CRIRES+ Reveals the Chemistry of the Stellar Subpopulations in the Bulge Fossil Fragment Liller 1* *Based on observations collected at the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory at Cerro Paranal (Chile) under program 109.230K and Large Program 110.24A4 (PI: Ferraro).

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Abstract
In this paper, we present the chemical screening of the complex stellar population discovered in the Bulge Fossil Fragment Liller 1. This study is part of the Bulge Cluster Origin (BulCO) survey based on a Large Program at the ESO-Very Large Telescope with the high-resolution spectrograph CRIRES+. The survey is aimed at performing an unprecedented chemical screening of 17 stellar systems orbiting the Milky Way bulge, with the ultimate goal of unveiling their origin and true nature. We measured precise chemical abundances of iron, CNO, iron-peak, α-elements, a few other light elements, and neutron-capture elements for a sample of 30 red giant branch stars, kinematic members of Liller 1. The presented analysis provides the high-resolution spectroscopic proof of the complex chemistry of this massive stellar system, with multimetallicity subpopulations of different ages that nicely fit into a self-enrichment scenario. We find no evidence for the Na–O anticorrelation associated with genuine globular clusters; rather, the overall abundance trends are similar to those seen in the bulge field and in Terzan 5, providing definitive evidence of an in situ formation of Liller 1 within the Galactic bulge.
Funding Information
  • Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca (Advanced Grant FIS-2024-02056)

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