Ultraviolet-Visual Echelle Spectrograph Research Articles

The homogeneity of chemical abundances in H ii regions of the Magellanic Clouds

ABSTRACT We use very deep spectra obtained with the Ultraviolet-Visual Echelle Spectrograph at the Very Large Telescope to derive physical conditions and chemical abundances of four H ii regions of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and four H ii regions of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The observations cover the spectral range 3100–10400 Å with a spectral resolution of Δλ ≥ λ/11600, and we measure 95–225 emission lines in each object. We derive ionic and total abundances of O, N, S, Ne, Ar, Cl, and Fe using collisionally excited lines. We find average values of 12 + log (O/H) = 8.37 in the LMC and 8.01 in the SMC, with standard deviations of σ = 0.03 and 0.02 dex, respectively. The S/O, Ne/O, Ar/O, and Cl/O abundance ratios are very similar in both clouds with σ = 0.02–0.03 dex, which indicates that the chemical elements are well mixed in the interstellar medium of each galaxy. The LMC is enhanced in N/O by ∼0.20 dex with respect to the SMC, and the dispersions in N/O, σ = 0.05 dex in each cloud, are larger than those found for the other elements. The derived standard deviations would be much larger for all the abundance ratios, up to 0.20 dex for N/O, if previous spectra of these objects were used to perform the analysis. Finally, we find a wide range of iron depletions in both clouds with more than 90 per cent of the iron atoms deposited on to dust grains in most objects.

The similarity of the interstellar comet 2I/Borisov to Solar System comets from high-resolution optical spectroscopy

Aims. 2I/Borisov (hereafter 2I) is the first visibly active interstellar comet observed in the Solar System, allowing us for the first time to sample the composition of a building block from another system. We report on the monitoring of 2I with the Ultraviolet-Visual Echelle Spectrograph, the high-resolution optical spectrograph of the ESO Very Large Telescope at Paranal, for four months from November 15, 2019 to March 16, 2020. Our goal is to characterise the activity and composition of 2I with respect to Solar System comets. Methods. We collected high-resolution spectra at 12 different epochs from 2.1 au pre-perihelion to 2.6 au post-perihelion. Results. On December 24 and 26, 2019, close to perihelion, we detected several OH lines of the 309 nm (0–0) band and derived a water production rate of 2.2 ± 0.2 × 1026 molecules s−1. The three [OI] forbidden oxygen lines were detected at different epochs and we derived a green-to-red doublet intensity ratio (G/R) of 0.31 ± 0.05 close to perihelion. The NH2 ortho and para lines from various bands were measured and allowed us to derive an ortho-to-para abundance ratio (OPR) of 3.21 ± 0.15, corresponding to an OPR and spin temperature of ammonia of 1.11 ± 0.08 and 31−5+10 K, respectively. These values are consistent with the values usually measured for Solar System comets. Emission lines of the radicals NH (336 nm), CN (388 nm), CH (431 nm), and C2 (517 nm) were also detected. Several FeI and NiI lines were identified and their intensities were measured to provide a ratio of log (NiI/FeI) = 0.21 ± 0.18, which is in agreement with the value recently found in Solar System comets. Conclusions. Our high spectral resolution observations of 2I/Borisov and the associated measurements of the NH2 OPR and the Ni/Fe abundance ratio are remarkably similar to Solar System comets. Only the G/R ratio is unusually high, but it is consistent with the high abundance ratio of CO/H2O found by other investigators.

Carbon and oxygen in H ii regions of the Magellanic Clouds: abundance discrepancy and chemical evolution

We present C and O abundances in the Magellanic Clouds derived from deep spectra of HII regions. The data have been taken with the Ultraviolet-Visual Echelle Spectrograph at the 8.2-m VLT. The sample comprises 5 HII regions in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and 4 in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). We measure pure recombination lines (RLs) of CII and OII in all the objects, permitting to derive the abundance discrepancy factors (ADFs) for O^2+, as well as their O/H, C/H and C/O ratios. We compare the ADFs with those of other HII regions in different galaxies. The results suggest a possible metallicity dependence of the ADF for the low-metallicity objects, but more uncertain for high-metallicity objects. We compare nebular and B-type stellar abundances and we find that the stellar abundances agree better with the nebular ones derived from collisionally excited lines (CELs). Comparing these results with other galaxies we observe that stellar abundances seem to agree better with the nebular ones derived from CELs in low-metallicity environments and from RLs in high-metallicity environments. The C/H, O/H and C/O ratios show almost flat radial gradients, in contrast with the spiral galaxies where such gradients are negative. We explore the chemical evolution analysing C/O vs. O/H and comparing with the results of HII regions in other galaxies. The LMC seems to show a similar chemical evolution to the external zones of small spiral galaxies and the SMC behaves as a typical star-forming dwarf galaxy.

