Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Mar 2001
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001ap%26ss.276..561c&link_type=abstract
Astrophysics and Space Science, v. 276, Issue 2/4, p. 561-567 (2001).
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Scientific paper
We have determined, for the first time, the nitrogen-to-oxygen abundance ratio (N/O) for a large sample of starburst nucleus galaxies (SBNGs) and compared it to the values observed in normal spiral galaxies. The N/O ratios in SBNGs are ~ 0.2 dex higher than in normal HII regions observed in the discs of late-type spirals, but are comparable to the values found in the bulges of normal early-type spirals. The variation of the N/O ratio as a function of metallicity follows a primary + secondary relation, but the increase in nitrogen does not appear as a continuous process. Assuming that nitrogen is produced by intermediate-mass stars, we show that our observations are consistent with a model in which the bulk of the nitrogen was formed during past sequences of bursts of star formation which have probably started 2 or 3 Gyr in the past. What we observe, therefore, could be the main production of nitrogen in the bulges of these galaxies.
Carlos Reyes R. E.
Considere Suzanne
Contini Thierry
Coziol Roger
Davoust Emmanuael
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