Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2001-02-07
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
33 pages (LaTeX), 3 .eps figures. to be published in ApJ, May 2001
Scientific paper
10.1086/320962
We compute photoionization models for the giant extragalactic H II region NGC 5461, and compare their predictions to several observational constraints. Since we aim at reproducing not only the global properties of the region, but its local structure also, the models are constrained to reproduce the observed density profile, and our analysis takes into consideration the bias introduced by the shapes and sizes of the slits used by different observers. We find that an asymmetric nebula with a gaussian density distribution, powered by a young burst of 3.1 Myr, satisfactorily reproduces most of the constraints, and that the star-formation efficiency inferred from the model agrees with current estimates. Our results strongly depend on the assumed density law, since constant density models overestimate the hardness of the ionizing field, affecting the deduced properties of the central stellar cluster. We illustrate the features of our best model, and discuss the possible sources of errors and uncertainties affecting the outcome of this type of studies.
Luridiana Valentina
Peimbert Manuel
No associations
LandOfFree
The Structure and Star-Formation History of NGC 5461 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 The Structure and Star-Formation History of NGC 5461, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The Structure and Star-Formation History of NGC 5461 will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-89657