We present PÉGASE-HR , a new stellar population synthesis program generating high resolution spectra ( R = 10 000 ) over the optical range \lambda \lambda = 400–680 nm .
It links the spectro-photometric model of galaxy evolution PÉGASE.2 ( Fioc & Rocca-Volmerange 1997 ) to an updated version of the ÉLODIE library of stellar spectra observed with the 193 cm telescope at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence ( Prugniel & Soubiran 2001a ) .
The ÉLODIE star set gives a fairly complete coverage of the Hertzprung-Russell ( HR ) diagram and makes it possible to synthesize populations in the range \textrm { [ Fe / H ] } = -2 to +0.4 .
This code is an exceptional tool for exploring signatures of metallicity , age , and kinematics .
We focus on a detailed study of the sensitivity to age and metallicity of the high-resolution stellar absorption lines and of the classical metallic indices proposed until now to solve the age-metallicity degeneracy .
Validity tests on several stellar lines are performed by comparing our predictions for Lick indices to the models of other groups .
The comparison with the lower resolution library BaSeL ( Lejeune et al . 1997 ) confirms the quality of the ÉLODIE library when used for single stellar populations ( SSPs ) from 10 ^ { 7 } to 2 \times 10 ^ { 10 } yr .
Predictions for the evolved populations of globular clusters and elliptical galaxies are given and compared to observational data .
Two new high-resolution indices are proposed around the H \gamma line .
They should prove useful in the analysis of spectra from the new generation of telescopes and spectrographs .