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Context: Traditional one-dimensional (1D) hydrostatic model atmospheres introduce systematic modelling errors into spectroscopic analyses of FGK-type stars. Aims: We present an updated version of the STAGGER-grid of 3D model atmospheres, and explore the accuracy of post-processing methods in preparation for spectral synthesis. Methods: New and old models were (re)computed following an updated workflow, including an updated opacity binning technique. Spectroscopic tests were performed in 3D LTE for a grid of 216 fictitious Fe I lines, spanning a wide range in oscillator strength, excitation potential and central wavelength, and eight model atmospheres that cover the stellar atmospheric parameter range (Teff, log g, [Fe/H]) of FGK-type stars. Using this grid, the impact of vertical and horizontal resolution, and temporal sampling of model atmospheres on spectroscopic diagnostics was tested. Results: We find that downsampling the horizontal mesh from its original size of 240 x 240 grid cells to 80 x 80 cells, i.e. sampling every third grid cell, introduces minimal errors on the equivalent width and normalized line flux across the line and stellar parameter space. Regarding temporal sampling, we find that sampling ten statistically independent snapshots is sufficient to accurately model the shape of spectral line profiles. For equivalent widths, a subsample consisting of only two snapshots is sufficient, introducing an abundance error of less than 0.015 dex. Conclusions: We have computed 32 new model atmospheres and recomputed 116 old model atmospheres present in the original grid. The public release of the STAGGER-grid contains 243 models, excluding models with [Fe/H] = -4.00, and the processed snapshots can be used to improve the accuracy of spectroscopic analyses.

We describe the Stagger Code for simulations of magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) systems. This is a modular code with a variety of physics modules that will let the user run simulations of deep stellar atmospheres, sunspot formation, stellar chromospheres and coronae, proto-stellar disks, star formation from giant molecular clouds and even galaxy formation. The Stagger Code is efficiently and highly parallelizable, enabling such simulations with large ranges of both spatial and temporal scales. We, describe the methodology of the code, and present the most important of the physics modules, as well as its input and output variables. We show results of a number of standard MHD tests to enable comparison with other, similar codes. In addition, we provide an overview of tests that have been carried out against solar observations, ranging from spectral line shapes, spectral flux distribution, limb darkening, intensity and velocity distributions of granulation, to seismic power-spectra and the excitation of p modes. The Stagger Code has proven to be a high fidelity code with a large range of uses., Comment: accepted for the Astrophysical Journal

Three-dimensional radiation-hydrodynamics (3D RHD) simulations of stellar surface convection provide valuable insights into many problems in solar and stellar physics. However, almost all 3D near-surface convection simulations to date are based on solar-scaled chemical compositions, which limit their application on stars with peculiar abundance patterns. To overcome this difficulty, we implement the robust and widely-used FreeEOS equation of state and our Blue opacity package into the Stagger 3D radiation-magnetohydrodynamics code. We present a new 3D RHD model of the solar atmosphere, and demonstrate that the mean stratification as well as the distributions of key physical quantities are in good agreement with those of the latest Stagger solar model atmosphere. The new model is further validated by comparing against solar observations. The new model atmospheres reproduce the observed flux spectrum, continuum centre-to-limb variation, and hydrogen line profiles at a satisfactory level, thereby confirming the realism of the model and the underlying input physics. These implementations open the prospect for studying other stars with different $\alpha$-element abundance, carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars and population II stars with peculiar chemical compositions using 3D Stagger model atmospheres., Comment: 24 pages, 20 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

The granulation background seen in the power spectrum of a solar-like oscillator poses a serious challenge for extracting precise and detailed information about the stellar oscillations. Using a 3D hydrodynamical simulation of the Sun computed with CO$^5$BOLD, we investigate various background models to infer, using a Bayesian methodology, which one provides the best fit to the background in the simulated power spectrum. We find that the best fit is provided by an expression including the overall power level and two characteristic frequencies, one with an exponent of 2 and one with a free exponent taking on a value around 6. We assess the impact of the 3D hydro-code on this result by repeating the analysis with a simulation from Stagger and find that the main conclusion is unchanged. However, the details of the resulting best fits differ slightly between the two codes, but we explain this difference by studying the effect of the spatial resolution and the duration of the simulation on the fit. Additionally, we look into the impact of adding white noise to the simulated time series as a simple way to mimic a real star. We find that, as long as the noise level is not too low, the results are consistent with the no-noise case., Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures. This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in MNRAS following peer review

We have been monitoring the metal-poor Population II giant, HD 122563, for radial velocity variations since 2016 using the SONG telescope on Tenerife. We have detected the global seismic quantity, numax, which provides information related to the stellar parameters. By combining these data with complementary data, we derive a new precise surface gravity, radius and distance to the star. Our results are corroborated by using the parallax from Gaia DR2. We present these results and some of their implications., Comment: Proceedings of the French Astronomy Society Meeting, SF2A, June 2019; v2: typo in reported numax in Table, authors corrected

The last decade has seen a rapid development in asteroseismology thanks to the CoRoT and Kepler missions. With more detailed asteroseismic observations available, it is becoming possible to infer exactly how oscillations are driven and dissipated in solar-type stars. We have carried out three-dimensional (3D) stellar atmosphere simulations together with one-dimensional (1D) stellar structural models of key benchmark turn-off and subgiant stars to study this problem from a theoretical perspective. Mode excitation and damping rates are extracted from 3D and 1D stellar models based on analytical expressions. Mode velocity amplitudes are determined by the balance between stochastic excitation and linear damping, which then allows the estimation of the frequency of maximum oscillation power, $\nu_{\max}$, for the first time based on ab initio and parameter-free modelling. We have made detailed comparisons between our numerical results and observational data and achieved very encouraging agreement for all of our target stars. This opens the exciting prospect of using such realistic 3D hydrodynamical stellar models to predict solar-like oscillations across the HR-diagram, thereby enabling accurate estimates of stellar properties such as mass, radius and age., Comment: 22 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

