Year: 2011
Type: article
Abstract: Star‐to‐star variations in abundances of the light elements carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and sodium have been observed in stars of all evolutionary phases in all Galactic globular clusters that have been thoroughly studied. The data available for studying this phenomenon, and the hypotheses as to its origin, have both co‐evolved with observing technology; once high‐resolution spectra were available even for main‐sequence stars in globular clusters, scenarios involving multiple closely spaced stellar generations enriched by feedback from moderate‐ and high‐mass stars began to gain traction in the literature. This paper briefly reviews the observational history of globular cluster abundance inhomogeneities, discusses the presently favored models of their origin, and considers several aspects of this problem that require further study (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Source: Astronomische Nachrichten
Author: S.L. Martell
Institution: Heidelberg University
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2022215199