Are Galactic globular cluster AGB stars rich or poor in Sodium? Sodium abundance of AGB and RGB stars in NGC 2808
Abstract
A spectroscopic study comparing the [Na/Fe] distributions of RGB and AGB stars in the Galactic globular cluster (GC) NGC 6752 found that there was no Na-rich, 2nd-generation star along the early-AGB of this cluster. This came as a surprise since in this GC, as well as other Galactic GCs studied so far, 1st- and 2nd-generation stars have usually been found from the main sequence turnoff up to the red giant branch. To investigate whether the failure of a significant fraction of stars to ascend the AGB also happens to other GCs, we studied a sample of AGB and RGB stars in NGC 2808 observed at the ESO/VLT with FLAMES. Contrary to NGC 6752, we find that the AGB and RGB stars we studied in NGC 2808 have comparable [Na/Fe] dispersions.
- Publication:
-
Formation, Evolution, and Survival of Massive Star Clusters
- Pub Date:
- March 2017
- DOI:
- Bibcode:
- 2017IAUS..316..361W
- Keywords:
-
- globular cluster;
- abundances;
- AGB star