Open Access[O iii ]/[N ii ] as an abundance indicator at high redshift
Author(s) -
Pettini Max,
Pagel Bernard E. J.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.07591.x
Subject(s) - physics , astrophysics , redshift , abundance (ecology) , galaxy , astronomy , fishery , biology
Among ‘empirical’ methods of estimating oxygen abundances in extragalactic H ii regions, the use of the ratio of nebular lines of [O iii ] and [N ii ], first introduced by Alloin et al., is reappraised with modern calibration data and shown to have certain advantages over R 23 ≡ ([O ii ]+[O iii ])/Hβ and N 2 ≡[N ii ]λ6583/Hα , particularly when applied to star‐forming galaxies at high redshifts.