Magnesium Isotopes in Metal-Poor Dwarfs, the Rise of AGB Stars and the Formation Timescale of the Galactic Halo

Abstract

We have determined magnesium isotopic ratios (^{25,26}Mg/Mg) in metal-poor (-2.6 [Fe/H] -1.3) halo dwarfs employing high S/N (90-280) high spectral resolution (R = 10^5) Keck HIRES spectra. Unlike previous claims of an important contribution from intermediate-mass AGB stars at low metallicities, we find that the rise of the AGB contribution in the Galactic halo did not occur until intermediate metallicities ([Fe/H] ~> -1.5).

ApJ Letters, in press

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• Permitted Oxygen Abundances and the Temperature Scale of Metal-Poor Turn-Off Stars

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