A revision of the solar neighbourhood metallicity distribution

We present a revised metallicity distribution of dwarfs in the solar neighbourhood. This distribution is centred on solar metallicity. We show that previous metallicity distributions, selected on the basis of spectral type, are biased against stars with solar metallicity or higher. A selection of G-dwarf stars is inherently biased against metal-rich stars and is not representative of the solar neighbourhood metallicity distribution. Using a sample selected on colour, we obtain a distribution where approximately half the stars in the solar neighbourhood have metallicities higher than [Fe/H]=0 . The percentage of mid-metal-poor stars ([Fe/H]<−0.5) is approximately 4 per cent, in agreement with present estimates of the thick disc.
In order to have a metallicity distribution comparable to chemical evolution model predictions, we convert the star fraction to mass fraction, and show that another bias against metal-rich stars affects dwarf metallicity distributions, due to the colour (or spectral type) limits of the samples. Reconsidering the corrections resulting from the increasing thickness of the stellar disc with age, we show that the simple closed-box model with no instantaneous recycling approximation gives a reasonable fit to the observed distribution. Comparisons with the age–metallicity relation and abundance ratios suggest that the simple closed-box model may be a viable model of the chemical evolution of the Galaxy at solar radius.     

Metallicities and ages of stellar populations at a high Galactic latitude field

We present an analysis of UBVRI data from the selected area SA 141. By applying recalibrated methods of measuring ultraviolet excess (UVX), we approximate abundances and absolute magnitudes for 368 stars over 1.3 deg² out to distances over 10 kpc. With the density distribution constrained from our previous photometric parallax investigations and with sufficient accounting for the metallicity bias in the UVX method, we are able to compare the vertical abundance distribution to those measured in previous studies. We find that the abundance distribution has an underlying uniform component consistent with previous spectroscopic results that posit a monometallic thick disc and halo with abundances of  [Fe/H]=−0.8  and −1.4, respectively. However, there are a number of outlying data points that may indicate contamination by more metal-rich halo streams. The absence of vertical abundance gradients in the Galactic stellar populations and the possible presence of interloping halo streams would be consistent with expectations from merger models of Galaxy formation. We find that our UVX method has limited sensitivity in exploring the metallicity distribution of the distant Galactic halo, owing to the poor constraint on the UBV properties of very metal-poor stars. The derivation of metallicities from broad-band UBV photometry remains fundamentally sound for the exploration of the halo but is in need of both improved calibration and superior data.     

On the Galactic disc age–metallicity relation

A comparison is made between the age–metallicity relations obtained from four different types of studies: F and G stars in the solar neighbourhood, analysis of open clusters, galactic structure studies with the stellar population synthesis technique and chemical evolution models. Metallicities of open clusters are corrected for the effects of the radial gradient, which we find to be −0.09 dex kpc⁻¹ and most likely constant in time. We do not correct for the vertical gradient, because its existence and value are not firmly established.
Stars and clusters trace a similar age–metallicity relation, showing an excess of rather metal-rich objects in the age range 5–9 Gyr. Galactic structure studies tend to give a more metal-poor relation than chemical evolution models. Neither relation explains the presence of old, relatively metal-rich stars and clusters. This might be caused by uncertainties in the ages of the local stars, or pre-enrichment of the disc with material from the bulge, possibly as a result of a merger event in the early phases of the formation of our Galaxy.     

Radial mixing and the transition between the thick and thin Galactic discs

The analysis of the kinematics of solar neighbourhood stars shows that the low- and high-metallicity tails of the thin disc are populated by objects which orbital properties suggest an origin in the outer and inner Galactic disc, respectively. Signatures of radial migration are identified in various recent samples, and are shown to be responsible for the high-metallicity dispersion in the age–metallicity distribution. Most importantly, it is shown that the population of low-metallicity wanderers of the thin disc (−0.7 < [Fe/H] < −0.3 dex) is also responsible for the apparent hiatus in metallicity with the thick disc (which terminal metallicity is about −0.2 dex). It implies that the thin disc at the solar circle has started to form stars at about this same metallicity. This is also consistent with the fact that 'transition' objects, which have α-element abundance intermediate between that of the thick and thin discs, are found in the range [−0.4, −0.2] dex. Once the metal-poor thin disc stars are recognized for what they are – wanderers from the outer thin disc – the parenthood between the two discs can be identified on stars genuinely formed at the solar circle through an evolutionary sequence in [α/Fe] and [Fe/H]. Another consequence is that stars that can be considered as truly resulting of the chemical evolution at the solar circle have a metallicity restricted to about [−0.2, +0.2] dex, confirming an old idea that most chemical evolution in the Milky Way have preceded the thin disc formation.     

