The OpenMULTI3D stellar analysis package. A 3D non-LTE spectrum synthesis code for AFGKM-type stars within the DISPATCH framework

Abstract

Upcoming large spectroscopic surveys such as WEAVE, 4MOST, and SDSS-V will provide millions of high-resolution stellar spectra. This motivates the development of efficient codes to perform three-dimensional (3D) non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) radiative transfer (RT) calculations, in order to meet the requirements on efficiency and data analysis quality set by these surveys. We present a new open access 3D non-LTE spectrum synthesis code OpenMULTI3D, based on its predecessor MULTI3D, which was never released. This code can be used to compute large grids of spectra of AFGKM-type stars and will aid the exploitation of large-scale spectroscopic surveys such as 4MOST. We summarise the main input micro- and macro-physics of the code, describe its numerical implementation and provide selected test cases. The outputs of the code are compared with standard results in the literature, including the NLTE departure coefficients in 1D and 3D, the 3D NLTE abundance corrections, 3D synthetic spectral energy distributions for three types of stars, and 3D NLTE Balmer-line profiles of a metal-poor red giant. We also demonstrate how the code can be used to compute time-dependent spectra of stars, which may be relevant in precision stellar physics and analyses of exoplanet spectra. OpenMULTI3D offers an accessible and efficient platform for high-fidelity stellar analysis in the era of large-scale spectroscopic surveys.