Related papers: Light Elements in the Universe
Elemental abundances are key to our understanding of star formation and evolution in the Galactic center. Previous work on this topic has been based on infrared (IR) observations, but X-ray observations have the potential of constraining…
There has been remarkable progress recently in both observational and theoretical studies of galaxy formation and evolution. Largely due to a combination of deep Hubble Space Telescope imaging, Keck spectroscopy, and COBE far-IR background…
The cosmological abundance of nucleons determined from considerations of Big Bang nucleosynthesis allegedly provides compelling evidence for non-nucleonic dark matter. Recent developments in measurements of primordial light element…
The recent determination of the baryon-to-photon ratio from WMAP data by Spergel et al. (2003) allows one to fix with unprecedented precision the primordial abundances of the light elements D, 3He, 4He and 7Li in the framework of the…
In this review we explore aspects of the field of astrobiology from an astronomical viewpoint. We therefore focus on the origin of life in the context of planetary formation, with additional emphasis on tracing the most abundant volatile…
Metal-poor stars hold the key to our understanding of the origin of the elements and the chemical evolution of the Universe. This chapter describes the process of discovery of these rare stars, the manner in which their surface abundances…
Recent detailed simulations of Galactic Chemical Evolution have shown that the heavy elements, in particular [Fe/H], are expected to exhibit a weak, or absent, correlation with stellar ages in the early Galaxy due to the lack of efficient…
Silicon and Strontium are key elements to explore the nucleosynthesis and chemical evolution of the Galaxy by measurements of very metal-poor stars. There are, however, only a few useful spectral lines of these elements in the optical range…
We present new results from our spectral analyses of very hot central stars achieved since the last IAU Symposium on planetary nebulae held in Canberra 2001. The analyses are mainly based on UV and far-UV spectroscopy performed with the…
Boron abundances in A- and B-type stars may be a successful way to track evolutionary effects in these hot stars. The light elements -- Li, Be, and B -- are tracers of exposure to temperatures more moderate than those in which the H-burning…
In the past years we have made great efforts to reduce the statistical and systematic uncertainties in stellar parameter and chemical abundance determinations of early B-type stars. Both the construction of robust model atoms for non-LTE…
The surface content of lithium (Li) and beryllium (Be) in stars can reveal important information about the temperature structure and physical processes in their interior regions. This study focuses on solar-type stars with a sample that is…
A prediction of standard inflationary cosmology is that the elemental composition of the medium out of which the earliest stars and galaxies condensed consisted primarily of hydrogen and helium 4He with small admixtures of deuterium,…
Measurements of lithium abundances in solar-type stars have shown that standard models of stellar evolution are incapable of explaining the observed depletion as a function of stellar age. Beryllium is one of the lightest elements that can…
Detailed chemical composition studies of stars with enhanced abundances of neutron-capture elements can provide observational constraints for neutron-capture nucleosynthesis studies and clues for understanding their contribution to the…
Low-metallicity stars preserve the signatures of the first stellar nucleosynthesis events in the Galaxy, as their surface abundances reflect the composition of the interstellar medium from which they were born. Aside from primordial Big…
Abundances of about 18 elements including the heavy elements Y and Zr are determined from Hubble Space Telescope Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph ultraviolet spectra of seven extreme helium stars (EHes): LSE 78, BD+10 2179, V1920 Cyg,…
The heavy elements near QSOs provide unique measures of the star formation and chemical evolution in young galactic nuclei or pre-galactic condensations. Studies of quasar abundances also naturally address a variety of questions regarding…
Oxygen and carbon-rich AGB stars - and objects directly polluted by them - are excellent laboratories to investigate the nucleosynthesis and mixing processes occurring during the later phases of the of low- and intermediate-mass star…
Observational constraints on the primordial lithium abundance are important for the evaluation of the baryonic density of the universe. Its precise determination however suffers from uncertainties due to the possible depletion of this…