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The Solar Chemical Composition

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Abstract

We present our current knowledge of the solar chemical composition based on the recent significant downward revision of the solar photospheric abundances of the most abundant metals. These new solar abundances result from the use of a 3D hydrodynamic model of the solar atmosphere instead of the classical 1D hydrostatic models, accounting for departures from LTE, and improved atomic and molecular data. With these abundances, the new solar metallicity, Z, decreases to Z=0.012, almost a factor of two lower than earlier widely used values. We compare our values with data from other sources and analyse a number of impacts of these new photospheric abundances. While resolving a number of longstanding problems, the new 3D-based solar photospheric composition also poses serious challenges for the standard solar model as judged by helioseismology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre Spatial de Liège, Université de Liège, avenue Pré Aily, 4031, Angleur-Liège, Belgium

    N. Grevesse

  2. Institut d’Astrophysique et de Géophysique, Université de Liège, Allée du 6 Août, 17, B5C, 4000, Liège, Belgium

    N. Grevesse

  3. Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Cotter Road, Weston, 2611, Australia

    M. Asplund

  4. Observatoire Royal de Belgique, avenue Circulaire, 3, 1180, Bruxelles, Belgium

    A. J. Sauval

Authors
  1. N. Grevesse
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  2. M. Asplund
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  3. A. J. Sauval
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Correspondence to N. Grevesse.

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Grevesse, N., Asplund, M. & Sauval, A.J. The Solar Chemical Composition. Space Sci Rev 130, 105–114 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-007-9173-7

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