No Arabic abstract
Our main goals are to get a deeper insight into the evolution and final fates of intermediate-mass, extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars. We also aim to investigate their C, N, and O yields. Using the Monash University Stellar Evolution code we computed and analysed the evolution of stars of metallicity Z = 10^-5 and masses between 4 and 9 M_sun, from their main sequence until the late thermally pulsing (super) asymptotic giant branch, TP-(S)AGB phase. Our model stars experience a strong C, N, and O envelope enrichment either due to the second dredge-up, the dredge-out phenomenon, or the third dredge-up early during the TP-(S)AGB phase. Their late evolution is therefore similar to that of higher metallicity objects. When using a standard prescription for the mass loss rates during the TP-(S)AGB phase, the computed stars lose most of their envelopes before their cores reach the Chandrasekhar mass, so our standard models do not predict the occurrence of SNI1/2 for Z = 10^-5 stars. However, we find that the reduction of only one order of magnitude in the mass-loss rates, which are particularly uncertain at this metallicity, would prevent the complete ejection of the envelope, allowing the stars to either explode as an SNI1/2 or become an electron-capture SN. Our calculations stop due to an instability near the base of the convective envelope that hampers further convergence and leaves remnant envelope masses between 0.25 M_sun for our 4 M_sun model and 1.5 M_sun for our 9 M_sun model. We present two sets of C, N, and O yields derived from our full calculations and computed under two different assumptions, namely, that the instability causes a practically instant loss of the remnant envelope or that the stars recover and proceed with further thermal pulses. Our results have implications for the early chemical evolution of the Universe.
Abridged: Observed abundances of extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars in the Halo hold clues for the understanding of the ancient universe. Interpreting these clues requires theoretical stellar models at the low-Z regime. We provide the nucleosynthetic yields of intermediate-mass Z=$10^{-5}$ stars between 3 and 7.5 $M_{sun}$, and quantify the effects of the uncertain wind rates. We expect these yields can be eventually used to assess the contribution to the chemical inventory of the early universe, and to help interpret abundances of selected C-enhanced EMP stars. By comparing our models and other existing in the literature, we explore evolutionary and nucleosynthetic trends with wind prescriptions and with initial metallicity. We compare our results to observations of CEMP-s stars belonging to the Halo. The yields of intermediate-mass EMP stars reflect the effects of very deep second dredge-up (for the most massive models), superimposed with the combined signatures of hot-bottom burning and third dredge-up. We confirm the reported trend that models with initial metallicity Z$_{ini}$ <= 0.001 give positive yields of $^{12}C, ^{15}N, ^{16}O$, and $^{26}Mg$. The $^{20}Ne, ^{21}Ne$, and $^{24}Mg$ yields, which were reported to be negative at Z$_{ini}$ = 0.0001, become positive for Z=$10^{-5}$. The results using two different prescriptions for mass-loss rates differ widely in terms of the duration of the thermally-pulsing (Super) AGB phase, overall efficiency of the third dredge-up episode, and nucleosynthetic yields. The most efficient of the standard wind rates frequently used in the literature seems to favour agreement between our yield results and observational data. Regardless of the wind prescription, all our models become N-enhanced EMP stars.
In order to get a broader view of the s-process nucleosynthesis we study the abundance distribution of heavy elements of 35 barium stars and 24 CEMP-stars, including nine CEMP-s stars and 15 CEMP-r/s stars. The similar distribution of [Pb/hs] between CEMP-s and CEMP-r/s stars indicate that the s-process material of both CEMP-s and CEMP-r/s stars should have a uniform origin, i.e. mass transfer from their predominant AGB companions. For the CEMP-r/s stars, we found that the r-process should provide similar proportional contributes to the second s-peak and the third s-peak elements, and also be responsible for the higher overabundance of heavy elements than those in CEMP-s stars. Which hints that the r-process origin of CEMP-r/s stars should be closely linked to the main r-process. The fact that some small $r$ values exist for both barium and CEMP-s stars, implies that the single exposure event of the s-process nucleosynthesis should be general in a wide metallicity range of our Galaxy. Based on the relation between $C_{r}$ and $C_{s}$, we suggest that the origin of r-elements for CEMP-r/s stars have more sources. A common scenario is that the formation of the binary system was triggered by only one or a few supernova. In addition, accretion-induced collapse(AIC) or SN 1.5 should be the supplementary scenario, especially for these whose pre-AGB companion with higher mass and smaller orbit radius, which support the higher values of both $C_{r}$ and $C_{s}$.
We provide an updated discussion of the sample of CEMP-s and CEMP-s/r stars collected from the literature. Observations are compared with the theoretical nucleosynthesis models of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars presented by Bisterzo et al. (2010, 2011, 2012), in the light of the most recent spectroscopic results.
Recent studies show that rotation significantly affects the s-process in massive stars. We provide tables of yields for non-rotating and rotating massive stars between 10 and 150 $M_{odot}$ at $Z=10^{-3}$ ([Fe/H] $=-1.8$). Tables for different mass cuts are provided. The complete s-process is followed during the whole evolution with a network of 737 isotopes, from Hydrogen to Polonium. A grid of stellar models with initial masses of 10, 15, 20, 25, 40, 60, 85, 120 and 150 $M_{odot}$ and with an initial rotation rate of both 0 or 40$~%$ of the critical velocity was computed. Three extra models were computed in order to investigate the effect of faster rotation (70$~%$ of the critical velocity) and of a lower $^{17}$O($alpha,gamma$) reaction rate. At the considered metallicity, rotation has a strong impact on the production of s-elements for initial masses between 20 and 60 $M_{odot}$. In this range, the first s-process peak is boosted by $2-3$ dex if rotation is included. Above 60 $M_{odot}$, s-element yields of rotating and non-rotating models are similar. Increasing the initial rotation from 40$~%$ to 70$~%$ of the critical velocity enhances the production of $40 lesssim Z lesssim 60$ elements by $sim 0.5-1$ dex. Adopting a reasonably lower $^{17}$O($alpha,gamma$) rate in the fast rotating model (70$~%$ of the critical velocity) boosts again the yields of s-elements with $55 lesssim Z lesssim 82$ by about 1 dex. In particular, a modest amount of Pb is produced. Together with s-elements, some light elements (particularly fluorine) are strongly overproduced in rotating models.
We explore the possibility of planet formation in the carbon-rich protoplanetary disks of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars, possible relics of the early Universe. The chemically anomalous abundance patterns ([C/Fe] $geq$ 0.7) in this subset of low-mass stars suggest pollution by primordial core-collapsing supernovae (SNe) ejecta that are particularly rich in carbon dust grains. By comparing the dust-settling timescale in the protoplanetary disks of CEMP stars to the expected disk lifetime (assuming dissipation via photoevaporation), we determine the maximum distance $r_{max}$ from the host CEMP star at which carbon-rich planetesimal formation is possible, as a function of the host stars [C/H] abundance. We then use our linear relation between $r_{max}$ and [C/H], along with the theoretical mass-radius relation derived for a solid, pure carbon planet, to characterize potential planetary transits across host CEMP stars. Given that the related transits are detectable with current and upcoming space-based transit surveys, we suggest initiating an observational program to search for carbon planets around CEMP stars in hopes of shedding light on the question of how early planetary systems may have formed after the Big Bang.