Galactic Chemical Evolution and Origin of Our Solar System

In this talk, I will discuss the chemical evolution of the Milky Way galaxy. Chemical evolution models are essential tools that track the buildup of elements in galaxies over time. The fundamental inputs in the chemical evolution models are gas accretion, star formation history, and stellar yields. The comparison of these elemental distributions with the observations enables the chemical evolution models to provide feedback on stellar evolution and other crucial aspects like star formation history and helps to fill the gaps in our understanding of the underlying processes of galaxy formation and evolution. 

While most chemical evolution models rely on single-star yields for massive stars, most massive stars are born in binary systems. However, incorporating binary massive star yields into chemical evolution models has remained a challenge due to the complexity of binary stellar evolution. In this talk, I will talk about the basics of chemical evolution models and their use to find the origin of our solar system with the help of short-lived radionuclides and the impact of the binary star yields in chemical evolution models. The results of the chemical evolution models include both stable elements (up to Zn) and SLRs (e.g. 26Al, 60Fe, etc.), along with other galactic observables.