Understanding nucleosynthesis in and evolution of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars is of primary importance as these stars are the main producers of some of the key elements in the Universe. They are the predominant sites for slow-neutron-capture nucleosynthesis (s-process). The exact physical conditions and nucleosynthetic processes occurring in the interior of AGB stars are not clearly understood, and that hinders better understanding of the contribution of these stars to the Galactic chemical enrichment. Extrinsic-variable stars that are known to have received products of AGB phase of evolution via binary mass-transfer mechanisms are vital tools in tracing AGB nucleosynthesis. The [Rb/Zr] ratio is an important diagnostic to understand the average neutron density at the s-process site and provides important clues to the mass of companion AGB stars in binaries. In this work we have presented estimates of [Rb/Zr] ratios based on high-resolution spectroscopic analysis for a sample of Ba stars, and discussed how the ratio can be used to understand the characteristics of the AGB star. Results from an analysis based on a parametric model to confirm the mass of the companion AGB star are also presented.

中文翻译：

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Ba 星中的 [Rb/Zr] 比率作为伴星 AGB 恒星质量的诊断

了解渐近巨星分支 (AGB) 恒星的核合成和演化至关重要，因为这些恒星是宇宙中一些关键元素的主要生产者。它们是慢速中子俘获核合成（s 过程）的主要场所。AGB 恒星内部发生的确切物理条件和核合成过程尚不清楚，这阻碍了更好地了解这些恒星对银河化学富集的贡献。已知通过二元传质机制接收到 AGB 演化阶段产物的外变星是追踪 AGB 核合成的重要工具。[Rb/Zr] 比率是了解 s 过程位置平均中子密度的重要诊断方法，并为双星中伴星 AGB 恒星的质量提供重要线索。在这项工作中，我们基于对 Ba 星样本的高分辨率光谱分析提出了 [Rb/Zr] 比率的估计，并讨论了如何使用该比率来了解 AGB 星的特征。还提供了基于参数模型的分析结果，以确认伴星 AGB 恒星的质量。