Open AccessOn the electron temperature determination in high‐metallicity H ii regions
Author(s) -
Pilyugin Leonid S.
Publication year - 2007
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.1365-2966.2006.11333.x
Subject(s) - physics , metallicity , electron temperature , line (geometry) , electron , astrophysics , oxygen , observable , atomic physics , electron excitation , excitation , galaxy , nuclear physics , quantum mechanics , geometry , mathematics
The problem of determination of the electron temperature t 2 in the O + zone of high‐metallicity H ii regions is examined. It is shown that the ratio of nebular to auroral nitrogen line intensities, which is an indicator of the electron temperature t 2 , can be expressed in terms of the nebular line intensities of oxygen. This solves the problem of the determination of the electron temperature t 2 , since the oxygen nebular lines are strong and, consequently, are readily observable. A relation between electron temperatures in the O + and O ++ zones in high‐metallicity H ii regions is studied. It is found that there is no one‐to‐one correspondence between t 2 and t 3 temperatures. Instead the t 2 – t 3 relation is dependent on the excitation parameter.