Cu and Zn in different stellar populations: Inferring their astrophysical origin Original Research Article

Copper and Zinc behave differently in unevolved stars of various metallicities and stellar populations. Current hypotheses on the astrophysical origin of both elements are highly debated. It has been advanced in previous works ([Matteucci, F., Raiteri, C., Busso, M., Gallino, R. and Gratton, R. A&A 272 (1993) 421,Mishenina, T.V. et al. A&A 396 (2002) 189]) that most solar Cu and Zn were synthesized in Type la Supernovae, although present theory of SNIe explosions predicts very little contribution to both elements [Thielemann, F.-K., Nomoto, K. and Yokoi, K. A&A 158 (1986) 17]. We have collected a large sample of recent high-resolution spectroscopic observations of unevolved stars in the Galactic halo, thick-disk and thin-disk, in bulge-like stars, globular clusters, Omega Cen, and Dwarf Spheroidal systems. Then we compare spectroscopic observations of Cu and Zn with present stellar nucleosynthesis theory. Cu is the best signature of a secondary-like production in massive stars by neutron captures with a small primary contribution by explosive nucleosynthesis. Zn needs a more complex description. No need of extra contribution by SNIa is required.