Spectroscopic influence of temperature inhomogeneities

The effect of temperature inhomogeneities on the formation of two oxygen lines and one Fe II line has been investigated based on 2-D radiation hydrodynamics simulations of convection in the atmospheres of metal-poor stars. It was expected that the IR O I triplet lines would be enhanced by the temperature inhomogeneities, more than the forbidden [O I] line or Fe II lines. The actual computations done on two snapshots under the assumption of LTE have not confirmed this expectation, instead suggesting that the main difference between 'classical' and 'dynamical' atmospheres of metal-poor dwarfs is the significantly cooler mean temperature of the dynamical upper photosphere (tau(Ross) less than or similar to 0.01).