The formation of lithium lines in the atmospheres of super Li-rich AGB stars

TL;DR

This paper models lithium line formation in super Li-rich AGB star atmospheres using LTE and NLTE approximations, highlighting the importance of NLTE effects on the resonance line and providing improved lithium abundance estimates.

Contribution

It introduces detailed NLTE modeling of lithium lines in C-rich AGB stars, considering molecular absorption and atmospheric parameters, to improve lithium abundance determinations.

Findings

NLTE effects significantly impact the $ ext{Li I}$ $ ext{6708}$ line.

Subordinate lithium lines are less affected by NLTE effects.

Revised lithium yields from super Li-rich AGB stars into the interstellar medium.

Abstract

The formation of lithium lines in the atmosphere of C-rich giants is discussed. LTE and NLTE approximations are used to model lithium lines in the spectra of super Li-rich AGB stars. The system of equations of the statistical balance of neutral Li in plane-parallel model atmospheres is solved for a 20-level atom model. JOLA and line-by-line models of molecular absorption are used to compute synthetic spectra as well as the opacity in the frequencies of bound-bound and bound-free transitions of the lithium lines. Curves of growth and synthetic spectra are computed in LTE and NLTE for several model atmospheres of different Teff and C/O ratios for four lithium absorptions, namely: the $\lambda 4603$, $\lambda 6104$, $\lambda 6708$ and $\lambda 8126$ {\AA} Li I lines. The sensitivity of the NLTE effects on Teff and the C/O ratio is discussed. We found that NLTE mainly affects the resonance line doublet ($\lambda 6708$) while the impact of NLTE effects on the lithium subordinate lines, formed in the inner regions of C-rich giant atmospheres, is rather weak. Therefore the use of these lines is recommended for Li determination in AGB stars. However, in no case can we properly account for the formation of Li lines in AGB stars until sphericity, velocity stratifications, dust, chromospheres and other related phenomena, which are in fact present in AGB star atmospheres, are considered. Our results are used to derive Li abundances in three super Li-rich C-stars taking into account NLTE effects. Finally, the net Li yield from this class of stars into the interstellar medium is reconsidered.