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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 November 2010
Departures from LTE may significantly affect determinations of stellar parameters and chemical abundances of cool stars, in particular, metal-poor stars. We review the application of the non-LTE ionization equilibrium between Ca i and Ca ii to constrain the surface gravity of very metal-poor and hyper metal-poor stars spectroscopically. The few examples from Galactic chemical evolution studies show that our understanding of how nucleosynthesis proceeds throughout Galactic history depends on the accuracy of spectral line formation modelling. Problems of non-LTE modelling of Fe i– Fe ii are also discussed.