Stellar surface abundances are records of the state of the gas from which stars formed, and thus trace how individual elements have mixed into the surrounding medium following their ejection from stars. In this work, we test the common assumption of instantaneous and homogeneous metal mixing during the formation of the first Population II stars by characterizing the chemical homogeneity of the gas in simulated star-forming environments enriched by Population III stellar feedback. Testing the homogeneity of metal mixing in this time period is necessary for understanding the spread of abundances in the most metal-poor stars, and the (in)homogeneity of individual sites of star formation. Using Aeos, a suite of star-by-star cosmological simulations, we quantify how gas abundances change over space and time relative to Population II stellar abundances using Mahalanobis distances, a measure of covariance-normalized dissimilarity. We find that the homogeneous mixing assumption holds only within ∼100 pc of a star-forming region and ∼ 7 Myr following the star formation event. Beyond this regime, deviations between stellar and gas abundances increase until they become indistinguishable from assuming a homogeneous mix of metals averaged over the initial mass function. This highlights the limited applicability of assuming instantaneous and homogeneous mixing in realistic halo environments at high redshift. We identify critical mixing scales that are necessary to explore chemical evolution in the early Universe. These scales can be applied to determine the precision needed for accurate chemical tagging of observed data and to explore parameter space with analytical models.

Cosmology is an observational precision science, and detailed and scientifically rich simulations are necessary components of many analyses. These simulations are often computationally expensive and produce massive amounts of complex data. Sharing that data widely to enable further explorations, comparison with observations, and communication with general audiences is crucial to advancing the scientific frontier and engaging a broader community. In this paper, we introduce the OpenCosmo project, designed to provide flexible access and analysis modes to large cosmological simulation datasets. We make available an easy-to-use web-based data portal for retrieving downloadable subsets of flagship-scale cosmological datasets, and a sophisticated analysis library for further analysis on the returned data. OpenCosmo supports multiple levels of interaction – from simple search and download to interactive exploration and computation – by integrating with existing HPC and data infrastructure. Its architecture, based on Globus Compute, provides a scalable and adaptable framework that can be extended to other scientific domains seeking to couple data sharing with computational capability.

We investigate how stellar feedback from the first stars (Population III) distributes metals through the interstellar and intergalactic medium using the star-by-star cosmological hydrodynamics simulation, A eos . We find that energy injected from the supernovae (SNe) of the first stars is enough to expel a majority of gas and injected metals beyond the virial radius of halos with mass M _dm ≲ 10 ^7 M _⊙ , regardless of the number of SNe. This prevents self-enrichment and results in a nonmonotonic increase in metallicity at early times. Most minihalos ( M _dm ≳ 10 ^5 M _⊙ ) do not retain significant fractions of the yields produced within their virial radii until they have grown to halo masses of M _dm ≳ 10 ^7 M _⊙ . The loss of metals to regions well beyond the virial radius delays the onset of enriched star formation and extends the period that Population III star formation can persist. We also explore the contributions of different nucleosynthetic channels to 10 individual elements. On the timescale of the simulation (lowest redshift z = 14.3), enrichment is dominated by core-collapse supernovae for all elements, but with a significant contribution from asymptotic giant branch winds to the s -process elements, which are normally thought to only be important at late times. In this work, we establish important mechanisms for early chemical enrichment, which allows us to apply A eos in later epochs to trace the evolution of enrichment during the complete transition from Population III to Population II stars.

We run a three-dimensional Galactic chemical evolution (GCE) model to follow the propagation of Mn-53 from supernovae of type Ia (SNIa), Fe-60 from core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe), Hf-182 from intermediate mass stars (IMSs), and Pu-244 from neutron star mergers (NSMs) in the Galaxy. We compare the GCE of these short-lived radioactive isotopes (SLRs) to recent detections on the deep-sea floor. We find that although these SLRs originate from different sites, they often arrive conjointly on Earth.

We study the sensitivity of presupernova evolution and supernova nucleosynthesis yields of massive stars to variations of the initial composition. We use the solar abundances from Lodders, and compute two different sets of initial stellar compositions: (i) scaled solar abundances and (ii) the isotopic galactic chemical history model (GCH) developed by C. West & A. Heger. We run a grid of models using the KEPLER stellar evolution code, with 7 initial stellar masses, 12 initial metallicities, and the 2 scaling methods, to explore the effects on nucleosynthesis over a metallicity range of −4.0 ≤ [ Z ] ≤ +0.3. We find that the compositions from the GCH model better reproduce the weak s -process peak than the scaled solar models. The model yields are then used in the OMEGA Galactic Chemical Evolution (GCE) code to assess this result further. We find that initial abundances used in computing stellar structure have a larger impact on the GCE results than the initial abundances used in the large nuclear co-processing network, with the GCH model again being favored when compared to observations. Finally, a machine learning algorithm was used to verify the free parameter values of the GCH model, which were previously found by C. West & A. Heger using a stochastic fitting process. The updated model is provided as an accessible tool for further nucleosynthesis studies.

