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August 19, 2025The Astrophysical Journal Letters2 citationsOpen Access

Chemical Abundances of Seven Stars in the GD-1 Stream

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JZJingkun ZhaoNational Astronomical ObservatoriesGLGuangwei LiHexi UniversityWAWako AokiThe Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI

Key Points

  • The stars exhibit tightly clustered metallicities with an average of [Fe/H] = −2.38, showing low intrinsic dispersion.
  • Six stars show enhanced [Eu/Fe] ∼ 0.60, indicating consistent abundance patterns and a potential r-process origin.
  • Analysis utilized Subaru/High Dispersion Spectrograph spectroscopy to determine atmospheric parameters and LTE abundances.
  • Findings suggest a strong chemical homogeneity among the stars, supportive of a single disrupted globular cluster origin.

Abstract

Abstract We present the first detailed chemical abundances for seven GD-1 stream stars from Subaru/High Dispersion Spectrograph spectroscopy. Atmospheric parameters were derived via color calibrations ( T eff ) and iterative spectroscopic analysis. LTE abundances for 14 elements ( α , odd Z, iron peak, n-capture) were measured. Six stars trace the main orbit; one resides in a “blob.” All exhibit tightly clustered metallicities (Fe/H = −2.38; intrinsic dispersion smaller than 0.05 dex; average uncertainty is about 0.13 dex). While one star shows binary mass transfer signatures, the other six display consistent abundance patterns (dispersions < uncertainties). Their iron-peak elements (Sc, Cr, Mn, Ni) match Milky Way halo stars. In contrast, Y and Sr are systematically lower than halo stars of similar Fe/H. Significantly, six stars show consistently enhanced Eu/Fe ∼ 0.60 ( σ = 0.08). A tight Ba–Eu correlation ( r = 0.83, p = 0.04) exists, with Ba/Fe = −0.03 ± 0.05, indicating a common r -process origin. This extreme chemical homogeneity strongly supports an origin from a single disrupted globular cluster. The lack of light-element anticorrelations may stem from our sample size or the progenitor’s low mass.

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Cite This Study

Zhao et al. (2025) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/68af4959ad7bf08b1ead5483https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/adf630
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