Carbon and oxygen abundances from recombination lines in low-metallicity star-forming galaxies. Implications for chemical evolution★

We present deep echelle spectrophotometry of the brightest emission-line knots of the star-forming galaxies He 2−10, Mrk 1271, NGC 3125, NGC 5408, POX 4, SDSS J1253−0312, Tol 1457−262, Tol 1924−416 and the H ii region Hubble V in the Local Group dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 6822. The data have been taken with the Very Large Telescope Ultraviolet-Visual Echelle Spectrograph in the 3100–10420 Å range. We determine electron densities and temperatures of the ionized gas from several emission-line intensity ratios for all the objects. We derive the ionic abundances of C2+ and/or O2+ from faint pure recombination lines in several of the objects, permitting to derive their C/H and C/O ratios. We have explored the chemical evolution at low metallicities analysing the C/O versus O/H, C/O versus N/O and C/N versus O/H relations for Galactic and extragalactic H ii regions and comparing with results for Galactic halo stars and damped Lyα systems. We find that H ii regions in star-forming dwarf galaxies occupy a different locus in the C/O versus O/H diagram than those belonging to the inner discs of spiral galaxies, indicating their different chemical evolution histories, and that the bulk of C in the most metal-poor extragalactic H ii regions should have the same origin than in halo stars. The comparison between the C/O ratios in H ii regions and in stars of the Galactic thick and thin discs seems to give arguments to support the merging scenario for the origin of the Galactic thick disc. Finally, we find an apparent coupling between C and N enrichment at the usual metallicities determined for H ii regions and that this coupling breaks in very low metallicity objects.

The ESO UVES advanced data products quasar sample

We present here a dataset of quasars observed with the Ultraviolet Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) on the VLT and available in the ESO UVES Advanced Data Products archive. The sample is made up of a total of 250 high resolution quasar spectra with emission redshifts ranging from 0.191 < z_em <6.311. The total UVES exposure time of this dataset is 1560 hours. Thanks to the high resolution of UVES spectra, it is possible to unambiguously measure the column density of absorbers with damping wings, down to N_HI > 10^{19} cm^{-2}, which constitutes the sub-damped Lya absorber (sub-DLA) threshold. Within the wavelength coverage of our UVES data, we find 150 damped Lya systems (DLAs)/sub-DLAs in the range 1.5 < z_abs < 4.7. Of these 150, 93 are DLAs and 57 are sub-DLAs. An extensive search in the literature indicates that 6 of these DLAs and 13 of these sub-DLAs have their N_HI measured for the first time. Among them, 10 are new identifications as DLAs/sub-DLAs. For each of these systems, we obtain an accurate measurement of the HI column density and the absorber's redshift in the range 1.7 < z_abs < 4.2 by implementing a Voigt profile-fitting algorithm. These absorbers are further confirmed thanks to the detection of associated metal lines and/or lines from members of the Lyman series. In our data, a few quasars' lines-of-sight are rich. An interesting example is towards QSO J0133+0400 (z_em = 4.154) with six DLAs and sub-DLAs reported.

NGC 2579 and the carbon and oxygen abundance gradients beyond the solar circle★

We present deep echelle spectrophotometry of the Galactic HII region NGC 2579. The data have been taken with the Very Large Telescope Ultraviolet-Visual Echelle Spectrograph in the 3550--10400 \AA\ range. This object, which has been largely neglected, shows however a rather high surface brightness, a high ionization degree and is located at a galactocentric distance of 12.4 $\pm$ 0.7 kpc. Therefore, NGC 2579 is an excellent probe for studying the behaviour of the gas phase radial abundance gradients in the outer disc of the Milky Way. We derive the physical conditions of the nebula using several emission line-intensity ratios as well as the abundances of several ionic species from the intensity of collisionally excited lines. We also determine the ionic abundances of C$^{2+}$, O$^+$ and O$^{2+}$ -- and therefore the total O abundance -- from faint pure recombination lines. The results for NGC 2579 permit to extend our previous determinations of the C, O and C/O gas phase radial gradients of the inner Galactic disc (Esteban etal. 2005) to larger galactocentric distances. We find that the chemical composition of NGC 2579 is consistent with flatten gradients at its galactocentric distance. In addition, we have built a tailored chemical evolution model that reproduces the observed radial abundance gradients of O, C and N and other observational constraints. We find that a levelling out of the star formation efficiency about and beyond the isophotal radius can explain the flattening of chemical gradients observed in the outer Galactic disc.

