First determination of the actinide thorium abundance for a red giant of the Ursa Minor dwarf galaxy

The thorium abundance of the red giant COS 82 in the Ursa Minor dwarf spheroidal galaxy was determined based on the high-resolution spectrum. This is the first detection of actinides in an extragalactic object. A detailed abundance pattern was determined for 12 other neutron-capture elements from atomic number 39 to 68. These elements are significantly over-abundant with respect to other metals, like Fe (> 1 dex), and their abundance pattern agrees well with those of the r-process-enhanced, very metal-poor stars known in the galactic halo, while the metallicity of this object ([Fe/H] similar to -1.5) is much higher than these field stars ([Fe/H] similar to -3.0). The results indicate that the mechanism and the astrophysical site that are responsible for neutron-capture elements in COS 82 are similar to that for field r-process-enhanced stars, while the condition of low-mass star formation is quite different. An estimate of the age of this object based on the Th abundance ratio is discussed.