We run a three-dimensional Galactic chemical evolution (GCE) model to follow the propagation of 53Mn (exclusively produced from type Ia supernovae, SNIa), 60Fe (exclusively produced from core-collapse supernovae, CCSNe), 182Hf (exclusively produced from intermediate mass stars, IMSs), and 244Pu (exclusively produced from neutron star mergers, NSMs). By comparing the predictions from our three-dimensional GCE model to recent detections of 53Mn, 60Fe, and 244Pu on the deep-sea floor, we draw conclusions about their propagation in the interstellar medium.

We explore the effect of variations in the Population III initial mass function (IMF) and star-by-star feedback on early galaxy formation and evolution using the Aeos simulations. We compare simulations with two different Population III IMFs: Mchar = 10 M circle dot and Mmax=100M circle dot (Aeos10) and Mchar = 20 M circle dot and Mmax=300M circle dot (Aeos20). Aeos20 produces significantly more ionizing photons, ionizing 30% of the simulation volume by z approximate to 14, compared to 9% in Aeos10. This enhanced ionization suppresses galaxy formation on the smallest scales. Differences in Population III IMF also affect chemical enrichment. Aeos20 produces Population II stars with higher abundances, relative to iron, of light and alpha-elements, a stronger odd-even effect, and a higher frequency of carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars. The abundance scatter between different Population II galaxies dominates the differences due to Population III IMF, though, implying a need for a larger sample of Population II stars to interpret the impact of Population III IMF on early chemical evolution. We also compare the Aeos simulations to traditional simulations that use single stellar population particles. We find that star-by-star modeling produces a steeper mass-metallicity relation due to less bursty feedback. These results highlight the strong influence of the Population III IMF on early galaxy formation and chemical evolution, emphasizing the need to account for IMF uncertainties in simulations and the importance of metal-poor Population II stellar chemical abundances when studying the first stars.

We apply the capabilities of machine learning (ML) to discern patterns in order to classify metal-poor stars. To do so, we train an ML model on a bank of nucleosynthesis calculations derived from hydrodynamic simulations for events such as neutron star mergers where the rapid (r) neutron capture process can take place. Likewise, we consider a bank of calculations from simulations of the slow (s) neutron capture process. We explore the performance of both a binary classifier and a one-class classifier. We demonstrate that our ML models do well overall in recognizing the s process from the r process, and after training on theoretical calculations, ML stellar assignments match conventional labels 87% of the time. We highlight that this method then points to stars that could benefit from additional observational measurements. We then apply the one-class classifier to numerous cases on which it did not train, including i-process stars, and a few nucleosynthesis predictions for the i process in rapidly accreting white dwarfs and r process in MHD supernovae. We demonstrate that the ML assigns some of the presently considered i-process stars to instead be of r or s in origin but likewise finds stars currently labeled as s to be potentially more aligned with i enrichment. This first application of ML to classify metal-poor star enrichment using theoretical nucleosynthesis calculations reveals the promise, and some challenges, associated with this new data-driven path forward.

The AEOS project introduces a series of high-resolution cosmological simulations that model star-by-star chemical enrichment and galaxy formation in the early Universe, achieving 1 pc resolution. These simulations capture the complexities of galaxy evolution within the first 300 Myr by modeling individual stars and their feedback processes. By incorporating chemical yields from individual stars, AEOS generates galaxies with diverse stellar chemical abundances, linking them to hierarchical galaxy formation and early nucleosynthetic events. These simulations underscore the importance of chemical abundance patterns in ancient stars as vital probes of early nucleosynthesis, star formation histories, and galaxy formation. We examine the metallicity floors of various elements resulting from Pop III enrichment, providing best-fit values for eight different metals (e.g., [O/H] = -4.0) to guide simulations without Pop III models. Additionally, we identify galaxies that begin star formation with Pop II after external enrichment and investigate the frequency of CEMP stars at varying metallicities. The AEOS simulations offer detailed insights into the relationship between star formation, feedback, and chemical enrichment. Future work will extend these simulations to later epochs to interpret the diverse stellar populations of the Milky Way and its satellites.

