ABSTRACT

Population III stars are the first, metal-poor stars which formed after the Big Bang. This study aimed to find a low mass Population III star in the as well as to better define their characteristics and the parameters of the search for them. Spectra of  twenty stars and the sun were taken at Kitt Peak National Observatory using the Coude Feed Spectrograph. The data were reduced by removing the effects of stellar radial velocity, atmospheric extinction and earth motions. The spectra were then analyzed by comparing them with standard stars and model stars constructed using the Vienna Atomic Line Database. Their chemistry, abundances and metallicities were determined. No Population III stars were found, but nine stars were reclassified as to their spectral type and some metal-poor stars were discovered, the lowest having a Fe/H ratio of -.931. The results suggest that G8 - K2 halo dwarfs can be suitable candidates for Population III stars.