History of the stellar birthrate from lithium abundances in red giants
Abstract
The lithium abundance at the end of main-sequence evolution should increase strongly with mass for masses less than 1.4 solar mass. It is shown that because of this dependence the frequency distribution of Li abundances in red giants is a sensitive probe of the history of the stellar birthrate in the solar neighborhood since the Li distribution directly reflects the stellar age distribution. A birthrate which decreases with time gives a smaller mean red giant Li abundance than an increasing birthrate because a larger fraction of red giants are older and hence less massive. Theoretical Li abundance frequency distributions are calculated for exponentially increasing, constant, and exponentially decreasing birthrates using a semiempirical prescription for main-sequence Li destruction, theoretical main-sequence lifetimes and red giant dilution factors, and self-consistent initial mass functions.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- August 1980
- DOI:
- 10.1086/158183
- Bibcode:
- 1980ApJ...239..953S
- Keywords:
-
- Abundance;
- Frequency Distribution;
- Lithium;
- Main Sequence Stars;
- Red Giant Stars;
- Stellar Evolution;
- Dilution;
- Late Stars;
- Metallic Stars;
- Statistical Distributions;
- Astrophysics