Nucleosynthesis in the Hyades Open Cluster: Evidence for the Enhanced Depletion of 12C

We present the results of a light element abundance analysis of three solar-type main sequence (MS) dwarfs and three red giant branch (RGB) clump stars in the Hyades open cluster using high-resolution and high signal-to-noise spectroscopy. The CNO abundances of each group (MS or RGB) are in excellent star-to-star agreement and confirm that the giants have undergone first dredge-up mixing. The observed abundances are compared to predictions of a standard stellar model based on the Clemson-American University of Beirut (CAUB) stellar evolution code. The model reproduces the observed evolution of the N and O abundances, as well as the previously derived 12C/13C ratio, but it fails to predict the observed level of 12 C depletion in the giants. More tellingly, the sum of the observed giant CNO abundances does not equal that of the dwarfs.