188 research outputs found
Planetary Nebulae as a Probe of the Local Group Galaxies Evolution
We present the latest results from our study of PNe and HII regions in two Local Group dwarf irregular galaxies IC 10 and NGC 682
[O III] and X-ray Properties of a Complete Sample of Hard X-ray Selected AGNs in the Local Universe
We study the correlation between the [O III] and X-ray
luminosities of local Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs), using a complete, hard
X-ray ( keV) selected sample in the Swift/BAT 9-month catalog. From our
optical spectroscopic observations at the South African Astronomical
Observatory and the literature, a catalog of [O III] line flux
for all 103 AGNs at Galactic latitudes of is complied.
Significant correlations with intrinsic X-ray luminosity () are
found both for observed () and extinction-corrected () luminosities, separately for X-ray unabsorbed and absorbed
AGNs. We obtain the regression form of and from the whole sample. The absorbed AGNs with low
(0.5\%) scattering fractions in soft X-rays show on average smaller and ratios than the
other absorbed AGNs, while those in edge-on host galaxies do not. These results
suggest that a significant fraction of this population are buried in tori with
small opening angles. By using these vs.
correlations, the X-ray luminosity function of local AGNs (including Compton
thick AGNs) in a standard population synthesis model gives much better
agreement with the [O III] luminosity function derived from the
Sloan Digital Sky Survey than previously reported. This confirms that hard
X-ray observations are a very powerful tool to find AGNs with high
completeness.Comment: 14 pages including 11 figures and 3 tables, accepted for publication
in ApJ. In this manuscript, the observed 14-195 keV luminosities in Table 1
have been corrected to be exactly the same as in the original Swift/BAT
9-month catalog. Accordingly, Figures 2(a) and 3(a) and a part of Tables 2
and 3 have been updated. The changes from the previous version are small and
do not affect the tex
The metallicity extremes of the Sagittarius dSph using SALT spectroscopy of PNe
In this work we present the first spectroscopic results obtained with the
Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) telescope during its
perfomance-verification phase. We find that the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal
galaxy (Sgr) Sgr contains a youngest stellar population with [O/H] -0.2 and age
t>1 Gyr, and an oldest population with [O/H]=-2.0. The values are based on
spectra of two planetary nebulae (PNe), using empirical abundance
determinations. We calculated abundances for O, N, Ne, Ar, S, Cl, Fe, C and He.
We confirm the high abundances of PN StWr2-21 with 12+log(O/H) = 8.57+/-0.02
dex. The other PN studied, BoBn1, is an extraordinary object in that the neon
abundance exceeds that of oxygen. The abundances of S, Ar and Cl in BoBn1 yield
the original stellar metallicity, corresponding to 12+log(O/H) = 6.72+/-0.16
dex which is 1/110 of the solar value. The actual [O/H] is much higher: third
dredge-up enriched the material by a factor of ~12 in oxygen, ~240 in nitrogen
and ~70 in neon. Neon as well as nitrogen and oxygen content may have been
produced in the intershell of low-mass AGB stars. Well defined broad WR lines
are present in the spectrum of StWr2-21 and absent in the spectrum of BoBn1.
This puts the fraction of [WR]-type central PNe stars to 67% for dSph galaxies.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, accepted to MNRA
HS 2134+0400 - new very metal-poor galaxy, a representative of void population?
We present the SAO 6m telescope spectroscopy of a blue compact galaxy (BCG)
HS 2134+0400 discovered in frame of the dedicated Hamburg/SAO survey for Low
Metallicity BCGs (HSS-LM). Its very low abundance of oxygen (12+log(O/H) =
7.44), as well as other heavy elements (S, N, Ne, Ar), assigns this dwarf
galaxy to the group of BCGs with the lowest metal content. There are only eight
that low metallicity among several thousand known BCGs in the nearby Universe.
The abundance ratios for the heavy elements (S/O, Ne/O, N/O, and Ar/O) are well
consistent with the typical values of other very metal-poor BCGs. The global
environment of HS 2134+0400 is atypical of the majority of BCGs. The object
falls within the Pegasus void, the large volume with the very low density of
galaxies with the normal (M_B* = -19.6) or high luminosity. Since we found in
voids a dozen more the very metal-poor galaxies, we discuss the hypothesis that
such objects can be representative of a substantial fraction of the void dwarf
galaxy population.Comment: 6 pages, including 2 tables and 2 postscript figures. Submitted to
Astronomy Letter
SBS 0335-052W - an Extremely Low Metallicity Dwarf Galaxy
We present Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) and Keck II telescope
spectrophotometry and 3.5m Calar Alto telescope R, I photometry of the western
component of the extremely low-metallicity blue compact galaxy SBS 0335-052.
The components, separated by 22 kpc, appear to be members of a unique,
physically connected system. It is shown that SBS 0335-052W consists of at
least three stellar clusters and has the same redshift as SBS 0335-052. The
oxygen abundance in its two brightest knots is extremely low, 12+log(O/H)=
7.22+/-0.03 and 7.13+/-0.08, respectively. These values are lower than in SBS
0335-052 and are nearly the same as those in I Zw 18. The (R-I) color profiles
are very blue in both galaxies due to the combined effects of ionized gas and a
young stellar population emission. We argue that SBS 0335-052W is likely to be
a nearby, young dwarf galaxy.Comment: 18 pages, 4 EPS figures, to appear in ApJ, 1 July 199
UVES observations of QSO 0000-2620: Argon and Phosphorus abundances in the dust-free damped Ly-alpha system at zabs = 3.3901
The UV resonance transitions of neutral argon ArI 1066 A, and of singly
ionized phosphorus PII 963 A, originated in the damped Ly_alpha system (DLA) at
zabs = 3.3901 towards QSO 0000--2620 have been detected by means of the UVES
spectrograph at the 8.2m ESO KUEYEN telescope. So far, this is the first
measurement of ArI, and the second of PII, ever performed in damped galaxies
and in high redshift objects. This DLA is well known for having one of the
lowest metal abundances and dust content, and the lowest fractional abundance
of molecular hydrogen H_2. The measured Ar abundance is [Ar/H] = - 1.91 (+/-
0.09) which is equal to the abundances of the other alpha-chain elements (O, S
and Si). The similarity of the Ar abundance with the other alpha-chain elements
implies the absence of significant photoionization by either UV background or
stellar sources along the sightline throughout the damped Ly_alpha system. Both
log(Ar/O) and log(Ar/S) ratios are found close to those measured in the
extragalactic HII regions and in blue compact galaxies where O is more abundant
by at least one order of magnitude. This strengthens the universality of the
Ar/O and Ar/S ratios and lends support to the existence of a universal IMF. The
abundance of the non-refractory element phosphorus [P/H] = - 2.31 (+/- 0.10)
confirms the low amount of chemical evolution in the DLA. This is the
measurement of P in the most metal-poor material and shows a subsolar [P/Fe] =
--0.27 value. The measured ratios [P/Si] = - 0.40 (+/- 0.13) and [P/S] = - 0.33
(+/- 0.13) provide evidence for a mild odd-even effect. Finally, a stringent
upper limit to the population of the 3P_1 level in the ground state of OI is
derived, which provides a lower limit to the physical dimensions of the zabs =
3.3901 system of L > 7 pc.Comment: Accepted Ap
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