Disentangling the Hercules Stream

Using high-resolution spectra of nearby F and G dwarf stars, we have investigated the detailed abundance and age structure of the Hercules stream. We find that the stars in the stream have a wide range of stellar ages, metallicities, and element abundances. By comparing to existing samples of stars...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Astrophysical journal 2007-02, Vol.655 (2), p.L89-L92
Main Authors: Bensby, T, Oey, M. S, Feltzing, S, Gustafsson, B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astronomi och astrofysik
Astronomi, astrofysik och kosmologi
Astronomy
Astronomy and astrophysics
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Fysik
galaxy : disk
Galaxy : evolution
Galaxy : formation
NATURAL SCIENCES
NATURVETENSKAP
neighborhood
Physical Sciences
Physics
solar
stars : abundances
stars : kinematics
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Using high-resolution spectra of nearby F and G dwarf stars, we have investigated the detailed abundance and age structure of the Hercules stream. We find that the stars in the stream have a wide range of stellar ages, metallicities, and element abundances. By comparing to existing samples of stars in the solar neighborhood with kinematics typical of the Galactic thin and thick disks, we find that the properties of the Hercules stream distinctly separate into the abundance and age trends of the two disks. Hence, we find it unlikely that the Hercules stream is a unique Galactic stellar population but rather is a mixture of thin and thick disk stars. This points toward a dynamical origin for the Hercules stream, probably caused by the Galactic bar.
ISSN:1538-4357
0004-637X
1538-4357
DOI:10.1086/512014