Interstellar dust from the Milky Way to the Magellanic Clouds

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (917) References (36) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Interstellar Dust from the Milky Way to the Magellanic Clouds Pei, Yichuan C. Abstract Interstellar dust in the Magellanic Clouds, with a weak or nearly absent 2175 A extinction feature, may be of interest in studies of galaxies in early stages of chemical evolution. To this inquiry, we extend the graphite-silicate grain model, introduced by Mathis, Rumpl, & Nordsieck and developed by Draine & Lee, from the Milky Way to the Magellanic Clouds. We find that the empirical extinction curves in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds can be reproduced by adjusting only the relative abundances of graphite and silicate grains, while leaving all other model properties fixed to those appropriate for the Galactic extinction curve. Using the graphite-silicate models, we calculate the absorption and scattering optical depths, the mass-density ratio of interstellar dust to neutral hydrogen, and the Kramers-Kronig relation for all three galaxies. We also present a fitting function for the three extinction curves, valid not only over the observed range of wavelengths but also over the full range as predicted by the models. All the quantities we derived here are independent of the dust-to-gas ratios in the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds, and can be applied to other galaxies if they contain Galactic or Magellanic-type dust. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: August 1992 DOI: 10.1086/171637 Bibcode: 1992ApJ...395..130P Keywords: Cosmic Dust; Intergalactic Media; Interstellar Extinction; Interstellar Matter; Magellanic Clouds; Milky Way Galaxy; Chemical Evolution; Far Ultraviolet Radiation; Kramers-Kronig Formula; Astrophysics; GALAXIES: INTERGALACTIC MEDIUM; GALAXIES: INTERSTELLAR MATTER; GALAXIES: MAGELLANIC CLOUDS; ISM: DUST; EXTINCTION full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (3) NED (2)