2001A&A...380..578T

High-resolution spectra of 13 core helium-burning stars in the thick disk of the Galaxy have been obtained with the SOFIN spectrograph on the Nordic Optical Telescope to investigate abundances of up to 22 chemical elements. Abundances of carbon were studied using the C₂ Swan (0, 1) band head at 5635.5Å. The wavelength interval 7980-8130Å with strong CN features was analysed in order to determine nitrogen abundances and ¹²C/¹³C isotope ratios. The oxygen abundances were determined from the [OI] line at 6300Å. Abundances in the investigated stars suggest that carbon is depleted by about 0.3 dex, nitrogen is enhanced by more than 0.4 dex and oxygen is unaltered. The ¹²C/¹³C ratios are lowered and lie between values 3 and 7 which is in agreement with ``cool bottom processing'' predictions (Boothroyd & Sackmann, 1999ApJ...510..232B). The C/N ratios in the investigated stars are lowered to values between 0.7 and 1.2 which is less than present day theoretical predictions and call for further studies of stellar mixing processes. Abundance ratios of O, Mg, Eu and other heavy chemical elements to iron in the investigated stars show a pattern characteristic of thick disk stars. The results provide evidence that the thick disk population has a distinct chemical history from the thin disk. The onset of the bulk of SN Ia is suggested to appear at [Fe/H]≃-0.6dex.