English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Deciphering the distribution of metals throughout galaxies is fundamental inour understanding of galaxy evolution. Nearby, low-metallicity, star-formingdwarf galaxies in particular can offer detailed insight into themetal-dependent processes that may have occurred within galaxies in the earlyUniverse. Here we present VLT/MUSE observations of one such system, JKB 18, ablue diffuse dwarf galaxy with a metallicity of only 12+log(O/H)=7.6$\pm$0.2(~0.08 Zsol). Using high spatial-resolution integral field spectroscopy of theentire system, we calculate chemical abundances for individual HII regionsusing the direct method and derive oxygen abundance maps using strong-linemetallicity diagnostics. With large-scale dispersions in O/H, N/H and N/O of~0.5-0.6 dex and regions harbouring chemical abundances outside this 1$\sigma$distribution, we deem JKB 18 to be chemically inhomogeneous. We explore thisfinding in the context of other chemically inhomogeneous dwarf galaxies andconclude that neither the accretion of metal-poor gas, short mixing timescales,or self-enrichment from Wolf-Rayet stars are accountable. Using a galaxy-scale,multi-phase, hydrodynamical simulation of a low-mass dwarf galaxy, we find thatchemical inhomogeneities of this level may be attributable to the removal ofgas via supernovae and the specific timing of the observations with respect tostar-formation activity. This study not only draws attention to the fact thatdwarf galaxies can be chemically inhomogeneous, but also that the methods usedin the assessment of this characteristic can be subject to bias.

Exploring Chemical Homogeneity in Dwarf Galaxies: A VLT-MUSE study of JKB 18