The chemical composition of the Small Magellanic Cloud

Abstract

The Small Magellanic Cloud is a close, irregular galaxy that has experienced a complex star formation history due to the strong interactions occurred both with the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Galaxy. Despite its importance, the chemical composition of its stellar populations older than 1-2 Gyr is still poorly investigated. I present the first results of a spectroscopic survey of 200 Small Magellanic Cloud giant stars performed with FLAMES@VLT. The derived metallicity distribution peaks at [Fe/H] -0.9/-1.0 dex, with a secondary peak at [Fe/H] -0.6 dex. All these stars show [alpha/Fe] abundance ratios that are solar or mildly enhanced (+0.1 dex). Also, three metal-poor stars (with [Fe/H] -2.5 dex and enhanced [alpha/Fe] ratios compatible with those of the Galactic Halo) have been detected in the outskirts of the SMC: these giants are the most metal-poor stars discovered so far in the Magellanic Clouds.

AIP Thinkshop 10 "High resolution optical spectroscopy", AN in press

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• The Most Metal-poor Stars in the Magellanic Clouds are $r$-process Enhanced
• Large proper motion of the Thorne-Żytkow object candidate HV 2112 reveals its likely nature as foreground Galactic S-star
• XSHOOTER spectroscopy of the enigmatic planetary nebula Lin49 in the Small Magellanic Cloud
• On the Color-Metallicity Relation of the Red Clump and the Reddening Toward the Magellanic Clouds
• Short period variability in the globular cluster NGC 419 and the SMC field
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• Rediscovering the Milky Way with orbit superposition approach and APOGEE data II. Chrono-chemo-kinematics of the disc
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