Chemical Abundance Analysis of Three $\alpha$-Poor, Metal-Poor Stars in the Ultra-Faint Dwarf Galaxy Horologium I

Abstract

We present chemical abundance measurements of three stars in the ultra-faint dwarf galaxy Horologium I, a Milky Way satellite discovered by the Dark Energy Survey. Using high resolution spectroscopic observations we measure the metallicity of the three stars as well as abundance ratios of several $\alpha$-elements, iron-peak elements, and neutron-capture elements. The abundance pattern is relatively consistent among all three stars, which have a low average metallicity of [Fe/H] $\sim -2.6$ and are not $\alpha$-enhanced ([$\alpha$/Fe] $\sim 0.0$). This result is unexpected when compared to other low-metallicity stars in the Galactic halo and other ultra-faint dwarfs and hints at an entirely different mechanism for the enrichment of Hor I compared to other satellites. We discuss possible scenarios that could lead to this observed nucleosynthetic signature including extended star formation, a Population III supernova, and a possible association with the Large Magellanic Cloud.