Abundance of radioactive technetium in Przybylski's star revisited

Abstract

AbstractWe have searched for lines of the radioactive element technetium (Tc) in the spectrum of Przybylski's star (HD 101065). The nuclei of this chemical element are formed in the slow process of capturing thermalized neutrons. The possible lines of Tc I are heavily blended. We have synthesized the profile of one resonance line at 4297.06 Å , which is also a part of the complex blend, and we arrived at a decision that it is not visible in the spectrum (as was first noted by Ryabchikova), casting doubt on the existence of technetium in the atmosphere of the Przybylski's star. Therefore, based on our calculated combined profile, which has been adjusted to the observed blend profile at 4297.2 Å (that may possibly contain the resonance technetium line 4297.06 Å), we reduce the maximum technetium abundance to (Tc/H) = 2.5. This value can be considered only as an upper limit of the technetium abundance in the Przybylski's star.