THE DETERMINATION OF ELEMENT ABUNDANCES IN THE SOLAR NEIGHBORHOOD FROM B-TYPE STELLAR SPECTRA .2. NON-LTE CALCULATIONS FOR AR-II

Non-LTE radiative transfer calculations for argon are presented for models with effective temperatures in the range 17,500-30,000 K and a logarithmic argon abundance of 6.50 on the scale log [H] = 12. These are used to analyze high-resolution and signal-to-noise observations of weak a Ar II lines in the spectra of B-type stars. A mean argon abundance of 6.50 ± 0.05 dex is found, providing a reliable estimate of the current cosmic argon abundance in the solar neighborhood.