The recent detection of a binary neutron star merger and the clear evidence for the decay of radioactive material observed in this event have, after sixty years of effort, provided an astrophysical site for the rapid neutron-capture (r-) process which is responsible for the production of the heaviest elements in our Universe. However, observations of metal-poor stars with highly-enhanced r-process elements have revealed abundance patterns suggesting that multiple sites may be involved. To address this issue, and to advance our understanding of the r-process, we have initiated an extensive search for bright (V < 13.5), very metal-poor ([Fe/H] < −2) stars in the Milky Way halo exhibiting stronglyenhanced r-process signatures. This paper presents the first sample collected in the Southern Hemisphere, using the echelle spectrograph on du Pont 2.5m telescope at Las Campanas Observatory. We have observed and analyzed 107 stars with −3.13 < [Fe/H] < −0.79. Of those, 12 stars are strongly enhanced in heavy r-process elements (r-II), 42 stars show moderate enhancements of heavy r-process material (r-I), and 20 stars exhibit low abundances of the heavy r-process elements and higher abundances of the light r-process elements relative to the heavy ones (limited-r).This search is more successful at finding r-process-enhanced stars compared to previous searches, primarily due to a refined target selection procedure that focuses on red giants.

We present a detailed abundance analysis of the bright (V = 9.02), metal-poor ([Fe/H] = −1.47 ± 0.08) field red horizontal-branch star HD 222925, which was observed as part of an ongoing survey by the R-Process Alliance. We calculate stellar parameters and derive abundances for 46 elements based on 901 lines examined in a high-resolution optical spectrum obtained using the Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle spectrograph. We detect 28 elements with 38 ≤ Z ≤ 90; their abundance pattern is a close match to the Solar r -process component. The distinguishing characteristic of HD 222925 is an extreme enhancement of r -process elements ([Eu/Fe] = +1.33 ± 0.08, [Ba/Eu] = −0.78 ± 0.10) in a moderately metal-poor star, so the abundance of r -process elements is the highest ([Eu/H] = −0.14 ± 0.09) in any known r -process-enhanced star. The abundance ratios among lighter (Z ≤ 30) elements are typical for metal-poor stars, indicating that production of these elements was dominated by normal Type II supernovae, with no discernible contributions from Type Ia supernovae or asymptotic giant branch stars. The chemical and kinematic properties of HD 222925 suggest it formed in a low-mass dwarf galaxy, which was enriched by a high-yield r -process event before being disrupted by interaction with the Milky Way.

We report the discovery of a new actinide-boost star, 2MASSJ09544277+5246414, originally identified as a very bright (V = 10.1), extremely metal-poor ([Fe/H] = −2.99) K giant in the LAMOST survey, and found to be highly r-process-enhanced (r-II; [Eu/Fe] = +1.28]), during the snapshot phase of the R-Process Alliance (RPA). Based on a high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), high-resolution spectrum obtained with the Harlan J. Smith 2.7 m telescope, this star is the first confirmed actinide-boost star found by RPA efforts. With an enhancement of [Th/Eu] = +0.37, 2MASSJ09544277+5246414 is also the most actinide-enhanced r-II star yet discovered, and only the sixth metalpoor star with a measured uranium abundance ([U/Fe] = +1.40). Using the Th/U chronometer, we estimate an age of 13.0±4.7Gyr for this star. The unambiguous actinide-boost signature of this extremely metal-poor star, combined with additional r-process-enhanced and actinide-boost stars identified by the RPA, will provide strong constraints on the nature and origin of the r-process at early times.

We derive dynamical parameters for a large sample of 446 r-process-enhanced (RPE) metal-poor stars in the halo and disk systems of the Milky Way, based on data releases from the R-Process Alliance, supplemented by additional literature samples. This sample represents more than a 10-fold increase in size relative to that previously considered by Roederer et al. and, by design, covers a larger range of r-process-element enrichment levels. We test a number of clustering analysis methods on the derived orbital energies and other dynamical parameters for this sample, ultimately deciding on application of the HDBSCAN algorithm, which obtains 30 individual chemodynamically tagged groups (CDTGs); 21 contain between 3 and 5 stars, and 9 contain between 6 and 12 stars. Even though the clustering was performed solely on the basis of their dynamical properties, the stars in these CDTGs exhibit statistically significant similarities in their metallicity ([Fe/H]), carbonicity ([C/Fe]), and neutron-capture element ratios ([Sr/Fe], [Ba/Fe], and [Eu/Fe]). These results demonstrate that the RPE stars in these CDTGs have likely experienced common chemical-evolution histories, presumably in their parent satellite galaxies or globular clusters, prior to being disrupted into the Milky Way’s halo. We also confirm the previous claim that the orbits of the RPE stars preferentially exhibit pericentric distances that are substantially lower than the present distances of surviving ultrafaint dwarf and canonical dwarf spheroidal galaxies, consistent with the disruption hypothesis. The derived dynamical parameters for several of our CDTGs indicate their association with previously known substructures, dynamically tagged groups, and RPE groups.

Spectrum syntheses for three elements (Mg, Na, and Eu) in high-resolution integrated light spectra of the Galactic globular clusters 47 Tuc, M3, M13, NGC 7006, and M15 are presented, along with calibration syntheses of the Solar and Arcturus spectra. Iron abundances in the target clusters are also derived from integrated light equivalent width analyses. Line profiles in the spectra of these five globular clusters are well fit after careful consideration of the atomic and molecular spectral features, providing levels of precision that are better than equivalent width analyses of the same integrated light spectra, and that are comparable to the precision in individual stellar analyses. The integrated light abundances from the 5528 and 5711Å Mg I lines, the 6154 and 6160Å Na I lines, and the 6645Å Eu II line fall within the observed ranges from individual stars; however, these integrated light abundances do not always agree with the average literature abundances. Tests with the second parameter clusters M3, M13, and NGC 7006 show that assuming an incorrect horizontal branch morphology is likely to have only a small ( 0.06 dex) effect on these Mg, Na, and Eu abundances. These tests therefore show that integrated light spectrum syntheses can be applied to unresolved globular clusters over a wide range of metallicities and horizontal branch morphologies. Such high precision in integrated light spectrum syntheses is valuable for interpreting the chemical abundances of globular cluster systems around other galaxies.