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Title: CHEMICAL ABUNDANCES OF SEVEN IRREGULAR AND THREE TIDAL DWARF GALAXIES IN THE M81 GROUP

Abstract

We have derived nebular abundances for 10 dwarf galaxies belonging to the M81 Group, including several galaxies which do not have abundances previously reported in the literature. For each galaxy, multiple H II regions were observed with GMOS-N at the Gemini Observatory in order to determine abundances of several elements (oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, neon, and argon). For seven galaxies, at least one H II region had a detection of the temperature sensitive [O III] lambda4363 line, allowing a 'direct' determination of the oxygen abundance. No abundance gradients were detected in the targeted galaxies, and the observed oxygen abundances are typically in agreement with the well-known metallicity-luminosity relation. However, three candidate 'tidal dwarf' galaxies lie well off this relation: UGC 5336, Garland, and KDG 61. The nature of these systems suggests that UGC 5336 and Garland are indeed recently formed systems, whereas KDG 61 is most likely a dwarf spheroidal galaxy which lies along the same line of sight as the M81 tidal debris field. We propose that these H II regions formed from previously enriched gas which was stripped from nearby massive galaxies (e.g., NGC 3077 and M81) during a recent tidal interaction.

Authors:
;  [1]; ;  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5]
  1. Department of Astronomy, Indiana University, 727 East 3rd Street, Bloomington, IN 47405 (United States)
  2. Gemini Observatory, Southern Operations Center, Casilla 603, La Serena (Chile)
  3. Astronomy Department, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (United States)
  4. Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, 813 Santa Barbara Street, Pasadena, CA, 91101 (United States)
  5. Canadian Gemini Office, Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, National Reseach Council of Canada, 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7 (Canada)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
21378361
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Astrophysical Journal
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 705; Journal Issue: 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/705/1/723; Journal ID: ISSN 0004-637X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; ABUNDANCE; ARGON; DWARF STARS; GALAXIES; LUMINOSITY; NEON; NITROGEN; OXYGEN; SULFUR; ELEMENTS; FLUIDS; GASES; NONMETALS; OPTICAL PROPERTIES; PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; RARE GASES; STARS

Citation Formats

Croxall, Kevin V, Van Zee, Liese, Lee, Henry, Miller, Bryan W, Skillman, Evan D, Lee, Janice C, Cote, Stephanie, and Kennicutt, Robert C., E-mail: kcroxall@astro.indiana.ed, E-mail: vanzee@astro.indiana.ed, E-mail: hlee@gemini.ed, E-mail: skillman@astro.umn.ed, E-mail: jlee@ociw.ed, E-mail: stephanie.cote@nrc-cnrc.gc.c, E-mail: robk@ast.cam.ac.u, E-mail: bmiller@gemini.ed. CHEMICAL ABUNDANCES OF SEVEN IRREGULAR AND THREE TIDAL DWARF GALAXIES IN THE M81 GROUP. United States: N. p., 2009. Web. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/705/1/723.
Croxall, Kevin V, Van Zee, Liese, Lee, Henry, Miller, Bryan W, Skillman, Evan D, Lee, Janice C, Cote, Stephanie, & Kennicutt, Robert C., E-mail: kcroxall@astro.indiana.ed, E-mail: vanzee@astro.indiana.ed, E-mail: hlee@gemini.ed, E-mail: skillman@astro.umn.ed, E-mail: jlee@ociw.ed, E-mail: stephanie.cote@nrc-cnrc.gc.c, E-mail: robk@ast.cam.ac.u, E-mail: bmiller@gemini.ed. CHEMICAL ABUNDANCES OF SEVEN IRREGULAR AND THREE TIDAL DWARF GALAXIES IN THE M81 GROUP. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/705/1/723
Croxall, Kevin V, Van Zee, Liese, Lee, Henry, Miller, Bryan W, Skillman, Evan D, Lee, Janice C, Cote, Stephanie, and Kennicutt, Robert C., E-mail: kcroxall@astro.indiana.ed, E-mail: vanzee@astro.indiana.ed, E-mail: hlee@gemini.ed, E-mail: skillman@astro.umn.ed, E-mail: jlee@ociw.ed, E-mail: stephanie.cote@nrc-cnrc.gc.c, E-mail: robk@ast.cam.ac.u, E-mail: bmiller@gemini.ed. 2009. "CHEMICAL ABUNDANCES OF SEVEN IRREGULAR AND THREE TIDAL DWARF GALAXIES IN THE M81 GROUP". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/705/1/723.
@article{osti_21378361,
title = {CHEMICAL ABUNDANCES OF SEVEN IRREGULAR AND THREE TIDAL DWARF GALAXIES IN THE M81 GROUP},
author = {Croxall, Kevin V and Van Zee, Liese and Lee, Henry and Miller, Bryan W and Skillman, Evan D and Lee, Janice C and Cote, Stephanie and Kennicutt, Robert C., E-mail: kcroxall@astro.indiana.ed, E-mail: vanzee@astro.indiana.ed, E-mail: hlee@gemini.ed, E-mail: skillman@astro.umn.ed, E-mail: jlee@ociw.ed, E-mail: stephanie.cote@nrc-cnrc.gc.c, E-mail: robk@ast.cam.ac.u, E-mail: bmiller@gemini.ed},
abstractNote = {We have derived nebular abundances for 10 dwarf galaxies belonging to the M81 Group, including several galaxies which do not have abundances previously reported in the literature. For each galaxy, multiple H II regions were observed with GMOS-N at the Gemini Observatory in order to determine abundances of several elements (oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, neon, and argon). For seven galaxies, at least one H II region had a detection of the temperature sensitive [O III] lambda4363 line, allowing a 'direct' determination of the oxygen abundance. No abundance gradients were detected in the targeted galaxies, and the observed oxygen abundances are typically in agreement with the well-known metallicity-luminosity relation. However, three candidate 'tidal dwarf' galaxies lie well off this relation: UGC 5336, Garland, and KDG 61. The nature of these systems suggests that UGC 5336 and Garland are indeed recently formed systems, whereas KDG 61 is most likely a dwarf spheroidal galaxy which lies along the same line of sight as the M81 tidal debris field. We propose that these H II regions formed from previously enriched gas which was stripped from nearby massive galaxies (e.g., NGC 3077 and M81) during a recent tidal interaction.},
doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/705/1/723},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/21378361}, journal = {Astrophysical Journal},
issn = {0004-637X},
number = 1,
volume = 705,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 EDT 2009},
month = {Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 EDT 2009}
}