The amplitude of solar p-mode oscillations is governed by stochastic excitation and mode damping, both of which take place in the surface convection zone. However, the time-dependent, turbulent nature of convection makes it difficult to self-consistently study excitation and damping processes through the use of traditional one-dimensional hydrostatic models. To this end, we carried out \textit{ab initio} three-dimensional, hydrodynamical numerical simulations of the solar atmosphere to investigate how p-modes are driven and dissipated in the Sun. The description of surface convection in the simulations is free from the tuneable parameters typically adopted in traditional one-dimensional models. Mode excitation and damping rates are computed based on analytical expressions whose ingredients are evaluated directly from the three-dimensional model. With excitation and damping rates both available, we estimate the theoretical oscillation amplitude and frequency of maximum power, $\nu_{\max}$, for the Sun. We compare our numerical results with helioseismic observations, finding encouraging agreement between the two. The numerical method presented here provides a novel way to investigate the physical processes responsible for mode driving and damping, and should be valid for all solar-type oscillating stars., Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Manganese (Mn) is a key Fe-group elements, commonly employed in stellar population and nucleosynthesis studies to explore the role of SN Ia. We have developed a new non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) model of Mn, including new photo-ionisation cross-sections and new transition rates caused by collisions with H and H- atoms. We applied the model in combination with 1-dimensional (1D) LTE model atmospheres and 3D hydrodynamical simulations of stellar convection to quantify the impact of NLTE and convection on the line formation. We show that the effects of NLTE are present in Mn I and, to a lesser degree, in Mn II lines, and these increase with metallicity and with effective temperature of a model. Employing 3D NLTE radiative transfer, we derive new abundance of Mn in the Sun, A(Mn)=5.52 +/- 0.03 dex, consistent with the element abundance in C I meteorites. We also apply our methods to the analysis of three metal-poor benchmark stars. We find that 3D NLTE abundances are significantly higher than 1D LTE. For dwarfs, the differences between 1D NLTE and 3D NLTE abundances are typically within 0.15 dex, however, the effects are much larger in the atmospheres of giants owing to their more vigorous convection. We show that 3D NLTE successfully solves the ionisation and excitation balance for the RGB star HD 122563 that cannot be achieved by 1D LTE or 1D NLTE modelling. For HD 84937 and HD 140283, the ionisation balance is satisfied, however, the resonance Mn I triplet lines still show somewhat lower abundances compared to the high-excitation lines. Our results for the benchmark stars confirm that 1D LTE modelling leads to significant systematic biases in Mn abundances across the full wavelength range from the blue to the IR. We also produce a list of Mn lines that are not significantly biased by 3D and can be reliably, within the 0.1 dex uncertainty, modelled in 1D NLTE., Comment: accepted for publication in A&A

(Abridged) The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE) is an end-to-end science platform for the design, execution and scientific exploitation of spectroscopic surveys. It will unveil the composition and dynamics of the faint Universe and impact nearly every field of astrophysics across all spatial scales, from individual stars to the largest scale structures in the Universe. Major pillars in the science program for MSE include (i) the ultimate Gaia follow-up facility for understanding the chemistry and dynamics of the distant Milky Way, including the outer disk and faint stellar halo at high spectral resolution (ii) galaxy formation and evolution at cosmic noon, via the type of revolutionary surveys that have occurred in the nearby Universe, but now conducted at the peak of the star formation history of the Universe (iii) derivation of the mass of the neutrino and insights into inflationary physics through a cosmological redshift survey that probes a large volume of the Universe with a high galaxy density. MSE is positioned to become a critical hub in the emerging international network of front-line astronomical facilities, with scientific capabilities that naturally complement and extend the scientific power of Gaia, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, the Square Kilometer Array, Euclid, WFIRST, the 30m telescopes and many more., Comment: 9 chapters, 301 pages, 100 figures. This version of the DSC is a comprehensive update of the original version, released in 2016, which can be downloaded at arXiv:1606.00043. A detailed summary of the design of MSE is available in the MSE Book 2018, available at arXiv:1810.08695

The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE) is a planned 11.25-m aperture facility with a 1.5 square degree field of view that will be fully dedicated to multi-object spectroscopy. A rebirth of the 3.6m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope on Maunakea, MSE will use 4332 fibers operating at three different resolving powers (R ~ 2500, 6000, 40000) across a wavelength range of 0.36-1.8mum, with dynamical fiber positioning that allows fibers to match the exposure times of individual objects. MSE will enable spectroscopic surveys with unprecedented scale and sensitivity by collecting millions of spectra per year down to limiting magnitudes of g ~ 20-24 mag, with a nominal velocity precision of ~100 m/s in high-resolution mode. This white paper describes science cases for stellar astrophysics and exoplanet science using MSE, including the discovery and atmospheric characterization of exoplanets and substellar objects, stellar physics with star clusters, asteroseismology of solar-like oscillators and opacity-driven pulsators, studies of stellar rotation, activity, and multiplicity, as well as the chemical characterization of AGB and extremely metal-poor stars., Comment: 31 pages, 11 figures; To appear as a chapter for the Detailed Science Case of the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer

