Recombination Lines Research Articles

Present-day mass-metallicity relation for galaxies using a new electron temperature method

Aims.We investigate electron temperature (Te) and gas-phase oxygen abundance (ZTe) measurements for galaxies in the local Universe (z < 0.25). Our sample comprises spectra from a total of 264 emission-line systems, ranging from individual HIIregions to whole galaxies, including 23 composite HIIregions from star-forming main sequence galaxies in the MaNGA survey.Methods.We utilise 130 of these systems with directly measurableTe(OII) to calibrate a new metallicity-dependentTe(OIII)–Te(OII) relation that provides a better representation of our varied dataset than existing relations from the literature. We also provide an alternativeTe(OIII)–Te(NII) calibration. This newTemethod is then used to obtain accurateZTeestimates and form the mass – metallicity relation (MZR) for a sample of 118 local galaxies.Results.We find that all theTe(OIII)–Te(OII) relations considered here systematically under-estimateZTefor low-ionisation systems by up to 0.6 dex. We determine that this is due to such systems having an intrinsically higher O+abundance than O++abundance, renderingZTeestimates based only on [OIII] lines inaccurate. We therefore provide an empirical correction based on strong emission lines to account for this bias when using our newTe(OIII)–Te(OIII) andTe(OIII)–Te(NII) relations. This allows for accurate metallicities (1σ = 0.08 dex) to be derived for any low-redshift system with an [OIII]λ4363 detection, regardless of its physical size or ionisation state. The MZR formed from our dataset is in very good agreement with those formed from direct measurements of metal recombination lines and blue supergiant absorption lines, in contrast to most otherTe-based and strong-line-based MZRs. Our newTemethod therefore provides an accurate and precise way of obtainingZTefor a large and diverse range of star-forming systems in the local Universe.

The GBT Diffuse Ionized Gas Survey: Tracing the Diffuse Ionized Gas around the Giant Hii Region W43

Abstract The Green Bank Telescope Diffuse Ionized Gas Survey (GDIGS) is a fully sampled radio recombination line (RRL) survey of the inner Galaxy at C-band (4–8 GHz). We average together ∼15 Hnα RRLs within the receiver bandpass to improve the spectral signal-to-noise ratio. The average beam size for the RRL observations at these frequencies is ∼2′. We grid these data to have spatial and velocity spacings of 30″ and 0.5 , respectively. Here we discuss the first RRL data from GDIGS: a 6 deg2 area surrounding the Galactic H II region complex W43. We attempt to create a map devoid of emission from discrete H II regions and detect RRL emission from the diffuse ionized gas (DIG) across nearly the entire mapped area. We estimate the intensity of the DIG emission by a simple empirical model, taking only the H II region locations, angular sizes, and RRL intensities into account. The DIG emission is predominantly found at two distinct velocities: ∼40 and ∼100 . While the 100 component is associated with W43 at a distance of ∼6 kpc, the origin of the 40 component is less clear. Since the distribution of the 40 emission cannot be adequately explained by ionizing sources at the same velocity, we hypothesize that the plasma at the two velocity components is interacting, placing the 40 DIG at a similar distance as the 100 emission. We find a correlation between dust temperature and integrated RRL intensity, suggesting that the same radiation field that heats the dust also maintains the ionization of the DIG.

Integrated approach to the PDR/H ii complex by the application of carbon radio recombination lines in the millimetre range and fine-structure lines of C ii and O i

ABSTRACT We have performed self-consistent calculations to estimate the physical parameters of photodissociation regions (PDRs) associated with objects, namely, NGC 2024, Orion A and W3, using far-infrared continuum emission, fine-structure lines of C ii and O i, and radio recombination lines of carbon. Typically, PDRs separate H ii regions from the molecular cloud; therefore, necessary corrections for the contribution to C ii line emission due to the H ii region are made. For that purpose, using observational data, theoretical calculations are performed to obtain the best fit for the said observations. Three parameters, angular size, θ (in arcminutes), far-ultraviolet radiation field G0, and hydrogen density nH (which gives electron density and temperature), are varied, and the sets of parameters (G0 and nH) obtained for the NGC 2024, Orion A and W3 PDRs are (7.6 × 104 and 1.2 × 105 cm−3), (2.8 × 105 and 2.3 × 105 cm−3) and (3.7 × 105 and 1.9 × 105 cm−3), respectively. The relationship between line and continuum emissions from PDRs associated with H ii regions leads us to conclude that exciting stars for the NGC 2024, Orion A and W3 H ii regions are O8–O9V, O6–O7V and O5–O6V, respectively.

