Carbon-Enhanced Metal-Poor (CEMP) stars

Abstract

AbstractA significant fraction of metal-poor stars have large over-abundances of carbon, and are called Carbon-Enhanced Metal-Poor (CEMP) stars. Most of CEMP stars also show excesses of heavy neutron-capture elements like Ba, indicating that their origin is the nucleosynthesis in AGB stars. Remaining CEMP stars that have Ba abundances as low as non-carbon-rich stars appear in the lowest metallicity range ([Fe/H]≲−2.5), and connections with the two most iron-deficient stars (so-called Hyper Metal-Poor stars) are suggested. Although the origins of the carbon-excesses in these objects have not been well identified, some objects suggest contributions of faint supernovae. Remaining problems on CEMP stars, such as the binary fraction, excess of r-process elements, are discussed.