The nearby metal-poor giant HD122563 is an important astrophysical laboratory for which to test stellar atmospheric and interior physics. It is also a benchmark star for which to calibrate methods to apply to large scale surveys. Recently it has been remeasured using various methodologies given the new high precision instruments at our disposal. However, inconsistencies in the observations and models have been found. In order to better characterise this star we have been measuring its radial velocities since 2016 using the Hertzsprung telescope (SONG network node). In this work we report the first detections of sun-like oscillations in this star, and to our knowledge, a detection in the most metal-poor giant to date. We apply the classical seismic scaling relation to derive a new surface gravity of $\log g_{\nu} = 1.39 \pm 0.01$ dex. Constraints on the mass imposed by its PopII giant classification then yield a radius of $30.8 \pm 1.0$ R$_{\odot}$. By coupling this with recent interferometric measurements we infer a distance to the star of 306 $\pm$ 9 pc. Data from the Gaia mission corroborates the distance hypothesis ($d_{\rm GDR2}$ = 290 $\pm$ 5 pc), and thus the updated fundamental parameters. We confirm the validity of the seismic scaling relation without corrections for surface gravity in metal-poor and evolved star regimes. The small discrepancy of 0.04 dex reduces to 0.02 dex by applying corrections to the scaling relations. The new constraints on the HR diagram ($L_{\odot} = 381 \pm 26$) reduce the disagreement between the stellar parameters and evolution models, however, a discrepancy still exists. Fine-tuned stellar evolution calculations show that this can be reconciled by changing the mixing-length parameter by an amount (--0.35) that is in agreement with predictions from recent 3D simulations and empirical results., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A

GALAH is a large-scale magnitude-limited southern stellar spectroscopic survey. Its second data release (GALAH DR2) provides values of stellar parameters and abundances of 23 elements for 342,682 stars (Buder et al.). Here we add a description of the public release of radial velocities with a typical accuracy of 0.1 km/s for 336,215 of these stars, achievable due to the large wavelength coverage, high resolving power and good signal to noise ratio of the observed spectra, but also because convective motions in stellar atmosphere and gravitational redshift from the star to the observer are taken into account. In the process we derive medians of observed spectra which are nearly noiseless, as they are obtained from between 100 and 1116 observed spectra belonging to the same bin with a width of 50 K in temperature, 0.2 dex in gravity, and 0.1 dex in metallicity. Publicly released 1181 median spectra have a resolving power of 28,000 and trace the well-populated stellar types with metallicities between -0.6 and +0.3. Note that radial velocities from GALAH are an excellent match to the accuracy of velocity components along the sky plane derived by Gaia for the same stars. The level of accuracy achieved here is adequate for studies of dynamics within stellar clusters, associations and streams in the Galaxy. So it may be relevant for studies of the distribution of dark matter., Comment: Accepted to MNRAS, compared to the initial submission it now reports radial velocities for more stars (336,215 instead of 199,628) and all radial velocities have been recalculated

We present an abundance analysis of the low-metallicity benchmark red giant star HD 122563 based on realistic, state-of-the-art, high-resolution, three-dimensional (3D) model stellar atmospheres including non-grey radiative transfer through opacity binning with four, twelve, and 48 bins. The 48-bin 3D simulation reaches temperatures lower by ~ 300 - 500 K than the corresponding 1D model in the upper atmosphere. Small variations in the opacity binning, adopted line opacities, or chemical mixture can cool the photospheric layers by a further ~ 100 - 300 K and alter the effective temperature by ~ 100 K. A 3D local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) spectroscopic analysis of Fe I and Fe II lines gives discrepant results in terms of derived Fe abundance, which we ascribe to non-LTE effects and systematic errors on the stellar parameters. We also determine C, N, and O abundances by simultaneously fitting CH, OH, NH, and CN molecular bands and lines in the ultraviolet, visible, and infrared. We find a small positive 3D-1D abundance correction for carbon (+0.03 dex) and negative ones for nitrogen (-0.07 dex) and oxygen (-0.34 dex). From the analysis of the [O I] line at 6300.3 {\AA}, we derive a significantly higher oxygen abundance than from molecular lines (+0.46 dex in 3D and +0.15 dex in 1D). We rule out important OH photodissociation effects as possible explanation for the discrepancy and note that lowering the surface gravity would reduce the oxygen abundance difference between molecular and atomic indicators., Comment: Accepted for publication on Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

From exploratory studies and theoretical expectations it is known that simplifying approximations in spectroscopic analysis (LTE, 1D) lead to systematic biases of stellar parameters and abundances. These biases depend strongly on surface gravity, temperature, and, in particular, for LTE vs. non-LTE (NLTE) on metallicity of the stars. Here we analyse the [Mg/Fe] and [Fe/H] plane of a sample of 326 stars, comparing LTE and NLTE results obtained using 1D hydrostatic models and averaged <3D> models. We show that compared to the <3D>NLTE benchmark, all other three methods display increasing biases towards lower metallicities, resulting in false trends of [Mg/Fe] against [Fe/H], which have profound implications for interpretations by chemical evolution models. In our best <3D> NLTE model, the halo and disc stars show a clearer behaviour in the [Mg/Fe] - [Fe/H] plane, from the knee in abundance space down to the lowest metallicities. Our sample has a large fraction of thick disc stars and this population extends down to at least [Fe/H] ~ -1.6 dex, further than previously proven. The thick disc stars display a constant [Mg/Fe] ~ 0.3 dex, with a small intrinsic dispersion in [Mg/Fe] that suggests that a fast SN Ia channel is not relevant for the disc formation. The halo stars reach higher [Mg/Fe] ratios and display a net trend of [Mg/Fe] at low metallicities, paired with a large dispersion in [Mg/Fe]. These indicate the diverse origin of halo stars from accreted low-mass systems to stochastic/inhomogeneous chemical evolution in the Galactic halo., Comment: 15 pages, accepted for publication in ApJ

