Collaborative Research: New Standard Stellar Population Models

奖项：AST-0307407圆周率：布莱恩·查博耶Inst：达特茅斯学院博士。达特茅斯学院的布莱恩·查博耶与华盛顿州立大学的盖伊·沃西(AST-0307487)和俄克拉荷马大学的爱德华·巴伦(AST-0307323)的合作者将准备一套新的恒星种群模型，为综合种群提供等时线和预测的颜色和光谱。他们的新模型将包括模拟不同丰度组合的能力，首次允许氦/氢、碳、氮、氧、阿尔法元素的变化，以及重元素丰度的总体比例系数。这些模型将包括模型大气、不透明度和恒星演化代码方面的最新进展。使用这些模型，他们计划证明绝对年龄达到10%是可以实现的，并推导出局部星系样本的年龄。他们还将获得这些星系的一套元素丰度，使核合成浓缩受到新的强有力的限制。这些新模型将影响银河系和河外天文学的几乎所有领域，从对附近星团和矮星系的研究，到计算高红移星系的进化修正。PI将以目录形式和通过基于网络的工具提供所有主要滤镜系统中的综合和恒星光度测量、谱线强度指数以及合成光谱和经验派生光谱。

Award: AST-0307407 PI: Brian ChaboyerInst: Dartmouth CollegeDr. Brian Chaboyer of Dartmouth College, with collaborators Guy Worthey of Washington State University (AST-0307487) and Edward Baron of University of Oklahoma (AST-0307323), will prepare a new set of stellar populations models that provide both isochrones and predicted colors and spectra for integrated populations. Their new models will incorporate the capability to model different abundance mixes, allowing, for the first time, variations in He/H, C, N, O, the alpha-elements, and an overall scaling factor for heavy element abundances. The models will include the most recent advances in model atmospheres, opacities, and stellar evolutionary codes. Using these models, they plan to demonstrate that absolute ages to 10% are achievable, and to derive ages for a sample of local galaxies. They will also derive a suite of elemental abundances for these galaxies, enabling strong new constraints on nucleosynthetic enrichment. These new models will impact almost every field of galactic and extragalactic astronomy, from studies of nearby stellar clusters and dwarf galaxies, to computing evolutionary corrections for high redshift galaxies. The PI's will make available, in both catalog form and through a web-based tool, the integrated and stellar photometry in all major filter systems, line strength indices, and both synthetic and empirically-derived spectra.