Ba Enrichment in Gaia MS+WD Binaries: Tracing s-process Element Production

A large population of intermediate-separation binaries, consisting of a main-sequence (MS) star and a white dwarf (WD), recently emerged from Gaia’s third data release (DR3), posing challenges to current models of binary evolution. Here we examine the s -process element abundances in these systems u...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Astrophysical journal. Letters 2024-10, Vol.973 (2), p.L56
Main Authors: Rekhi, Param, Ben-Ami, Sagi, Hallakoun, Na’ama, Shahaf, Sahar, Toonen, Silvia, Rix, Hans-Walter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abundance
Astrometric binary stars
Astrometry
Asymptotic giant branch stars
Barium stars
Binary stars
Chemical enrichment
Dwarf stars
Gaia
Metallicity
Nuclear fusion
Parameter estimation
Parameter identification
Post-asymptotic giant branch stars
Process parameters
S-process
Separation
White dwarf stars
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Summary:A large population of intermediate-separation binaries, consisting of a main-sequence (MS) star and a white dwarf (WD), recently emerged from Gaia’s third data release (DR3), posing challenges to current models of binary evolution. Here we examine the s -process element abundances in these systems using data from GALAH DR3. Following refined sample analysis with parameter estimates based on GALAH spectra, we find a distinct domain where enhanced s -process elemental abundances depend on both the WD mass and metallicity, consistent with parameter spaces identified in previous asymptotic giant branch (AGB) nucleosynthesis studies having higher s -process yields. Notably, these enhanced abundances show no correlation with the systems’ orbital parameters, supporting a history of accretion in intermediate-separation MS+WD systems. Consequently, our results form direct observational evidence of a connection between AGB masses and s -process yields. We conclude by showing that the GALAH DR3 survey includes numerous Ba dwarf stars, within and beyond the mass range covered in our current sample, which can further elucidate s -process element distributions in MS+WD binaries.
ISSN:2041-8205
2041-8213
DOI:10.3847/2041-8213/ad77b9