We determine Mg abundances in 6 Gaia benchmark stars using theoretical one-dimensional (1D) hydrostatic model atmospheres, as well as temporally- and spatially-averaged 3D model atmospheres (<3D>). The stars cover a range of Teff from 4700 to 6500 K, log g from 1.6 to 4.4 dex, and [Fe/H] from -3.0 dex to solar. Spectrum synthesis calculations are performed in local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) and in non-LTE (NLTE) using the oscillator strengths recently published by Pehlivan Rhodin et al. We find that: a) Mg abundances determined from the infrared spectra are as accurate as the optical diagnostics, b) the NLTE effects on Mg I line strengths and abundances in this sample of stars are minor (although for a few Mg I lines the NLTE effects on abundance exceed 0.6 dex in <3D> and 0.1 dex in 1D, c) the solar Mg abundance is 7.56 +/- 0.05 dex (total error), in the excellent agreement with the Mg abundance measured in CI chondritic meteorites, d) the 1D NLTE and <3D> NLTE approach can be used with confidence to analyse optical Mg I lines in spectra of dwarfs and sub-giants, but for red giants the Mg I 5711 A line should be preferred, e) low-excitation Mg I lines are sensitive to the atmospheric structure; for these lines, LTE calculations with <3D> models lead to significant systematic abundance errors. The methods developed in this work will be used to study Mg abundances of a large sample of stars in the next paper in the series., Comment: 25 pages, accepted for publication in ApJ

We present the scientific case for a future space-based telescope aimed at very high spatial and temporal resolution imaging of the solar photosphere and chromosphere. Previous missions (e.g., HINODE, SUNRISE) have demonstrated the power of observing the solar photosphere and chromosphere at high spatial resolution without contamination from Earth's atmosphere. We argue here that increased spatial resolution (from currently 70 km to 25 km in the future) and high temporal cadence of the observations will vastly improve our understanding of the physical processes controlling solar magnetism and its characteristic scales. This is particularly important as the Sun's magnetic field drives solar activity and can significantly influence the Sun-Earth system. At the same time a better knowledge of solar magnetism can greatly improve our understanding of other astrophysical objects.

We analyse the effect on adiabatic stellar oscillation frequencies of replacing the near-surface layers in 1D stellar structure models with averaged 3D stellar surface convection simulations. The main difference is an expansion of the atmosphere by 3D convection, expected to explain a major part of the asteroseismic surface effect; a systematic overestimation of p-mode frequencies due to inadequate surface physics. We employ pairs of 1D stellar envelope models and 3D simulations from a previous calibration of the mixing-length parameter, alpha. That calibration constitutes the hitherto most consistent matching of 1D models to 3D simulations, ensuring that their differences are not spurious, but entirely due to the 3D nature of convection. The resulting frequency shift is identified as the structural part of the surface effect. The important, typically non-adiabatic, modal components of the surface effect are not included in the present analysis, but relegated to future papers. Evaluating the structural surface effect at the frequency of maximum mode amplitude, $\nu_{\rm max}$, we find shifts from $\delta\nu$=-0.8 microHz for giants at $\log g$=2.2 to -35 microHz for a ($T_{\rm eff}=6901$ K, $\log g$=4.29) dwarf. The fractional effect $\delta\nu(\nu_{\rm max})/\nu_{\rm max}$, ranges from -0.1% for a cool dwarf (4185 K, 4.74) to -6% for a warm giant (4962 K, 2.20)., Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

Models of star formation in the early universe depend on the details of accretion, fragmentation and radiative feedback. Different simulations predict different initial mass functions of the first stars, ranging from predominantly low mass (0.1-10 Msol), to massive (10-100 Msol), or even supermassive (100-1000 Msol). The mass distribution of the first stars should lead to unique chemical imprints on the low-mass second and later generation metal-poor stars still in existence. The chemical composition of SMSS0313-6708, which has the lowest abundances of Ca and Fe of any star known, indicates it was enriched by a single massive supernova. However, even weak spectral lines may be affected by strong 3D and NLTE effects in metal-poor stars. If these effects are ignored or treated incorrectly, errors in the inferred abundances may significantly bias the inferred properties of the polluting supernovae. We redetermine the chemical composition of SMSS0313-6708 using 3D NLTE radiative transfer to obtain accurate abundances for Li, Na, Mg, Al, Ca and Fe. The model atoms employ realistic collisional rates, with no calibrated free parameters. We find significantly higher abundances in 3D NLTE than 1D LTE by 0.8 dex for Fe, and 0.5 dex for Mg, Al and Ca, while Li and Na are unaffected to within 0.03 dex. In particular, our upper limit for [Fe/H] is now a factor ten larger, at [Fe/H] < -6.53 (3 sigma), than previous estimates based on <3D> NLTE (i.e. using averaged 3D models). This higher estimate is due to a conservative upper limit estimation, updated NLTE data, and 3D-<3D> NLTE differences, all of which lead to a higher abundance determination. We find that the revised chemical composition of SMSS0313-6708 matches supernova yields for massive progenitors of 20-60 Msol exploding with low energies (1-2 x 10^51 erg), as well as progenitors of 10 Msol with very low explosion energies (< 10^51 erg)., Comment: 17 pages, 10 pages; Accepted for publication in A&A

