2006A&A...459...85N

Query : 2006A&A...459...85N

2006A&A...459...85N - Astronomy and Astrophysics, volume 459, 85-101 (2006/11-3)

Gas metallicity diagnostics in star-forming galaxies.

NAGAO T., MAIOLINO R. and MARCONI A.

Abstract (from CDS):

Generally the gas metallicity in distant galaxies can only be inferred by using a few prominent emission lines. Various theoretical models have been used to predict the relationship between emission line fluxes and metallicity, suggesting that some line ratios can be used as diagnostics of the gas metallicity in galaxies. However, accurate empirical calibrations of these emission line flux ratios from real galaxy spectra spanning a wide metallicity range are still lacking. In this paper we provide such empirical calibrations by using the combination of two sets of spectroscopic data: one consisting of low-metallicity galaxies with a measurement of [OIII]λ4363 taken from the literature, including spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), and the other one consisting of galaxies in the SDSS database whose gas metallicity has been determined from various strong emission lines in their spectra. This combined data set constitutes the largest sample of galaxies with information on the gas metallicity available so far and spanning the widest metallicity range. By using these data we obtain accurate empirical relations between gas metallicity and several emission line diagnostics, including the R23 parameter, the [NII]λ6584/Hα and [OIII]λ5007/[NII]λ6584 ratios. Our empirical diagrams show that the line ratio [OIII]λ5007/[OII]λ3727 is a useful tool to break the degeneracy in the R23 parameter when no information on the [NII]λ6584 line is available. The line ratio [NeIII]λ3869/[OII]λ3727 also results to be a useful metallicity indicator for high-z galaxies, especially when the R23 parameter or other diagnostics involving [OIII]λ5007 or [NII]λ6584 are not available. Additional, useful diagnostics newly proposed in this paper are the line ratios of (Hα+[NII]λλ6548,6584)/[SII]λ6720, [OIII]λ5007/Hβ, and [OII]λ3727/Hβ. Finally, we compare these empirical relations with photoionization models. We find that the empirical R23-metallicity sequence is strongly discrepant with respect to the trend expected by models with constant ionization parameter. Such a discrepancy is also found for other line ratios. These discrepancies provide evidence for a strong metallicity dependence of the average ionization parameter in galaxies. In particular, we find that the average ionization parameter in galaxies increases by ∼0.7dex as the metallicity decreases from 2Z☉ to 0.05Z☉, with a small dispersion. This result should warn about the use of theoretical models with constant ionization parameter to infer metallicities from observed line ratios.

Abstract Copyright: ∼

Journal keyword(s): galaxies: abundances - galaxies: evolution - galaxies: general - galaxies: ISM - HII regions

