On the metallicity gradient in the Galactic disk

Abstract The problem of the chemical composition gradient in the Galactic disk is studied based on a sample of metallicity estimates of open star clusters, using Gaia DR2-improved distance estimates. A clearly non-monotonic variation was observed in the average metallicity of clusters with increasing Galactocentric distance. One can clearly see the metallicity jump of 0.22 in [Fe/H] at a Galactocentric distance of about 9.5 kpc, which appears to be linked to the outer boundary of the thinnest and youngest component of the Galactic disk. The absence of a significant metallicity gradient in the internal (R < 9 kpc) and external (R > 10 kpc) regions of the disk demonstrates the absence of noticeable metal enrichment at times of the order of the ages corresponding to those of the disk regions under consideration. Observational data show that the disk experiences noticeable metal enrichment only during the starburst epochs. No significant dependence was identified between the average metallicity and the age of the clusters.