We present a new model for computing the spectral evolution of stellar populations at ages between 1 x 10(5) and 2 x 10(10) yr at a resolution of 3 Angstrom across the whole wavelength range from 3200 to 9500 Angstrom for a wide range of metallicities. These predictions are based on a newly available library of observed stellar spectra. We also compute the spectral evolution across a larger wavelength range, from 91 Angstrom to 160 mum, at lower resolution. The model incorporates recent progress in stellar evolution theory and an observationally motivated prescription for thermally pulsing stars on the asymptotic giant branch. The latter is supported by observations of surface brightness fluctuations in nearby stellar populations. We show that this model reproduces well the observed optical and near-infrared colour-magnitude diagrams of Galactic star clusters of various ages and metallicities. Stochastic fluctuations in the numbers of stars in different evolutionary phases can account for the full range of observed integrated colours of star clusters in the Magellanic Clouds. The model reproduces in detail typical galaxy spectra from the Early Data Release (EDR) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We exemplify how this type of spectral fit can constrain physical parameters such as the star formation history, metallicity and dust content of galaxies. Our model is the first to enable accurate studies of absorption-line strengths in galaxies containing stars over the full range of ages. Using the highest-quality spectra of the SDSS EDR, we show that this model can reproduce simultaneously the observed strengths of those Lick indices that do not depend strongly on element abundance ratios. The interpretation of such indices with our model should be particularly useful for constraining the star formation histories and metallicities of galaxies.
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