Интерпретация радиоастрономических наблюдений H2CO и H110α в областях звездообразования W40 и Serpens South молекулярного облака Aquila

This study presents the results of radio astronomy observations of the absorption spectral lines of a formaldehyde molecule (H2CO) and the H110α recombination line towards the Aquila molecular cloud. The paper interprets the radio astronomy observations of H2CO (l10-l11) and H110α in the W40 and Serpens South of the Aquila Rift molecular complex, which were obtained by the 26 m Nan-Shan radio telescope of the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In order to construct radio maps, we also used archival data obtained by observing 12СО(2−1) and 13CO(2−1) and 6 cm continuum molecules for the Aquila Rift region. Based on the obtained observational data, the optical depth and column density were calculated for the H2CO absorption line and 13CO emission line (J = 1-0), integrated intensity maps were constructed with the ionized hydrogen region H II and imposed contours that correspond to the absorption lines of H2CO and the recombination line H110α in the direction of the Aquila molecular cloud; maps of radiation intensity 13CO (1−0), distribution of 6 cm of the radio continuum, infrared radiation superimposed on integrated absorption contours of H2CO; dependences of linear flows and peak column densities for H2CO and 13CO are obtained. In the work it is shown that the Serpens South region, highlighted by the contours during the absorption of formaldehyde H2CO, comes from the cosmic microwave background. A correlation was found between the parameter values ​​for the H2CO absorption line and the 13CO emission line. Integrated intensity maps were constructed for various values ​​of the channel velocity of the H2CO absorption line in the direction of the Aquila molecular cloud. It was revealed that the rates of H2CO and 13CO have close values ​​to each other. An analysis of the study led to the conclusion that the absorption lines of the H2CO formaldehyde molecule and the 13CO emission lines originate from the same region in the Aquila Rift complex of the Aquila molecular cloud.

Cosmology with recombination spectrum

Precision measurement of the cosmological recombination spectrum can provide an entire new window to look at the early universe. We aim to quantify the information hidden in the cosmological recombination spectrum and for this purpose we have developed a new code following the algorithm proposed in [1,2]. Our code is closely based on the COSMOSPEC [3] code. We find, using Fisher information matrix and assuming that the foregrounds can be subtracted by using higher or lower frequency channels and spatial information, that going beyond the detection will need an experiment with sensitivity 25× better compared to the proposed experiment PIXIE. Such an experiment will be able to measure the cosmological parameters with a precision that is competitive with the CMB anisotropy experiments. The best constrainted parameter is baryon energy density, Ωb, which can be nailed down with incredible precision in principle. We also show that the shape of the hydrogen lines is connected to the speed of the hydrogen recombination, with the peaks of the recombination lines coinciding with the peak of the recombination rate. In general, the shape of the lines encodes information about the rate of recombination as a function of redshift.

Reassessing Dust's Role in Forming the CMB

The notion that dust might have formed the cosmic microwave background (CMB) has been strongly refuted on the strength of four decades of observation and analysis, in favour of recombination at a redshift z ~ 1080. But tension with the data is growing in several other areas, including measurements of the Hubble constant H(z) and the BAO scale, which directly or indirectly impact the physics at the surface of last scattering (LSS). The R_h=ct universe resolves at least some of this tension. We show in this paper that---if the BAO scale is in fact equal to the acoustic horizon---the redshift of the LSS in this cosmology is z_cmb ~ 16, placing it within the era of Pop III star formation, prior to the epoch of reionization at 15 > z > 6. Quite remarkably, the measured values of z_cmb and H_0 = H(0) in this model are sufficient to argue that the CMB temperature today ought to be ~ 3 K, so H_0 and the baryon to photon ratio are not independent free parameters. This scenario might have resulted from rethermalization of the CMB photons by dust, presumably supplied to the interstellar medium by the ejecta of Pop III stars. Dust rethermalization may therefore yet resurface as a relevant ingredient in the R_h=ct universe. Upcoming high sensitivity instruments should be able to readily distinguish between the recombination and dust scenarios by either (i) detecting recombination lines at z ~ 1080, or (ii) establishing a robust frequency-dependent variation of the CMB power spectrum at the level of ~ 2-4% across the sampled frequency range.

