An extremely primitive star in the Galactic halo

Elisabetta Caffau (), Piercarlo Bonifacio, Patrick François, Luca Sbordone, Lorenzo Monaco, Monique Spite, François Spite, Hans-G. Ludwig, Roger Cayrel, Simone Zaggia, François Hammer, Sofia Randich, Paolo Molaro and Vanessa Hill
Additional contact information
Elisabetta Caffau: Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, Landessternwarte, Königstuhl 12
Piercarlo Bonifacio: GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot, Place Jules Janssen
Patrick François: GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot, Place Jules Janssen
Luca Sbordone: Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, Landessternwarte, Königstuhl 12
Lorenzo Monaco: European Southern Observatory, Casilla 19001
Monique Spite: GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot, Place Jules Janssen
François Spite: GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot, Place Jules Janssen
Hans-G. Ludwig: Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, Landessternwarte, Königstuhl 12
Roger Cayrel: GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot, Place Jules Janssen
Simone Zaggia: Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova Vicolo dell'Osservatorio 5
François Hammer: GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot, Place Jules Janssen
Sofia Randich: Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Largo E. Fermi 5
Paolo Molaro: Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste, Via Tiepolo 11
Vanessa Hill: Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Laboratoire Cassiopée, Boulevard de l'Observatoire

Nature, 2011, vol. 477, issue 7362, 67-69

Abstract: A primitive star in the Galactic halo For theoretical reasons and because of an apparent absence of stars with low metallicities (abundance of elements heavier than helium), it has been suggested that low-mass stars cannot form until the interstellar medium has been enriched above a critical value of metallicity, Z, estimated as lying between 1.5 × 10−8 and 1.5 × 10−6. Caffau et al. now describe a star with a primordial-type composition, suggesting that, in fact, long-lived low-mass stars can form when the concentration of complex nuclei is low. The star is in the Galactic halo, has very low metallicity (Z ≤ 6.9 × 10−7) and no enrichment of carbon, nitrogen or oxygen. Its chemical composition should provide clues as to how the first stars formed.

Date: 2011
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DOI: 10.1038/nature10377

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