Inhomogeneous Galactic halo: a possible explanation for the spread observed in s- and r- process elements

G. Cescutti

Published 2007-02-21Version 1

The considerable scatter of the s- and r-process elements observed in low-metallicity stars, compared to the small star to star scatter observed for the alpha elements, is an open question for the chemical evolution studies. We have developed a stochastic chemical evolution model, in which the main assumption is a random formation of new stars, subject to the condition that the cumulative mass distribution follows a given initial mass function. With our model we are able to reproduce the different features of alpha-elements and s-and r-process elements. The reason for this resides in the random birth of stellar masses coupled with the different stellar mass ranges from where alpha-elements and s-and r-process elements originate. In particular, the sites of production of the alpha elements are the whole range of the massive stars, whereas the mass range of production for the s- and r-process elements has an upper limit of 30 solar masses.