_version_ 1866929337557581824
author D'Orazi, Valentina
Storm, Nicholas
Casey, Andrew R.
Braga, Vittorio F.
Zocchi, Alice
Bono, Giuseppe
Fabrizio, Michele
Sneden, Christopher
Massari, Davide
Giribaldi, Riano E.
Bergemann, Maria
Campbell, Simon W.
Casagrande, Luca
de Grijs, Richard
De Silva, Gayandhi
Lugaro, Maria
Zucker, Daniel B.
Bragaglia, Angela
Feuillet, Diane
Fiorentino, Giuliana
Chaboyer, Brian
Dall'Ora, Massimo
Marengo, Massimo
Martínez-Vázquez, Clara E.
Matsunaga, Noriyuki
Monelli, Matteo
Mullen, Joseph P.
Nataf, David
Tantalo, Maria
Thevenin, Frederic
Vitello, Fabio R.
Kudritzki, Rolf-Peter
Bland-Hawthorn, Joss
Buder, Sven
Freeman, Ken
Kos, Janez
Lewis, Geraint F.
Lind, Karin
Martell, Sarah
Sharma, Sanjib
Stello, Dennis
Zwitter, Tomaž
author_facet D'Orazi, Valentina
Storm, Nicholas
Casey, Andrew R.
Braga, Vittorio F.
Zocchi, Alice
Bono, Giuseppe
Fabrizio, Michele
Sneden, Christopher
Massari, Davide
Giribaldi, Riano E.
Bergemann, Maria
Campbell, Simon W.
Casagrande, Luca
de Grijs, Richard
De Silva, Gayandhi
Lugaro, Maria
Zucker, Daniel B.
Bragaglia, Angela
Feuillet, Diane
Fiorentino, Giuliana
Chaboyer, Brian
Dall'Ora, Massimo
Marengo, Massimo
Martínez-Vázquez, Clara E.
Matsunaga, Noriyuki
Monelli, Matteo
Mullen, Joseph P.
Nataf, David
Tantalo, Maria
Thevenin, Frederic
Vitello, Fabio R.
Kudritzki, Rolf-Peter
Bland-Hawthorn, Joss
Buder, Sven
Freeman, Ken
Kos, Janez
Lewis, Geraint F.
Lind, Karin
Martell, Sarah
Sharma, Sanjib
Stello, Dennis
Zwitter, Tomaž
contents Stellar mergers and accretion events have been crucial in shaping the evolution of the Milky Way (MW). These events have been dynamically identified and chemically characterised using red giants and main-sequence stars. RR Lyrae (RRL) variables can play a crucial role in tracing the early formation of the MW since they are ubiquitous, old (t$\ge$10 Gyr) low-mass stars and accurate distance indicators. We exploited Data Release 3 of the GALAH survey to identify 78 field RRLs suitable for chemical analysis. Using synthetic spectra calculations, we determined atmospheric parameters and abundances of Fe, Mg, Ca, Y, and Ba. Most of our stars exhibit halo-like chemical compositions, with an iron peak around [Fe/H]$\approx -$1.40, and enhanced Ca and Mg content. Notably, we discovered a metal-rich tail, with [Fe/H] values ranging from $-$1 to approximately solar metallicity. This sub-group includes almost ~1/4 of the sample, it is characterised by thin disc kinematics and displays sub-solar $α$-element abundances, marginally consistent with the majority of the MW stars. Surprisingly, they differ distinctly from typical MW disc stars in terms of the s-process elements Y and Ba. We took advantage of similar data available in the literature and built a total sample of 535 field RRLs for which we estimated kinematical and dynamical properties. We found that metal-rich RRLs (1/3 of the sample) likely represent an old component of the MW thin disc. We also detected RRLs with retrograde orbits and provided preliminary associations with the Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus, Helmi, Sequoia, Sagittarius, and Thamnos stellar streams.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2405_04580
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The GALAH survey: Tracing the Milky Way's formation and evolution through RR Lyrae stars
D'Orazi, Valentina
Storm, Nicholas
Casey, Andrew R.
Braga, Vittorio F.
Zocchi, Alice
Bono, Giuseppe
Fabrizio, Michele
Sneden, Christopher
Massari, Davide
Giribaldi, Riano E.
Bergemann, Maria
Campbell, Simon W.
Casagrande, Luca
de Grijs, Richard
De Silva, Gayandhi
Lugaro, Maria
Zucker, Daniel B.
Bragaglia, Angela
Feuillet, Diane
Fiorentino, Giuliana
Chaboyer, Brian
Dall'Ora, Massimo
Marengo, Massimo
Martínez-Vázquez, Clara E.
Matsunaga, Noriyuki
Monelli, Matteo
Mullen, Joseph P.
Nataf, David
Tantalo, Maria
Thevenin, Frederic
Vitello, Fabio R.
Kudritzki, Rolf-Peter
Bland-Hawthorn, Joss
Buder, Sven
Freeman, Ken
Kos, Janez
Lewis, Geraint F.
Lind, Karin
Martell, Sarah
Sharma, Sanjib
Stello, Dennis
Zwitter, Tomaž
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Stellar mergers and accretion events have been crucial in shaping the evolution of the Milky Way (MW). These events have been dynamically identified and chemically characterised using red giants and main-sequence stars. RR Lyrae (RRL) variables can play a crucial role in tracing the early formation of the MW since they are ubiquitous, old (t$\ge$10 Gyr) low-mass stars and accurate distance indicators. We exploited Data Release 3 of the GALAH survey to identify 78 field RRLs suitable for chemical analysis. Using synthetic spectra calculations, we determined atmospheric parameters and abundances of Fe, Mg, Ca, Y, and Ba. Most of our stars exhibit halo-like chemical compositions, with an iron peak around [Fe/H]$\approx -$1.40, and enhanced Ca and Mg content. Notably, we discovered a metal-rich tail, with [Fe/H] values ranging from $-$1 to approximately solar metallicity. This sub-group includes almost ~1/4 of the sample, it is characterised by thin disc kinematics and displays sub-solar $α$-element abundances, marginally consistent with the majority of the MW stars. Surprisingly, they differ distinctly from typical MW disc stars in terms of the s-process elements Y and Ba. We took advantage of similar data available in the literature and built a total sample of 535 field RRLs for which we estimated kinematical and dynamical properties. We found that metal-rich RRLs (1/3 of the sample) likely represent an old component of the MW thin disc. We also detected RRLs with retrograde orbits and provided preliminary associations with the Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus, Helmi, Sequoia, Sagittarius, and Thamnos stellar streams.
title The GALAH survey: Tracing the Milky Way's formation and evolution through RR Lyrae stars
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.04580