Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Dec 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006aas...209.5507r&link_type=abstract
2007 AAS/AAPT Joint Meeting, American Astronomical Society Meeting 209, #55.07; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, V
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
I present initial results from the M33 Metallicity Project -a spectrophotometric atlas of over 500 HII regions in the southwest of M33 conducted using the multi-slit capabilities of the LRIS instrument on the Keck I Telescope. The observational data have sufficient sensitivity to detect the temperature-sensitive auroral lines such as [OIII] λ4363 Å and [SIII] λ6312 Å in over 100 of the HII regions. Detecting these faint lines allows the direct measurement of temperatures, obviating the need to rely upon strong-line diagnostics such as R23 to measure metallicity. These new observations yield a relatively shallow oxygen abundance gradient of -0.03 ± 0.003 dex per kpc, in good agreement with infrared measurements of the neon abundance gradient. The spatially dense sampling of the HII regions also permit mapping of the enrichment on large scales in the galaxy. The enrichment pattern does not appear to be azimuthally symmetric but rather shows enhanced abundance correlated with the star formation along the southwest spiral arm. In addition to highlighting a potential systematic effect in measuring metallicity gradients, these azimuthal variations may provide constraints on the degree of mixing in the turbulent interstellar medium.
Rosolowsky Erik
Simon Joshua D.
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