Enhanced extra mixing in low-mass stars approaching the RGB tip and the problem of Li-rich red-clump stars

Fuente: arXiv
Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Denissenkov, Pavel A., Blouin, Simon, Herwig, Falk, Stott, Jacob, Woodward, Paul R.
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2023
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
_version_ 1866913551840444416
author Denissenkov, Pavel A.
Blouin, Simon
Herwig, Falk
Stott, Jacob
Woodward, Paul R.
author_facet Denissenkov, Pavel A.
Blouin, Simon
Herwig, Falk
Stott, Jacob
Woodward, Paul R.
contents A few percent of red giants are enriched in Lithium with $A(\mathrm{Li}) > 1.5$. Their evolutionary status has remained uncertain because these Li-rich giants can be placed both on the red-giant branch (RGB) near the bump luminosity and in the red clump (RC) region. However, thanks to asteroseismology, it has been found that most of them are actually RC stars. Starting at the bump luminosity, RGB progenitors of the RC stars experience extra mixing in the radiative zone separating the H-burning shell from the convective envelope followed by a series of convective He-shell flashes at the RGB tip, known as the He-core flash. The He-core flash was proposed to cause fast extra mixing in the stars at the RGB tip that is needed for the Cameron-Fowler mechanism to produce Li. We propose that the RGB stars are getting enriched in Li by the RGB extra mixing that is getting enhanced and begins to produce Li, instead of destroying it, when the stars are approaching the RGB tip. After a discussion of several mechanisms of the RGB extra mixing, including the joint operation of rotation-driven meridional circulation and turbulent diffusion, the Azimuthal Magneto-Rotational Instability (AMRI), thermohaline convection, buoyancy of magnetic flux tubes, and internal gravity waves, and based on results of (magneto-) hydrodynamics simulations and asteroseismology observations, we are inclined to conclude that it is the mechanism of the AMRI or magnetically-enhanced thermohaline convection, that is most likely to support our hypothesis.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2309_04634
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Enhanced extra mixing in low-mass stars approaching the RGB tip and the problem of Li-rich red-clump stars
Denissenkov, Pavel A.
Blouin, Simon
Herwig, Falk
Stott, Jacob
Woodward, Paul R.
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
A few percent of red giants are enriched in Lithium with $A(\mathrm{Li}) > 1.5$. Their evolutionary status has remained uncertain because these Li-rich giants can be placed both on the red-giant branch (RGB) near the bump luminosity and in the red clump (RC) region. However, thanks to asteroseismology, it has been found that most of them are actually RC stars. Starting at the bump luminosity, RGB progenitors of the RC stars experience extra mixing in the radiative zone separating the H-burning shell from the convective envelope followed by a series of convective He-shell flashes at the RGB tip, known as the He-core flash. The He-core flash was proposed to cause fast extra mixing in the stars at the RGB tip that is needed for the Cameron-Fowler mechanism to produce Li. We propose that the RGB stars are getting enriched in Li by the RGB extra mixing that is getting enhanced and begins to produce Li, instead of destroying it, when the stars are approaching the RGB tip. After a discussion of several mechanisms of the RGB extra mixing, including the joint operation of rotation-driven meridional circulation and turbulent diffusion, the Azimuthal Magneto-Rotational Instability (AMRI), thermohaline convection, buoyancy of magnetic flux tubes, and internal gravity waves, and based on results of (magneto-) hydrodynamics simulations and asteroseismology observations, we are inclined to conclude that it is the mechanism of the AMRI or magnetically-enhanced thermohaline convection, that is most likely to support our hypothesis.
title Enhanced extra mixing in low-mass stars approaching the RGB tip and the problem of Li-rich red-clump stars
topic Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.04634