Giants in the Local Region
Earle Luck (Case)
A spectroscopic analysis of 298 nearby giants will be discussed. Overall
trends in the Z > 10 abundances are dominated by galactic chemical evolution
while the light element abundances are influenced by stellar evolution as
well as galactic evolution. We find several super-Li stars in our sample
and confirm the mapping of Li abundances along the first-giant branch as
being related to mixing depth. Once astration of lithium on the Main
Sequence along with the overall range of Main Sequence lithium abundances
are taken into account, the lithium abundances of the giants are not
dramatically at odds with the predictions of standard stellar evolution. We
find the giants to be carbon diluted in accord with standard stellar
evolution and that the carbon and oxygen abundances determined for the local
giants are consistent with those found in local field dwarfs. We find that
there is evidence for systematic carbon variations in the red giant clump in
the sense that the blue side of the clump is more carbon-poor (more diluted)
than the red side.
