Related papers: The Lithium Plateau Enigma
We show that element diffusion can produce large fluctuations in the initial helium abundance of the star-forming clouds. Diffusion time-scale, which in stars is much larger than the Hubble time, can fall below 10^8 years in the neutral gas…
Recent WMAP observations indicate that the primordial abundance of lithium should have been 2-4 times higher than the value measured in low-metallicity stars. We show that this discrepancy can be explained by the process of ambipolar…
We investigate the properties of 1262 red giant stars with high photospheric abundances of lithium observed by the GALAH and \Ktwo-HERMES surveys, and discuss them in the context of proposed mechanisms for lithium enrichment and…
The observed amount of lithium for low metallicity population II stars (known as the Spite plateau) is a factor of $\sim 3-5$ lower than the predictions of the standard cosmology. Since the observations are limited to the local Universe…
Inflation is nowadays a well-established paradigm consistent with all the observations. The precise nature of the inflaton is however unknown and its role could be played by any candidate able to imitate a scalar condensate in the slow-roll…
We present Li and Fe abundances for 87 stars in the GC M4,obtained with GIRAFFE high-resolution spectra. The targets range from the TO up to the RGB Bump. The Li abundance in the TO stars is uniform, with an average value A(Li)=2.30+-0.02…
We review the main sources of LiBeB production and show that a primary mechanism is at work in the early Galaxy involving both ejection and acceleration of He, C and O at moderate energy, which by nuclear interaction with H and He produce…
We report on the determination of the lithium abundance [A(Li)] of 52 solar-like stars. For 41 objects the A(Li) here presented corresponds to the first measurement. We have measured the equivalent widths of the 6708\AA\ lithium feature in…
Aims. Exoplanet-host stars (EHS) are known to present superficial chemical abundances different from those of stars without any detected planet (NEHS). EHS are, on the average, overmetallic compared to the Sun. The observations also show…
Context. The origin of the large star-to-star variation of the [Eu/Fe] ratios observed in the extremely metal-poor (at [Fe/H]$\leq-3$) stars of the Galactic halo is still a matter of debate.\\ Aims. In this paper, we explore this problem by…
We discuss the cosmological constant puzzle and possible connections to the (meta-)stability of the Higgs vacuum suggested by recent LHC results. A possible explanation involves new critical phenomena in the ultraviolet, close to the Planck…
A previous study (Nissen & Schuster 2010) of 94 dwarf stars with -1.6 < [Fe/H] < -0.4 has revealed the existence of two distinct halo populations with a systematic difference in [alpha/Fe] at a given metallicity. In continuation of that…
Lithium has confused scientists for decades at almost each scale of the universe. Lithium-rich giants are peculiar stars with lithium abundances over model prediction. A large fraction of lithium-rich low-mass evolved stars are…
Low-mass stars ($M\lesssim 2\,M_\odot$) ignite helium under degenerate conditions, eventually causing a nuclear run-away -- the helium flash. The alpha-capture process on $^{14}$N produces a large amount of $^{18}$F, whose subsequent decay…
This work aims to investigate the behaviour of the lithium abundance in stars with and without detected planets. Our study is based on a sample of 1332 FGK main-sequence stars with measured lithium abundances, for 257 of which planets were…
The early Universe had a chemical composition consisting of hydrogen, helium and traces of lithium1, almost all other elements were created in stars and supernovae. The mass fraction, Z, of elements more massive than helium, is called…
We consider the possibility of the existence of a stable massive charged particle by a minimal extension of the standard model particle content. Absolute stability in the case of singly charged particle is not possible if the usual doublet…
Theoretical models of stellar evolution predict that most of the lithium inside a star is destroyed as the star becomes a red giant. However, observations reveal that about 1% of red giants are peculiarly rich in lithium, often exceeding…
Lithium abundances in open clusters are a very effective probe of mixing processes, and their study can help to understand the large depletion of lithium in the Sun. Due to its age and metallicity, the open cluster M67 is especially…
The important result achieved in our recent study of a large sample of HgMn stars using UVES at the VLT and FEROS at the ESO 2.2m telescope is the finding that most HgMn stars exhibit spectral variability of various chemical elements,…