2003/06/02 by Francesca Matteucci, Matteucci, Francesca
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics (astro-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.astro-ph/0306034
14 pages, 7 figures, To appear in Carnegie Observatories Astrophysics Series, Vol. 4: Origin and Evolution of the Elements, ed. A. McWilliam and M. Rauch
arxiv created 2003/06/02 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01
The basic principles underlying galactic chemical evolution and the most important results of chemical evolution models are discussed. In particular, the chemical evolution of the Milky Way galaxy, for which we possess the majority of observational constraints, is described. Then, it is shown how different star formation histories influence the chemical evolution of galaxies of different morphological type. Finally, the role of abundances and abundance ratios as cosmic clocks is emphasized and a comparison between model predictions and abundance patterns in high redshift objects is used to infer the nature and the age of these systems.