Partition functions and dissociation equilibrium constants are presented for 291 diatomic molecules for temperatures in the range from near absolute zero to 10000 K, thus providing data for many diatomic molecules of astrophysical interest at low temperature. The calculations are based on molecular spectroscopic data from the book of Huber and Herzberg with significant improvements from the literature, especially updated data for ground states of many of the most important molecules by Irikura. Dissociation energies are collated from compilations of experimental and theoretical values. Partition functions for 284 species of atoms for all elements from H to U are also presented based on data collected at NIST. The calculated data are expected to be useful for modelling a range of low density astrophysical environments, especially star-forming regions, protoplanetary disks, the interstellar medium, and planetary and cool stellar atmospheres. The input data, which will be made available electronically, also provides a possible foundation for future improvement by the community., Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, 8 tables. Full tables 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 to be made available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/

The composition of the Sun is an essential piece of reference data for astronomy, cosmology, astroparticle, space and geo-physics. This article, dealing with the intermediate-mass elements Na to Ca, is the first in a series describing the comprehensive re-determination of the solar composition. In this series we severely scrutinise all ingredients of the analysis across all elements, to obtain the most accurate, homogeneous and reliable results possible. We employ a highly realistic 3D hydrodynamic solar photospheric model, which has successfully passed an arsenal of observational diagnostics. To quantify systematic errors, we repeat the analysis with three 1D hydrostatic model atmospheres (MARCS, MISS and Holweger & M\"{u}ller 1974) and a horizontally and temporally-averaged version of the 3D model ($\langle$3D$\rangle$). We account for departures from LTE wherever possible. We have scoured the literature for the best transition probabilities, partition functions, hyperfine and other data, and stringently checked all observed profiles for blends. Our final 3D+NLTE abundances are: $\log\epsilon_{\mathrm{Na}}=6.21\pm0.04$, $\log\epsilon_{\mathrm{Mg}}=7.59\pm0.04$, $\log\epsilon_{\mathrm{Al}}=6.43\pm0.04$, $\log\epsilon_{\mathrm{Si}}=7.51\pm0.03$, $\log\epsilon_{\mathrm{P}}=5.41\pm0.03$, $\log \epsilon_{\mathrm{S}}=7.13\pm0.03$, $\log\epsilon_{\mathrm{K}}=5.04\pm0.05$ and $\log\epsilon_{\mathrm{Ca}}=6.32\pm0.03$. The uncertainties include both statistical and systematic errors. Our results are systematically smaller than most previous ones with the 1D semi-empirical Holweger & M\"uller model. The $\langle$3D$\rangle$ model returns abundances very similar to the full 3D calculations. This analysis provides a complete description and a slight update of the Na to Ca results presented in Asplund, Grevesse, Sauval & Scott (arXiv:0909.0948), with full details of all lines and input data., Comment: 7 figures, 14 pages + 5 online-only pages of tables and an appendix. v2. Matches version accepted by A&A

Aims. We used realistic three-dimensional (3D) radiative hydrodynamical (RHD) simulations from the Stagger-grid and synthetic images computed with the radiative transfer code Optim3D to provide interferometric observables to extract the signature of stellar granulation and transiting planets. Methods. We computed intensity maps from RHD simulations for twelve interferometric instruments covering wavelengths ranging from optical to infrared. The stellar surface asymmetries in the brightness distribution mostly affect closure phases. We compared the closure phases of the system star with a transiting planet and the star alone and considered the impact of magnetic spots constructing a hypothetical starspots image. Results. All the simulations show departure from the axisymmetric case at all wavelengths. We presented two possible targets (Beta Com and Procyon) and found that departures up to 16 deg can be detected on the 3rd lobe and higher. In particular, MIRC is the most appropriate instrument because it combines good UV coverage and long baselines. Moreover, we explored the impact of convection on interferometric planet signature for three prototypes of planets. It is possible to disentangle the signature of the planet at particular wavelengths (either in the infrared or in the optical) by comparing the closure phases of the star at difference phases of the planetary transit. Conclusions. The detection and characterisation of planets must be based on a comprehensive knowledge of the host star; this includes the detailed study of the stellar surface convection with interferometric techniques. In this context, RHD simulations are crucial to reach this aim. We emphasize that interferometric observations should be pushed at high spatial frequencies by accumulating observations on closure phases at short and long baselines., Comment: accepted in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 13 pages. Some figures have reduced resolution to decrease the size of the output file. Please contact andrea.chiavassa@oca.eu to have the high resolution version of the paper

We present a theoretical study of the effects and signatures of realistic velocity field and atmospheric inhomogeneities associated with convective motions at the surface of cool late-type stars on the emergent profiles of iron spectral lines for a large range in stellar parameters. We compute 3D spectral line flux profiles under the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) by employing state-of-the-art, time-dependent, 3D, radiative-hydrodynamical atmosphere models from the Stagger-grid. A set of 35 real unblended, optical FeI and FeII lines of varying excitation potential are considered. Additionally, fictitious Fe i and Fe ii lines (5000A and 0, 2, 4 eV) are used to construct general curves of growth and enable comparison of line profiles with the same line strength to illustrate systematical trends stemming from the intrinsic structural differences among 3D model atmospheres with different stellar parameters. Theoretical line shifts and bisectors are derived to analyze the shapes, shifts, and asymmetries imprinted in the full 3D line profiles emerging self-consistently from the convective simulations with velocity fields and atmospheric inhomogeneities. We find systematic variations in line strength, shift, width, and bisectors, that can be related to the respective physical conditions at the height of the line formation in the stellar atmospheric environment, in particular the amplitude of the vertical velocity field. Line shifts and asymmetries arise due to the presence of convective velocities and the granulation pattern that are ubiquitously found in observed stellar spectra of cool stars., Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables, submitted to A&A