The Star-forming Interstellar Medium of Lyman Break Galaxy Analogs

Abstract We present Very Large Telescope SINFONI near-infrared (NIR) integral field spectroscopy of six z ∼ 0.2 Lyman break galaxy “analogs” (LBAs) from which we detect H i, He i, and [Fe ii] recombination lines and multiple H2 rovibrational lines in emission. The Paα kinematics reveal high velocity dispersions and low rotational velocities relative to random motions ( ). Matched-aperture comparisons of Hβ, Hα, and Paα reveal that the nebular color excesses are lower relative to the continuum color excesses than is the case for typical local star-forming systems. We compare observed He i/H i recombination line ratios to photoionization models to gauge the effective temperatures (T eff) of massive ionizing stars, finding that the properties of at least one LBA are consistent with extra heating from an active galactic nucleus (AGN) and/or an overabundance of massive stars. We use H2 1−0 S(·) rovibrational spectra to determine a rotational excitation temperature T ex ∼ 2000 K for warm molecular gas, which we attribute to UV heating in dense photon-dominated regions. Spatially resolved NIR line ratios favor excitation by massive young stars, rather than supernova or AGN feedback. Our results suggest that the local analogs of Lyman break galaxies are primarily subject to strong feedback from recent star formation, with evidence for AGNs and outflows in some cases.

Determining the primordial helium abundance and UV background using fluorescent emission in star-free dark matter haloes

ABSTRACT Observational measures of the primordial helium mass fraction, YP, are of interest for cosmology and fundamental particle physics. Current measures obtained from ${\text{H}\, \small {II}}$ regions agree with the Standard Model prediction to approximately 1 per cent precision, although these determinations may be affected by systematic uncertainties. This possibility can only be tested by independently measuring the helium abundance in new ways. Here, we propose a novel method to obtain a measurement of YP using hydrogen and helium recombination line emission from REionization-Limited HI Clouds (RELHICs): pristine, gas-rich but star-free low-mass dark matter haloes whose existence is predicted by hydrodynamical simulations. Although expected to be uncommon and intrinsically faint in emission, the primordial composition and simple physical properties of these objects make them an ideal laboratory to determine YP. We present radiative transfer simulations to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach, finding that a comparison of the emission in H and He lines, either via their volumetric emissivities, or integrated properties such as the surface brightness and total flux, may be used to infer YP. Furthermore, we show that RELHICs can be used to provide an entirely novel constraint on the spectral slope of the ultraviolet background, and discuss the possibility of measuring this slope and the primordial helium abundance simultaneously.

Metallicity Structure in the Milky Way Disk Revealed by Galactic H ii Regions

Abstract The metallicity structure of the Milky Way disk stems from the chemodynamical evolutionary history of the Galaxy. We use the National Radio Astronomy Observatory Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array to observe ∼8–10 GHz hydrogen radio recombination line and radio-continuum emission toward 82 Galactic H ii regions. We use these data to derive the electron temperatures and metallicities for these nebulae. Since collisionally excited lines from metals (e.g., oxygen, nitrogen) are the dominant cooling mechanism in H ii regions, the nebular metallicity can be inferred from the electron temperature. Including previous single-dish studies, there are now 167 nebulae with radio-determined electron temperature and either parallax or kinematic distance determinations. The interferometric electron temperatures are systematically 10% larger than those found in previous single-dish studies, likely due to incorrect data analysis strategies, optical depth effects, and/or the observation of different gas by the interferometer. By combining the interferometer and single-dish samples, we find an oxygen abundance gradient across the Milky Way disk with a slope of −0.052 ± 0.004 dex kpc−1. We also find significant azimuthal structure in the metallicity distribution. The slope of the oxygen gradient varies by a factor of ∼2 when Galactocentric azimuths near ∼30° are compared with those near ∼100°. This azimuthal structure is consistent with simulations of Galactic chemodynamical evolution influenced by spiral arms.