Centrosymmetric molecules as possible carriers of diffuse interstellar bands★

In this paper, we present new data with interstellar C2 (Phillips bands A-X), from observations made with the Ultraviolet-Visual Echelle Spectrograph of the European Southern Observatory. We have determined the interstellar column densities and excitation temperatures of C2 for nine Galactic lines. For seven of these, C2 has never been observed before, so in this case the still small sample of interstellar clouds (26 lines of sight), where a detailed analysis of C2 excitation has been made, has increased significantly. This paper is a continuation of previous works where interstellar molecules (C2 and diffuse interstellar bands) have been analysed. Because the sample of interstellar clouds with C2 has increased, we can show that the width and shape of the profiles of some diffuse interstellar bands (6196 and 5797 A) apparently depend on the gas kinetic and rotational temperatures of C2; the profiles are broader because of the higher values of the gas kinetic and rotational temperatures of C2. There are also diffuse interstellar bands (4964 and 5850 A) for which this effect does not exist.

Properties of the ionized gas in HH 202 - II. Results from echelle spectrophotometry with Ultraviolet Visual Echelle Spectrograph

We present results of deep echelle spectrophotometry of the brightest knot of the Herbig–Haro object HH 202 in the Orion Nebula – HH 202-S – using the Ultraviolet Visual Echelle Spectrograph in the spectral range from 3100 to 10 400 Å. The high spectral resolution of the observations has permitted to separate the component associated with the ambient gas from that associated with the gas flow. We derive electron densities and temperatures from different diagnostics for both components, as well as the chemical abundances of several ions and elements from collisionally excited lines, including the first determinations of Ca+ and Cr+ abundances in the Orion Nebula. We also calculate the He+, C2+, O+ and O2+ abundances from recombination lines. The difference between the O2+ abundances determined from collisionally excited and recombination lines – the so-called abundance discrepancy factor – is 0.35 and 0.11 dex for the shock and nebular components, respectively. Assuming that the abundance discrepancy is produced by spatial variations in the electron temperature, we derive values of the temperature fluctuation parameter, t2, of 0.050 and 0.016 for the shock and nebular components, respectively. Interestingly, we obtain almost coincident t2 values for both components from the analysis of the intensity ratios of He i lines. We find significant departures from case B predictions in the Balmer and Paschen flux ratios of lines of high principal quantum number n. We analyse the ionization structure of HH 202-S, finding enough evidence to conclude that the flow of HH 202-S has compressed the ambient gas inside the nebula trapping the ionization front. We measure a strong increase of the total abundances of nickel and iron in the shock component, the abundance pattern and the results of photoionization models for both components are consistent with the partial destruction of dust after the passage of the shock wave in HH 202-S.

The $^{{\sf 16}}$OH/$^{\sf 18}$OH and OD/OH isotope ratios in comet C/2002 T7 (LINEAR)

The 16 OH/ 18 OH and OD/OH isotope ratios are measured in the Oort-Cloud comet C/2002 T7 (LINEAR) through ground-based observations of the OH A 2 Σ + − X 2 Πi ultraviolet bands at 3063 A (0, 0) and 3121 A (1, 1) obtained with the Very Large Telescope (VLT) feeding the Ultraviolet-Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES). From the 16 OH/ 18 OH ratio, we find 16 O/ 18 O = 425 ± 55, equal within the uncertainties to the terrestrial value and to the ratio measured in other comets, although marginally smaller. We also estimate OD/OH from which we derive D/H = 2.5 ± 0.7 × 10 −4 in water. This value is compatible with the water D/H ratios evaluated in other