We compute the emergent stellar spectra from the UV to far infrared for different viewing angles using realistic 3D model atmospheres for a large range in stellar parameters to predict the stellar limb darkening. We have computed full 3D LTE synthetic spectra based on 3D radiative hydrodynamic atmosphere models from the Stagger-grid. From the resulting intensities at different wavelength, we derived coefficients for the standard limb darkening laws considering a number of often-used photometric filters. Furthermore, we calculated theoretical transit light curves, in order to quantify the differences between predictions by the widely used 1D model atmosphere and our 3D models. The 3D models are often found to predict steeper limb darkening compared to the 1D models, mainly due to the temperature stratifications and temperature gradients being different in the 3D models compared to those predicted with 1D models based on the mixing length theory description of convective energy transport. The resulting differences in the transit light curves are rather small; however, these can be significant for high-precision observations of extrasolar transits, and are able to lower the residuals from the fits with 1D limb darkening profiles. We advocate the use of the new limb darkening coefficients provided for the standard four-parameter non-linear power law, which can fit the limb darkening more accurately than other choices., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 10 pages, 9 figures, 1 table

Theoretical atmosphere models provide the basis for a variety of applications in astronomy. In simplified one-dimensional (1D) atmosphere models, convection is usually treated with the mixing length theory despite its well-known insufficiency, therefore, the superadiabatic regime is poorly rendered. Due to the increasing computational power over the last decades, we are now capable to compute large grids of realistic three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamical model atmospheres with the realistic treatment of the radiative transfer. We have computed the Stagger-grid, a comprehensive grid of 3D atmosphere models for late-type stars. In the presented contribution, we discuss initial results of the grid by exploring global properties and mean stratifications of the 3D models. Furthermore, we also depict the differences to classic 1D atmosphere models., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the conference "New advances in stellar physics: from microscopic to macroscopic processes", Roscoff, May 2013

We study the effects of different descriptions of the solar surface convection on the eigenfrequencies of p-modes. 1-D evolution calculations of the whole Sun and 3-D hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the current surface are performed. These calculations rely on realistic physics. Averaged stratifications of the 3-D simulations are introduced in the 1-D solar evolution or in the structure models. The eigenfrequencies obtained are compared to those of 1-D models relying on the usual phenomenologies of convection and to observations of the MDI instrument aboard SoHO. We also investigate how the magnetic activity could change the eigenfrequencies and the solar radius, assuming that, 3 Mm below the surface, the upgoing plasma advects a 1.2 kG horizontal field. All models and observed eigenfrequencies are fairly close below 3 mHz. Above 3 mHz the eigenfrequencies of the phenomenological convection models are above the observed eigenfrequencies. The frequencies of the models based on the 3-D simulations are slightly below the observed frequencies. Their maximum deviation is ~ 3 \mu Hz at 3 mHz but drops below 1 \mu Hz at 4 mHz. Replacing the hydrodynamic by the magnetohydrodynamic simulation increases the eigenfrequencies. The shift is negligible below 2.2 mHz and then increases linearly with frequency to reach ~ 1.7 \mu Hz at 4 mHz. The impact of the simulated activity is a 14 milliarcsecond shrinking of the solar layers near the optical depth unity., Comment: 12 pages, 12 figures, 1 table

We study the implications of averaging methods with different reference depth scales for 3D hydrodynamical model atmospheres computed with the Stagger-code. The temporally and spatially averaged (hereafter denoted as <3D>) models are explored in the light of local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) spectral line formation by comparing spectrum calculations using full 3D atmosphere structures with those from <3D> averages. We explore methods for computing mean <3D> stratifications from the Stagger-grid time-dependent 3D radiative hydro- dynamical atmosphere models by considering four different reference depth scales (geometrical depth, column-mass density, and two optical depth scales). Furthermore, we investigate the influence of alternative averages (logarithmic or enforced hydrostatic equilibrium, flux-weighted temperatures). For the line formation we compute curves of growth for Fe i and Fe ii lines in LTE . The resulting <3D> stratifications for the four reference depth scales can be considerably different. We find typically that in the upper atmosphere and in the superadiabatic region just below the optical surface, where the temperature and density fluctuations are highest, the differences become considerable and increase for higher Teff, lower logg, and lower [Fe/H]. The differential comparison of spectral line formation shows distinctive differences depending on which <3D> model is applied. The averages over layers of constant column-mass density yield the best mean <3D> representation for LTE line formation, while the averages on layers at constant geometrical height are the least appropriate. Unexpectedly, the usually preferred averages over layers of constant optical depth are prone to the increasing interference of the reversed granulation towards higher effective temperature, in particular at low metallicity., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 18 pages, 16 figures

Un-evolved, very metal-poor stars are the most important tracers of the cosmic abundance of lithium in the early universe. Combining the standard Big Bang nucleosynthesis model with Galactic production through cosmic ray spallation, these stars at [Fe/H]<-2 are expected to show an undetectably small 6Li/7Li isotopic signature. Evidence to the contrary may necessitate an additional pre-galactic production source or a revision of the standard model of Big Bang nucleosynthesis. We revisit the isotopic analysis of four halo stars, two with claimed 6Li-detections in the literature, to investigate the influence of improved model atmospheres and line formation treatment. For the first time, a combined 3D, NLTE (non-local thermodynamic equilibrium) modelling technique for Li, Na, and Ca lines is utilised to constrain the intrinsic line-broadening and to determine the Li isotopic ratio. We discuss the influence of 3D NLTE effects on line profile shapes and assess the realism of our modelling using the Ca excitation and ionisation balance. By accounting for NLTE line formation in realistic 3D hydrodynamical model atmospheres, we can model the Li resonance line and other neutral lines with a consistency that is superior to LTE, with no need for additional line asymmetry caused by the presence of 6Li. Contrary to the results from 1D and 3D LTE modelling, no star in our sample has a significant 2-sigma detection of the lighter isotope in NLTE. Over a large parameter space, NLTE modelling systematically reduces the best-fit Li isotopic ratios by up to five percentage points. As a bi-product, we also present the first ever 3D NLTE Ca and Na abundances of halo stars, which reveal significant departures from LTE. The observational support for a significant and non-standard 6Li production source in the early universe is substantially weakened by our findings., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A

