Doppler imaging of a southern ApSi star HD 152564

We present the results of the spectroscopic study of a chemically peculiar star HD 152564. Using medium-resolution (R = 37 000) observations obtained with the high-resolution fibre echelle spectrograph mounted on the South African Large Telescope, we determined atmospheric parameters T-eff = 11 950 +/- 200 K and log g = 3.6 +/- 0.2 dex. Abundance analysis revealed mild deficiency of the light elements and an overabundance of up to similar to 2 dex of metals, with the greatest excess for silicon. With these characteristics, HD 152564 is a typical member of the silicon subgroup of Ap stars. The rotational modulation of the light curve and line profiles of HD 152564 are typical for the inhomogeneous surface distribution of elements in its atmosphere. We performed multi-element Doppler imaging of the surface of HD 152564. Abundance maps constructed for He, O, Mg, Si, and Fe revealed the concentration of these elements in a sequence of equatorial spots as well as in the circumpolar rings. The photometric maximum of the light curve coincided with the visibility of two most overabundant silicon spots. Abundances determined from the different ionization stages of Fe and Si show clear evidence for vertical stratification of these elements in the atmosphere of HD 152564. Meanwhile, the horizontal distribution of silicon reconstructed from the lines of different ionization stages and excitation energies appears to be identical with increasing average abundance deeper in atmosphere.