Cosmic phylogeny: reconstructing the chemical history of the solar neighbourhood with an evolutionary tree

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• dc.contributor.author Jofré, Paulaca
• dc.contributor.author Das, Payelca
• dc.contributor.author Bertranpetit, Jaume, 1952-ca
• dc.contributor.author Foley, Robertca
• dc.date.accessioned 2018-01-25T11:36:20Z
• dc.date.available 2018-01-25T11:36:20Z
• dc.date.issued 2017
• dc.description.abstract Using 17 chemical elements as a proxy for stellar DNA, we present a full phylogenetic study of stars in the solar neighbourhood. This entails applying a clustering technique that is widely used in molecular biology to construct an evolutionary tree from which three branches emerge. These are interpreted as stellar populations that separate in age and kinematics and can be thus attributed to the thin disc, the thick disc and an intermediate population of probable distinct origin. We further find six lone stars of intermediate age that could not be assigned to any population with enough statistical significance. Combining the ages of the stars with their position on the tree, we are able to quantify the mean rate of chemical enrichment of each of the populations, and thus show in a purely empirical way that the star formation rate in the thick disc is much higher than that in the thin disc. We are also able to estimate the relative contribution of dynamical processes such as radial migration and disc heating to the distribution of chemical elements in the solar neighbourhood. Our method offers an alternative approach to chemical tagging methods with the advantage of visualizing the behaviour of chemical elements in evolutionary trees. This offers a new way to search for ‘common ancestors’ that can reveal the origin of solar neighbourhood stars.
• dc.description.sponsorship The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC grant agreement nos 320360 and 321067, as well as King's College Cambridge CRA programme.
• dc.format.mimetype application/pdf
• dc.identifier.citation Jofré P, Das P, Bertranpetit J, Foley R. Cosmic phylogeny: reconstructing the chemical history of the solar neighbourhood with an evolutionary tree. Mon Not R Astron Soc. 2017;467(1):1140-53. DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stx075
• dc.identifier.doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stx075
• dc.identifier.issn 0035-8711
• dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/10230/33750
• dc.language.iso eng
• dc.publisher Oxford University Pressca
• dc.relation.ispartof Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 2017;467(1):1140-53
• dc.relation.projectID info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/FP7/320360
• dc.relation.projectID info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/FP7/321067
• dc.rights This article has been accepted for publication in Mon Not R Astron Soc. ©: 2017 P. Jofré et al. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
• dc.rights.accessRights info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
• dc.subject.keyword Methods: data analysis
• dc.subject.keyword Methods: statistical
• dc.subject.keyword Stars: solar-type
• dc.subject.keyword Galaxy: evolution
• dc.subject.keyword Solar neighbourhood
• dc.title Cosmic phylogeny: reconstructing the chemical history of the solar neighbourhood with an evolutionary treeca
• dc.type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
• dc.type.version info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion