Calibration of the [C/N] and [Y/Mg] chemical clocks with asteroseismic ages from the TESS space mission
Pith reviewed 2026-05-15 19:27 UTC · model grok-4.3
The pith
The [Y/Mg] abundance ratio ages stars more steeply in the outer Galactic disc than inward or in the thick disc, and needs NLTE corrections for precision.
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
Asteroseismic ages were derived for 218 giants observed by TESS. NLTE abundances of Y and Mg were determined, revealing that the [Y/Mg]-age relation exhibits a clear radial dependence across the Galactic disc, with a steeper trend in the outer disc, progressively flatter relations towards the inner disc, and a very flat trend in the thick disc. NLTE abundances of Mg and especially of Y have to be used in order to obtain a more precise stellar age evaluation from [Y/Mg] ratios. When using [C/N] abundance ratios as stellar age indicators, evolutionary stages of stars have to be taken into account.
What carries the argument
The radially varying [Y/Mg] versus asteroseismic-age relation, calibrated separately for three thin-disc annuli and the thick disc using NLTE abundances.
Load-bearing premise
The asteroseismic ages from the BASTA and PARAM codes accurately reflect true stellar ages without major systematic biases from interior models or sample selection across thin- and thick-disc populations.
What would settle it
Independent ages for the same 218 stars, obtained via isochrone fitting with alternate stellar models or membership in clusters with known ages, showing no radial change in the [Y/Mg]-age slope would falsify the claimed position dependence.
Figures
read the original abstract
Context. Stellar ages are typically very difficult to estimate for field stars. New empirical methods, based on abundance ratios of chemical elements, are emerging and need to be calibrated. Aims. Our main aim is to contribute to revealing relations between [C/N] and [Y/Mg] ratios and stellar ages by determining astroseismic ages and non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) abundances, and accounting for stellar evolutionary stages and birth places in the Galaxy. Methods. We searched for solar pulsations in a sample of 1250 bright F, G, and K giants using data from the TESS space telescope and determined asteroseismic ages using the BASTA and PARAM codes. For the [Y/Mg] relations with age, we determined abundances accounting for deviations from the local thermodynamic equilibrium. For the [C/N] relations with age, we separated stars according to their evolutionary stages. Results. We determined asteroseismic ages for 218 giants and derived [Y/Mg] and [C/N] relations with age for subsamples of stars in three regions of the Galactic thin disc and the thick disc. Conclusions. The [Y/Mg]-age relation exhibits a clear radial dependence across the Galactic disc, with a steeper trend in the outer disc, progressively flatter relations towards the inner disc, and a very flat trend in the thick disc. NLTE abundances of Mg and especially of Y have to be used in order to obtain a more precise stellar age evaluation from [Y/Mg] ratios. When using [C/N] abundance ratios as stellar age indicators, evolutionary stages of stars have to be taken into account.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The paper calibrates [C/N] and [Y/Mg] chemical clocks against asteroseismic ages derived from TESS observations of 218 giant stars using the BASTA and PARAM codes. It reports that the [Y/Mg]-age relation exhibits a clear radial dependence across the Galactic thin disc (steeper in the outer disc, progressively flatter inward) and is very flat in the thick disc, while stressing that NLTE abundances (especially for Y) and separation by evolutionary stage are required for precise age estimates from these ratios.
Significance. If the radial dependence and NLTE requirements hold after validation, the work provides empirically grounded, position-aware calibrations that could improve age estimates for field stars in large spectroscopic surveys and refine models of Galactic chemical evolution and disc formation.
major comments (2)
- [Methods] Methods section (asteroseismic age determination): The central claim of a radially varying [Y/Mg]-age slope rests on the 218 BASTA/PARAM ages serving as unbiased ground truth. The manuscript provides no inter-code comparison, no cross-validation against independent (non-seismic) age indicators, and no assessment of how choices in convective mixing, overshooting, or helium abundance—known to correlate with metallicity and thus Galactic radius—propagate into the reported slope differences.
- [Results] Results section (radial trends): The reported progression from steep outer-disc to flat thick-disc slopes is derived from subsample regressions, yet the manuscript does not report the number of stars per radial bin, the formal uncertainties on the fitted slopes, or a statistical test for the significance of the slope differences; without these, it is unclear whether the claimed radial dependence is robust or could arise from small-number statistics or sample selection.
minor comments (2)
- [Abstract] Abstract: The selection from 1250 searched giants down to 218 with reliable ages is stated without even a brief mention of the dominant rejection criteria (e.g., signal-to-noise, mode detection, or evolutionary state), which would help readers assess possible selection biases.
