First stars. XV. Third-peak r-process element and actinide abundances in the uranium-rich star CS31082-001

Context. A small fraction of extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars exhibit moderate to extreme excesses of heavy neutron-capture elements produced in the r-process. The production site(s) of these elements in the early Galaxy remain(s) unclear, as is the reason for their occasional enhancement in the otherwise regular pattern of abundances of elements up to the iron peak. The detailed abundance pattern of the heaviest elements in EMP stars provides insight into their origin and role in the chemical enrichment of the early Galaxy and in radioactive nucleochronology.
Aims: The EMP giant star CS 31082-001 ([Fe/H] ~ -2.9) exhibits an extreme enhancement of neutron-capture elements ([r/Fe] ~ +1.7) with U and Th enhanced by a further ~+0.7 dex, and a minimum of blending by molecular lines such as CH or CN. A rich inventory of r-process element abundances was established previously from optical spectra. Here we aim to supplement these data with abundances from near-UV spectroscopy of the third-peak neutron-capture elements, which are crucial for understanding the synthesis of the heaviest elements.
Methods: Near-UV spectra from HST/STIS were analysed with LTE model atmospheres and spectrum synthesis calculations to derive new abundances of Os, Ir, Pt, Au, Bi and Pb in CS 31082-001.
Results: Together with earlier data, the resulting abundance pattern for the r-process elements provides improved constraints on the nature of the r-process. The observed U and Th abundances and the initial production ratio place CS 31082-001 as one of the oldest stars in the Galaxy, consistent with its extreme metal deficiency. Comparison with the heaviest stable reference elements and with the daughter nuclides Pb and Bi provides a consistency check on this age determination. Finally, the existence of such r-element rich stars indicate that the early chemical evolution of the Galaxy was localised and inhomogeneous.

Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope (HST) through the Space Telescope Science Institute, operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555; and with the ESO Very Large Telescope at Paranal Observatory, Chile; Progr. ID 165.N-0276.