CMD and mass distribution of Ba stars

When we compare these mass distributions, we see a deficit of low-mass (1-2M_{sun}_) barium giants. This is probably because low-mass stars reach large radii at the tip of the red giant branch, which may have resulted in an early binary interaction. Among barium giants, the high-mass tail is however dominated by stars with a barium index (based on a visual inspection of the barium spectral line) less than unity, i.e., with a very moderate barium line strength.

We believe that these stars are not genuine barium giants, but rather bright giants (or supergiants) where the barium lines are strengthened because of a positive luminosity effect. Moreover, contrary to previous claims, we do not see differences between the mass distributions of mild and strong barium giants.