SDSS absolute magnitudes for thin-disc stars based on trigonometric parallaxes

We present a new luminosity–colour relation based on trigonometric parallaxes for thin-disc main-sequence stars in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) photometry. We matched stars from the newly reduced Hipparcos catalogue with the ones taken from Two-Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) All-Sky Catalogue of Point Sources, and applied a series of constraints, i.e. relative parallax errors  (σ_π/π≤ 0.05)  , metallicity  (−0.30 ≤[M/H]≤ 0.20 dex)  , age  (0 ≤ t ≤ 10 Gyr)  and surface gravity  (log  g > 4)  , and obtained a sample of thin-disc main-sequence stars. Then, we used our previous transformation equations ( Bilir et al. 2008a ) between SDSS and 2MASS photometries and calibrated the   M_g   absolute magnitudes to the  ( g − r )₀  and  ( r − i )₀  colours. The transformation formulae between 2MASS and SDSS photometries along with the absolute magnitude calibration provide space densities for bright stars which saturate the SDSS magnitudes.     

UBRI photometry of globular clusters in the Leo group galaxy NGC 3379

We present wide-area UBRI photometry for globular clusters around the Leo group galaxy NGC 3379. Globular cluster candidates are selected from their B -band magnitudes and their  ( U − B ) _o   versus  ( B − I ) _o   colours. A colour–colour selection region was defined from photometry of the Milky Way and M31 globular cluster systems. We detect 133 globular cluster candidates, which supports previous claims of a low specific frequency for NGC 3379.
The Milky Way and M31 reveal blue and red subpopulations, with  ( U − B ) _o   and  ( B − I ) _o   colours indicating mean metallicities similar to those expected based on previous spectroscopic work. The stellar population models of Maraston and Brocato et al. are consistent with both subpopulations being old, and with metallicities of  [Fe/H]∼−1.5  and −0.6 for the blue and red subpopulations, respectively. The models of Worthey do not reproduce the  ( U − B ) _o   colours of the red (metal-rich) subpopulation for any modelled age.
For NGC 3379 we detect a blue subpopulation with similar colours, and presumably age/metallicity, to that of the Milky Way and M31 globular cluster systems. The red subpopulation is less well defined, perhaps due to increased photometric errors, but indicates a mean metallicity of [Fe/H]∼−0.6.     

NGC 2587: a sparse open cluster projected on to a populous star field

We present CCD photometry in the Johnson U , B and V and Kron–Cousins I passbands for the open cluster NGC 2587. The sample consists of 4406 stars reaching down to   V ∼ 21.0  . We developed a new method to clean statistically the colour–magnitude diagrams. NGC 2587 appears to be a sparse, relatively bright open cluster, with a few tens of members projected on to a populous star field. The comparatively bright F7/8 II type star HD 70927, located close to the cluster centre, seems not to be a member. Our analysis suggests that NGC 2587 is slightly younger than the Hyades and probably of solar metallicity. A cluster radius of roughly 8 arcmin was estimated from the radial stellar density profile. From 18 probable cluster members with measured proper motions, we derive the following mean values for NGC 2587:  μ_α=−4.3 ± 3.6 mas yr⁻¹  and  μ_δ=−2.5 ± 3.4 mas yr⁻¹  . Adopting the theoretical metal content   Z = 0.02  , which provides the best global fit, we derive a cluster age of  500⁺⁶⁰₋₅₀  . Simultaneously, colour excesses   E ( B − V ) = 0.10  and   E ( V − I ) = 0.15  and an apparent distance modulus of   V − M_V = 12.50  are obtained. The interstellar extinction in the cluster direction is found to follow the normal law. NGC 2587 is located at a distance of (2.70 ± 0.70) kpc from the Sun and ∼9.8 kpc from the Galactic centre.     

