Conclusion

Extract

This joint discussion has amply demonstrated that stellar atmospheres are not passive and dumb bodies just sitting there at the surface of a star.

First of all the surface “feel” fundamental parameters of the star as a whole, specifically the ratio L/R² and m/R². As these fundamental parameters are affected by stellar evolution, the surface layers reflect to a large extent the degree of evolution of the star. This is the main basis for photometric and spectral classification systems. One could even claim that the observation of the stellar atmosphere would univocally determine the state of evolution of the star if i) it was always possible to determine the atmospheric abundances of the key elements to internal structure and ii) if the chemical composition of the atmosphere was always representative of the chemical composition of the whole star. Unfortunately a serious problem occurs for i) with the abundance of helium which element has no photospheric absorption line for all spectral types later than B and also with ii) in a more limited portion of the HR diagram, mainly in late B and A slow rotators. But whereas point i) is a mere problem of contingency, point ii) is a basic problem, greatly overlooked in the past, and to which one fourth of the joint discussion was devoted.