Realistic models for filling and abundance discrepancy factors in photoionized nebulae

ABSTRACT When comparing nebular electron densities derived from collisionally excited lines (CELs) to those estimated using the emission measure, significant discrepancies are common. The standard solution is to view nebulae as aggregates of dense regions of constant density in an otherwise empty void. This porosity is parametrized by a filling factor f < 1. Similarly, abundance and temperature discrepancies between optical recombination lines (ORLs) and CELs are often explained by invoking a dual delta distribution of a dense, cool, metal-rich component immersed in a diffuse, warm, metal-poor plasma. In this paper, we examine the possibility that the observational diagnostics that lead to such discrepancies can be produced by a realistic distribution of density and temperature fluctuations, such as might arise in plasma turbulence. We produce simulated nebulae with density and temperature fluctuations described by various probability distribution functions (pdfs). Standard astronomical diagnostics are applied to these simulated observations to derive estimates of nebular densities, temperatures, and abundances. Our results show that for plausible density pdfs, the simulated observations lead to filling factors in the observed range. None of our simulations satisfactorily reproduce the abundance discrepancy factors (ADFs) in planetary nebulae, although there is possible consistency with H ii regions. Compared to the case of density-only and temperature-only fluctuations, a positive correlation between density and temperature reduces the filling factor and ADF (from optical CELs), whereas a negative correlation increases both, eventually causing the filling factor to exceed unity. This result suggests that real observations can provide constraints on the thermodynamics of small-scale fluctuations.

Carbon depletion observed inside T Tauri inner rims

Context. The carbon content of protoplanetary disks is an important parameter to characterize planets formed at different disk radii. There is some evidence from far-infrared and submillimeter observations that gas in the outer disk is depleted in carbon, with a corresponding enhancement of carbon-rich ices at the disk midplane. Observations of the carbon content inside of the inner sublimation rim could confirm how much carbon remains locked in kilometer size bodies in the disk. Aims. I aim to determine the density, temperature, and carbon abundance inside the disk dust sublimation rim in a set of T Tauri stars with full protoplanetary disks. Methods. Using medium-resolution, near-infrared (0.8–2.5 μm) spectra and the new Gaia DR2 distances, I self-consistently determine the stellar, extinction, veiling, and accretion properties of the 26 stars in my sample. From these values, and non-accreting T Tauri spectral templates, I extract the inner disk excess of the target stars from their observed spectra. Then I identify a series of C0 recombination lines in 18 of these disks and use the CHIANTI atomic line database with an optically thin slab model to constrain the average ne, Te, and nc for these lines in the five disks with a complete set of lines. By comparing these values with other slab models of the inner disk using the Cloudy photoionization code, I also constrain nH and the carbon abundance, XC, and hence the amount of carbon “missing” from the slab. For one disk, DR Tau, I use relative abundances for the accretion stream from the literature to also determine XSi and XN. Results. The inner disks modeled here are extremely dense (nH ~ 1016 cm−3), warm (Te ~ 4500 K), and moderately ionized (log Xe ~ 3.3). Three of the five modeled disks show robust carbon depletion up to a factor of 42 relative to the solar value. I discuss multiple ways in which the “missing” carbon could be locked out of the accreting gas. Given the high-density inner disk gas, evidence for radial drift, and lack of obvious gaps in these three systems, their carbon depletion is most consistent with the “missing” carbon being sequestered in kilometer size bodies. For DR Tau, nitrogen and silicon are also depleted by factors of 45 and 4, respectively, suggesting that the kilometer size bodies into which the grains are locked were formed beyond the N2 snowline. I explore briefly what improvements in the models and observations are needed to better address this topic in the future.

