9,259 research outputs found
Improved determination of the atmospheric parameters of the pulsating sdB star Feige 48
As part of a multifaceted effort to exploit better the asteroseismological
potential of the pulsating sdB star Feige 48, we present an improved
spectroscopic analysis of that star based on new grids of NLTE, fully
line-blanketed model atmospheres. To that end, we gathered four high S/N
time-averaged optical spectra of varying spectral resolution from 1.0 \AA\ to
8.7 \AA, and we made use of the results of four independent studies to fix the
abundances of the most important metals in the atmosphere of Feige 48. The mean
atmospheric parameters we obtained from our four spectra of Feige 48 are :
Teff= 29,850 60 K, log = 5.46 0.01, and log N(He)/N(H) =
2.88 0.02. We also modeled for the first time the He II line at 1640
\AA\ from the STIS archive spectrum of the star and we found with this line an
effective temperature and a surface gravity that match well the values obtained
with the optical data. With some fine tuning of the abundances of the metals
visible in the optical domain we were able to achieve a very good agreement
between our best available spectrum and our best-fitting synthetic one. Our
derived atmospheric parameters for Feige 48 are in rather good agreement with
previous estimates based on less sophisticated models. This underlines the
relatively small effects of the NLTE approach combined with line blanketing in
the atmosphere of this particular star, implying that the current estimates of
the atmospheric parameters of Feige 48 are reliable and secure.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ, April 201
Spectroscopic Observation and Analysis of HII regions in M33 with MMT: Temperatures and Oxygen Abundances
The spectra of 413 star-forming (or HII) regions in M33 (NGC 598) were
observed by using the multifiber spectrograph of Hectospec at the 6.5-m
Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT). By using this homogeneous spectra sample, we
measured the intensities of emission lines and some physical parameters, such
as electron temperatures, electron densities, and metallicities. Oxygen
abundances were derived via the direct method (when available) and two
empirical strong-line methods, namely, O3N2 and N2. In the high-metallicity
end, oxygen abundances derived from O3N2 calibration were higher than those
derived from N2 index, indicating an inconsistency between O3N2 and N2
calibrations. We presented a detailed analysis of the spatial distribution of
gas-phase oxygen abundances in M33 and confirmed the existence of the
axisymmetric global metallicity distribution widely assumed in literature.
Local variations were also observed and subsequently associated with spiral
structures to provide evidence of radial migration driven by arms. Our O/H
gradient fitted out to 1.1 resulted in slopes of ,
, and dex utilizing abundances from
O3N2, N2 diagnostics, and direct method, respectively.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap
Using a spatial overlap approach to estimate the risk of collisions between deep diving seabirds and tidal stream turbines : a review of potential methods and approaches
Peer reviewedPublisher PD
[Corrigendum to] Effects of small-scale turbulence on lower trophic levels under different nutrient conditions [vol 32, pg 197, 2010]
Small-scale turbulence affects the pelagic food web and energy flow in marine systems and the impact is related to nutrient conditions and the assemblage of organisms present. We generated five levels of turbulence (2*10 29 to 1*10 24 W kg 21 ) in land-based mesocosms (volume 2.6 m 3 ) with and without additional nutrients (31:16:1 Si:N:P m M) to asses the effect of small-scale turbulence on the lower part of the pelagic food web under different nutrient conditions. The ecological influence of nutrients and small-scale turbulence on lower trophic levels was quantified using multivariate statistics (RDA), where nutrients accounted for 31.8% of the observed biological variation, while 7.2% of the variation was explained by small-scale turbulence and its interaction with nutrients. Chlorophyll a, primary production rates, bacterial production rates and diatom and dinoflagellate abundance were positively correlated to turbulence, regardless of nutrient conditions. Abundance of autotrophic flagellates, total phytoplankton and bacteria were positively correlated to turbulence only when nutrients were added. Impact of small-scale turbulence was related to nutrient con-
ditions, with implications for oligotrophic and eutrophic situations. The effect on community level was also different compared to single species level. Microbial processes drive biogeochemical cycles, and nutrient-controlled effects of small-scale turbulence on such processes are relevant to foresee altered carbon flow in marine systems
Large-scale shock-ionized and photo-ionized gas in M83: the impact of star formation
We investigate the ionization structure of the nebular gas in M83 using the
line diagnostic diagram, [O III](5007 \degA)/H{\beta} vs. [S II](6716 \deg
A+6731 \deg A)/H{\alpha} with the newly available narrowband images from the
Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). We produce the
diagnostic diagram on a pixel-by-pixel (0.2" x 0.2") basis and compare it with
several photo- and shock-ionization models. For the photo-ionized gas, we
observe a gradual increase of the log([O III]/H{\beta}) ratios from the center
to the spiral arm, consistent with the metallicity gradient, as the H II
regions go from super solar abundance to roughly solar abundance from the
center out. Using the diagnostic diagram, we separate the photo-ionized from
the shock-ionized component of the gas. We find that the shock-ionized
H{\alpha} emission ranges from ~2% to about 15-33% of the total, depending on
the separation criteria used. An interesting feature in the diagnostic diagram
is an horizontal distribution around log([O III]/H{\beta}) ~ 0. This feature is
well fit by a shock-ionization model with 2.0 Z\odot metallicity and shock
velocities in the range of 250 km/s to 350 km/s. A low velocity shock
component, < 200 km/s, is also detected, and is spatially located at the
boundary between the outer ring and the spiral arm. The low velocity shock
component can be due to : 1) supernova remnants located nearby, 2) dynamical
interaction between the outer ring and the spiral arm, 3) abnormal line ratios
from extreme local dust extinction. The current data do not enable us to
distinguish among those three possible interpretations. Our main conclusion is
that, even at the HST resolution, the shocked gas represents a small fraction
of the total ionized gas emission at less than 33% of the total. However, it
accounts for virtually all of the mechanical energy produced by the central
starburst in M83.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. aastex preprint 12pt, 21 pages, 13
figure
Galaxy emission line classification using 3D line ratio diagrams
Two-dimensional (2D) line ratio diagnostic diagrams have become a key tool in
understanding the excitation mechanisms of galaxies. The curves used to
separate the different regions - HII-like or else excited by an active galactic
nucleus (AGN) - have been refined over time but the core technique has not
evolved significantly. However, the classification of galaxies based on their
emission line ratios really is a multi-dimensional problem. Here we exploit
recent software developments to explore the potential of three-dimensional (3D)
line ratio diagnostic diagrams. We introduce a specific set of 3D diagrams, the
ZQE diagrams, which separate the oxygen abundance and the ionisation parameter
of HII region-like spectra, and which also enable us to probe the excitation
mechanism of the gas. By examining these new 3D spaces interactively, we define
a new set of 2D diagnostics, the ZE diagnostics, which can provide the
metallicity of objects excited by hot young stars, and which cleanly separate
HII region-like objects from the different classes of AGNs. We show that these
ZE diagnostics are consistent with the key log[NII]/H vs.
log[OIII]/H diagnostic currently used by the community. They also have
the advantage of attaching a probability that a given object belongs to one
class or to the other. Finally, we discuss briefly why ZQE diagrams can provide
a new way to differentiate and study the different classes of AGNs in
anticipation of a dedicated follow-up study.Comment: 21 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ. Due to size
limitations, the supplementary STL file for the 3D-printable diagram is
available here: http://www.mso.anu.edu.au/~fvogt/online_material.htm
- …