The abundances of the elements in stars: 3D non-LTE modelling featuring Anish Amarsi (Uppsala University, Sweden)

Hosted by: Thibaut Dumont (CNRS Strasbourg)

The chemical compositions of stars place key constraints on nuclear astrophysics.  The most precise way of determining these compositions is through analyses of the absorption lines in the observed star light (stellar spectroscopy).  However, the accuracy of standard analyses of Sun-like stars can be limited by simplifying assumptions: in particular, that the atmosphere of the star is one-dimensional (1D), hydrostatic, and satisfies local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE).  In recent years it has become feasible to relax these assumptions via non-LTE post-processing of three-dimensional (3D) radiation-hydrodynamics simulations.  I shall describe this approach, and then present examples where this approach has altered our understanding of the evolution of the elements in the cosmos.