Extended atomic data for oxygen abundance analyses

Abstract

As the most abundant element in the universe after hydrogen and helium, oxygen plays a key role in planetary, stellar, and galactic astrophysics. Its abundance is especially influential in terms of stellar structure and evolution, and as the dominant opacity contributor at the base of the Sun's convection zone, it is central to the discussion on the solar modelling problem. However, abundance analyses require complete and reliable sets of atomic data. We present extensive atomic data for O i by using the multiconfiguration Dirac-Hartree-Fock and relativistic configuration interaction methods. We provide the lifetimes and transition probabilities for radiative electric dipole transitions and we compare them with results from previous calculations and available measurements. The accuracy of the computed transition rates is evaluated by the differences between the transition rates in Babushkin and Coulomb gauges, as well as via a cancellation factor analysis. Out of the 989 computed transitions in this work, 205 are assigned to the accuracy classes AA-B, that is, with uncertainties smaller than 10%, following the criteria defined by the Atomic Spectra Database from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. We discuss the influence of the new log(g f ) values on the solar oxygen abundance, ultimately advocating for log ϵ O = 8.70 ± 0.04.

Solar Models and Astrophysical S-factors Constrained by Helioseismic Results and Updated Neutrino Fluxes

“…Their result is also in agreement with those of Magg et al (2022) and GS98. However, the analyses of Li et al (2021Li et al ( , 2023bLi et al ( , 2023a found that the abundances of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen are only marginally higher than those given by Amarsi et al (2021). Pietrow et al (2023) also obtained an oxygen abundance that is between that of Amarsi et al (2021) and that of Magg et al (2022).…”

Interface of equation of state, atomic data, and opacities in the solar problem

“…That, in turn, depends on two elements, oxygen and iron, that determine about half of the solar opacity at BCZ. However, a downward revision of oxygen abundance by up to 20-40% from earlier solar composition is a major part of the "solar problem" (Asplund et al (2021); Pietrow et al (2023); Li et al (2023); Buldgen et al (2023b). Since about 90% of oxygen is either fully ionized or H-like at BCZ, its absorption coefficient is small and unlikely to change from current atomic calculations, enhanced iron opacity might countenance lower solar abundances (Bailey et al (2015).…”