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Abstract:
To date, the SDSS-IV APOGEE survey has obtained S/N > 70 spectra for over 2,500 red giant stars distributed across much of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), allowing for the characterization of the detailed abundance patterns for 10+ chemical elements. In this project, we interpret the chemical abundance patterns of the LMC by comparing them to the chemical abundance patterns of the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy (Sgr) and the Milky Way (MW), as well as by invoking chemical evolution models (such as flexCE and chempy) that include the LMC's star formation history. Preliminary results show that the LMC shares [Ni/Fe] and [Al/Fe] deficiencies with Sgr, but exhibits alpha-element abundances ([O/Fe], [Mg/Fe], and [Si/Fe]) that are near-solar. There is also a correlation with [O/Fe] and [Mg/Fe] with [Fe/H] at [Fe/H] > -1.0. These results suggest that the LMC exhibited low star formation efficiency (as compared to Sgr and the MW) at early times, but has since experienced several starbursts which spawned the stars with [Fe/H] > -1.0. Using these APOGEE chemical abundance patterns as constraints, we use chemical evolution models to better characterize the nature (strength, time, duration, IMF, etc.) of these starbursts.
