High S/N Na I D Line Profiles in Late-Type MS Stars and their Importance for Stellar Modelling

Abstract

Progress in observational techniques (i.e. high S/N spectroscopy) and modelling (e.g. RE models including convection, nonLTE codes, accurate atomic data) make significant to carry to extremes the numerical fit of a portion of the stellar spectrum and try to interpret the residual differences between calculations and observations in terms of stellar characteristics new respect to the employed model.We have started to apply this synthesis method to a set of high resolution, high S/N spectra of late-type dwarfs in the region of the Na I D lines, obtained at ESO with the 1.4m CAT on May 1989 (Franchini et al. 1992). The dwarf stars are modelled in radiative equilibrium (RE), and the Na I D line synthesis accounts for nonLTE and blend effects.