1,002 research outputs found
Detection of [OI] 6300 and Other Diagnostic Emission Lines in the Diffuse Ionized Gas of M33 with Gemini-North
We present spectroscopic observations of diffuse ionized gas (DIG) in M33
near the HII region NGC 604. We present the first detection of [OI] 6300 in the
DIG of M33, one of the critical lines for distinguishing photo- from shock
ionization models. We measure [OI]/Ha in the range of 0.04 to 0.10 and an
increase in this ratio with decreasing emission measure. Our measurements of
[SII]/Ha and [NII]/Ha also rise with decreasing emission measure, while our
[OIII]/Hb measurements remain fairly constant. We have one tentative detection
of He I in the region of brightest emission measure, with a ratio of He I/Ha =
0.033 +- 0.019, indicating that the helium is at least partially ionized. We
compare our observed emission line ratios to photoionization models and find
that field star ionization models do not fit our data well. Leaky HII region
models are consistent with our data, without the need to invoke additional
ionization mechanisms to fit our [OI] or [OIII] measurements. The closest large
HII region is NGC 604 and is therefore a likely candidate for the source of the
ionizing photons for the gas in this region.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, accepted by ApJ
HeI in the central Giant HII Region of NGC 5253. A 2D observational approach to collisional and radiative transfer effects
ABRIDGED: NGC5253 is an ideal laboratory for detailed studies of starburst
galaxies. We present for the first time in a starburst galaxy a 2D study of the
spatial behavior of collisional and radiative transfer effects in He^+. The HeI
lines are analysed based on data obtained with FLAMES and GMOS. Collisional
effects are negligible for transitions in the singlet cascade while relatively
important for those in the triplet cascade. In particular, they can contribute
up to 20% of the flux in the HeIl7065 line. Radiative transfer effects are
important over an extended and circular area of 30pc in diameter centered at
the Super Star Clusters. HeI abundance, y^+, has been mapped using extinction
corrected fluxes of six HeI lines, realistic assumptions for T_e, n_e, and the
stellar absorption equivalent width as well as the most recent emissivities. We
found a mean of 10^3 y^+ ~80.3 over the mapped area. The relation between the
excitation and the total helium abundance, y_tot, is consistent with no
abundance gradient. Uncertainties in the derivation of He abundances are
dominated by the adopted assumptions. We illustrated the difficulty of
detecting a putative He enrichment due to the presence of Wolf-Rayet stars in
the main GHIIR. Data are marginally consistent with an excess in the N/He ratio
in the N enriched area of the order of both, the atmospheric N/He ratios in WR
stars and the uncertainties estimated for the N/He ratios.Comment: Accepted in Astronomy and Astrophysics; the emissivities presented in
the Corrigendum, Porter et al. 2013, arXiv:1303.5115, have been include
Tramp Novae Between Galaxies in the Fornax Cluster: Tracers of Intracluster Light
We report the results of a survey for novae in and between the galaxies of
the Fornax cluster. Our survey provides strong evidence that intracluster novae
exist and that they provide a useful, independent measure of the intracluster
light in Fornax. We discovered six strong nova candidates in six distinct
epochs spanning eleven years from 1993 to 2004. The data were taken with the 4m
and the 1.5m telescopes at CTIO. The spatial distribution of the nova
candidates is consistent with 16-41% of the total light in the cluster
being in the intracluster light, based on the ratio of the number of novae we
discovered in intracluster space over the total number of novae discovered plus
a simple completeness correction factor. This estimate is consistent with
independent measures of intracluster light in Fornax and Virgo using
intracluster planetary nebulae. The accuracy of the intracluster light
measurement improves with each survey epoch as more novae are discovered.Comment: 30 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journal (Sep 9, 2004). Version 2: Added references. Full resolution versions
of figures 1-7 and 10 can be found at
http://astrowww.phys.uvic.ca/~neill/fnx
Translocation of an Intrauterine Contraceptive Device: Incidental Finding in the Rectosigmoid Colon
The presence of an intrauterine device (IUD) within the colon is rare. Complications have been reported with IUDs among which uterine perforation. Translocation of IUDs to the uterine cavity, to the bladder and also through the wall of the bowel, and sigmoid colon has been reported. We believe there may be a case that surgeons should know the result of despite being a priori gynaecological complication. This paper reports on a case of colon perforation by an IUD
The Spatial Distribution of Atomic Carbon Emission in the Giant Molecular Cloud NGC 604-2
We have mapped a giant molecular cloud in the giant HII region NGC 604 in M33
in the 492 GHz ^3P_1 -- ^3P_0 transition of neutral atomic carbon using the
James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. We find the distribution of the [CI] emission to
be asymmetric with respect to the CO J=1--0 emission, with the peak of the [CI]
emission offset towards the direction of the center of the HII region. In
addition, the line ratio I_{[CI]}/I_{CO} is highest (~ 0.2) facing the HII
region and lowest (< 0.1) away from it. These asymmetries indicate an edge-on
morphology where the [CI] emission is strongest on the side of the cloud facing
the center of the HII region, and not detected at all on the opposite side This
suggests that the sources of the incident flux creating C from the dissociation
of CO are the massive stars of the HII region. The lowest line ratios are
similar to what is observed in Galactic molecular clouds, while the highest are
similar to starburst galaxies and other regions of intense star formation. The
column density ratio, N(C)/N(H_2) is a few times 10^{-6}, in general agreement
