The photospheric solar oxygen project: II. Non-concordance of the oxygen abundance derived from two forbidden lines

TL;DR

This study compares oxygen abundance measurements from two forbidden lines in the Sun and other stars, revealing discrepancies that suggest potential errors in line data or unknown blends affecting the measurements.

Contribution

It extends the analysis of forbidden oxygen lines from the Sun to a variety of stars, highlighting the persistent discrepancy and exploring possible causes.

Findings

Consistent oxygen abundances from both lines in giant stars.

Systematic higher oxygen abundance from the 636 nm line in dwarf and sub-giant stars.

Discrepancy likely due to line blending or modeling errors.

Abstract

In the Sun, the two forbidden [OI] lines at 630 and 636 nm were previously found to provide discrepant oxygen abundances. aims: We investigate whether this discrepancy is peculiar to the Sun or whether it is also observed in other stars. method: We make use of high-resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio spectra of four dwarf to turn-off stars, five giant stars, and one sub-giant star observed with THEMIS, HARPS, and UVES to investigate the coherence of the two lines. results: The two lines provide oxygen abundances that are consistent, within observational errors, in all the giant stars examined by us. On the other hand, for the two dwarf stars for which a measurement was possible, for Procyon, and for the sub-giant star Capella, the 636 nm line provides systematically higher oxygen abundances, as already seen for the Sun. conclusions: The only two possible reasons for the discrepancy are a serious error in the oscillator strength of the NiI line blending the 630 nm line or the presence of an unknown blend in the 636 nm line, which makes the feature stronger. The CN lines blending the 636 nm line cannot be responsible for the discrepancy. The CaI autoionisation line, on the red wing of which the 636 nm line is formed, is not well modelled by our synthetic spectra. However, a better reproduction of this line would result in even higher abundances from the 636 nm, thus increasing the discrepancy.