Paper detail

Lithium abundance evolution in open clusters: Hyades, NGC752, and M67

Mixing mechanisms bring the Li from the base of the convective zone to deeper and warmer layers where it is destroyed. These mechanisms are investigated by comparing observations of Li abundances in stellar atmospheres to models of stellar evolution. Observations in open cluster are especially suitable for this comparison, since their age and metallicity are homogeneous among their members and better determined than in field stars. In this work, we compare the evolution of Li abundances in three different clusters: the Hyades, NGC752, and M67. Our models are calculated with microscopic diffusion and transport of chemicals by meridional circulation, and calibrated on the Sun. These comparisons allow us to follow the evolution of Li abundance as a function of stellar mass in each cluster and as a function of the age by comparing this evolution in each cluster. We evaluate the efficiency of the mixing mechanisms used in the models, and we try to identify the lacking mechanisms to reproduce the observed evolution of Li abundance.