Aims. This paper compares the chemical evolution of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) to that of the Milky Way (MW) and investigates the relation between the bar and the inner disc of the LMC in the context of the formation of the bar. Methods. We obtained high-resolution and mid signal-to-noise ratio spectra with FLAMES/GIRAFFE at ESO/VLT and performed a detailed chemical analysis of 106 and 58 LMC field red giant stars (mostly older than 1 Gyr), located in the bar and the disc of the LMC respectively. To validate our stellar parameter determinations and abundance measurement procedures, we performed thorough tests using the well-known mildly metal-poor Milky-Way thick disc giant Arcturus (HD 124897, α Boo). We measured elemental abundances for O, Mg, Si, Ca, Ti (α-elements), Na (light odd element), Sc, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu (iron-peak elements), Y, Zr, Ba, La, and Eu (s-and r-elements). Conclusions. Our results show that the chemical history of the LMC experienced a strong contribution from type Ia supernovae as well as a strong s-process enrichment from metal-poor AGB winds. Massive stars made a smaller contribution to the chemical enrichment compared to the MW. The observed differences between the bar and the disc speak in favour of an episode of enhanced star formation a few Gyr ago, occurring in the central parts of the LMC and leading to the formation of the bar. This is in agreement with recently derived star formation histories.

Context. Barium stars are s-process enriched giants. They owe their chemical peculiarities to a past mass transfer phase. During this phase they were polluted by their binary companion, which at the time was an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star, but is now an extinct white dwarf. Barium stars are thus ideal targets for understanding and constraining the s-process in low- and intermediate-mass AGB stars. Aims. We derive the abundances of a large number of heavy elements in order to shed light on the conditions of operation of the neutron source responsible for the production of s-elements in the former companions of the barium stars. Methods. Adopting a recently used methodology, we analyse a sample of eighteen highly enriched barium stars observed with the high-resolution HERMES spectrograph mounted on the Mercator telescope (La Palma). We determine the stellar parameters and abundances using MARCS model atmospheres. In particular, we derive the Nb–Zr ratio which was previously shown to be a sensitive thermometer for the s-process nucleosynthesis. Indeed, in barium stars, 93Zr has fully decayed into mono-isotopic 93Nb, so Nb/Zr is a measure of the temperature-sensitive 93Zr/Zr isotopic ratio. Results. HD 28159, previously classified as K5III and initially selected to serve as a reference cool K star for our abundance analysis, turns out to be enriched in s-process elements, and as such is a new barium star. Four stars are characterised by high nitrogen abundances, and among those three have high [Nb/Zr] and [hs/ls] ratios. The derived Zr and Nb abundances provide more accurate constraints on the s-process neutron source, identified to be 13C(α, n)16O for barium stars. The comparison with stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis models shows that the investigated barium stars were polluted by a low-mass (M ∼ 2 − 3 M⊙) AGB star. HD 100503 is potentially identified as a high metallicity analogue of carbon-enhanced metal-poor star enriched in both r- and s-process elements (CEMP-rs).

Context. In the era of large spectroscopic surveys, massive databases of high-quality spectra coupled with the products of the Gaia satellite provide tools to outline a new picture of our Galaxy. In this framework, an important piece of information is provided by our ability to infer stellar ages, and consequently to sketch a Galactic timeline. Aims. We aim to provide empirical relations between stellar ages and abundance ratios for a sample of stars with very similar stellar parameters to those of the Sun, namely the so-called solar-like stars. We investigate the dependence on metallicity, and we apply our relations to independent samples, that is, the Gaia-ESO samples of open clusters and of field stars. Methods. We analyse high-resolution and high-signal-to-noise-ratio HARPS spectra of a sample of solar-like stars to obtain precise determinations of their atmospheric parameters and abundances for 25 elements and/or ions belonging to the main nucleosynthesis channels through differential spectral analysis, and of their ages through isochrone fitting. Results. We investigate the relations between stellar ages and several abundance ratios. For the abundance ratios with a steeper dependence on age, we perform multivariate linear regressions, in which we include the dependence on metallicity, [Fe/H]. We apply our best relations to a sample of open clusters located from the inner to the outer regions of the Galactic disc. Using our relations, we are able to recover the literature ages only for clusters located at RGC >  7 kpc. The values that we obtain for the ages of the inner-disc clusters are much greater than the literature ones. In these clusters, the content of neutron capture elements, such as Y and Zr, is indeed lower than expected from chemical evolution models, and consequently their [Y/Mg] and [Y/Al] are lower than in clusters of the same age located in the solar neighbourhood. With our chemical evolution model and a set of empirical yields, we suggest that a strong dependence on the star formation history and metallicity-dependent stellar yields of s-process elements can substantially modify the slope of the [s/α]–[Fe/H]–age relation in different regions of the Galaxy. Conclusions. Our results point towards a non-universal relation [s/α]–[Fe/H]–age, indicating the existence of relations with different slopes and intercepts at different Galactocentric distances or for different star formation histories. Therefore, relations between ages and abundance ratios obtained from samples of stars located in a limited region of the Galaxy cannot be translated into general relations valid for the whole disc. A better understanding of the s-process at high metallicity is necessary to fully understand the origin of these variations.