Accreting pre-main-sequence models and abundance anomalies in globular clusters

Abstract

We investigated the possibility of producing helium-enhanced stars in globular clusters by accreting polluted matter during the pre-main-sequence phase. We followed the evolution of two different classes of pre-main-sequence accreting models, one which neglects and the other that takes into account the protostellar evolution. We analysed the dependence of the final central helium abundance, of the tracks position in the HR diagram and of the surface lithium abundance evolution on the age at which the accretion of polluted material begins and on the main physical parameters that govern the protostellar evolution. The later is the beginning of the late accretion and the lower are both the central helium and the surface lithium abundances at the end of the accretion phase and in Zero AgeMain Sequence (ZAMS). In order to produce a relevant increase of the central helium content the accretion of polluted matter should start at ages lower than 1 Myr. The inclusion of the protostellar evolution has a strong impact on the ZAMS models too. The adoption of a very low seed mass (i.e. 0.001 M⊙) results in models with the lowest central helium and surface lithium abundances. The higher is the accretion rate and the lower is the final helium content in the core and the residual surface lithium. In the worst case - i.e. seed mass 0.001 M⊙ and accretion rate ≥10-5 M⊙ yr-1 - the central helium is not increased at all and the surface lithium is fully depleted in the first few million years.