We run a three-dimensional Galactic chemical evolution (GCE) model to follow the propagation of 53Mn from supernovae of type Ia (SNIa), 60Fe from core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe), 182Hf from intermediate mass stars (IMSs), and 244Pu from neutron star mergers (NSMs) in the Galaxy. We compare the GCE of these short-lived radioactive isotopes (SLRs) to recent detections on the deep-sea floor. We find that although these SLRs originate from different sites, they often arrive conjointly on Earth.

Presolar grains are stardust particles that condensed in the ejecta or in the outflows of dying stars and can today be extracted from meteorites. They recorded the nucleosynthetic fingerprint of their parent stars and thus serve as valuable probes of these astrophysical sites. The most common types of presolar silicon carbide grains (called mainstream SiC grains) condensed in the outflows of asymptotic giant branch stars. Their measured silicon isotopic abundances are not significantly influenced by nucleosynthesis within the parent star, but rather represents the pristine stellar composition. Silicon isotopes can thus be used as a proxy for galactic chemical evolution. However, the measured correlation of $^{29}$Si/$^{28}$Si versus $^{30}$Si/$^{28}$Si does not agree with any current chemical evolution model. Here, we use a Monte Carlo model to vary nuclear reaction rates within their theoretical or experimental uncertainties and process them through stellar nucleosynthesis and galactic chemical evolution models to study the variation of silicon isotope abundances based on these nuclear reaction rate uncertainties. We find that these uncertainties can indeed be responsible for the discrepancy between measurements and models and that the slope of the silicon isotope correlation line measured in mainstream SiC grains agrees with chemical evolution models within the nuclear reaction rate uncertainties. Our result highlights the importance of future precision reaction rate measurements for resolving the apparent data-model discrepancy.

Context. The explosive burning that drives nova eruptions results in unique nucleosynthesis that heavily over-produces certain isotopes relative to the solar abundance. However, novae are often ignored when considering the chemical evolution of our Galaxy due to their low ejecta masses. Galactic chemical evolution studies including novae are rare and have previously relied upon simplified treatments for the behaviour of nova populations. Aims. In this work, we use previously computed synthetic nova populations and the galactic chemical evolution code OMEGA+ to assess the impact that novae have on the evolution of stable elemental and isotopic abundances. Methods. We combine populations of novae computed using the binary population synthesis code binary_c with the galactic chemical evolution code OMEGA+ and detailed, white dwarf mass-dependent nova yields to model the nucleosynthetic contributions of novae to the evolution of the Milky Way. We consider three different nova yield profiles, each corresponding to a different set of nova yield calculations. Results. We examine which nova sites contribute most to which isotopes. Despite novae from low-mass white dwarfs (WDs) dominating nova ejecta contributions, we find that novae occurring on massive WDs are still able to contribute significantly to many isotopes, particularly those with high mass numbers. We find that novae can produce up to 35% of the Galactic C-13 and N-15 mass by the time the model Galaxy reaches [Fe/H] = 0, and earlier in the evolution of the Galaxy (between [Fe/H] = -2 and -1) novae may have been the dominant source of N-15. Predictions for [C-13/Fe], [N-15/Fe], C-12/C-13, and N-14/N-15 abundances ratios vary by up to 0.2 dex at [Fe/H] = 0 and by up to 0.7 dex in [N-15/Fe] and N-14/N-15 between [Fe/H] = -2 and -1 (corresponding approximately to Galactic ages of 170 Myr and 1 Gyr in our model). The Galactic evolution of other stable isotopes (excluding Li) is not noticeably affected by including novae. For most isotopes, agreement is generally good between the three different yield profiles we consider. Isotopes where agreement is relatively poor include: He-3 (especially at high M-WD), Li-7, O-18, F-18, and the > 1.3 M-circle dot regime of Si-29, S-33, S-34, Cl-35, and Ar-36.

Theoretical physical-chemical models for the formation of planetary systems depend on data quality for the Sun's composition, that of stars in the solar neighbourhood, and of the estimated "pristine" compositions for stellar systems. The effective scatter and the observational uncertainties of elements within a few hundred parsecs from the Sun, even for the most abundant metals like carbon, oxygen and silicon, are still controversial. Here we analyse the stellar production and the chemical evolution of key elements that underpin the formation of rocky (C, O, Mg, Si) and gas/ice giant planets (C, N, O, S). We calculate 198 galactic chemical evolution (GCE) models of the solar neighbourhood to analyse the impact of different sets of stellar yields, of the upper mass limit for massive stars contributing to GCE (M_ up) and of supernovae from massive-star progenitors which do not eject the bulk of the iron-peak elements (faint supernovae). Even considering the GCE variation produced via different sets of stellar yields, the observed dispersion of elements reported for stars in the Milky Way disk is not reproduced. Among others, the observed range of super-solar [Mg/Si] ratios, sub-solar [S/N], and the dispersion of up to 0.5 dex for [S/Si] challenge our models. The impact of varying M_ up depends on the adopted supernova yields. Thus, observations do not provide a constraint on the M_ up parametrization. When including the impact of faint supernova models in GCE calculations, elemental ratios vary by up to 0.1-0.2 dex in the Milky Way disk; this modification better reproduces observations.