VizieR on-line data: <Available at CDS (J/A+A/459/85): table1.dat refs.dat>

Simbad objects: 133

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Number of rows : 133
N Identifier Otype ICRS (J2000)
RA 		ICRS (J2000)
DEC 		Mag U Mag B Mag V Mag R Mag I Sp type #ref
1850 - 2024 		#notes
1 GALEXASC J000210.08+171557.3 bCG 00 02 09.90 +17 15 59.0           ~ 10 0
2 IC 10 G 00 20 25.50 +59 17 17.0   13.6 9.5     ~ 1118 1
3 LEDA 1549 H2G 00 24 42.35 +01 44 01.7 16.58 16.91 16.51 16.21 15.89 ~ 28 0
4 LEDA 101433 AG? 00 32 03.11 +18 04 46.1           ~ 15 0
5 IC 1613 GiC 01 04 48.4071 +02 07 10.185   10.42 10.01 9.77   ~ 1235 2
6 UGC 772 LSB 01 13 40.450 +00 52 39.16   17       ~ 63 0
7 LEDA 101449 bCG 01 14 37.59 +21 31 17.7           ~ 12 0
8 NGC 450 H2G 01 15 30.4565036568 -00 51 39.125259576   13.4   13.3 13.2 ~ 227 0
9 UGC 993 H2G 01 25 34.1903008704 +07 59 24.703412028   15.6       ~ 44 0
10 GALEXASC J013121.37+284812.1 bCG 01 31 21.30 +28 48 12.0           ~ 12 0
11 HS 0134+3415 bCG 01 37 13.8 +34 31 12           ~ 8 0
12 Z 412-24 H2G 01 44 41.3 +04 53 26 15.07 15.50 15.16 14.86 14.58 ~ 99 0
13 LEDA 8099 AG? 02 07 26.48 +02 56 55.2   18       ~ 26 0
14 IRAS F02183+0019 AGN 02 20 54.530 +00 33 24.46   16.50       ~ 58 1
15 Mrk 600 AG? 02 51 04.57 +04 27 13.9 14.76 15.07 14.70 14.50 14.29 ~ 123 0
16 NGC 1140 EmG 02 54 33.5271666624 -10 01 43.142143908 12.41 12.84 12.49 13.6 13.5 ~ 286 1
17 SBSG 0335-052 bCG 03 37 44.06 -05 02 40.2     16.65     ~ 471 1
18 NGC 1741 EmG 05 01 38.3 -04 15 25   13.7   13.02 13.6 ~ 266 0
19 [GPM2009] J0519+0007 G 05 19 02.6953532514 +00 07 29.106797166           ~ 22 0
20 UGCA 116 H2G 05 55 42.645 +03 23 32.23 10.74 11.68 11.46   11.82 ~ 538 0
21 Mrk 5 H2G 06 42 15.53 +75 37 32.6   17.0       ~ 110 0
22 NGC 2363 AG? 07 28 29.59 +69 11 34.3   15.5       ~ 257 1
23 NGC 2363A HII 07 28 42.8 +69 11 21           ~ 564 3
24 LEDA 2790875 EmG 07 38 58.4 +35 05 36   17.6       ~ 7 0
25 Mrk 1409 AG? 07 45 29.73 +53 25 37.6   17.0       ~ 19 0
26 2MASX J07532750+5643369 EmG 07 53 27.4535027160 +56 43 37.037718444   17.0       ~ 9 0
27 LEDA 2800845 G 07 53 41.6 +56 41 52   18.0       ~ 23 0
28 SBSG 0749+582 G 07 53 54.00 +58 08 00.0   19       ~ 20 0
29 SHOC 193b EmG 08 14 47.5388458368 +49 04 00.695425440   18.6       ~ 10 0
30 UGC 4305 IG 08 19 04.9864630512 +70 43 13.086910452 12.06 11.72 11.39 11.11   ~ 768 2
31 UGC 4483 GiG 08 37 03.00 +69 46 31.0 15.70 15.46 14.98 14.89   ~ 302 0
32 US 1442 Sy1 08 40 29.9112912216 +47 07 10.241384412   18.2       ~ 62 0
33 LEDA 2815860 G 09 11 08.5930410792 +54 10 51.914854596   17.5       ~ 18 0
34 Mrk 1416 AG? 09 20 55.93 +52 34 07.2   17.0       ~ 59 0
35 HS 0924+3821 EmG 09 28 06.236 +38 07 57.05   18.5       ~ 15 0
36 LEDA 26955 AG? 09 30 09.041 +60 28 05.37           ~ 46 0
37 Mrk 116 PaG 09 34 02.1 +55 14 25           ~ 1104 1
38 [PST92] I Zw 18 Knot 1 PoG 09 34 02.3 +55 14 35           ~ 3 0
39 LEDA 27591 SBG 09 40 12.843 +29 35 30.30   16.32 16.08     ~ 57 0
40 MCG+00-25-010 Sy1 09 44 01.8742171440 -00 38 31.993352700   15.5       ~ 70 0
41 LEDA 27886 QSO 09 44 17.101 +54 11 28.83   19.5       ~ 71 0
42 LEDA 28091 G 09 46 46.6 +55 57 06   19       ~ 13 0
43 Mrk 22 Sy1 09 49 30.3096198376 +55 34 46.971972356   15.7       ~ 71 0