Atomic diffusion in stars can create systematic trends of surface abundances with evolutionary stage. Globular clusters offer useful laboratories to put observational constraints on this theory as one needs to compare abundances in unevolved and evolved stars, all drawn from the same stellar population. In this paper, we show the results of an abundance study of stars in the globular cluster NGC6752 which shows weak but systematic abundances trends with evolutionary phase for Fe, Sc, Ti and Ca. The trends are best explained by a stellar structure model including atomic diffusion with efficient additional mixing. The model allows to correct for sub-primordial stellar lithium abundances of the stars on the Spite plateau, and to match it to the WMAP-calibrated Big-Bang nucleosynthesis predictions to within the mutual 1-sigma errors., Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures and 8 tables

Recently, new solar model atmospheres have been developed to replace classical 1D LTE hydrostatic models and used to for example derive the solar chemical composition. We aim to test various models against key observational constraints. In particular, a 3D model used to derive the solar abundances, a 3D MHD model (with an imposed 10 mT vertical magnetic field), 1D models from the PHOENIX project, the 1D MARCS model, and the 1D semi-empirical model of Holweger & M\"uller. We confront the models with observational diagnostics of the temperature profile: continuum centre-to-limb variations (CLV), absolute continuum fluxes, and the wings of hydrogen lines. We also test the 3D models for the intensity distribution of the granulation and spectral line shapes. The predictions from the 3D model are in excellent agreement with the continuum CLV observations, performing even better than the Holweger & M\"uller model (constructed largely to fulfil such observations). The predictions of the 1D theoretical models are worse, given their steeper temperature gradients. For the continuum fluxes, predictions for most models agree well with the observations. No model fits all hydrogen lines perfectly, but again the 3D model comes ahead. The 3D model also reproduces the observed continuum intensity fluctuations and spectral line shapes very well. The excellent agreement of the 3D model with the observables reinforces the view that its temperature structure is realistic. It outperforms the MHD simulation in all diagnostics, implying that recent claims for revised abundances based on MHD modelling are premature. Several weaknesses in the 1D models are exposed. The differences between the PHOENIX LTE and NLTE models are small. We conclude that the 3D hydrodynamical model is superior to any of the tested 1D models, which gives further confidence in the solar abundance analyses based on it., Comment: 17 pages, 15 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A

Present grids of stellar atmosphere models are the workhorses in interpreting stellar observations, and determining their fundamental parameters. These models rely on greatly simplified models of convection, however, lending less predictive power to such models of late type stars. We present a grid of improved and more reliable stellar atmosphere models of late type stars, based on deep, 3D, convective, stellar atmosphere simulations. This grid is to be used in general for interpreting observations, and improve stellar and asteroseismic modeling. We solve the Navier Stokes equations in 3D and concurrent with the radiative transfer equation, for a range of atmospheric parameters, covering most of stellar evolution with convection at the surface. We emphasize use of the best available atomic physics for quantitative predictions and comparisons with observations. We present granulation size, convective expansion of the acoustic cavity, asymptotic adiabat, as function of atmospheric parameters. These and other results are also available in electronic form., Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ, 2013

We investigate departures from LTE in the line formation of Fe for a number of well-studied late-type stars in different evolutionary stages. A new model of Fe atom was constructed from the most up-to-date theoretical and experimental atomic data available so far. Non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) line formation calculations for Fe were performed using 1D hydrostatic MARCS and MAFAGS-OS model atmospheres, as well as the spatial and temporal average stratifications from full 3D hydrodynamical simulations of stellar convection computed using the Stagger code. It is shown that the Fe I/Fe II ionization balance can be well established with the 1D and mean 3D models under NLTE including calibrated inelastic collisions with H I calculated from the Drawin's (1969) formulae. Strong low-excitation Fe I lines are very sensitive to the atmospheric structure; classical 1D models fail to provide consistent excitation balance, particularly so for cool metal-poor stars. A better agreement between Fe I lines spanning a range of excitation potentials is obtained with the mean 3D models. Mean NLTE metallicities determined for the standard stars using the 1D and mean 3D models are fully consistent. Also, the NLTE spectroscopic effective temperatures and gravities from ionization balance agree with that determined by other methods, e.g., infrared flux method and parallaxes, if one of the stellar parameters is constrained independently., Comment: accepted for publication in MNRAS

In this contribution, we present the StaggerGrid, a collaborative project for the construction of a comprehensive grid of time-dependent, three-dimensional (3D), hydrodynamic model atmospheres of solar- and late-type stars with different effective temperatures, surface gravities, and chemical compositions. We illustrate the main characteristics of these 3D models and their effects on the predicted strengths, wavelength-shifts, and shapes of spectral lines, highlighting the differences with respect to calculations based on classical, one-dimensional, hydrostatic models, and discuss some of their possible applications to elemental abundance analysis of stellar spectra in the context of large observational surveys., Comment: Accepted for publication in the Journal of Physics, Conference Series. Proceedings of the GREAT-ESF Workshop on "Stellar Atmospheres in the Gaia Era."

