Related papers: Stellar Abundances in the Early Galaxy and Two r-P…
The origin of r-process elements remains unidentified and still puzzles us. The recent discovery of evidence for the ejection of r-process elements from a short-duration gamma-ray burst singled out neutron star mergers (NSMs) as their…
We present detailed chemical abundances of three new bright (V ~ 11), extremely metal-poor ([Fe/H] ~ -3.0), r-process-enhanced halo red giants based on high-resolution, high-S/N Magellan/MIKE spectra. We measured abundances for 20-25…
The supernova yields of several heavy elements including alpha-, iron-group, and r-process elements are obtained as a function of the mass of their progenitor main-sequence stars M_ms from the abundance patterns of extremely metal-poor…
An overview of the sources for heavy elements in the early Galaxy is given. It is shown that observations of abundances in metal-poor stars can be used along with a basic understanding of stellar models to guide the search for the source of…
The recent discovery by Cayrel et al. of U in CS 31082-001 along with Os and Ir at greatly enhanced abundances but with [Fe/H]=-2.9 strongly reinforces the argument that there are at least two kinds of SNII sources for r-nuclei. One source…
We present a comprehensive analysis of the detailed chemical abundances for a sample of 11 metal-poor, very metal-poor and extremely metal-poor stars ([Fe/H] = -1.65 to [Fe/H] = -3.0) as part of the HESP-GOMPA (Galactic survey Of Metal Poor…
We study the formation of stars with varying amounts of heavy elements synthesized by the rapid neutron-capture process ($r$-process) based on our detailed cosmological zoom-in simulation of a Milky Way-like galaxy with an $N$-body/smoothed…
Knowledge of abundance ratios as functions of metallicity can lead to insights on the origin and evolution of our Galaxy and its stellar populations. We aim to trace the chemical evolution of the neutron-capture elements Sr, Zr, La, Ce, Nd,…
Several globular clusters (GCs) in the Galaxy are observed to show internal abundance spreads in r-process elements (e.g., Eu). We here propose a new scenario which explains the origin of these GCs (e.g., M5 and M15). In this scenario,…
We present new abundance determinations of neutron-capture elements Ge, Zr, Os, Ir, and Pt in a sample of 11 metal-poor (-3.1 <= [Fe/H] <= -1.6) Galactic halo giant stars, based on Hubble Space Telescope UV and Keck I optical…
We present and discuss three extremely r-process enhanced stars located in the massive dwarf spheriodal galaxy Fornax. These stars are very unique with an extreme Eu enrichment ($1.25\le \mathrm{[Eu/Fe]} \le 1.45$) at high metallicities…
Comparisons between the predicted abundances of short-lived r-nuclides (107Pd, 129I, 182Hf, and 244Pu) in the interstellar medium (ISM) and the observed abundances in the early solar system (ESS) conclusively showed that these nuclides…
Probing the origin of r-process elements in the universe represents a multi-disciplinary challenge. We review the observational evidence that probe the properties of r-process sites, and address them using galactic chemical evolution…
The astrophysical site(s) of the r-process are uncertain, with candidates such as neutron star mergers and magneto-rotational supernovae predicting different event rates, delay times, and heavy-element yields. Galactic chemical evolution…
We investigate whether the anomalous elemental abundance patterns in some of the C-enhanced metal-poor-s+r (CEMP-r/s) stars are consistent with predictions of nucleosynthesis yields from the i-process, a neutron-capture regime at neutron…
We model the history of Galactic r-process enrichment using high-redshift, high-resolution zoom cosmological simulations of a Milky Way (MW) type halo. We assume that all r-process sources are neutron star mergers (NSMs) with a power law…
Studies of nucleosynthesis in neutrino-driven winds from nascent neutron stars show that the elements from Sr through Ag with mass numbers A~88-110 are produced by charged-particle reactions (CPR) during the alpha-process in the winds.…
We determine the abundances of neutron-capture elements from Sr to Eu for five very-metal-poor stars (-3<[Fe/H]<-2) in the Milky Way halo to reveal the origin of light neutron-capture elements. Previous spectroscopic studies have shown…
We determine the contributions of the rapid (r) and slow (s) neutron capture processes to the Ba isotope mixture, along with Ba, Eu, and Sr NLTE abundances, in a sample of very metal-poor stars. The selected stars formed before the…
The oldest stars in the universe retain to a great extent detailed information on the chemical composition of the interstellar medium at the time of their birth. Hence the earliest phases of Galactic chemical evolution and nucleosynthesis…