44 Mrk 1236 GiP 09 49 54.12 +00 36 58.5           ~ 35 0
45 LEDA 28398 EmG 09 51 31.7596930512 +52 59 35.987746452   18       ~ 44 0
46 NGC 3109 AG? 10 03 06.877 -26 09 34.46 11.10 10.42 10.04 9.91   ~ 769 2
47 HS 1028+3843 EmG 10 31 51.6330188208 +38 28 08.373160020   19.40       ~ 10 0
48 Mrk 1434 SBG 10 34 10.155 +58 03 49.13   16.5   16.54   ~ 73 0
49 Mrk 724 EmG 10 41 09.5920692336 +21 21 42.776300700   16.5       ~ 37 0
50 NGC 3353 AGN 10 45 22.390 +55 57 37.36 12.90 13.25 12.79     ~ 359 1
51 Mrk 1271 EmG 10 56 09.1162376616 +06 10 22.393310304   14.8       ~ 56 0
52 Z 184-40 AG? 10 57 47.0075966640 +36 15 38.824306272   15.5 16     ~ 42 1
53 Mrk 36 SBG 11 04 58.298 +29 08 16.54   15.5 15.29     ~ 225 0
54 Mrk 162 GiG 11 05 08.163 +44 44 48.93   14.6       ~ 53 0
55 LEDA 34646 G 11 19 24.8 +58 03 51   19.5       ~ 21 0
56 KISS F1115-643 EmG 11 19 31.9 +29 09 29   19.24 18.67     ~ 6 0
57 UGC 6345 B H2G 11 20 14.60 +02 31 51.0   18       ~ 24 1
58 UGC 6456 bCG 11 27 59.90 +78 59 39.0   14.50       ~ 335 1
59 LEDA 35516 EmG 11 31 16.3816974720 +57 03 58.650372432   18.5       ~ 36 0
60 MCG+10-17-011 AG? 11 32 02.6164558680 +57 22 36.292387908   17       ~ 59 1
61 Mrk 178 bCG 11 33 29.12 +49 14 17.4 14.69 14.61 14.25 14.17   ~ 230 1
62 UGC 6578 EmG 11 36 36.636 +00 49 02.61   15.3   14.518 15.1 ~ 122 0
63 Mrk 1450 H2G 11 38 35.6552554896 +57 52 26.636623644   15.5       ~ 121 1
64 Mrk 1304 AG? 11 42 12.253 +00 20 03.68   14.16 13.67 13.41 13.03 ~ 184 0
65 Mrk 750 H2G 11 50 02.7462827640 +15 01 23.396910168   15.4       ~ 81 0
66 LEDA 37102 Sy1 11 51 33.3537570144 -02 22 21.893502576   17       ~ 167 0
67 Mrk 1307 Sy1 11 52 37.19 -02 28 09.9   14.79   14.09 14.9 ~ 171 0
68 Mrk 193 AG? 11 55 28.34 +57 39 52.0   16.5       ~ 60 0
69 ESO 572-34 EmG 11 58 58.114 -19 01 47.67   14.19 17.8 13.41 14.4 ~ 85 0
70 LEDA 2815986 AG? 12 02 02.4750603336 +54 15 51.049196784   18.0       ~ 76 0
71 2MASX J12032304+4344395 EmG 12 03 23.049 +43 44 39.58           ~ 18 0
72 LEDA 2501589 AG? 12 08 28.1896864416 +55 25 25.797650880   17.0       ~ 31 0
73 CASG 159 EmG 12 10 16.96 +28 45 27.6   18.23 17.85     ~ 10 0
74 LEDA 39055 EmG 12 14 02.4588226248 +53 45 17.525587212   18       ~ 83 0
75 MCG+01-31-030 GiP 12 15 18.322 +05 45 40.28   14.9       ~ 92 0
76 Mrk 1315 H2G 12 15 18.5915257128 +20 38 26.666992356   16.5       ~ 53 0
77 SDSS J121534.69+362017.4 EmG 12 15 34.691 +36 20 17.49   17.5       ~ 9 0
78 NGC 4228 SBG 12 15 39.174 +36 19 36.80 10.63 10.30 9.93 9.74   ~ 965 1
79 HS 1214+3801 EmG 12 17 09.6997171584 +37 44 53.897601156   16.5       ~ 11 0
80 LEDA 39402 H2G 12 17 17.093 -28 02 32.67   17       ~ 135 0
81 LEDA 39845 GiC 12 20 40.2711363504 +13 53 22.758646344   17.5       ~ 54 0
82 CASG 177 EmG 12 24 35.10 +29 27 41.0   17.91 16.13     ~ 13 0
83 LEDA 2816013 AG? 12 25 05.438 +61 09 09.72   17.0       ~ 47 0
84 LEDA 40521 bCG 12 25 29.053 +13 29 53.26   18       ~ 37 0
85 ESO 380-27 H2G 12 25 46.95 -36 14 00.7   17.47   16.52   ~ 100 1
86 MCG+01-32-056 GiG 12 25 52.500 +05 48 36.32   15.2       ~ 76 0
87 Mrk 209 bCG 12 26 15.69 +48 29 38.3   15.3       ~ 346 0
88 RMB 132 bCG 12 30 48.6089418912 +12 02 42.805457196     16.78   16.44 ~ 99 0
89 IC 3453 GiG 12 31 37.742 +14 51 35.23   15.2       ~ 92 0
