Do R Coronae Borealis stars evolve from white dwarf mergers?
Phoenix spectra of C_2, CN and CO lines will provide oxygen isotopic abundance ratios (^16O/^17O/^18O) and CNO abundances for cool R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars. The ratios, especially the ^16O/^18O ratio, will be used to test the two leading scenarios for RCB production. These observations were prompted by Clayton et al.'s striking discovery of
Lambert, David L. et al.
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2008