First determination of the actinide thorium abundance for a red giant of thE Ursa Minor dwarf galaxy

Abstract

The thorium abundance of the red giant COS 82 in the Ursa Minor dwarf spheroidal galaxy was determined based on the high-resolution spectrum. This is the first detection of actinides in an extragalactic object. A detailed abundance pattern was determined for 12 other neutron-capture elements from atomic number 39 to 68. These elements are significantly over-abundant with respect to other metals, like Fe (> 1 dex), and their abundance pattern agrees well with those of the r-process-enhanced, very metal-poor stars known in the galactic halo, while the metallicity of this object ([Fe/H] ∼ - 1.5) is much higher than these field stars ([Fe/H] ∼ - 3.0). The results indicate that the mechanism and the astrophysical site that are responsible for neutron-capture elements in COS 82 are similar to that for field r-process-enhanced stars, while the condition of low-mass star formation is quite different. An estimate of the age of this object based on the Th abundance ratio is discussed. © 2007. Astronomical Society of Japan.