The American Astronomical Society (AAS), established in 1899 and based in Washington, DC, is the major organization of professional astronomers in North America. Its membership of about 7,000 individuals also includes physicists, mathematicians, geologists, engineers, and others whose research and educational interests lie within the broad spectrum of subjects comprising contemporary astronomy. The mission of the AAS is to enhance and share humanity's scientific understanding of the universe.
TheForbidden Abundance of Oxygen in the Sun
Carlos Allende Prieto,David L. Lambert, andMartin Asplund
Published 2001 July 9 • © 2001. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
The Astrophysical Journal,Volume 556,Number 1Citation Carlos Allende Prietoet al 2001ApJ556 L63DOI 10.1086/322874
Carlos Allende Prieto
AFFILIATIONS
McDonald Observatory and Department of Astronomy, University of Texas at Austin, RLM 15.308, Austin, TX 78712-1083
David L. Lambert
AFFILIATIONS
McDonald Observatory and Department of Astronomy, University of Texas at Austin, RLM 15.308, Austin, TX 78712-1083
Martin Asplund
AFFILIATIONS
Uppsala Astronomiska Observatorium, Box 515, Uppsala 75120, Sweden
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- Received2001 May 29
- Accepted2001 June 14
- Published2001 July 9
Abstract
We reexamine closely the solar photospheric line at 6300 Å, which is attributed to a forbidden line of neutral oxygen and is widely used in analyses of other late-type stars. We use a three-dimensional time-dependent hydrodynamical model solar atmosphere that has been tested successfully against observed granulation patterns and an array of absorption lines. We show that the solar line is a blend with a Ni I line, as previously suggested but oftentimes neglected. Thanks to accurate atomic data on the [O I] and Ni I lines, we are able to derive an accurate oxygen abundance for the Sun: log
(O) = 8.69 ± 0.05 dex, a value at the lower end of the distribution of previously published abundances but in good agreement with estimates for the local interstellar medium and hot stars in the solar neighborhood. We conclude by discussing the implication of the Ni I blend on oxygen abundances derived from [O I] λ6300 in disk and halo stars.
