Improved fundamental parameters and LTE abundances of the CoRoT solar-type pulsator HD 49933

The knowledge of accurate stellar parameters is a key stone in several fields of stellar astrophysics, such as asteroseismology and stellar evolution. Although the parameters can be derived both via spectroscopy and multicolor photometry, the obtained results are sometimes affected by systematic uncertainties. In this paper we present a self-consistent spectral analysis of the solar-type star HD49933, which is a primary target for the CoRoT satellite. We used high-resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio spectra to carry out a consistent parameter estimation and abundance analysis of HD49933. The LLmodels code was employed for model atmosphere calculations, while Synth3 and Width9 codes were used for line profile calculation and LTE abundance analysis. In this paper we provide a detailed description of the methodology adopted to derive the fundamental parameters and the abundances. Although the obtained parameters differ from the ones previously derived by other authors, we show that only the set obtained in this work is able to fit the observed spectrum accurately. In particular, the surface gravity was adjusted to fit pressure-sensitive spectral features. We confirm the importance of a consistent analysis of relevant spectroscopic features, application of advanced model atmospheres, and the use of up-to-date atomic line data for the determination of stellar parameters. These results are crucial for further studies, e.g. detailed theoretical modelling of the observed pulsation frequencies.
Accepted by A&A, 11 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables