Lithium in M 67: From the main sequence to the red giant branch

Author(s)

Pace, G. ^[1] ; Castro, M. ^[2] ; Melendez, J. ^[3] ; Theado, S. ^[4] ; do Nascimento, Jr., J. -D. ^[2]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Porto, Ctr Astrofis, P-4150762 Oporto - Portugal

^[2] Univ Fed Rio Grande do Norte, Dept Fis Teor & Expt, BR-59072970 Natal, RN - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Astron, IAG, BR-05508900 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[4] Observ Midi Pyrenees, Lab Astrophys Toulouse Tarbes, F-31400 Toulouse - France

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Astronomy & Astrophysics; v. 541, MAY 2012.
• Web of Science Citations: 26

Abstract

Context. Lithium abundances in open clusters are a very effective probe of mixing processes, and their study can help us to understand the large depletion of lithium that occurs in the Sun. Owing to its age and metallicity, the open cluster M 67 is especially interesting on this respect. Many studies of lithium abundances in M 67 have been performed, but a homogeneous global analysis of lithium in stars from subsolar masses and extending to the most massive members, has yet to be accomplished for a large sample based on high-quality spectra. Aims. We test our non-standard models, which were calibrated using the Sun with observational data. Methods. We collect literature data to analyze, for the first time in a homogeneous way, the non-local thermal equilibrium lithium abundances of all observed single stars in M 67 more massive than similar to 0.9 M-circle dot. Our grid of evolutionary models is computed assuming a non-standard mixing at metallicity {[}Fe/H] = 0.01, using the Toulouse-Geneva evolution code. Our analysis starts from the entrance into the zero-age main-sequence. Results. Lithium in M 67 is a tight function of mass for stars more massive than the Sun, apart from a few outliers. A plateau in lithium abundances is observed for turn-off stars. Both less massive (M >= 1.10 M-circle dot) and more massive (M >= 1.28 M-circle dot) stars are more depleted than those in the plateau. There is a significant scatter in lithium abundances for any given mass M <= 1.1 M-circle dot. Conclusions. Our models qualitatively reproduce most of the features described above, although the predicted depletion of lithium is 0.45 dex smaller than observed for masses in the plateau region, i.e. between 1.1 and 1.28 solar masses. More work is clearly needed to accurately reproduce the observations. Despite hints that chromospheric activity and rotation play a role in lithium depletion, no firm conclusion can be drawn with the presently available data. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/17510-3 - Influence of planet formation in the chemical composition of solar type stars
• Grantee: Jorge Luis Melendez Moreno
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants