Browsing by Author "Tang, Baitian"

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    Timing the Evolution of the Galactic Disk with NGC 6791: An Open Cluster with Peculiar High-alpha Chemistry as Seen by APOGEE
    (IOP PUBLISHING LTD, 2017) Linden, Sean T.; Pryal, Matthew; Hayes, Christian R.; Troup, Nicholas W.; Majewski, Steven R.; Andrews, Brett H.; Beers, Timothy C.; Carrera, Ricardo; Cunha, Katia; Fernandez Trincado, J. G.; Frinchaboy, Peter; Geisler, Doug; Lane, Richard R.; Nitschelm, Christian; Pan, Kaike; Allende Prieto, Carlos; Roman Lopes, Alexandre; Smith, Verne V.; Sobeck, Jennifer; Tang, Baitian; Villanova, Sandro; Zasowski, Gail
    We utilize elemental-abundance information for Galactic red giant stars in five open clusters (NGC 7789, NGC 6819, M67, NGC 188, and NGC 6791) from the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) DR13 data set to age-date the chemical evolution of the high- and low-alpha element sequences of the Milky Way (MW). Key to this time-stamping is the cluster NGC 6791, whose stellar members have mean abundances that place it in the high-alpha, high-[Fe/H] region of the [alpha/Fe]-[Fe/H] plane. Based on the cluster's age (similar to 8 Gyr), Galactocentric radius, and height above the Galactic plane, as well as comparable chemistry reported for APOGEE stars in Baade's Window, we suggest that the two most likely origins for NGC 6791 are as an original part of the thick disk, or as a former member of the Galactic bulge. Moreover, because NGC 6791 lies at the high-metallicity end ([Fe/H] similar to 0.4) of the high-alpha sequence, the age of NGC 6791 places a limit on the youngest age of stars in the high-metallicity, high-alpha sequence for the cluster's parent population (i.e., either the bulge or the disk). In a similar way, we can also use the age and chemistry of NGC 188 to set a limit of similar to 7 Gyr on the oldest age of the low-alpha sequence of the MW. Therefore, NGC 6791 and NGC 188 are potentially a pair of star clusters that bracket both the timing and the duration of an important transition point in the chemical history of the MW.
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    Two groups of red giants with distinct chemical abundances in the bulge globular cluster NGC 6553 through the eyes of APOGEE
    (OXFORD UNIV PRESS, 2017) Tang, Baitian; Cohen, Roger E.; Geisler, Doug; Schiavon, Ricardo P.; Majewski, Steven R.; Villanova, Sandro; Carrera, Ricardo; Zamora, Olga; Garcia Hernandez, D. A.; Shetrone, Matthew; Frinchaboy, Peter; Meza, Andres; Fernandez Trincado, J. G.; Munoz, Ricardo R.; Lin, Chien Cheng; Lane, Richard R.; Nitschelm, Christian; Pan, Kaike; Bizyaev, Dmitry; Oravetz, Daniel; Simmons, Audrey
    Multiple populations revealed in globular clusters (GCs) are important windows to the formation and evolution of these stellar systems. The metal-rich GCs in the Galactic bulge are an indispensable part of this picture, but the high optical extinction in this region has prevented extensive research. In this work, we use the high-resolution near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopic data from Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) to study the chemical abundances of NGC 6553, which is one of the most metal-rich bulge GCs. We identify 10 red giants as cluster members using their positions, radial velocities, iron abundances, and NIR photometry. Our sample stars show a mean radial velocity of -0.14 +/- 5.47 km s(-1), land a mean [Fe/H] of -0.15 +/- 0.05. We clearly separate two populations of stars in C and N in this GC for the first time. NGC 6553 is the most metal-rich GC where the multiple stellar population phenomenon is found until now. Substantial chemical variations are also found in Na, O, and Al. However, the two populations show similar Si, Ca, and iron-peak element abundances. Therefore, we infer that the CNO, NeNa, and MgAl cycles have been activated, but the MgAl cycle is too weak to show its effect on Mg. Type Ia and Type II supernovae do not seem to have significantly polluted the second generation stars. Comparing with other GC studies, NGC 6553 shows similar chemical variations as other relatively metal-rich GCs. We also confront current GC formation theories with our results, and suggest possible avenues for improvement in the models.