ELEMENTS 

The primary goal of my EU-funded project ELEMENTS is to provide stringent observational constraints on the cosmic origins of elements heavier than iron through the analysis - with cutting-edge 3D NLTE models - of high-quality spectroscopic data collected within the new astronomical facilities WEAVE and 4MOST.  This project thus represents the first large systematic study of s-, p- and r-process nucleosynthesis across the Galaxy. 

Detailed theoretical models suggest that these chemical elements trace nucleosynthesis in a variety of extreme astrophysical sites: hydrostatic and explosive burning, s-process in asymptotic giant branch stars and in massive stars, r-process in compact binary mergers (neutron star mergers, NS-BH mergers), neutrino-driven winds of core collapse supernovae, magnetars, and collapsars.

By applying our know-how - Non-LTE models of stellar spectra with 3D convective atmospheres - we will quantify the trends of abundance ratios and their dispersions with metallicity, age, and location in the Galaxy. 
Contrasting these data with the predictions of chemical evolution models will allow us to constrain the multimodality of nuclear production sites, to confine the parameter space of stellar sources capable of hosting s- and r-process, and to make firm statements about the role extreme events in the evolution of our home Galaxy. 

Figure credit
(c) M. Bergemann, ESO/Y. Beletsky, G. Stinson, 2pem/Wikimedia Commons, 
ESA/ATG medialab; background: ESO/S. Brunier

© Maria Bergemann 2023