Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics – Galaxy Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2009-12-18
Light Elements in the Universe, Proc. IAU Symp. 268 (2010) 237
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Galaxy Astrophysics
To be published in the proceedings of the IAU Symposium 268, Light Elements in the Universe, C. Charbonnel, M. Tosi, F. Primas
Scientific paper
We present a comprehensive survey of B abundances in diffuse interstellar clouds from HST/STIS observations along 56 Galactic sight lines. Our sample is the result of a complete search of archival STIS data for the B II resonance line at 1362 angstroms, with each detection confirmed by the presence of absorption from other dominant ions at the same velocity. The data probe a range of astrophysical environments including both high-density regions of massive star formation as well as low-density paths through the Galactic halo, allowing us to clearly define the trend of B depletion onto interstellar grains as a function of gas density. Many extended sight lines exhibit complex absorption profiles that trace both local gas and gas associated with either the Sagittarius-Carina or Perseus spiral arm. Our analysis indicates a higher B/O ratio in the inner Sagittarius-Carina spiral arm than in the vicinity of the Sun, which may suggest that B production in the current epoch is dominated by a secondary process. The average gas-phase B abundance in the warm diffuse ISM is consistent with the abundances determined for a variety of Galactic disk stars, but is depleted by 60 percent relative to the solar system value. Our survey also reveals sight lines with enhanced B abundances that potentially trace recent production of B-11 either by cosmic-ray or neutrino-induced spallation. Such sight lines will be key to discerning the relative importance of the two production routes for B-11 synthesis.
Federman Steven Robert
Lambert David L.
Ritchey Adam M.
Sheffer Yaron
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