Open AccessOn the relation between electron temperatures in the O + and O ++ zones in high‐metallicity H ii regions
Author(s) -
Pilyugin Leonid S.,
Vílchez José M.,
Thuan Trinh X.
Publication year - 2006
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.1365-2966.2006.10618.x
Subject(s) - metallicity , physics , photoionization , astrophysics , doubly ionized oxygen , electron , line (geometry) , diagram , galaxy , emission spectrum , ion , ionization , spectral line , astronomy , statistics , nuclear physics , geometry , mathematics , quantum mechanics
We suggest a new way to establish the relation between the electron temperature t 3 within the [O iii ] zone and the electron temperature t 2 within the [O ii ] zone in high‐metallicity (12 + log(O/H) > 8.25) H ii regions. The t 2 – t 3 diagram is constructed by applying our method to a sample of 372 H ii regions. We find that the correlation between t 2 and t 3 is tight and can be approximated by a linear expression. The new t 2 – t 3 relation can be used to determine t 2 and accurate abundances in high‐metallicity H ii regions with a measured t 3 . It can also be used in conjunction with the ff relation for the determination of t 3 and t 2 and oxygen abundances in high‐metallicity H ii regions, where the [O iii ]λ4363 auroral line is not detected. The derived t 2 – t 3 relation is independent of photoionization models of H ii regions.