Event Details

Galactic archaeology is the use of the velocities and abundances of stars to learn about the history of galaxy formation and nucleosynthesis.  I will tell two stories of extra-galactic archaeology with two different groups of elements: alpha elements and the iron peak.  First, I will present detailed abundances of individual stars in the dwarf satellites, stellar streams, and smooth halo of M31.  The evolution of [alpha/Fe] in these stars supports the hierarchical assembly paradigm of galaxy formation.  Second, I will present abundances of manganese and nickel in dwarf satellite galaxies of the Milky Way.  These abundances are best explained by a strong contribution of sub-Chandrasekhar-mass Type Ia supernovae.