Discovery of a fast wind from a field population II giant star

The He I lambda 10830 absorption in the metal-deficient field giant star HD 6833, extends to at least -90 km/s, a value that is comparable to, or exceeds the escape velocity from the photosphere of the star. This spectrum provides strong observational evidence for mass loss. Because this field giant is a surrogate for red giants in globular clusters, and a velocity of 90 km/s is larger than the central escape velocity from most globular clusters, this observation suggests that material lost from globular cluster stars may easily escape from the cluster, and thus resolve the dilemma of the missing interstellar medium in globular clusters.