The R-Process Alliance: A Very Metal-poor, Extremely r-process-enhanced Star with [Eu/Fe] = + 2.2, and the Class of r-III Stars

We report the discovery of J1521-3538, a bright (V = 12.2), very metal-poor ([Fe/H] = -2.8) strongly r-process-enhanced field horizontal branch star, based on a high-resolution, high signal-to-noise Magellan/MIKE spectrum. J1521-3538 shows the largest r-process element overabundance in any known r-process-enhanced star, with [Eu/Fe] = +2.2, and its chemical abundances of 22 neutron-capture elements closely match the scaled solar r-process pattern. J1521-3538 is also one of few known carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars with r-process enhancement (CEMP-r stars), as found after correcting the measured C abundance for the star's evolutionary status. We propose to extend the existing classification of moderately enhanced ( $+0.3\leqslant {\rm{[Eu/Fe]}}\leqslant +1.0$ ) r-I and strongly r-process enhanced ( ${\rm{[Eu/Fe]}}\gt +1.0$ ) r-II stars to include an r-III class, for r-process stars such as J1521-3538, with ${\rm{[Eu/Fe]}}\gt +2.0$ and ${\rm{[Ba/Eu]}}\lt -0.5$ , or $\geqslant 100$ times the solar ratio of europium to iron. Using cosmochronometry, we estimate J1521-3538 to be $12.5\pm 5\,\mathrm{Gyr}$ and $8.9\pm 5\,\mathrm{Gyr}$ , using two different sets of initial production ratios. These ages are based on measurements of the Th line at 4019 Å and other r-process element abundances. This is broadly consistent with the old age of a low-mass, metal-poor field red horizontal branch star. J1521-3538 likely originated in a low-mass dwarf galaxy that was later accreted by the Milky Way, as evidenced by its highly eccentric orbit. ^* This paper includes data gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. Based on observations obtained at the Gemini Observatory (Prop. IDs: GS-2015A-Q-205), which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF) on behalf of the Gemini partnership: the NSF (United States), the National Research Council (Canada), CONICYT (Chile), Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva (Argentina), and Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brazil). Based on observations collected at the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere under ESO program(s) 092.D-0308(A).