CAPOS: The bulge Cluster APOgee Survey XI. Unraveling the chemical composition of the bulge globular cluster NGC 6304

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Main Authors: Montecinos, Carolina, Geisler, Doug, Muñoz, Cesar, Villanova, Sandro
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Montecinos, Carolina
Geisler, Doug
Muñoz, Cesar
Villanova, Sandro
author_facet Montecinos, Carolina
Geisler, Doug
Muñoz, Cesar
Villanova, Sandro
contents Context. With CAPOS, we can mitigate the observational difficulties limiting access to bulge globular clusters in the optical and investigate them in more detail in the near-IR. Aims. To perform a rigorous abundance analysis of the metal-rich bulge globular cluster NGC 6304, in order to determine its detailed chemical composition and identify multiple populations. Methods. We analyzed APOGEE-2 near-IR spectra of 27 giant members. The abundances of 17 elements (C, N, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, S, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, and Ce) were derived using the BACCHUS code, using atmospheric parameters from both ASPCAP and photometry (Gaia and 2MASS). Results. We derived $[{\rm Fe/H}] = -0.45\pm0.05$ using the ASPCAP parameters, and $[{\rm Fe/H}] = -0.45\pm0.08$ when using photometric parameters, with no evidence of an intrinsic metallicity spread. NGC 6304 shows $[α/{\rm Fe}]_{\rm spec} = 0.24\pm0.07$ and $[α/{\rm Fe}]_{\rm phot} = 0.23\pm0.08$. We find a significant spread in $[{\rm N/Fe}]$, with $σ_{\rm spec} = 0.54$ and $σ_{\rm phot} = 0.46$, along with a C-N anticorrelation. Furthermore, we detect a correlation of Ce with both N and Al, consistent with patterns observed in some metal-rich bulge globular clusters. Conclusions. We find a significant star-to-star variation in Na, but a minimal variation in O. The absence of the Mg-Al anticorrelation supports the evidence that the MgAl cycle is not active in globular clusters at high metallicity. The observed correlation between Ce and both N and Al suggests that the enrichment of these elements may be driven by asymptotic giant branch stars, positioning Ce as an element involved in multiple populations in metal-rich globular clusters. We find that abundances are consistent with those of bulge field stars of similar metallicity, suggesting a similar origin and chemical evolution.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_12784
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle CAPOS: The bulge Cluster APOgee Survey XI. Unraveling the chemical composition of the bulge globular cluster NGC 6304
Montecinos, Carolina
Geisler, Doug
Muñoz, Cesar
Villanova, Sandro
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Context. With CAPOS, we can mitigate the observational difficulties limiting access to bulge globular clusters in the optical and investigate them in more detail in the near-IR. Aims. To perform a rigorous abundance analysis of the metal-rich bulge globular cluster NGC 6304, in order to determine its detailed chemical composition and identify multiple populations. Methods. We analyzed APOGEE-2 near-IR spectra of 27 giant members. The abundances of 17 elements (C, N, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, S, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, and Ce) were derived using the BACCHUS code, using atmospheric parameters from both ASPCAP and photometry (Gaia and 2MASS). Results. We derived $[{\rm Fe/H}] = -0.45\pm0.05$ using the ASPCAP parameters, and $[{\rm Fe/H}] = -0.45\pm0.08$ when using photometric parameters, with no evidence of an intrinsic metallicity spread. NGC 6304 shows $[α/{\rm Fe}]_{\rm spec} = 0.24\pm0.07$ and $[α/{\rm Fe}]_{\rm phot} = 0.23\pm0.08$. We find a significant spread in $[{\rm N/Fe}]$, with $σ_{\rm spec} = 0.54$ and $σ_{\rm phot} = 0.46$, along with a C-N anticorrelation. Furthermore, we detect a correlation of Ce with both N and Al, consistent with patterns observed in some metal-rich bulge globular clusters. Conclusions. We find a significant star-to-star variation in Na, but a minimal variation in O. The absence of the Mg-Al anticorrelation supports the evidence that the MgAl cycle is not active in globular clusters at high metallicity. The observed correlation between Ce and both N and Al suggests that the enrichment of these elements may be driven by asymptotic giant branch stars, positioning Ce as an element involved in multiple populations in metal-rich globular clusters. We find that abundances are consistent with those of bulge field stars of similar metallicity, suggesting a similar origin and chemical evolution.
title CAPOS: The bulge Cluster APOgee Survey XI. Unraveling the chemical composition of the bulge globular cluster NGC 6304
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.12784