Spectroscopic Studies of Extremely Metal-poor Stars with the Subaru High-Dispersion Spectrograph. IV. The α-Element-Enhanced Metal-poor Star BS 16934-002

Abstract

A detailed elemental abundance analysis has been carried out for the very metal-poor ([Fe/H] = -2.7) star BS 16934-002, which was identified in our previous work as a star exhibiting large overabundances of Mg and Sc. A comparison of the abundance pattern of this star with that of the well-studied metal-poor star HD 122563 indicates excesses of O, Na, Mg, Al, and Sc in BS 16934-002. Of particular interest, no excess of C or N is found in this object, in contrast to CS 22949-037 and CS 29498-043, two previously known carbon-rich, extremely metal-poor stars with excesses of the α-elements. No established nucleosynthesis model exists that explains the observed abundance pattern of BS 16934-002. A supernova model, including mixing and fallback and assuming severe mass loss before explosion, is discussed as a candidate progenitor of BS 16934-002. Show more