Fundamental parameters and chemical composition of Arcturus

Abstract

We derive a self-consistent set of atmospheric parameters and abundances of 17 elements for the red giant star Arcturus: T eff = 4286 30K, log g = 1.66 0.05, and [Fe/H] = -0.52 0.04. The effective temperature was determined using model atmosphere fits to the observed spectral energy distribution from the blue to the mid-infrared (0.44 to 10μm). The surface gravity was calculated using the trigonometric parallax of the star and stellar evolution models. A differential abundance analysis relative to the solar spectrum allowed us to derive iron abundances from equivalent width measurements of 37 Fe I and 9 Fe II lines, unblended in the spectra of both Arcturus and the Sun; the [Fe/H] value adopted is derived from Fe I lines. We also determine the mass, radius, and age of Arcturus: M = 1.08 0.06 M ⊙, R = 25.4 0.2 R ⊙, and τ = 7.1+1.5- 1.2Gyr. Finally, abundances of the following elements are measured from an equivalent width analysis of atomic features: C, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, and Zn. We find the chemical composition of Arcturus typical of that of a local thick-disk star, consistent with its kinematics. © 2011. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.