The massive star population in the giant H II region Tol 89 in NGC 5398

We present new high spectral resolution Very Large Telescope (VLT)/UV–Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) spectroscopy and archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) imaging and spectroscopy of the giant H ii region Tol 89 in NGC 5398. From optical and ultraviolet (UV) HST images, we find that the star-forming complex as a whole contains at least seven young compact massive clusters. We resolve the two brightest optical knots, A and B, into five individual young massive clusters along our slit, A1–4 and B1, respectively. From UV spectral modelling using the starburst99 code of Leitherer et al., and nebular Hβ equivalent widths in the optical, we derive ages that are consistent with the formation of two separate burst events, of ∼4 ± 1 Myr and <3 Myr for knots A (A1–4) and B (B1), respectively. A Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) metallicity is measured for both knots from a nebular line analysis, while nebular He ii 4686 is observed in knot B and perhaps in knot A. We detect underlying broad wings on the strongest nebular emission lines indicating velocities up to 600 km s−1. From UV and optical spectroscopy, we estimate that there are ∼95 early WN stars and ∼35 early WC stars in Tol 89-A, using empirical template spectra of LMC Wolf–Rayet (WR) stars from Crowther & Hadfield, with the WC population confined to cluster A2. Remarkably, we also detect a small number of approximately three mid WNs in the smallest (mass) cluster in Tol 89-A, A4, whose spectral energy output in the UV is entirely dominated by the WN stars. From the strength of nebular Hβ, we obtain N(O) ∼ 690 and 2800 for knots A and B, respectively, which implies N(WR)/N(O) ∼ 0.2 for knot A. We also employ a complementary approach using starburst99 models, in which the O star content is inferred from the stellar continuum, and the WR population is obtained from spectral synthesis of optical WR features using the grids from Smith et al. We find reasonable agreement between the two methods for the O star content and the N(WR)/N(O) ratio but find that the WR subtype distribution is in error in the starburst99 models, with far too few WN stars being predicted. We attribute this failure to the neglect of rotational mixing in evolutionary models. Our various modelling approaches allow us to measure the cluster masses. We identify A1 as a super star cluster (SSC) candidate with a mass of ∼1–2 × 105 M⊙. A total mass of ∼6 × 105 M⊙ is inferred for the ionizing sources within Tol 89-B.

Faint emission lines in the Galactic H II regions M16, M20 and NGC 3603

We present deep echelle spectrophotometry of the Galactic H ii regions M16, M20 and NGC 3603. The data have been taken with the Very Large Telescope Ultraviolet-Visual Echelle Spectrograph in the 3100–10 400 Å range. We have detected more than 200 emission lines in each region. Physical conditions have been derived using different continuum and line intensity ratios. We have derived He+, C++ and O++ abundances from pure recombination lines as well as collisionally excited lines (CELs) for a large number of ions of different elements. We have obtained consistent estimations of the temperature fluctuation parameter, t2, using different methods. We also report the detection of deuterium Balmer lines up to Dδ (M16) and to Dγ (M20) in the blue wings of the hydrogen lines, which excitation mechanism seems to be continuum fluorescence. The temperature fluctuation paradigm agrees with the results obtained from optical CELs, and the more uncertain ones from far-infrared fine-structure CELs in NGC 3603, although, more observations covering the same volume of the nebula are necessary to obtain solid conclusions.

The discovery of remarkable 5 km s-1 pulsational radial velocity variations in the roAp star HD 99563*

In a high-resolution spectral survey of nearly half the 34 known rapidly oscillating Ap (roAp) stars, using the Ultraviolet-Visual Echelle Spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope, we have discovered remarkably large amplitude pulsations in the roAp star HD 99563 with some spectral lines showing radial velocity amplitudes up to 5 km s−1 (10 km s−1 peak-to-peak) with a pulsation period of 10.7 min. As for many other roAp stars, we find the largest pulsation amplitudes for lines of some rare earth elements and in the core of the Hα line. The highest amplitudes of 5 km s−1 are seen in rather weak lines of Eu ii and Tm ii. Stronger lines of Pr iii and Nd iii have pulsation amplitudes in the range 0.7 to 3.5 km s−1 for different lines. In the narrow Hα core, the average amplitude is 2.6 km s−1, but, as is the case for other lines, the amplitude and phase vary strongly with line depth (atmospheric height), with the amplitude of the radial velocity variations of the line bisector reaching a maximum of 4.3 km s−1 at the bottom of the core. Some other elements show pulsation amplitudes 0.1 to 0.7 km s−1. Variations in velocity amplitude and phase for several spectral lines were studied using line-bisector measurements to obtain information about the vertical structure of the pulsation modes and the stellar atmosphere.

