Germanium Abundances in Field Stars

From Ge I lines in the near-ultraviolet, germanium abundances are deduced for the Sun, one metal-poor subgiant, and nine turnoff stars spanning a range of metallicities. The abundance of germanium with respect to iron varies widely among the stars, and is always at or below its solar proportion. In four stars, one mildly and the rest extremely metal-poor, Ge is deficient by ⩾0.5 dex. The nearby elements Zn and Zr show nearly scaled-solar abundances. The Ge deficiency persists when heavy r-process elements such as platinum are extremely enhanced. Among this small sample, Ge deficiency correlates with Al deficiency, of similar size.