  The globular cluster $\omega$ Centauri (NGC 5139) is a puzzling stellar
system harboring several distinct stellar populations whose origin still
represents a unique astrophysical challenge. Current scenarios range from
primordial chemical inhomogeneities in the mother cloud to merging of different
sub-units and/or subsequent generations of enriched stars - with a variety of
different pollution sources- within the same potential well. In this paper we
study the chemical abundance pattern in the outskirts of Omega Centauri,
half-way to the tidal radius (covering the range of 20-30 arcmin from the
cluster center), and compare it with chemical trends in the inner cluster
regions, in an attempt to explore whether the same population mix and chemical
compositions trends routinely found in the more central regions is also present
in the cluster periphery.We extract abundances of many elements from
FLAMES/UVES spectra of 48 RGB stars using the equivalent width method and then
analyze the metallicity distribution function and abundance ratios of the
observed stars. We find, within the uncertainties of small number statistics
and slightly different evolutionary phases, that the population mix in the
outer regions cannot be distinguished from the more central regions, although
it is clear that more data are necessary to obtain a firmer description of the
situation. From the abundance analysis, we did not find obvious radial
gradients in any of the measured elements.
