Lithium and Rotation in Pop I stars

Abstract

Lithium abundances have been determined for 130 stars sampled on the basis that they have just about completed depletion of Li on the main sequence and have not yet begun their ascent on the red giant branch. The main goal is to study the effects of rotation on Li depletion. Analysis of the

data reveals that fast rotating stars have suffered little depletion whereas slowly rotating stars have both low and high Li abundances. No one-to-one correlation appears to exist between Li abundance and the present v sini. The large observed spread in Li abundance is perhaps a consequence of an initial range in rotational velocities in stars spinning down to low values on the main sequence. An attempt is made to study the Li evolution as a function of age, mass and rotation against the backdrop of the evolutionary tracks on the HR diagram.