We describe the first results from our project aimed at large-scale calculations of NLTE abundance corrections for important astrophysical atoms and ions. In this paper, the focus is on Fe which is a proxy of stellar metallicity and is commonly used to derive effective temperature and gravity. We present a small grid of NLTE abundance corrections for Fe I lines and discuss how NLTE effects influence determination of effective temperature, surface gravity, and metallicity for late-type stars., Comment: 6 pages, to be published in IOP The Journal of Physics: Conference Series, proceedings of the Workshop: 'Stellar Atmospheres in the Gaia Era: Quantitative Spectroscopy and Comparative Spectrum Modelling', Brussels, June 2011

We present a new abundance analysis of HE 1327-2326, the currently most iron-poor star, based on observational data obtained with VLT/UVES. We correct the 1D LTE abundances for 3D effects to provide an abundance pattern that supersedes previous works, and should be used to observationally test current models of the chemical yields of the first-generation SNe. Apart from confirming the 1D LTE abundances found in previous studies before accounting for 3D effects, we make use of a novel technique to apply the 3D-1D corrections for CNO which are a function of excitation potential and line strength for the molecular lines that comprise the observable CH, NH, and OH features. We find that the fit to the NH band at 3360 A is greatly improved due to the application of the 3D-1D corrections. This may indicate that 3D effects are actually observable in this star. We also report the first detection of several weak Ni lines. The cosmologically important element Li is still not detected; the new Li upper limit is extremely low, A(Li)<0.62, and in stark contrast with results not only from WMAP but also from other metal-poor stars. We also discuss how the new corrected abundance pattern of HE 1327-2326 is being reproduced by individual and integrated yields of SNe., Comment: 43 pages, incl. 17 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

We investigate the impact of 3D hydrodynamical model atmospheres of red giant stars at different metallicities on the formation of spectral lines of a number of ions and molecules. We carry out realistic 3D simulations of surface convection in red giant stars with varying stellar parameters. We use the simulations as time-dependent hydrodynamical model stellar atmospheres to compute atomic (Li, O, Na, Mg, Ca, Fe) and molecular (CH, NH, OH) spectral lines under the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). We compare the line strengths computed in 3D with the results of analogous line formation calculations for 1D, hydrostatic, plane-parallel MARCS model atmospheres in order to estimate the impact of 3D models on the derivation of elemental abundances. The temperature and density inhomogeneities and correlated velocities in 3D models, as well as the differences between the 1D and mean 3D structures significantly affect the predicted line strengths. Under the assumption of LTE, the low atmospheric temperatures of very metal-poor 3D model atmospheres cause the lines from neutral species and molecules to appear stronger than in 1D. Therefore, elemental abundances derived from these lines using 3D models are significantly lower than according to 1D analyses. Differences between 3D and 1D abundances of C, N, and O derived from CH, NH, and OH weak low-excitation lines are found to be in the range -0.5 dex to -1.0 dex for the the red giant stars at [Fe/H]=-3 considered here. At this metallicity, large negative corrections (about -0.8 dex) are also found for weak low-excitation Fe I lines. We caution, however, that departures from LTE might be significant for these and other elements and comparable to the effects due to stellar granulation., Comment: Accepted for publication on A&A, 23 pages, 15 figures

We investigate the impact of realistic 3D hydrodynamical model stellar atmospheres on the determination of elemental abundances in the carbon-rich, hyper iron-poor stars HE0107-5240 and HE1327-2326. We derive the chemical compositions of the two stars by means of a detailed 3D analysis of spectral lines under the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). The lower temperatures of the line-forming regions of the hydrodynamical models cause changes in the predicted spectral line strengths. In particular we find the 3D abundances of C, N, and O to be lower by ~ -0.8 dex (or more) than estimated from a 1D analysis. The 3D abundances of iron-peak elements are also decreased but by smaller factors (~ -0.2 dex). We caution however that the neglected non-LTE effects might actually be substantial for these metals. We finally discuss possible implications for studies of early Galactic chemical evolution., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJL

The effects of background line opacity (line-blocking) in statistical equilibrium calculations for Fe in late-type stellar atmospheres have been investigated using an extensive and up-to-date model atom with radiative data primarily from the IRON Project. The background metal line opacities have been computed using data from the MARCS stellar model atmospheres. While accounting for this line opacity is important at solar metallicity, the differences between calculations including and excluding line-blocking at low metallicity are insignificant for the non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) abundance corrections for Fe I lines. The line-blocking has no impact on the non-LTE effects of Fe II lines. The dominant uncertainty in Fe non-LTE calculations for metal-poor stars is still the treatment of the inelastic H I collisions, which have here been included using scaling factors to the classical Drawin formalism, and whether or not thermalisation of the high Fe I levels to Fe II ground state should be enforced. Without such thermalisation, the Fe I non-LTE abundance corrections are substantial in metal-poor stars: about 0.3 dex with efficient (i.e. Drawin-like) H I collisions and about 0.5 dex without. Without both thermalisation and H I collisions, even Fe II lines show significant non-LTE effects in such stars., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 8 pages, 12 figures (here degraded)

Recently 3D hydrodynamical simulations of stellar surface convection have become feasible thanks to advances in computer technology and efficient numerical algorithms. Available observational diagnostics indicate that these models are highly realistic in describing the topology of stellar granulation and for spectral line formation purposes. The traditional free parameters (mixing length parameters, micro- and macroturbulence) always inherent in standard 1D analyses have thus finally become obsolete. These 3D models can therefore both shed light on the elusive nature of stellar convection as well as be employed in element abundance analyses. In the present contribution we will describe some aspects of the models and possible applications of them in terms of radiative transfer., Comment: Invited review at workshop on "3D Stellar Evolution", Livermore, July 2002 (12 pages)