A Comparison of the Chemical Evolutionary Histories of the Galactic Thin Disk and Thick Disk Stellar Populations

Abstract

We have studied 23 long-lived G dwarfs that belong to the thin disk and thick disk stellar populations. Abundances have been derived for 24 elements: O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr, Y, Zr, Ba, La, Ce, Nd, and Eu. We find that the behavior of [alpha/Fe] and [Eu/Fe] vs. [Fe/H] are quite different for the two populations. As has long been known, the thin disk O, Mg, Si, Ca, and Ti ratios are enhanced relative to iron at the lowest metallicities, and decline toward solar values as [Fe/H] rises above -1.0. For the thick disk, the decline in [alpha/Fe] and [Eu/Fe] does not begin at [Fe/H] = -1.0, but at -0.4. Other elements share this behavior, including Sc, Co, and Zn, suggesting that at least in the chemical enrichment history of the thick disk, these elements were manufactured in similar-mass stars. Combining our results for the oldest and longest-lived stars with prior work, we find clear signs for an independent origin for the Galactic thick disk. (Abridged)