Abundance analysis of late B stars - Evidence for diffusion and against weak stellar winds

Based on high S/N spectra obtained at La Silla, Chile, and the Special Astrophysical Observatory, Russia, the abundances of He, C, O, Ne, Mg, Si, Ca, Fe, Sr, and Ba in 27 optically bright B5-B9 main-sequence stars were determined. NLTE effects were taken into account. A variety of abundance patterns is present in late B stars. Accurate surface abundances of the diffusion indicators O, Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba suggest that element stratification due to diffusion is common in the program stars. Models of stellar atmospheres which include meridional mixing can explain the observed anomalies. Although the program stars represent only a volume-limited sample of the solar neighbourhood this result is important for the cosmochemical evolution of the Galaxy: the surface abundances of the stars investigated do not necessarily reflect the chemical composition of the interstellar cloud they originated from. Furthermore, five program stars show narrow absorption lines in Ca II K which can be attributed to circumstellar gas. Neon serves as a trace element for the occurrence of weak stellar winds. Neon overabundances of some stars derived under the assumption of LTE suggest that such winds have been detected. In sharp contrast, the more realistic treatment of NLTE leads to solar neon abundances and thus reveals that weak stellar winds are absent in the program stars.