The metallicity distribution of G dwarfs in the solar neighbourhood

Abstract

We derive a new metallicity distribution of G dwarfs in the solar neighbourhood, using uvby photometry and up-to-date parallaxes. Our distribution comprises 287 G dwarfs within 25 pc from the Sun, and differs considerably from the classic solar neighbourhood distribution of Pagel & Patchett and Pagel by having a prominent single peak around [Fe/H] = -0.20 dex. The raw data are corrected for observational errors and cosmic scatter assuming a deviation of 0.1. In order to obtain the true abundance distribution, we use the correction factors given by Sommer-Larsen, which take into account the stellar scale heights. The distribution confirms the G dwarf problem, that is, the paucity of metal-poor stars relative to the predictions of the simple model of chemical evolution. Another feature of this distribution, which was already apparent in previous ones, is the small number of metal-rich stars again in comparison with the simple model. Our results indicate that it is very difficult to fit the simple model to this distribution, even with the definition of an `effective yield'. A comparison with several models from the literature is made. We find that models with infall are the most appropriate to explain the new metallicity distribution. We also show that the metallicity distribution is compatible with a major era of star formation occurring 5 to 8 Gyr ago, similar to results found by several authors.