A Spectroscopic Investigation of the Rho Puppis Stars
- ASU Author/Contributor (non-ASU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Courtney Elizabeth McGahee (Creator)
- Institution
- Appalachian State University (ASU )
- Web Site: https://library.appstate.edu/
- Advisor
- Richard O. Gray
Abstract: The Rho Puppis stars are mid F-type stars that show peculiar chemical abundance patterns similar to those of the hotter Am stars. This means that they typically exhibit overabundances of iron-peak elements like Fe and Ni as well as s- and r-process elements such as Sr and Eu, but show underabundances of other elements like He and Ca. There are currently two hypotheses that may explain these peculiar chemical abundances. One hypothesis suggests that these stars are evolving Am stars in a short-lived phase that occurs between the re-establishment of convection and the consequent erasure of the chemical peculiarities. The second hypothesis requires that these stars have acquired their peculiar abundance patterns in a fashion similar to the Barium dwarf stars. More specifically, it is suspected that they may have gained the s-process element enhancements via mass transfer from a once Asymptotic Giant-Branch companion star, now turned white dwarf.
This thesis details my efforts to investigate the Rho Puppis stars with regard to these two hypotheses, so that we may understand these stars and their significance in terms of stellar evolution.
A Spectroscopic Investigation of the Rho Puppis Stars
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Created on 8/27/2010
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- McGahee, C.E. (2010). A Spectroscopic Investigation of the Rho Puppis Stars. Unpublished master's thesis. Appalachian State University, Boone, NC.
- Language: English
- Date: 2010
- Keywords
- Puppis, metallicism, spectroscopy, Am stars, Fm stars