The Composition of the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy and Implications for Nucleosynthesis and Chemical Evolution

Abstract

We outline the results of a study of the chemical composition of 14 stars in the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy (Sgr dSph). For the Sgr dSph stars with [Fe/H]>-1 the abundances are highly unusual, showing a striking enhancement in heavy s-process elements, increasing with [Fe/H], deficiencies of the alpha- elements (O, Si, Ca, and Ti), deficiencies of Al and Na, and deficiencies of the iron-peak elements Mn and Cu. Our abundances suggest that the composition of the metal-rich Sgr dSph stars is dominated by the ejecta of an old, metal-poor population, including products of AGB stars and type Ia supernovae (SN). We suggest two scenarios to explain the observations: Prolonged chemical evolution in a galaxy experiencing significant mass-loss, and chemical enrichment in a system with a large burst of star-formation, followed by a quiescent period of many Gry. The Galactic globular cluster Omega Cen, and the Fornax dwarf galaxy show similar abundance patterns, which suggests that those systems evolved similar to the Sgr dSph.