We constrain the role of different SN Ia channels in the chemical enrichment of the Galaxy by studying the abundances of nickel in Galactic stars. We investigate four different SN Ia sub-classes, including the classical single-degenerate near-Chandrasekhar mass SN Ia, the fainter SN Iax systems associated with He accretion from the companion, as well as two sub-Ch mass SN Ia channels. The latter include the double-detonation of a white dwarf accreting helium-rich matter and violent white dwarf mergers. NLTE models of Fe and Ni are used in the abundance analysis. In the GCE models, we include new delay time distributions arising from the different SN Ia channels, as well as recent yields for core-collapse supernovae and AGB stars. The data-model comparison is performed using a Markov chain Monte Carlo framework that allows us to explore the entire parameter space allowed by the diversity of explosion mechanisms and the Galactic SN Ia rate, taking into account the uncertainties of the observed data. We show that NLTE effects have a non-negligible impact on the observed [Ni/Fe] ratios in the Galactic stars. The NLTE corrections to Ni abundances are not large, but strictly positive, lifting the [Ni/Fe] ratios by +0.15 dex at [Fe/H] =-2. We find that that the distributions of [Ni/Fe] in LTE and in NLTE are very tight, with a scatter of < 0.1 dex at all metallicities, supporting earlier work. In LTE, most stars have scaled-solar Ni abundances, [Ni/Fe] = 0, with a slight tendency for sub-solar [Ni/Fe] ratios at lower [Fe/H]. In NLTE, however, we find a mild anti-correlation between [Ni/Fe] and metallicity, and a slightly elevated [Ni/Fe] ratios at [Fe/H] < -1.0. The NLTE data can be explained by the GCE models calculated with a substantial, 75 fraction of sub-Ch SN Ia.

Most heavy elements beyond the iron peak are synthesized via neutron capture processes. The nature of the astrophysical sites of neutron capture processes is still very unclear. In this work we explore the observational constraints of the chemical abundances of s-process and r-process elements on the sites of neutron-capture processes by applying Galactic chemical evolution (GCE) models to the data from Gaia-ESO large spectroscopic stellar survey. For the r-process, the [Eu/Fe]-[Fe/H] distribution suggests a short delay time of the site that produces Eu. Other independent observations (e.g., NS-NS binaries), however, suggest a significant fraction of long delayed ($>1$Gyr) neutron star mergers (NSM). When assuming NSM as the only r-process sites, these two observational constraints are inconsistent at above 1$\sigma$ level. Including short delayed r-process sites like magneto-rotational supernova can resolve this inconsistency. For the s-process, we find a weak metallicity dependence of the [Ba/Y] ratio, which traces the s-process efficiency. Our GCE model with up-to-date yields of AGB stars qualitatively reproduces this metallicity dependence, but the model predicts a much higher [Ba/Y] ratio compared to the data. This mismatch suggests that the s-process efficiency of low mass AGB stars in the current AGB nucleosynthesis models could be overestimated.

The radioisotope Al-26 is a key observable for nucleosynthesis in the Galaxy and the environment of the early Solar System. To properly interpret the large variety of astronomical and meteoritic data, it is crucial to understand both the nuclear reactions involved in the production of Al-26 in the relevant stellar sites and the physics of such sites. These range from the winds of low- and intermediate-mass asymptotic giant branch stars; to massive and very massive stars, both their Wolf-Rayet winds and their final core-collapse supernovae (CCSN); and the ejecta from novae, the explosions that occur on the surface of a white dwarf accreting material from a stellar companion. Several reactions affect the production of Al-26 in these astrophysical objects, including (but not limited to) Mg-25(p, gamma)Al-26, Al-26(p, gamma)Si-27, and Al-26(n, p/alpha). Extensive experimental effort has been spent during recent years to improve our understanding of such key reactions. Here we present a summary of the astrophysical motivation for the study of Al-26, a review of its production in the different stellar sites, and a timely evaluation of the currently available nuclear data. We also provide recommendations for the nuclear input into stellar models and suggest relevant, future experimental work.