The colours of the Sun

We compile a sample of Sun-like stars with accurate effective temperatures, metallicities and colours (from the ultraviolet to the near-infrared). A crucial improvement is that the effective temperature scale of the stars has recently been established as both accurate and precise through direct measurement of angular diameters obtained with stellar interferometers. We fit the colours as a function of effective temperature and metallicity, and derive colour estimates for the Sun in the Johnson–Cousins, Tycho, Strömgren, 2MASS and SDSS photometric systems. For  ( B − V )_⊙  , we favour the 'red' colour 0.64 versus the 'blue' colour 0.62 of other recent papers, but both values are consistent within the errors; we ascribe the difference to the selection of Sun-like stars versus interpolation of wider colour– T _eff–metallicity relations.     

Chemical evolution with radial mixing

Models of the chemical evolution of our Galaxy are extended to include radial migration of stars and flow of gas through the disc. The models track the production of both iron and α-elements. A model is chosen that provides an excellent fit to the metallicity distribution of stars in the Geneva–Copenhagen survey (GCS) of the solar neighbourhood and a good fit to the local Hess diagram. The model provides a good fit to the distribution of GCS stars in the age–metallicity plane, although this plane was not used in the fitting process. Although this model's star formation rate is monotonically declining, its disc naturally splits into an α-enhanced thick disc and a normal thin disc. In particular, the model's distribution of stars in the ([O/Fe], [Fe/H]) plane resembles that of Galactic stars in displaying a ridge line for each disc. The thin-disc's ridge line is entirely due to stellar migration, and there is the characteristic variation of stellar angular momentum along it that has been noted by Haywood in survey data. Radial mixing of stellar populations with high  σ _z   from inner regions of the disc to the solar neighbourhood provides a natural explanation of why measurements yield a steeper increase of  σ _z   with age than predicted by theory. The metallicity gradient in the interstellar medium is predicted to be steeper than in earlier models, but appears to be in good agreement with data for both our Galaxy and external galaxies. The models are inconsistent with a cut-off in the star formation rate at low gas surface densities. The absolute magnitude of the disc is given as a function of time in several photometric bands, and radial colour profiles are plotted for representative times.     

A near-infrared and optical photometric study of the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy: implications for the metallicity spread

The Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy has a giant branch with a significant spread in colour, symptomatic of an intrinsic age–metallicity spread. We present here a detailed study of the Sculptor giant branch and horizontal branch (HB) morphology, combining new near-infrared photometry from the Cambridge Infrared Survey Instrument (CIRSI), with optical data from the European Southern Observatory Wide Field Imager. For a Sculptor-like old and generally metal-poor system, the position of red giant branch (RGB) and asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars on the colour–magnitude diagram (CMD) is mainly metallicity dependent. The advantage of using optical–near-infrared colours is that the position of the RGB locus is much more sensitive to metallicity than with optical colours alone. In contrast the HB morphology is strongly dependent on both metallicity and age. Therefore a detailed study of both the RGB in optical–near-infrared colours and the HB can help break the age–metallicity degeneracy. Our measured photometric width of the Sculptor giant branch corresponds to a range in metallicity of 0.75 dex. We detect the RGB and AGB bumps in both the near-infrared and the optical luminosity functions, and derive from them a mean metallicity of  [M/H]=−1.3 ± 0.1  . From isochrone fitting we derive a mean metallicity of  [Fe/H]=−1.42  with a dispersion of 0.2 dex. These photometric estimators are for the first time consistent with individual metallicity measurements derived from spectroscopic observations. No spatial gradient is detected in the RGB morphology within a radius of 13 arcmin, twice the core radius. On the other hand, a significant gradient is observed in the HB morphology index, confirming the 'second parameter problem' present in this galaxy. These observations are consistent with an early extended period of star formation continuing in time for a few Gyr.     