G−0.02−0.07, the compact H ii region complex nearest to the galactic center with ALMA

Abstract We have observed the compact H ii region complex nearest to the dynamical center of the Galaxy, G−0.02−0.07, using ALMA in the H42α recombination line, CS J = 2–1, H13CO+J = 1–0, and SiO v = 0, J = 2–1 emission lines, and the 86 GHz continuum emission. The H ii regions HII-A to HII-C in the cluster are clearly resolved into a shell-like feature with a bright half and a dark half in the recombination line and continuum emission. The analysis of the absorption features in the molecular emission lines show that H ii-A, B, and C are located on the near side of the “Galactic center 50 km s−1 molecular cloud” (50MC), but HII-D is located on the far side of it. The electron temperatures and densities ranges are Te = 5150–5920 K and ne = 950–2340 cm−3, respectively. The electron temperatures in the bright half are slightly lower than those in the dark half, while the electron densities in the bright half are slightly higher than those in the dark half. The H ii regions are embedded in the ambient molecular gas. There are some molecular gas components compressed by a C-type shock wave around the H ii regions. From the line width of the H42α recombination line, the expansion velocities of HII-A, HII-B, HII-C, and HII-D are estimated to be Vexp = 16.7, 11.6, 11.1, and 12.1 km s−1, respectively. The expansion timescales of HII-A, HII-B, HII-C, and HII-D are estimated to be tage ≃ 1.4 × 104, 1.7 × 104, 2.0 × 104, and 0.7 × 104 yr, respectively. The spectral types of the central stars from HII-A to HII-D are estimated to be O8V, O9.5V, O9V, and B0V, respectively. These derived spectral types are roughly consistent with the previous radio estimation. The positional relation among the H ii regions, the SiO molecule enhancement area, and Class-I maser spots suggest that a shock wave caused by a cloud–cloud collision propagated along the line from HII-C to HII-A in the 50MC. The shock wave would have triggered the massive star formation.

An nl-model with radiative transfer for hydrogen recombination line masers

Abstract Atomic hydrogen masers occur in recombination plasmas in sufficiently dense H ii regions. These hydrogen recombination line (HRL) masers have been observed in a handful of objects to date and the analysis of the atomic physics involved has been rudimentary. In this work a new model of HRL masers is presented which uses an nl-model to describe the atomic populations interacting with free-free radiation from the plasma, and an escape probability framework to deal with radiative transfer effects. The importance of including the collisions between angular momentum quantum states and the free-free emission in models of HRL masers is demonstrated. The model is used to describe the general behaviour of radiative transfer of HRLs and to investigate the conditions under which HRL masers form. The model results show good agreement with observations collected over a broad range of frequencies. Theoretical predictions are made regarding the ratio of recombination lines from the same upper quantum level for these objects.

Identification of a conserved ph1b-mediated 5DS–5BS crossing over site in soft-kernel durum wheat (Triticum turgidum subsp. durum) lines

Genetic recombination is the major mechanism and basis of genetic diversity and crop improvement. Recombination typically occurs between homologous chromosomes. In wheat, however, it can also occur between homoeologous chromosomes if a functional Ph1 (Pairing homoeologous-1) locus is absent (ph1b). Recently, the genes for soft kernel trait on the distal 5DS chromosome of common wheat were transferred into chromosome 5BS of durum wheat through ph1b-mediated recombination. Several independent 5DS–5BS recombination lines carrying the 5DS translocation were obtained. However, the specific size of the translocation and region where the translocation breakpoint occurred was not determined for any of the lines. In the present study, four independent 5DS–5BS recombination lines were investigated and the translocation breakpoints were fine-mapped and sequenced. All the analyzed lines lost a 5BS fragment of ~ 20,742,425 bp and gained a 5DS fragment of ~ 28,163,252 bp. The recombination breakpoint in each line was located within a predicted gene in a conserved 39 bp region, suggesting the presence of a recombination hotspot. The information obtained was then used to develop a KASP marker diagnostic for the 5DS–5BS translocation. Finally, a subset of the soft durum wheat lines exhibiting varying degrees of kernel hardness was analyzed through genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). From both the GISH and SEM analyses no major differences were detected among the lines, indicating that factors other than ph1b-mediated recombination or endosperm morphology were responsible for the variation in kernel hardness.

