Nucleosynthesis and future stellar abundance determinations

Department for Astronomy and Space Physics, Uppsala University, Sweden

Abstract

The most remarkable future possibilities of stellar spectroscopy and abundance analysis are discussed, and their consequences for the further understanding of stellar nucleosynthesis are commented on. It is argued that it will soon be possible to put the exploration of the origin of the chemical elements and the study of the chemical evolution of galaxies on a solid empirical ground, through systematic observations of yields from AGB stars and planetary nebulae, Wolf-Rayet stars and supernovae, and of well-determined abundance trends in different stellar populations.