WOLF-RAYET STARS IN LOCAL GROUP GALAXIES - NUMBERS AND SPECTRAL PROPERTIES

被引:50
|
作者
ARMANDROFF, TE
MASSEY, P
机构
[1] UNIV ARIZONA,MULTIPLE MIRROR TELESCOPE OBSERV,TUCSON,AZ 85721
[2] SMITHSONIAN INST,MULTIPLE MIRROR TELESCOPE OBSERV,WASHINGTON,DC 20560
来源
ASTRONOMICAL JOURNAL | 1991年 / 102卷 / 03期
关键词
D O I
10.1086/115924
中图分类号
P1 [天文学];
学科分类号
0704 ;
摘要
A large number of spectra have been obtained of Wolf-Rayet (WR) candidates found by CCD surveys in regions of M31, M33, NGC 6822, and IC 1613. Using these newly acquired data as well as published work, we attempt to answer the questions posed at the beginning of our survey project concerning the relative population of WR stars in these galaxies, what correlation exists between metallicity and WC/WN ratio, and whether the stellar wind properties of these stars vary from system to system. We continue to find that extragalactic WR stars are readily classifiable into spectral types found in the Galaxy and Magellanic Clouds, although the latest WC types (WC8 and WC9) have so far been found only in the inner part of the Milky Way. We find two examples of intermediate WN/WC objects in M31, similar to those known in the Galaxy and LMC. Equivalent widths and full widths at half maximum are measured for the strongest emission lines to see how the stellar wind properties compare between galaxies. We find that the M33 and M31 WN stars are like those of the Galaxy and LMC, while the WN stars of NGC 6822 have weaker lines and are more like the WN stars found in the SMC. The WC stars in M33 and M31 are peculiar in that stars with narrow and strong lines are lacking. An examination of the available data on Galactic stars reveals that the WC stars with both narrow and strong lines are preferentially found in the inner part of the Milky Way along with the WC8 and WC9 stars which are missing in M33 and M31. We find that both M33 and the Galaxy show a clear change from their inner to outer regions in the distribution of WC stars in the line-strength, line-width diagram, in the sense that the stars with the strongest and broadest lines are found in the outer regions; no such change with galactocentric distance is found for the M31 WC stars. We suggest that changing metallicity is at least partially responsible for this effect. Between the inner and outer samples in the Milky Way and in M33 there is a strong change in metallicity, while the metallicity gradient in M31 is much weaker. However, some parameter(s) other than metallicity must also be acting. WC/WN ratios and WR number densities are also calculated from our data. We find that the WC/WN ratio is not a monotonic function of metallicity, in disagreement with theoretical predictions. The solar neighborhood, M33, and M31 have WC/WN ratios that agree within the errors despite their different metallicities, while the LMC and the regions surveyed in M33 have similar metallicities but very different WC/WN ratios. The WR surface density is similar in the SMC, NGC 6822, and IC1613, but is a factor of 2 higher in the LMC. The solar neighborhood and M33 have similar WR surface densities, while the most active regions in M33 have a WR surface density that is a factor of 6 higher than the most active regions in M31.
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收藏
页码:927 / 950
页数:24
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