Photoionization of the diffuse interstellar medium and galactic halo by OB associations

Details Photoionization of the diffuse interstellar medium and galactic halo by OB associations Photoionization of the diffuse interstellar medium and galactic halo by OB associations

Jul 1994

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1994apj...430..222d&link_type=abstract

The Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 430, no. 1, p. 222-235

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

128

B Stars, Galactic Halos, Galactic Radiation, H Ii Regions, Interstellar Matter, O Stars, Photoionization, Radiative Transfer, Astronomical Models, Galactic Clusters, H Lines, Photoionization, Stellar Luminosity

Scientific paper

Assuming smoothly varying H I distributions in te Galactic disk, we have calculated the geometry of diffuse II regions due to OB associations in the Galactic plane. Near the solar circle, OB associations with a Lyman continuum (Lyc) photon luminosity PsiLyc = 3.3 x 107 cm-2 s-1, produce H II regions that are density bounded in the vertical direction (H II chimneys) allowing Lyc to escape the gaseous disk and penetrate into the Galactic halo. We provide analytic formulae for the Lyc escape fraction as functions of S0 O-star catalog of Garmany and a new Lyc stellar stellar Lyc stellar flux calibration, we find a production rate of Lyc photons by OB associations within 2.5 kpc of PsiLyc = 3.3 x 107 cm-2 s-1. Integrating the fraction of Lyc photons that escape the disk over our adopted luminosity function of OB associations, we estimate that approximately 7% of the ionizing photons, or PhiLyc = 2.3 x 106 cm-2 s-1, escape each side of the H I disk layer and penetrate the diffuse ionized medium ('Reynolds layer'). This flux is sufficient to explain the potoionization of this, although we have not constructed a model for the observed H-alpha emission and pulsar dispersion measures that is fully consistent with the absorption rate of Lyc in the H II layer. Since our quiescent model does not account for the effects of dynamic chimneys and superbubbles, which should enhance Lyc escape, we conclude the O stars are the probable source of ionizing radiation for the Reynolds layer. For a random distribution of OB associations throughout the disk, the Lyc flux is nearly uniform for heights Z is greater than approximately 0.8 kpc above the midplane.

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