Lithium abundances of extremely metal-poor turnoff stars

Abstract

We have determined Li abundances for eleven metal-poor turnoff stars, among which eight have [Fe/H] <–3, based on LTE analyses of high-resolution spectra obtained with the High Dispersion Spectrograph on the Subaru Telescope. The Li abundances for four of these eight stars are determined for the first time by this study. Effective temperatures are determined by a profile analysis of Hα and Hβ. While seven stars have Li abundances as high as the Spite Plateau value, the remaining four objects with [Fe/H] <–3 have A(Li) =log (Li/H)+ 12 2.0, confirming the existence of extremely metal-poor (EMP) turnoff stars having low Li abundances, as reported by previous work. The average of the Li abundances for stars with [Fe/H]<–3 is lower by 0.2 dex than that of the stars with higher metallicity. No clear constraint on the metallicity dependence or scatter of the Li abundances is derived from our measurements for the stars with [Fe/H]<–3. Correlations of the Li abundance with effective temperatures, with abundances of Na, Mg, and Sr, and with the kinematical properties are investigated, but no clear correlation is seen in the EMP star sample.