The metallicity of the open cluster Tombaugh 2^*

¹ Universidad de Concepción, Departamento de Astronomia, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile e-mail: [svillanova;dgeisler]@astro-udec.cl
² INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Largo E. Fermi 5, 50125 Firenze, Italy e-mail: randich@arcetri.astro.it
³ ESO, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Vitacura, Santiago, Chile e-mail: gcarraro@eso.org
⁴ Dipartimento di Astronomia, Universitá di Padova, Vicolo Osservatorio 3, 35122, Padova, Italy
⁵ Departamento de Astronomía, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 36-D, Santiago, Chile e-mail: costa@das.uchile.cl

Received: 7 September 2009
Accepted: 5 November 2009

Abstract

Context. Open clusters are excellent tracers of the structure, kinematics, and chemical evolution of the disk and a wealth of information can be derived from the spectra of their constituent stars.

Aims. We investigate the nature of the chemical composition of the outer disk open cluster Tombaugh 2. This has been suggested to be a member of the GASS/Mon substructure, and a recent study by Frinchaboy et al. (2008) suggested that this was a unique open cluster in possessing an intrinsic metal abundance dispersion. We aim to investigate such claims.

Methods. High resolution VLT+GIRAFFE spectra in the optical are obtained and analyzed for a number of stars in the Tombaugh 2 field, together with independent UBVI photometry. Radial velocities and position in the color-magnitude diagram are used to assess cluster membership. The spectra, together with input atmospheric parameters and model atmospheres, are used to determine detailed chemical abundances for a variety of elements in 13 members with good spectra.

Results. We find the mean metallicity to be [Fe/H] = -0.31 ± 0.02 with no evidence for an intrinsic abundance dispersion, in contrary to the recent results of Frinchaboy et al. (2008, MNRAS, 391, 39). We find Ca and Ba to be slightly enhanced, while Ni and Sc are solar. The r-process element Eu was found to be enhanced, giving an average [Eu/Ba] = +0.17. The Li abundance decreases with on the upper giant branch and maintains a low level for red clump stars. The mean metallicity we derive agrees well with that expected from the radial abundance gradient in the disk for a cluster at its Galactocentric distance.

Conclusions. Tombaugh 2 is found to have abundances as expected from its Galactocentric distance and no evidence for any intrinsic metallicity dispersion. The surprising result found by Frinchaboy et al. (2008), which is the presence of two distinct abundance groups within the cluster, implying either a completely unique open cluster with an intrinsic metallicity spread or a very unlikely superposition of a cold stellar stream and a very distant open cluster, is not supported by our new result.