Abundance Studies of Open Clusters: Lithium and Metallicities

Indiana University, Bloomington IN

Investigators

Abstract

AST-0206202 Deliyannis, Constantine Dr. Deliyannis is awarded funds at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana to study the abundance of lithium (Li) in the members of open star clusters. He will use the multi-object spectrograph on the Wisconsin-Indiana-Yale-NOAO (WIYN) 3.5m telescope to make spectroscopic observations of up to 100 stars simultaneously. Dr. Deliyannis is participating in the WIYN Open Cluster Study (WOCS), a collaboration already underway by WIYN Consortium members. This study will make detailed observations of the Li abundance of stars of different ages in an attempt to understand the failures of our current stellar structure and evolution models. Observations of 6 to 10 clusters of different ages will be made. Dr. Deliyannis will work to determine the metallicity dependence of Li depletion, the development of the Li "gap" with age, and the Li peak and plateau.