Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
May 2005
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2005assl..329p..35l&link_type=abstract
Starbursts: From 30 Doradus to Lyman Break Galaxies, Held in Cambridge, UK, 6-10 September 2004. Edited by R. de Grijs and R.M.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Scientific paper
The Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) offers the possibility to study the extragalactic interstellar medium (ISM) in sightlines toward UV-bright H II regions where stars are forming. From the absorption lines of species such as H I, O I, N I, Ar I, or Fe II we are able to derive the chemical composition of the diffuse neutral gas and compare it to the H II region composition. A major aim is to know whether H II regions truly reflect the ISM abundances of a galaxy or whether these regions are self-polluted with metals ejected by massive stars during the present starburst episode. Five Blue Compact Dwarfs galaxies (BCDs) have been investigated so far. The situation remains, however, still unclear. For instance, the oxygen abundance is either the same within the neutral and ionized ISM (in I Zw 18, I Zw 36 and SBS 0335-052) or 10 × lower in the neutral ISM (in Markarian 59). It seems, however, that nitrogen (using N I as a tracer in the neutral gas) and argon (using Ar I) are systematically lower in the neutral phase. Conscious of the uncertainties due to the complexity of the sightlines and the ionization structure, we have obtained high-quality spectra of individual H II regions in spiral galaxies. There, the situation is much easier to understand, allowing us to model H II regions with photoionization models. This study on NGC 604 provides a test on the method used for the BCDs. In NGC 604, we find a global underabundance in the neutral gas of N, O, Ar, and Fe as compared to the ionized gas, suggesting the presence of primordial gas in the line of sight. Furthermore, it appears that N I and Ar I are good tracers, respectively of nitrogen and argon, in the diffuse neutral gas surrounding NGC 604.
Aloisi Alessandra
Désert J.-D.
Hebrard Guillaume
Kunth Daniel
Lebouteiller Vianney
No associations
LandOfFree
Neutral ISM surrounding starburst regions does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Neutral ISM surrounding starburst regions, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Neutral ISM surrounding starburst regions will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1701851