arXiv subjects

G. Stasinska

Publications and source records attributed to G. Stasinska.

58 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv1999

The dust content of planetary nebulae: a reappraisal

We have performed a statistical analysis using broad band IRAS data on about 500 planetary nebulae with the aim of characterizing their dust content. Our approach is different from previous studies in that it uses an extensive grid of photoionization models to test the methods for deriving the dust temperature, the dust-to-gas mass ratio and the average grain size. In addition, we use only distance independent diagrams. With our models, we show the effect of contamination by atomic lines in the broad band IRAS fluxes during planetary nebula evolution. We find that planetary nebulae with very different dust-to-gas mass ratios exist, so that the dust content is a primordial parameter for the interpretation of far infrared data of planetary nebulae. In contrast with previous studies, we find no evidence for a decrease in the dust-to-gas mass ratio as the planetary nebulae evolve. We also show that the decrease in grain size advocated by Natta and Panagia (1981, ApJ 248,189) and Lenzuni et al. (1989, ApJ 345, 306) is an artefact of their method of analysis. Our results suggest that the timescale for destruction of dust grains in planetary nebulae is larger than their lifetime. Footnote: Table 1 is also accessible in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html

astro-ph↗

arXiv1998

The analysis of giant HII regions using photoionization models

After briefly reviewing the impact of various parameters on photoionization models, we illustrate the importance of the nebular geometry by two examples: we first compare the results from models with thin shell and full shell geometry, and we study the influence of a diffuse ionized medium in the integrated spectra of galaxies at large redshift. Finally, we show how the calibration of the strong line method for deriving oxygen abundances depends on the assumed average properties of the ionizing star cluster and on the density distribution of the nebular gas.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1996

The Canada-France Redshift Survey XII: Nature of emission-line field galaxy population up to z = 0.3

We present a spectroscopic study of the 138 field galaxies to a redshift z = 0.3 from the I-selected Canada-France Redshift Survey. 117(85%) spectra exhibit at least H alpha in emission, the remaining 21(15%) are purely absorption-line spectra. We focus our analysis on spectra with H alpha and H beta in emission, accounting for about half of this low-z sample, which we classify using emission-line ratio diagrams. Using photoionization models, we determine the extreme boundaries of H II galaxies in these diagnostic diagrams, and demonstrate that the emission-line ratios of a significant fraction of galaxies require harder photoionization sources than massive O stars. We find that about 17% of the field galaxies have emission-line ratios consistent with active galaxies, e.g., Seyfert 2 or LINERs. After correcting for stellar absorption under the Balmer lines, we conclude that the fraction of such galaxies is at least 8% of the field galaxy population at z < 0.3.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1994

Nature of Field Galaxies in the (z<0.3) Universe from the CFRS Survey

We present the first detailed spectroscopic study of field galaxies up to z=0.3 from the I-magnitude limited CFRS sample. In this complete sample, we find that about half of the objects are blue emission-line galaxies. Using line ratio diagram and photoionization models, we show that in roughly half of these emission-line galaxies, ionization by hot stars cannot account for the observed line ratios. Their spectra have properties intermediate between Seyfert 2 galaxies and low-ionization nuclear emission-line regions (LINERs). Their number density (about 20%) relative to the total number of galaxies up to z=0.3, is much larger than the number density (2%) of active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the local Universe. Thus, the observed excess of blue galaxies in counts down to B=24 cannot be mainly due to starburst galaxies, as was previously thought. This result can shed a new light on the nature of the overabundant population of blue galaxies at low redshifts.

astro-ph↗