A Survey of Proper-Motion Stars. VII. The Halo Metallicity Distribution Function
Abstract
The authors investigated the metallicity distribution function (MDF) of the halo for field dwarf stars and for globular clusters. A significant improvement over earlier field-star samples has been achieved using the Carney-Latham survey of proper-motion stars, from which a halo sample has been isolated. The simple model of chemical evolution predicts slightly too many very metal-poor stars compared to the observed field stars. The metal-rich end of the MDF is investigated, and it is found that the field stars show a strong tail toward high metallicity not predicted by the simple model. This could result if the yield increased with metallicity, and several possible causes of such an increase are discussed.
- Publication:
-
The Astronomical Journal
- Pub Date:
- December 1988
- DOI:
- 10.1086/114936
- Bibcode:
- 1988AJ.....96.1908L
- Keywords:
-
- Distribution Functions;
- Dwarf Stars;
- Globular Clusters;
- Metallicity;
- Stellar Motions;
- Abundance;
- Chemical Evolution;
- Star Distribution;
- Star Formation;
- Astrophysics;
- GALAXIES: THE GALAXY;
- STARS: ABUNDANCES;
- STARS: HIGH-VELOCITY;
- STARS: POPULATION II;
- STARS: PROPER-MOTION;
- STARS: SUBDWARFS;
- STARS: WEAK-LINE