No Arabic abstract
The Pyxis globular cluster is a recently discovered globular cluster that lies in the outer halo (R_{gc} ~ 40 kpc) of the Milky Way. Pyxis lies along one of the proposed orbital planes of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), and it has been proposed to be a detached LMC globular cluster captured by the Milky Way. We present the first measurement of the radial velocity of the Pyxis globular cluster based on spectra of six Pyxis giant stars. The mean heliocentric radial velocity is ~ 36 km/sec, and the corresponding velocity of Pyxis with respect to a stationary observer at the position of the Sun is ~ -191 km/sec. This radial velocity is a large enough fraction of the clusters expected total space velocity, assuming that it is bound to the Milky Way, that it allows strict limits to be placed on the range of permissible transverse velocities that Pyxis could have in the case that it still shares or nearly shares an orbital pole with the LMC. We can rule out that Pyxis is on a near circular orbit if it is Magellanic debris, but we cannot rule out an eccentric orbit associated with the LMC. We have calculated the range of allowed proper motions for the Pyxis globular cluster that result in the cluster having an orbital pole within 15 degrees of the present orbital pole of the LMC and that are consistent with our measured radial velocity, but verification of the tidal capture hypothesis must await proper motion measurement from the Space Interferometry Mission or HST. A spectroscopic metallicity estimate of [Fe/H] = -1.4 +/- 0.1 is determined for Pyxis from several spectra of its brightest giant; this is consistent with photometric determinations of the cluster metallicity from isochrone fitting.
We present N abundances for 21 bright giants in the globular cluster NGC 6752 based on high-resolution UVES spectra of the 3360A NH lines. We confirm that the Stromgren c1 index traces the N abundance and find that the star-to-star N abundance variation is 1.95 dex, at the samples luminosity. We find statistically significant correlations, but small amplitude variations, between the abundances of N and alpha-, Fe-peak, and s-process elements. Analyses using model atmospheres with appropriate N, O, Na, and Al abundances would strengthen, rather than mute, these correlations. If the small variations of heavy elements are real, then the synthesis of the N anomalies must take place in stars which also synthesize alpha-, Fe-peak, and s-process elements. These correlations offer support for contributions from both AGB and massive stars to the globular cluster abundance anomalies.
The metal-rich Galactic globular cluster NGC 6366 is the fifth closest to the Sun. Despite its interest, it has received scarce attention, and little is known about its internal structure. Its kinematics suggests a link to the halo, but its metallicity indicates otherwise. We present a detailed chemical analysis of eight giant stars of NGC 6366, using high resolution and high quality spectra (R > 40000, S/N > 60) obtained at the VLT (8.2 m) and CFHT (3.6 m) telescopes. We attempted to characterize its chemistry and to search for evidence of multiple stellar populations. The atmospheric parameters were derived using the method of excitation and ionization equilibrium of FeI and FeII lines and from those atmospheric parameters we calculated the abundances for other elements and found that none of the elements measured presents star-to-star variation greater than the uncertainties. We compared the derived abundances with those of other globular clusters and field stars available in the literature. We determined a mean [Fe/H] = -0.60 +- 0.03 for NGC 6366 and found some similarity of this object with M 71, another inner halo globular cluster. The Na-O anticorrelation extension is short and no star-to-star variation in Al is found. The presence of second generation stars is not evident in NGC 6366.
We derive [Cu/Fe] for 117 giant stars in ten globular clusters (M3, M4, M5, M10, M13, M15, M71, NGC 7006, NCG 288, and NGC 362) and find that globular cluster Cu abundances appear to follow [Cu/Fe] trends found in the field. This result is interesting in light of recent work which indicates that the globular cluster Omega Centauri shows no trend in [Cu/Fe] with [Fe/H] over the abundance range -2.0 <[Fe/H]< -0.8. Of particular interest are the two clusters M4 and M5. While at a similar metallicity ([Fe/H] ~- 1.2), they differ greatly in some elemental abundances: M4 is largely overabundant in Si, Ba, and La compared to M5. We find that it is also overabundant in Cu with respect to M5, though this overabundance is in accord with [Cu/Fe] ratios found in the field.
We present new radial velocity measurements for 82 stars, members of the Galactic globular cluster NGC 6388, obtained from ESO-VLT KMOS spectra acquired during the instrument Science Verification. The accuracy of the wavelength calibration is discussed and a number of tests of the KMOS response are presented. The cluster systemic velocity obtained (81.3 +/- 1.5 km/sec) is in very good agreement with previous determinations. While a hint of ordered rotation is found between 9 and 20 from the cluster centre, where the distribution of radial velocities is clearly bimodal, more data are needed before drawing any firm conclusions. The acquired sample of radial velocities has been also used to determine the cluster velocity dispersion profile between ~9 and 70, supplementing previous measurements at r < 2 and r > 60 obtained with ESO-SINFONI and ESO-FLAMES spectroscopy, respectively. The new portion of the velocity dispersion profile nicely matches the previous ones, better defining the knee of the distribution. The present work clearly shows the effectiveness of a deployable Integral Field Unit in measuring the radial velocities of individual stars for determining the velocity dispersion profile of Galactic globular clusters. It represents the pilot project for an ongoing large program with KMOS and FLAMES at the ESO-VLT, aimed at determining the next generation of velocity dispersion and rotation profiles for a representative sample of globular clusters.
Abundances of C, N, and O are determined in four bright red giants that span the known abundance range for light (Na and Al) and s-process (Zr and La) elements in the globular cluster NGC 1851. The abundance sum C+N+O exhibits a range of 0.6 dex, a factor of 4, in contrast to other clusters in which no significant C+N+O spread is found. Such an abundance range offers support for the Cassisi et al. (2008) scenario in which the double subgiant branch populations are coeval but with different mixtures of C+N+O abundances. Further, the Na, Al, Zr, and La abundances are correlated with C+N+O, and therefore, NGC 1851 is the first cluster to provide strong support for the scenario in which AGB stars are responsible for the globular cluster light element abundance variations.