with models of photodissociation regions.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 8 pages, 5 figures, 3 table
Carbon Stars and other Luminous Stellar Populations in M33
The M33 galaxy is a nearby, relatively metal-poor, late-type spiral. Its
proximity and almost face-on inclination means that it projects over a large
area on the sky, making it an ideal candidate for wide-field CCD mosaic
imaging. Photometry was obtained for more than 10^6 stars covering a 74' x 56'
field centered on M33. Main sequence (MS), supergiant branch (SGB), red giant
branch (RGB) and asymptotic giant branch (AGB) populations are identified and
classified based on broad-band V and I photometry. Narrow-band filters are used
to measure spectral features allowing the AGB population to be further divided
into C and M-star types. The galactic structure of M33 is examined using star
counts, colour-colour and colour-magnitude selected stellar populations. We use
the C to M-star ratio to investigate the metallicity gradient in the disk of
M33. The C/M-star ratio is found to increase and then flatten with increasing
galactocentric radius in agreement with viscous disk formation models. The
C-star luminosity function is found to be similar to M31 and the SMC,
suggesting that C-stars should be useful distance indicators. The ``spectacular
arcs of carbon stars'' in M33 postulated recently by Block et al. (2004) are
found in our work to be simply an extension of M33's disk.Comment: 20 pages, 20 figures. Accepted for publication in The Astronomical
Journa
The Evolution of Helium and Hydrogen Ionization Corrections as HII Regions Age
Helium and hydrogen recombination lines observed in low-metallicity,
extragalactic, HII regions provide the data used to infer the primordial helium
mass fraction, Y_P. In deriving abundances from observations, the correction
for unseen neutral helium or hydrogen is usually assumed to be absent; i.e.,
the ionization correction factor is taken to be unity (icf = 1). In a previous
paper (VGS), we revisited the question of the icf, confirming a "reverse"
ionization correction: icf < 1. In VGS the icf was calculated using more nearly
realistic models of inhomogeneous HII regions, suggesting that the published
values of Y_P needed to be reduced by an amount of order 0.003. As star
clusters age, their stellar spectra evolve and so, too, will their icfs. Here
the evolution of the icf is studied, along with that of two, alternate,
measures of the "hardness" of the radiation spectrum. The differences between
the icf for radiation-bounded and matter-bounded models are also explored,
along with the effect on the icf of the He/H ratio (since He and H compete for
some of the same ionizing photons). Particular attention is paid to the amount
of doubly-ionized helium predicted, leading us to suggest that observations of,
or bounds to, He++ may help to discriminate among models of HII regions ionized
by starbursts of different ages and spectra. We apply our analysis to the
Izotov & Thuan (IT) data set utilizing the radiation softness parameter, the
[OIII]/[OI] ratio, and the presence or absence of He++ to find 0.95 < icf <
0.99. This suggests that the IT estimate of the primordial helium abundance
should be reduced by Delta-Y = 0.006 +- 0.002, from 0.244 +- 0.002 to 0.238 +-
0.003.Comment: 27 double-spaced pages, 11 figures, 5 equations; revised to match the
version accepted for publication in the Ap
Localized starbursts in dwarf galaxies produced by impact of low metallicity cosmic gas clouds
Models of galaxy formation predict that gas accretion from the cosmic web is
a primary driver of star formation over cosmic history. Except in very dense
environments where galaxy mergers are also important, model galaxies feed from
cold streams of gas from the web that penetrate their dark matter haloes.
Although these predictions are unambiguous, the observational support has been
indirect so far. Here we report spectroscopic evidence for this process in
extremely metal-poor galaxies (XMPs) of the local Universe, taking the form of
localized starbursts associated with gas having low metallicity. Detailed
abundance analyses based on Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) optical spectra of
ten XMPs show that the galaxy hosts have metallicities around 60 % solar on
average, while the large star-forming regions that dominate their integrated
light have low metallicities of some 6 % solar. Because gas mixes azimuthally
in a rotation timescale (a few hundred Myr), the observed metallicity
inhomogeneities are only possible if the metal-poor gas fell onto the disk
recently. We analyze several possibilities for the origin of the metal-poor
gas, favoring the metal-poor gas infall predicted by numerical models. If this
interpretation is correct, XMPs trace the cosmic web gas in their surroundings,
making them probes to examine its properties.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ
The Effect of Star Formation on Molecular Clouds in Dwarf Irregular Galaxies: IC 10 and NGC 6822
We have observed the 13CO J=2-1, 12CO J=2-1 and 12CO J=3-2 lines at a few
locations in the dwarf irregular galaxies IC 10 and NGC 6822 using the James
Clerk Maxwell Telescope. In addition, we report the first detection of the 13CO
J=3-2 transition in a Local Group galaxy. These low metallicity environments
appear to be porous to UV radiation and allow for more efficient heating of
molecular gas by nearby HII regions. The high 12CO J=3-2/J=2-1 ratio in NGC
6822 suggests that the 12CO emission is optically thin in this region. This
high line ratio is likely the result of its location inside a large HII region
with low metallicity and low gas content. In IC 10 we observe structures on a
variety of size scales that all appear to be gravitationally bound. This effect
may help explain the rather high star formation rate in IC 10.Comment: 20 pages with 6 ps figures, accepted for publication in The
Astrophysical Journa
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