90 UGC 7673 SBG 12 31 58.569 +29 42 34.58   15.68 15.29     ~ 71 0
91 IC 3591 bCG 12 37 02.697 +06 55 33.26   14.6       ~ 133 1
92 CAIRNS J123718.50+291454.7 EmG 12 37 18.50 +29 14 54.7   19.91 19.78     ~ 12 0
93 MCG+02-32-161 GiG 12 37 41.518 +08 33 31.20   15.1       ~ 120 0
94 CAIRNS J123808.10+291049.7 EmG 12 38 08.10 +29 10 49.7   19.67 18.99     ~ 8 0
95 LEDA 140006 EmG 12 46 38.5 +29 27 37   18.4 17.97     ~ 15 0
96 LEDA 2790846 EmG 12 51 52.4 +49 03 25   18.0       ~ 54 0
97 Mrk 59 AGN 12 59 00.288 +34 50 42.45           ~ 317 2
98 NGC 4861 H2G 12 59 02.340 +34 51 33.98   12.90 12.32     ~ 383 2
99 KISS F1312-2143 EmG 13 13 16.4 +44 02 30           ~ 11 0
100 UGC 8303 GiP 13 13 17.60 +36 13 03.0   13.73   12.96   ~ 88 1
101 Mrk 450 H2G 13 14 48.796 +34 52 53.18   14.9       ~ 87 0
102 LEDA 2816050 G 13 21 22.6 +57 41 29   18.5       ~ 26 0
103 2MASX J13212499+5741501 GiP 13 21 24.045 +57 41 40.13   18.5       ~ 30 0
104 SBSG 1319+579C G 13 21 25.10 +57 42 38.0           ~ 17 0
105 LEDA 140180 SBG 13 26 25.0618826160 +29 10 31.695940992   17.74 17.18     ~ 35 0
106 Z 246-12 AG? 13 33 23.308 +49 06 12.95   15.11 14.78     ~ 49 0
107 UCM 1331+2900 EmG 13 33 45.38 +28 45 12.6   18.86 18.26     ~ 24 0
108 CAIRNS J133355.80+292151.9 EmG 13 33 55.80 +29 21 51.9   18.9 18.28     ~ 9 0
109 Mrk 67 EmG 13 41 56.4808997304 +30 31 09.652262088   16.5       ~ 94 0
110 NAME TR 1346-35 EmG 13 49 17.5109711256 -36 03 48.860478360   11.00   10.11   ~ 111 1
111 KISS F1355-4898 SBG 13 57 09.9355841256 +29 13 10.411415652   17.49 17.15     ~ 24 0
112 Mrk 1486 H2G 13 59 50.9040921984 +57 26 22.988579172   17.0       ~ 69 0
113 UGC 9128 AG? 14 15 57.0834 +23 03 29.871 15.40 14.77 14.41 14.32   ~ 283 0
114 MCG+07-29-060 QSO 14 17 01.716 +43 30 13.52   15.6       ~ 172 0
115 LEDA 2816094 AG? 14 22 38.8346401032 +54 14 09.220979148   18.5       ~ 31 0
116 LEDA 140317 EmG 14 25 44.090 +43 51 48.74           ~ 15 0
117 LEDA 2793644 EmG 14 33 50.02320 +29 34 08.6880   17.8 17.42     ~ 23 0
118 Mrk 475 EmG 14 39 05.4743306976 +36 48 21.838203540   17.0       ~ 106 0
119 LEDA 101521 EmG 14 42 16.0263018240 +42 49 49.767334896   17       ~ 28 0
120 CASG 1258 EmG 14 44 00.146 +29 15 56.62   17.13 16.71     ~ 25 0
121 UGC 9497 H2G 14 44 12.8032800372 +42 37 43.773570223   16.0       ~ 82 0
122 KISSB 186 SBG 15 15 42.5 +29 01 40   19.83 19.42     ~ 13 0
123 UGC 9803 EmG 15 17 17.875 +29 24 01.94   16.83 16.38     ~ 32 0
124 NVSS J153412+571655 rG 15 34 13.3862564640 +57 17 07.282532472   15.8       ~ 75 1
125 SBSG 1533+574B GiP 15 34 14.16 +57 17 03.5   16.6       ~ 28 1
126 GB1 1533+470 G 15 35 00.00 +46 49 06.0   16.0       ~ 19 0
127 KISS F1535-4863 EmG 15 35 56.0 +29 44 20   18.56 17.83     ~ 6 0
128 Mrk 487 bCG 15 37 04.237 +55 15 47.60   15.2       ~ 132 0
129 KISS F1615-4535 SBG 16 16 38.894 +29 03 32.46   17.79 17.38     ~ 16 0
130 SDSS J210455.31-003522.3 G 21 04 55.310 -00 35 22.38           ~ 31 0
131 IC 5152 AG? 22 02 41.521 -51 17 47.20   11.03 10.9 10.19   ~ 252 1
132 HS 2236+1344 bCG 22 38 31.1192205216 +14 00 29.770282476           ~ 37 0
133 Mrk 930 AGN 23 31 58.630 +28 56 50.51 14.27 15.04 14.63 14.56 14.46 ~ 139 0

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