High spatial resolution Galactic 3D extinction mapping with IPHAS

We present an algorithm (MEAD, for 'Mapping Extinction Against Distance') which will determine intrinsic  ( r '− i ')  colour, extinction, and distance for early-A to K4 stars extracted from the IPHAS   r '/ i '/Hα  photometric data base. These data can be binned up to map extinction in three dimensions across the northern Galactic plane. The large size of the IPHAS data base (∼200 million unique objects), the accuracy of the digital photometry it contains and its faint limiting magnitude  ( r '∼ 20)  allow extinction to be mapped with fine angular (∼10 arcmin) and distance (∼ 0.1 kpc) resolution to distances of up to 10 kpc, outside the solar circle. High reddening within the solar circle on occasion brings this range down to ∼2 kpc. The resolution achieved, both in angle and depth, greatly exceeds that of previous empirical 3D extinction maps, enabling the structure of the Galactic Plane to be studied in increased detail. MEAD accounts for the effect of the survey magnitude limits, photometric errors, unresolved interstellar medium (ISM) substructure and binarity. The impact of metallicity variations, within the range typical of the Galactic disc is small. The accuracy and reliability of MEAD are tested through the use of simulated photometry created with Monte Carlo sampling techniques. The success of this algorithm is demonstrated on a selection of fields and the results are compared to the literature.     

A photometric and spectroscopic study of the brightest northern Cepheids — II. Fundamental physical parameters

We present a new Cepheid reddening and effective temperature scale based on the uvby photometry published in the first paper of this series. Using all available information about the companion stars in Cepheids with bright blue secondaries, we remove their light from the observed light and colour curves. The resulting corrections are as large as 0.05–0.15 mag in several cases for different colour indices. A new photometric approach based on the ( b  −  y ) versus ( B  − V ) two-colour diagram is tested with three other previous calibrations taken from the literature. Two uvby relations in earlier studies turn out to be the most reliable and consistent, and so they are used in deriving colour excesses. We determine systematically higher reddenings for Cepheids with a significant secondary light correction. The dereddened Stro¨mgren colours are calibrated in terms of T _eff and log  g using the most recent synthetic colour grids. Our temperature scale is very close to that of Kraft, which is supported by other recent temperature determinations using the infrared flux method or Geneva photometry. The photometric gravities fit some of the earlier theoretical and observational (mainly spectroscopic) results very well.     

Metallicity effects on the chromospheric activity–age relation for late-type dwarfs

We show that there is a relationship between the age excess, defined as the difference between the stellar isochrone and chromospheric ages, and the metallicity as measured by the index [Fe/H] for late-type dwarfs. The chromospheric age tends to be lower than the isochrone age for metal-poor stars, and the opposite occurs for metal-rich objects. We suggest that this could be an effect of neglecting the metallicity dependence of the calibrated chromospheric emission–age relation. We propose a correction to account for this dependence. We also investigate the metallicity distributions of these stars, and show that there are distinct trends according to the chromospheric activity level. Inactive stars have a metallicity distribution which resembles the metallicity distribution of solar neighbourhood stars, while active stars appear to be concentrated in an activity strip on the log  R '_HK × [Fe/H] diagram. We provide some explanations for these trends, and show that the chromospheric emission–age relation probably has different slopes on the two sides of the Vaughan–Preston gap.     

Intermediate-metallicity, high-velocity stars and Galactic chemical evolution

High signal-to-noise ratio spectra were obtained of 10 high-proper-motion stars having  −1 ≲[Fe/H] < 0  , and a comparable number of disc stars. All but two of the high-proper-motion stars were confirmed to have  [Fe/H] > −1.0  , some approaching solar metallicity, but, even so, earlier measurements overestimated the metallicities and velocities of some of these stars. Models of stellar populations were used to assign membership probabilities to the Galactic components to which the high-velocity stars might belong. Many were found to be more probably thick-disc than halo objects, despite their large space motions, and two might be associated with the inner Galaxy. It may be necessary to reassess contamination of previous halo samples, such as those used to define the metallicity distribution, to account for contamination by high-velocity thick-disc stars, and to consider possible subcomponents of the halo.
The change in [α/Fe] ratios at  [Fe/H]≃−1.0  is often used to constrain the degree and timing of Type Ia supernova nucleosynthesis in Galactic chemical-evolution models. [Ti/Fe] values were measured for eight of the high-velocity stars. Both high- and low-[Ti/Fe] halo stars exist; likewise high- and low-[Ti/Fe] thick-disc stars exist. We conclude that the [Ti/Fe]'break' is not well defined for a given population; nor is there a simple, continuous evolutionary sequence through the break. Implications for the interpretation of the [α/Fe] break in terms of SN Ia time-scales and progenitors are discussed. The range of [Ti/Fe] found for high -velocity (low rotation) thick-disc stars contrasts with that for the low -velocity (high rotation) thick-disc sample studied by Prochaska et al.     