Electron Densities and Nitrogen Abundances in Ionized Gas Derived Using [N ii] Fine-structure and Hydrogen Recombination Lines

Abstract We present a method for deriving the electron density of ionized gas using the ratio of the intensity of the [N ii] 205 μm line to that of hydrogen radio recombination lines (RRLs). We use this method to derive electron densities of 21 velocity components in 11 lines of sight through the Galaxy, including the Galactic center. We observed, at high spectral resolution, the [N ii] 205 μm with the Herschel/HIFI and SOFIA/GREAT instruments and the RRLs with the Green Bank Telescope and the NASA Deep Space Network Deep Space Station 43 (DSS-43) telescope. We find typical electron densities between 8 and 170 cm−3, which are consistent with those derived at low spectral resolution using the [N ii] 205 μm/122 μm ratio with Herschel/PACS on a larger sample of sight lines in the Galactic plane. By matching the electron densities derived from the [N ii] 205 μm/RRL intensity ratio and the [N ii] 122 μm/205 μm intensity ratio, we derive the nitrogen fractional abundance for most of the velocity components. We investigate the dependence of the N/H ratio on galactocentric distance in the inner Galaxy (R gal < 6 kpc), which is inaccessible in optical studies owing to dust extinction. We find that the distribution of nitrogen abundances in the inner Galaxy derived from our data has a slope that is consistent with that found in the outer Galaxy in optical studies. This result is inconsistent with some suggestions of a flatter distribution of the nitrogen abundance in the inner Galaxy.

Discovery of a Photoionized Bipolar Outflow toward the Massive Protostar G45.47+0.05

Abstract Massive protostars generate strong radiation feedback, which may help set the mass that they achieve by the end of the accretion process. Studying such feedback is therefore crucial for understanding the formation of massive stars. We report the discovery of a photoionized bipolar outflow toward the massive protostar G45.47+0.05 using high-resolution observations at 1.3 mm with the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) and at 7 mm with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). By modeling the free–free continuum, the ionized outflow is found to be a photoevaporation flow with an electron temperature of 10,000 K and an electron number density of ∼1.5 × 107 cm−3 at the center, launched from a disk of radius of 110 au. H30α hydrogen recombination line emission shows strong maser amplification, with G45 being one of very few sources to show such millimeter recombination line masers. The mass of the driving source is estimated to be 30–50 M ⊙ based on the derived ionizing photon rate, or 30–40 M ⊙ based on the H30α kinematics. The kinematics of the photoevaporated material is dominated by rotation close to the disk plane, while accelerated to outflowing motion above the disk plane. The mass loss rate of the photoevaporation outflow is estimated to be ∼(2–3.5) × 10−5 M ⊙ yr−1. We also found hints of a possible jet embedded inside the wide-angle ionized outflow with nonthermal emissions. The possible coexistence of a jet and a massive photoevaporation outflow suggests that, in spite of the strong photoionization feedback, accretion is still ongoing.

How to measure CMB spectral distortions with an imaging telescope

We propose the implementation of an imaging telescope in combination with an inter-frequency calibrator to measure the spectral shape of the microwave sky by exploiting the differences in the sky intensity between multiple pairs of frequency channels. By jointly sampling the cosmological and foreground parameters in a Bayesian framework for $600$ instrument configurations, we determine the minimum calibration accuracy required in order to obtain measurements of spectral distortions and simultaneously measure spectral and spatial fluctuations of the CMB. We demonstrate the feasibility of this technique for a CMB mission like PICO (Probe of Inflation and Cosmic Origins), and show that a $10$-$\sigma$ measurement of the $y$-distortion along with a two orders of magnitude improvement on the FIRAS (Far-Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer) $\mu$-distortion limit is feasible from this technique. We argue that longer term applications may be envisaged at even higher sensitivity, capable of attaining the $\mu$-distortion that provide a robust prediction of the $\Lambda$CDM model and even primordial recombination lines of hydrogen and helium, in the context of the ESA (European Space Agency) Voyage 2035-2050 program.

