Non-LTE analysis of copper abundances for the two distinct halo populations in the solar neighborhood

Context. Two distinct halo populations were found in the solar neighborhood by a series of works. They can be clearly separated by [α/Fe] and several other elemental abundance ratios including [Cu/Fe]. Very recently, a non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) study revealed that relatively large departures exist between LTE and non-LTE results in copper abundance analysis. The study also showed that non-LTE effects of neutral copper vary with stellar parameters and thus affect the [Cu/Fe] trend.
Aims: We aim to derive the copper abundances for the stars from the sample of Nissen & Schuster (2010) with both LTE and non-LTE calculations. Based on our results, we study the non-LTE effects of copper and investigate whether the high-α population can still be distinguished from the low-α population in the non-LTE [Cu/Fe] results.
Methods: Our differential abundance ratios are derived from the high-resolution spectra collected from VLT/UVES and NOT/FIES spectrographs. Applying the MAFAGS opacity sampling atmospheric models and spectrum synthesis method, we derive the non-LTE copper abundances based on the new atomic model with current atomic data obtained from both laboratory and theoretical calculations.
Results: The copper abundances determined from non-LTE calculations are increased by 0.01 to 0.2 dex depending on the stellar parameters compared with the LTE results. The non-LTE [Cu/Fe] trend is much flatter than the LTE one in the metallicity range -1.6 < [ Fe / H ] < -0.8. Taking non-LTE effects into consideration, the high- and low-α stars still show distinguishable copper abundances, which appear even more clear in a diagram of non-LTE [Cu/Fe] versus [Fe/H].
Conclusions: The non-LTE effects are strong for copper, especially in metal-poor stars. Our results confirmed that there are two distinct halo populations in the solar neighborhood. The dichotomy in copper abundance is a peculiar feature of each population, suggesting that they formed in different environments and evolved obeying diverse scenarios.

Based on observations made with the FIbre fed Echelle Spectrograph (FIES) at the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) on La Palma, and on data from the European Southern Observatory ESO/ST-ECF Science Archive Facility (programs 65.L-0507, 67.D-0086, 67.D-0439, 68.D-0094, 68.B-0475, 69.D-0679, 70.D-0474, 71.B-0529, 72.B-0585, 76.B-0133 and 77.B-0507).