Chemical evolution of the Milky Way Galaxy. I. On the infall model of galactic chemical evolution.
Abstract
A three-component model for the chemical evolution of the solar vicinity has been constructed. Particular attention has been given to mass exchange between the three components of system; disk, halo and extrahalo, the latter component being simply a reservoir of unenriched material. Some problems of uniqueness of models of galactic chemical evolution have been investigated. A series of numerical models for the chemical evolution of the solar vicinity with different values of the free parameters of the model has been computed. The best fit model, and ranges of free parameters for which the discrepancy between model predictions and observational data does not exceed a given value, have been derived. It has been found that the best fit model is in good agreement with available observational data; the age-metallicity relation and the abundance distribution function for stars in the solar vicinity, the abundance of the present-day gaseous halo, the star formation history in the solar vicinity, and the present-day mass infall rate onto the disk. The model will be used as a basis against which to study the influence of additional physical processes such as inhomogeneities, radial flows and mergers.
- Publication:
-
Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Pub Date:
- September 1996
- Bibcode:
- 1996A&A...313..783P
- Keywords:
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- GALAXY: ABUNDANCES;
- GALAXY: EVOLUTION;
- GALAXY: HALO;
- GALAXY: SOLAR NEIGHBOURHOOD