Abstract
From ESO VLT/FLAMES/GIRAFFE spectra, abundance measurements of Zn have been
made in $\approx$100 individual red giant branch (RGB) stars in the Sculptor
dwarf spheroidal galaxy. This is the largest sample of individual Zn abundance
measurements within a stellar system beyond the Milky Way. In the observed
metallicity range, $-2.7łeqFe/Hłeq-0.9$, the general trend of Zn
abundances in Sculptor is similar to that of $\alpha$-elements. That is,
super-solar abundance ratios of Zn/Fe at low metallicities, which decrease
with increasing Fe/H, eventually reaching subsolar values. However, at the
higher metallicities in Sculptor, $Fe/H\gtrsim-1.8$, we find a
significant scatter, $-0.8łesssimZn/Fełesssim+0.4$, which is not
seen in any $\alpha$-element. Our results are consistent with previous
observations of a limited number of stars in Sculptor and in other dwarf
galaxies. These results suggest that zinc has a complex nucleosynthetic origin,
behaving neither completely like an $\alpha$- nor an iron-peak element.
Description
[1708.00511] Zinc in the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy
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