The metal homogeneity of the globular star cluster M5

This work is concerned with the precision measurement of the magnitudes of the stars across a large field of the galactic globular cluster M5. The colours of the red giants are subjected to a thorough statistical analysis in order to quantify the extent of any star-to-star variations in metal abundance within the cluster. Use is made of an extensive optical/near-infrared observational data set acquired with a large-array CCD detector and the Johnson V and I filters. The results of this photometry, which is accurate to within a few millimagnitudes for the brighter stars, are used to compile a colour–magnitude diagram.
The analysis finds that in a metal-rich M5 ([Fe/H]=−1.2) the extent of any metal inhomogeneity, Δ[Fe/H], is less than ±0.1 dex, and in a metal-poor M5 ([Fe/H]=−1.5) then     . (The literature contains a range of derived values of metallicity for M5.)     

Chemical evolution of the Magellanic Clouds: analytical models

We have extended our analytical chemical evolution modelling ideas for the Galaxy to the Magellanic Clouds. Unlike previous authors (Russell &38; Dopita, Tsujimoto et al. and Pilyugin), we assume neither a steepened initial mass function nor selective galactic winds, since among the α-particle elements only oxygen shows a large deficit relative to iron and a similar deficit is also found in Galactic supergiants. Thus we assume yields and time delays identical to those that we previously assumed for the solar neighbourhood. We include inflow and non-selective galactic winds and consider both smooth and bursting star formation rates, the latter giving a better fit to the age–metallicity relations. We predict essentially solar abundance ratios for primary elements and these seem to fit most of the data within their substantial scatter. Our model for the Large Magellanic Cloud also gives a remarkably good fit to the anomalous Galactic halo stars discovered by Nissen &38; Schuster.   Our models predict current ratios of Type Ia supernova to core-collapse supernova rates enhanced by 50 and 25 per cent respectively relative to the solar neighbourhood, in fair agreement with ratios found by Cappellaro et al. for Sdm–Im relative to Sbc galaxies, but these ratios are sensitive to detailed assumptions about the bursts and a still higher enhancement in the Large Magellanic Cloud has been deduced from X-ray studies of remnants by Hughes et al. The corresponding ratios integrated over time up to the present are slightly below 1, but they exceed 1 if one compares the Magellanic Clouds with the Galaxy at times when it had the corresponding metallicities.     

Metallicity estimates for A-, F-, and G-type stars from the Edinburgh–Cape Blue Object Survey

The Edinburgh–Cape Blue Object Survey is an ongoing project to identify and analyse a large sample of hot stars selected initially on the basis of photographic colours (down to a magnitude limit     over the entire high-Galactic-latitude southern sky, and then studied with broad-band UBV photometry and medium-resolution spectroscopy. Due to unavoidable errors in the initial candidate selection, stars that are likely metal-deficient dwarfs and giants of the halo and thick-disc populations are inadvertently included, yet are of interest in their own right. In this paper we discuss a total of 206 candidate metal-deficient dwarfs, subgiants, giants, and horizontal-branch stars with photoelectric colours redder than     and with available spectroscopy. Radial velocities, accurate to ∼10–15 km s⁻¹, are presented for all of these stars. Spectroscopic metallicity estimates for these stars are obtained using a recently recalibrated relation between Ca  ii K-line strength and     colour. The identification of metal-poor stars from this colour-selection technique is remarkably efficient, and competitive with previous survey methods. An additional sample of 186 EC stars with photoelectric colours in the range     composed primarily of field horizontal-branch stars and other, higher gravity, A- and B-type stars, is also analysed. Estimates of the physical parameters T _eff, log  g , and [Fe/H] are obtained for cooler members of this subsample, and a number of candidate RR Lyrae variables are identified.     

