Abundance analysis of the long period southern Cepheid RZ Vel

Abstract

An abundance analysis is conducted for the long period (P = 20.4 days), young classical Cepheid RZ Vel, a recognized member of an OB association. The results of the analysis are compared with the photometric study by Eggen (1982) which attributed high metallicity to the Cepheid. High-resolution CCD spectra with sufficient S/N ratios are employed to effect the analysis. The quantities of light elements are obtained by means of a thorough model atmosphere method. The elements derived include carbon, oxygen, aluminum, and sulfur as well as Fe-peak elements and some s-process elements. Near solar abundance is reported for the majority of the tested elements of RZ Vel. The abundances suggest that the photometrically derived indices are not reliable indicators of metallicity. RZ Vel has the same evolutionary status as other Cepheids from the solar neighborhood.