71 research outputs found
Spectral analysis of the background in ground-based, long-slit spectroscopy
This paper examines the variations, because of atmospheric extinction, of
broad-band visible spectra, obtained from long-slit spectroscopy, in the
vicinity of some stars, nebulae, and one faint galaxy.Comment: 12 figure
Observational Tests Of Intermediate Mass Star Yields Using Planetary Nebulae
This paper summarizes a project designed to study abundances in a sample of
planetary nebulae representing a broad range in progenitor mass and
metallicity. We collect abundances of C, N, and O determined for the entire
sample and compare them with theoretical predictions of planetary nebula
abundances from a grid of intermediate-mass star models. We find very good
agreement between observations and theory, lending strong support to our
current understanding of nucleosynthesis in stars with progenitor masses below
8 solar masses. This agreement between observation and theory also supports the
validity of published stellar yields of C and N in the study of the abundance
evolution of these two elements.Comment: 2 pages, to appear in the proceedings of ``Cosmic Evolution'', held
at Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, November 13-17, 200
Abundances of Disk Planetary Nebulae in M31 and the Radial Oxygen Gradient
We have obtained spectra of 16 planetary nebulae in the disk of M31 and
determined the abundances of He, N, O, Ne, S and Ar. Here we present the median
abundances and compare them with previous M31 PN disk measurements and with PNe
in the Milky Way. We also derive the radial oxygen gradient in M31, which is
shallower than that in the Milky Way, even accounting for M31's larger disk
scale length.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure, 1 table, to appear in the proceedings of IAU
Symposium No. 283, Planetary Nebulae: An Eye to the Futur
ELSA: An Integrated, Semi-Automated Nebular Abundance Package
We present ELSA, a new modular software package, written in C, to analyze and
manage spectroscopic data from emission-line objects. In addition to
calculating plasma diagnostics and abundances from nebular emission lines, the
software provides a number of convenient features including the ability to
ingest logs produced by IRAF's splot task, to semi-automatically merge spectra
in different wavelength ranges, and to automatically generate various data
tables in machine-readable or LaTeX format. ELSA features a highly
sophisticated interstellar reddening correction scheme that takes into account
temperature and density effects as well as He II contamination of the hydrogen
Balmer lines. Abundance calculations are performed using a 5-level atom
approximation with recent atomic data, based on R. Henry's ABUN program.
Improvements planned in the near future include use of a three-region
ionization model, similar to IRAF's nebular package, error propagation, and the
addition of ultraviolet and infrared line analysis capability. Detailed
documentation for all aspects of ELSA are available at
http://www.williams.edu/Astronomy/research/PN .Comment: 2 pages, contributed paper, IAU Symp. 234, Planetary Nebulae in Our
Galaxy and Beyon
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