Carbon Abundances of Faint Stars in M13: Evidence of Two Abundance-altering Mechanisms

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Abstract

We present an analysis of CH band strengths in Keck Low-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer spectra of a sample of 81 stars in M13 within 2 mag of the main-sequence turnoff. The subgiants clearly exhibit a substantial (a factor of 6) spread in [C/Fe]. Moreover, the bulk of the subgiants possess C abundances larger than those found among their more luminous counterparts. The turnoff stars themselves are too warm for appreciable CH formation, but the relatively small range in the observed CH band strength for stars just below the turnoff nevertheless translates into this same spread in [C/Fe]. Still fainter, the sample size is small, but the same range in [C/Fe] appears to be present. On the basis of these observations we suggest that a process external to the present stars has resulted in a substantial star-to-star dispersion in [C/Fe] (and possibly other light elements) among all stars in M13. In addition, the surface C abundances among the more luminous stars have been further modified by the operation of an internal deep-mixing mechanism during red giant branch ascent. The amplitude of the scatter we find in [C/Fe] at all luminosities may prove difficult to explain via accretion from intermediatemass asymptotic giant branch stars as the external "polluting" mechanism.

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