Asymptotic giant branch variables in Baade's Windows

In this work, a sample of luminous M-type giants in the Baade's Windows towards the inner Galactic bulge is investigated in the near-infrared. The ISOGAL survey at 7 and 15 μm has given information concerning the mass-loss rates of these stars and their variability characteristics have been extracted from the MACHO data base. Most are known to be semi-regular variables (SRVs). Here we discuss how their IJHK _S -region colours depend on period and on the presence or absence of mass loss, using results mainly taken from the DENIS and 2MASS surveys.
In order to compare their colours with solar neighbourhood stars, photometric colours on the DENIS, 2MASS and ESO photometric systems have been synthesized for objects in the spectrophotometric atlas of Lançon & Wood. In addition, they have been used to predict the differences in colour indices when stars with strong molecular bands are observed using different photometric systems.
The SRVs are found to inhabit the upper end of the     , K _S colour–magnitude diagram, lying just below the Miras. High mass-loss rates are associated with high luminosity. The near-infrared colours of the SRVs increase in a general way with period and are the reddest for stars with significant mass loss. The average colours of Mira variables, whose periods start at around 200 d in the bulge, are bluer than those of the semi-regulars at this period, particularly in     , thanks to the association of deep water vapour bands with large amplitude.     

Harmonizing the RR Lyrae and clump distance scales – stretching the short distance scale to intermediate ranges?

I explore the consequences of making the RR Lyrae and clump giant distance scales consistent in the solar neighbourhood, Galactic bulge and Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). I employ two major assumptions: (i) that the absolute magnitude–metallicity, M _V (RR)–[Fe/H], relation for RR Lyrae stars is universal, and (ii) that absolute I magnitudes of clump giants, M _I (RC), in Baade's Window are known (e.g. can be inferred from the local Hipparcos -based calibration or theoretical modelling). A comparison between the solar neighbourhood and Baade's Window sets M _V (RR) at [Fe/H]=−1.6 in the range (0.59±0.05, 0.70±0.05), somewhat brighter than the statistical parallax solution. More luminous RR Lyrae stars imply younger globular clusters, which would be in better agreement with the conclusions from the currently favoured stellar evolution and cosmological models. A comparison between Baade's Window and the LMC sets M ^LMC(RC) _I in the range (−0.33±0.09,−0.53±0.09). The distance modulus to the LMC is μ ^LMC∈(18.24±0.08,18.44±0.07). Unlike M ^LMC(RC) _I , this range in μ ^LMC does not depend on the adopted value of the dereddened LMC clump magnitude, I ^LMC(RC)₀. I argue that the currently available information is insufficient to select the correct distance scale with high confidence.     

Stellar Yields and Chemical Evolution — I. Abundance Ratios and Delayed Mixing in the Solar Neighbourhood

We analyse two recent computations of Type II supernova nucleosynthesis by Woosley & Weaver (hereafter WW95) and Thielemann, Nomoto & Hashimoto (hereafter TNH96), focusing on the ability to reproduce the observed [Mg/Fe] ratios in various galaxy types. We show that the yields of oxygen and total metallicity are in good agreement. However, TNH96 models produce more magnesium in the intermediate and less iron in the upper mass range of Type II supernovae than WW95 models. To investigate the significance of these discrepancies for chemical evolution, we calculate simple stellar population yields for both sets of models and different initial mass function slopes. We conclude that the Mg yields of WW95 do not suffice to explain the [Mg/Fe] overabundance either in giant elliptical galaxies and bulges or in metal-poor stars in the solar neighbourhood and the Galactic halo. Calculating the chemical evolution in the solar neighbourhood according to the standard infall model, we find that, using WW95 and TNH96 nucleosynthesis, the solar magnesium abundance is underestimated by 29 and 7 per cent, respectively.   We include the relaxation of the instantaneous mixing approximation in chemical evolution models by splitting the gas component into two different phases. In additional simulations of the chemical evolution in the solar neighbourhood, we discuss various time-scales for the mixing of the stellar ejecta with the interstellar medium. We find that a delay of the order of 10⁸ yr leads to a better fit of the observational data in the [Mg/Fe]–[Fe/H] diagram without destroying the agreement with solar element abundances and the age–metallicity relation.