The Relationship between 6.7 GHz Methanol Masers and Radio Recombination Lines in High-mass Star-forming Regions

Abstract We report a systematic survey of a 6.7 GHz Class II methanol maser toward a sample of 448 sources selected from the Red Midcourse Space Experiment Source catalog. These sample sources are composed of high-mass star-forming region (HMSFR) candidates and have been studied as tracers of HMSFRs, such as water masers or radio continuum emission of ultracompact H ii region. The survey was conducted using the Shanghai Tianma Radio Telescope. Through the observations, we simultaneously studied the 4.7 and 6.0 GHz excited-state interstellar hydroxyl (OH) maser lines and 10 hydrogen radio recombination lines (RRLs) in the C band. In total, we detected 6.7 GHz methanol masers and RRLs from 102 and 116 sources, respectively. In addition, 4, 3, and 10 sources exhibit OH masers at 4765.56, 6030.75, and 6035.09 MHz transitions, respectively. Through the survey, we identified four new 6.7 GHz methanol maser sources and three new excited-state OH maser sources (one at 4750 MHz and two at 6035 MHz). The statistical analysis demonstrated that there is a positive correlation of luminosity between 6.7 GHz methanol masers and RRLs. A good correlation of integrated luminosity between radio continuum emission and the 6.7 GHz methanol masers is presented with respect to the RRL emission sources. The average of the integrated luminosities of the RRLs in the sources with 6.7 GHz masers is greater than those without the 6.7 GHz masers; similarly, the average of integrated luminosities of the 6.7 GHz methanol masers in the sources with RRLs is greater than those without the RRLs. Moreover, we found that the averages of the emission measure and electron temperature of H ii regions associated with 6.7 GHz methanol masers are larger than those without the 6.7 GHz methanol masers. This suggests that the masers are most likely produced in high gas density and luminous regions with brighter RRLs and higher radio continuum emission.

He ii Emission from Wolf–Rayet Stars as a Tool for Measuring Dust Reddening

Abstract We calibrated a technique to measure dust attenuation in star-forming galaxies. The technique utilizes the stellar-wind lines in Wolf–Rayet stars, which are widely observed in galaxy spectra. The He ii 1640 and 4686 features are recombination lines whose ratio is largely determined by atomic physics. Therefore they can serve as a stellar dust probe in the same way as the Balmer lines are used as a nebular probe. We measured the strength of the He ii 1640 line in 97 Wolf–Rayet stars in the Galaxy and the Large Magellanic Cloud. The reddening corrected fluxes follow a tight correlation with a fixed ratio of 7.76 for the He ii 1640 to 4686 line ratio. Dust attenuation decreases this ratio. We provide a relation between the stellar E(B−V) and the observed line ratio for several attenuation laws. Combining this technique with the use of the nebular Balmer decrement allows the determination of the stellar and nebular dust attenuation in galaxies and can probe its effects at different stellar age and mass regimes, independently of the initial mass function and the star formation history. We derived the dust reddening from the He ii line fluxes and compared it to the reddening from the Balmer decrement and from the slope of the ultraviolet continuum in two star-forming galaxies. The three methods result in dust attenuations which agree to within the errors. Future application of this technique permits studies of the stellar dust attenuation compared to the nebular attenuation in a representative galaxy sample.

Recalibrating the cosmic star formation history

ABSTRACT The calibrations linking observed luminosities to the star formation rate (SFR) depend on the assumed stellar population synthesis model, initial mass function, star formation and metal enrichment history, and whether reprocessing by dust and gas is included. Consequently the shape and normalization of the inferred cosmic star formation history is sensitive to these assumptions. Using v2.2.1 of the Binary Population and Spectral Synthesis (bpass) model we determine a new set of calibration coefficients for the ultraviolet, thermal infrared, and hydrogen recombination lines. These ultraviolet and thermal infrared coefficients are 0.15–0.2 dex higher than those widely utilized in the literature while the H α coefficient is ∼0.35 dex larger. These differences arise in part due to the inclusion binary evolution pathways but predominantly reflect an extension in the IMF to 300 M⊙ and a change in the choice of reference metallicity. We use these new coefficients to recalibrate the cosmic star formation history, and find improved agreement between the integrated cosmic star formation history and the in situ measured stellar mass density as a function of redshift. However, these coefficients produce new tension between SFR densities inferred from the ultraviolet and thermal infrared and those from H α.