Predictions for Complex Distributions of Stellar Elemental Abundances in
  Low-Mass Galaxies
  We investigate stellar elemental abundance patterns at z = 0 in 8 low-mass
(M_* = 10^6 - 10^9 M_sun) galaxies in the Feedback in Realistic Environments
(FIRE-2) cosmological simulations. Using magnesium (Mg) as a representative
alpha-element, we explore stellar abundance patterns in [Mg/Fe] versus [Fe/H],
which follow an overall monotonic trend that evolved slowly over time. Beyond
this, we explore 3 notable secondary features in enrichment (found in three
different case-study galaxies) that arise from a galaxy merger or bursty star
formation. First, we observe a secondary track with a lower [Mg/Fe] than the
main trend. At z = 0, stars from this track are predominantly found within 2-6
kpc of the center; they were accreted in a 1:3 total-mass-ratio merger ~ 0.4
Gyr ago. Second, we find a distinct elemental bi-modality that forms following
a strong burst in star formation in a galaxy at t_lookback ~ 10 Gyr. This burst
quenched star formation for ~ 0.66 Gyr, allowing Ia supernovae to enrich the
system with iron before star formation resumed. Third, we examine stripes in
enrichment that run roughly orthogonal to the dominant [Mg/Fe] versus [Fe/H]
trend; these stripes correspond to short bursts of star formation during which
core-collapse supernovae enrich the surrounding medium with Mg (and Fe) on
short timescales. If observed, these features would substantiate the utility of
elemental abundances in revealing the assembly and star formation histories of
dwarf galaxies. We explore the observability of these features for upcoming
spectroscopic studies. Our results show that precise measurements of elemental
abundance patterns can reveal critical events in the formation histories of
low-mass galaxies.
