum mechanical calculations have been published yet. Thus, a new iron model atom has been developed which includes hydrogen collisions for excitation, ionization, and charge transfer processes. We show that collisions with hydrogen leading to charge transfer are important for an accurate non-LTE modeling. We apply our calculations on several benchmark stars including the Sun, the metal-rich star α Cen A, and the metal-poor star HD 140283. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I describe the method of nucleochronometry for determining individual ages of stars, and report on results of the application of this method to old, metal-poor stars belonging to the Galactic halo population. I discuss uncertainties and caveats of this age determination method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The origin of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars and their possible connections with the chemical elements produced by the first stellar generations is still highly debated. We briefly review observations of CEMP stars in different environments (Galactic stellar halo, ultra-faint, and classical dwarf galaxies) and interpret their properties using cosmological chemical-evolution models for the formation of the Local Group. We discuss the implications of current observations for the properties of the first stars, clarify why the fraction of carbon-enhanced to carbon-normal stars varies in dwarf galaxies with different luminosity, and discuss the origin of the first CEMP(-no) star found in the Sculptor dwarf galaxy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an elemental-abundance analysis of an extremely metal-poor (EMP; [Fe/H] <-3.0) star, SDSS J134338.67+484426.6, identified during the course of the Multi-object Apache Point Observatory Radial Velocity Exoplanet Large-area Survey spectroscopic pre-survey of some 20 000 stars to identify suitable candidates for exoplanet searches. This star, with an apparent magnitude V = 12.14, is the lowest metallicity star found in the pre-survey, and is one of only ~20 known EMP stars that are this bright or brighter. Our high-resolution spectroscopic analysis shows that this star is a subgiant with [Fe/H] = -3.42, having 'normal' carbon and no enhancement of neutron-capture abundances. Strontium is underabundant, [Sr/Fe] = -0.47, but the derived lower limit on [Sr/Ba] indicates that Sr is likely enhanced relative to Ba. This star belongs to the sparsely populated class of a-poor EMP stars that exhibit low ratios of [Mg/Fe], [Si/Fe], and [Ca/Fe] compared to typical halo stars at similar metallicity. The observed variations in radial velocity from several epochs of (low- and high-resolution) spectroscopic follow-up indicate that SDSS J134338.67+484426.6 is a possible long-period binary. We also discuss the abundance trends in EMP stars for r-process elements, and compare with other magnesium-poor stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present infrared (IR) spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of individual star-forming regions in four extremely metal-poor (EMP) galaxies with metallicity Z ≲ Z⊙/10 as observed by the Herschel Space Observatory. With the good wavelength coverage of the SED, it is found that these EMP star-forming regions show distinct SED shapes as compared to those of grand design Spirals and higher metallicity dwarfs: they have on average much higher f70μm/f160μm ratios at a given f160μm/f250μm ratio; single modified blackbody (MBB) fittings to the SED at γ ≥ 100 μm still reveal higher dust temperatures and lower emissivity indices compared to that of Spirals, while two MBB fittings to the full SED with a fixed emissivity index (β = 2) show that even at 100 μm, about half of the emission comes from warm (50 K) dust, in contrast to the cold (~20 K) dust component. Our spatially resolved images furthermore reveal that the far-IR colours including f70μm/f160µm, f160μm/f250μm and f250μm/f350μm are all related to the surface densities of young stars as traced by far-UV, 24 μm and star formation rates (SFRs), but not to the stellar mass surface densities. This suggests that the dust emitting at wavelengths from 70 to 350 μm is primarily heated by radiation from young stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a detailed analysis of the chemistry and kinematics of red giants in the dwarf irregular galaxyNGC6822. Spectroscopy at ≈8500Å was acquired for 72 red giant stars across two fields using FORS2 at theVLT. Line-of-sight extinctionwas individually estimated for each target star to accommodate the variable reddening across NGC 6822. The mean radial velocity was found to be 〈vrad〉 = -52.8 ± 2.2 km s-1 with dispersion σv = 24.1 km s-1, in agreement with other studies. Ca II triplet equivalent widths were converted into [Fe/H] metallicities using a V magnitude proxy for surface gravity. The average metallicity was 〈[Fe/H]〉 = -0.84 ± 0.04 with dispersion σ = 0.31 dex and interquartile range 0.48. Our assignment of individual reddening values makes our analysis more sensitive to spatial variations in metallicity than previous studies. We divide our sample into metal-rich and metal-poor stars; the former were found to cluster towards small radii with the metal-poor stars more evenly distributed across the galaxy. The velocity dispersion of the metal-poor stars was found to be higher than that of the metal-rich stars (σvMP = 27.4 kms-1; σvMR = 21.1 kms-1); combined with the age-metallicity relation this indicates that the older populations have either been dynamically heated during their lifetimes or were born in a less disc-like distribution than the younger stars.. The low ratio vrot/σv suggests that within the inner 10 arcmin, NGC 6822's stars are dynamically decoupled from the H I gas, and possibly distributed in a thick disc or spheroid structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]