CN abundance variations on the main sequence of 47 Tucanae

We report on a deep spectroscopic survey for star-to-star CN variations along the main sequence (MS) of the globular cluster 47 Tuc with ESO's Very Large Telescope. We find a significant bimodal distribution in the S (3839) index for main-sequence stars in the mass range similar to0.85 to 0.65 M., or from the main-sequence turnoff down to similar to2.5 mag below the main-sequence turnoff. An anticorrelation of CN and CH is evident on the MS. The result is discussed in the context of the ability of faint MS stars to alter their surface composition through internal evolutionary effects. We argue against internal stellar evolution as the only origin for the abundance spread in 47 Tuc; an external origin such as pollution seems to be more likely.