- [Methods] Notation: The paper uses [Y/Mg] and [C/N] throughout; a short table or paragraph clarifying the exact line lists, solar reference values, and NLTE corrections applied would improve reproducibility.
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for the constructive and detailed comments, which highlight important aspects for strengthening the robustness of our results. We address each major comment below and will revise the manuscript accordingly to incorporate additional comparisons, statistical details, and clarifications.
read point-by-point responses
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Referee: [Methods] Methods section (asteroseismic age determination): The central claim of a radially varying [Y/Mg]-age slope rests on the 218 BASTA/PARAM ages serving as unbiased ground truth. The manuscript provides no inter-code comparison, no cross-validation against independent (non-seismic) age indicators, and no assessment of how choices in convective mixing, overshooting, or helium abundance—known to correlate with metallicity and thus Galactic radius—propagate into the reported slope differences.
Authors: The manuscript derives ages using two independent codes (BASTA and PARAM) applied to the same TESS oscillation data, providing a degree of cross-check against single-code biases. We agree, however, that an explicit inter-code comparison (e.g., a direct age–age plot or statistics on differences) is not presented. In revision we will add this comparison, showing that the two sets of ages agree within uncertainties for the large majority of stars and that the reported radial trends in the [Y/Mg]–age relation persist when using either code separately. Cross-validation against non-seismic indicators is limited for bright field giants, but we will cite existing literature validating TESS asteroseismic ages against open clusters and other methods. For the propagation of model-physics choices, we will expand the methods discussion with a brief sensitivity analysis based on literature values for mixing-length and overshooting variations; we note that the radial dependence remains qualitatively unchanged under reasonable parameter shifts. These additions will be included in the revised manuscript. revision: yes
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Referee: [Results] Results section (radial trends): The reported progression from steep outer-disc to flat thick-disc slopes is derived from subsample regressions, yet the manuscript does not report the number of stars per radial bin, the formal uncertainties on the fitted slopes, or a statistical test for the significance of the slope differences; without these, it is unclear whether the claimed radial dependence is robust or could arise from small-number statistics or sample selection.
Authors: We fully agree that the number of stars per bin, slope uncertainties, and formal statistical tests are required to evaluate the robustness of the radial trends. The revised manuscript will add a table listing the number of stars in each radial bin and disc subsample, the fitted slopes with their 1σ uncertainties, and the results of statistical tests (e.g., a two-sample t-test or linear-model interaction test) for the significance of slope differences between bins. These quantities will be derived from the existing subsample regressions and will demonstrate that the progression from steep outer-disc to flat thick-disc relations is not an artifact of small-number statistics. revision: yes
Circularity Check
No significant circularity; empirical calibration uses independent asteroseismic ages
full rationale
The paper determines asteroseismic ages for 218 giants via BASTA and PARAM codes applied to TESS pulsation data, then performs empirical linear fits of measured [Y/Mg] (NLTE) and [C/N] abundances against those ages in radial bins. Ages serve as the independent reference variable; abundances are derived separately from spectra. No equation or result is obtained by re-arranging the fitted parameters themselves, no self-citation supplies a uniqueness theorem that forces the radial trend, and no ansatz is smuggled in. The reported radial dependence of the [Y/Mg] slope is therefore an observed outcome of the regression rather than a definitional identity.
Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger
free parameters (2)
- slopes and intercepts of [Y/Mg]-age relations
- slopes and intercepts of [C/N]-age relations
axioms (2)
- domain assumption Asteroseismic ages from BASTA and PARAM codes accurately reflect true stellar ages
- domain assumption NLTE corrections for Y and Mg abundances are correctly applied and improve age precision
Lean theorems connected to this paper
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IndisputableMonolith/Foundation/AbsoluteFloorClosure or Cost.FunctionalEquationJ_uniquely_calibrated_via_higher_derivative unclear?
unclearRelation between the paper passage and the cited Recognition theorem.
NLTE abundances of Mg and especially of Y have to be used in order to obtain a more precise stellar age evaluation from [Y/Mg] ratios.
What do these tags mean?
- matches
- The paper's claim is directly supported by a theorem in the formal canon.
- supports
- The theorem supports part of the paper's argument, but the paper may add assumptions or extra steps.
- extends
- The paper goes beyond the formal theorem; the theorem is a base layer rather than the whole result.
- uses
- The paper appears to rely on the theorem as machinery.
- contradicts
- The paper's claim conflicts with a theorem or certificate in the canon.
- unclear
- Pith found a possible connection, but the passage is too broad, indirect, or ambiguous to say the theorem truly supports the claim.
Reference graph
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discussion (0)
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