While modeling the galactic chemical evolution (GCE) of stable elements provides insights to the formation history of the Galaxy and the relative contributions of nucleosynthesis sites, modeling the evolution of short-lived radioisotopes (SLRs) can provide supplementary timing information on recent nucleosynthesis. To study the evolution of SLRs, we need to understand their spatial distribution. Using a three-dimensional GCE model, we investigated the evolution of four SLRs: 53Mn, 60Fe, 182Hf, and 244Pu with the aim of explaining detections of recent (within the last ≈1–20 Myr) deposition of live 53Mn, 60Fe, and 244Pu of extrasolar origin into deep-sea reservoirs. We find that core-collapse supernovae are the dominant propagation mechanism of SLRs in the Galaxy. This results in the simultaneous arrival of these four SLRs on Earth, although they could have been produced in different astrophysical sites, which can explain why live extrasolar 53Mn, 60Fe, and 244Pu are found within the same, or similar, layers of deep-sea sediments. We predict that 182Hf should also be found in such sediments at similar depths.

ABSTRACT Fluorine has many different potential sites and channels of production, making narrowing down a dominant site of fluorine production particularly challenging. In this work, we investigate which sources are the dominant contributors to the galactic fluorine by comparing chemical evolution models to observations of fluorine abundances in Milky Way stars covering a metallicity range of −2 < [Fe/H] < 0.4 and upper limits in the range of −3.4 < [Fe/H] < −2.3. In our models, we use a variety of stellar yield sets in order to explore the impact of varying both asymptotic giant branch (AGB) and massive star yields on the chemical evolution of fluorine. In particular, we investigate different prescriptions for initial rotational velocity in massive stars as well as a metallicity-dependent mix of rotational velocities. We find that the observed [F/O] and [F/Fe] abundance ratios at low metallicity and the increasing trend of [F/Ba] at [Fe/H] ≳ −1 can only be reproduced by chemical evolution models assuming, at all metallicities, a contribution from rapidly rotating massive stars with initial rotational velocities as high as 300 km s−1. A mix of rotational velocities may provide a more physical solution than the sole use of massive stars with vrot = 300 km s−1, which are predicted to overestimate the fluorine and average s-process elemental abundances at [Fe/H] ≳ −1. The contribution from AGB stars is predicted to start at [Fe/H] ≈ −1 and becomes increasingly important at high metallicity, being strictly coupled to the evolution of the nitrogen abundance. Finally, by using modern yield sets, we investigate the fluorine abundances of Wolf–Rayet winds, ruling them out as dominant contributors to the galactic fluorine.

Aims. We constrain the role of different Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) channels in the chemical enrichment of the Galaxy by studying the abundances of nickel in Galactic stars. We investigated four different SN Ia sub-classes, including the classical single-degenerate near-Chandrasekhar mass (Mch) SN Ia, the fainter SN Iax systems associated with He accretion from the companion, as well as two sub-Chandrasekhar mass (sub-Mch) SN Ia channels. The latter include the double detonation of a white dwarf accreting helium-rich matter and violent white dwarf mergers. Methods. The chemical abundances in Galactic stars were determined using Gaia eDR3 astrometry and photometry and high-resolution optical spectra. Non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) models of Fe and Ni were used in the abundance analysis. We included new delay-time distributions arising from the different SN Ia channels in models of the Galactic chemical evolution, as well as recent yields for core-collapse supernovae and asymptotic giant branch stars. The data-model comparison was performed using a Markov chain Monte Carlo framework that allowed us to explore the entire parameter space allowed by the diversity of explosion mechanisms and the Galactic SN Ia rate, taking the uncertainties of the observed data into account. Results. We show that NLTE effects have a non-negligible impact on the observed [Ni/Fe] ratios in the Galactic stars. The NLTE corrections to Ni abundances are not large, but strictly positive, lifting the [Ni/Fe] ratios by ∼ + 0.15 dex at [Fe/H] −2. We find that the distributions of [Ni/Fe] in LTE and in NLTE are very tight, with a scatter of ≲0.1 dex at all metallicities. This supports earlier work. In LTE, most stars have scaled solar Ni abundances, [Ni/Fe] ≈ 0, with a slight tendency for sub-solar [Ni/Fe] ratios at lower [Fe/H]. In NLTE, however, we find a mild anti-correlation between [Ni/Fe] and metallicity, and slightly elevated [Ni/Fe] ratios at [Fe/H] ≲ −1.0. The NLTE data can be explained by models of the Galactic chemical evolution that are calculated with a substantial fraction, ∼75%, of sub-Mch SN Ia.