A homogeneous sample of sub-damped Lyman systems -- III. Total gas mass ohmH I+He II at z &gt; 2

Absorbers seen in the spectrum of background quasars are a unique tool with which to select H i-rich galaxies at all redshifts. In turns, these galaxies allow us to determine the cosmological evolution of the H i gas ΩHi+Heii, which is a possible indicator of gas consumption as star formation proceeds. The damped Lyman α (Lya) systems (DLAs with NH i = 1020.3 cm−2), in particular, are believed to contain a large fraction of the H i gas but there are also indications that lower column-density systems, called ‘sub-damped Lyα’ systems, play a role at high redshift. Here we present the discovery of high-redshift sub-DLAs based on 17 z > 4 quasar spectra observed with the Ultraviolet—Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) on the Very Large Telescope (VLT). This sample is composed of 21 new sub-DLAs which, together with another 10 systems from previous European Southern Observatory archive studies, make up a homogeneous sample. The redshift evolution of the number density of several classes of absorbers is derived and shows that all systems seem to be evolving in the redshift range from z = 5 to z∼ 3. These results are further used to estimate the redshift evolution of the characteristic radius of these classes of absorbers, assuming a Holmberg relation and one unique underlying parent population. DLAs are found to have R* ∼ 20 h−1100 kpc, while sub-DLAs have R*∼ 40 h−1100 kpc. The redshift evolution of the column density distribution, f(N,z), down to NH i = 1019 cm−2 is also presented. A departure from a power law due to a flattening of f(N,z) in the sub-DLA regime is present in the data. f(N,z) is further used to determine the H i gas mass contained in sub-DLAs at z > 2. The complete sample shows that sub-DLAs are important at all redshifts from z = 5 to z = 2. Finally, the possibility that sub-DLAs are less affected by the effects of dust obscuration than classical DLAs is discussed.

Deep echelle spectrophotometry of S 311, a Galactic H ii region located outside the solar circle

We present echelle spectrophotometry of the Galactic H ii region S 311. The data have been taken with the Very Large Telescope Ultraviolet-Visual Echelle Spectrograph in the 3100–10 400 Å range. We have measured the intensities of 263 emission lines; 178 are permitted lines of H0, D0 (deuterium), He0, C0, C+, N0, N+, O0, O+, S+, Si0, Si+, Ar0 and Fe0; some of them are produced by recombination and others mainly by fluorescence. Physical conditions have been derived using different continuum- and line-intensity ratios. We have derived He+, C++ and O++ ionic abundances from pure recombination lines as well as abundances from collisionally excited lines for a large number of ions of different elements. We have obtained consistent estimations of t2 applying different methods. We have found that the temperature fluctuations paradigm is consistent with the Te(He i) versus Te(H i) relation for H ii regions, in contrast with what has been found for planetary nebulae. We report the detection of deuterium Balmer lines up to Dδ in the blue wings of the hydrogen lines, whose excitation mechanism seems to be continuum fluorescence.

High time resolution spectroscopy and magnetic variability of the cool Ap star HD 965

We present the results of an investigation of the magnetic Ap star HD 965 with high spectral and time resolution. We determine precise radial velocities using spectra obtained with the Ultraviolet‐Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) on the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope. Special attention is given to spectral lines of rare-earth elements which in rapidly oscillating Ap (roAp) stars exhibit the strongest radial velocity variations with pulsation period. Careful time series analysis did not detect any convincing evidence of pulsation in HD 965 with an upper limit in amplitude of 15‐20 m s −1 . All properties of HD 965 are similar to the majority of roAp stars. A likely reason for the apparent lack of pulsation could be connected with the geometrical structure of the magnetic field and the aspect of the star at the time of observation. Longitudinal magnetic field measurements for HD 965 showed that our UVES spectral observations were carried out when the longitudinal field was near zero and therefore, according to the oblique rotator model, near a time when the star was viewed from the magnetic equator. For a dipole oscillation aligned with the magnetic field, as is typical of roAp stars, no variation can be detected at this aspect. We may, therefore, expect to detect rapid oscillations in HD 965 in the future, when the star will present one of the magnetic poles. Ke yw ords: stars: individual: HD 965 ‐ stars: magnetic fields ‐ stars: oscillations ‐ stars: variables: other.

The discovery of a luminous, rapidly oscillating Ap star, HD 116114, with a 21-minute pulsation period★

The discovery of a new rapidly oscillating Ap star, HD 116114, with a pulsation period of 21 min, using high-resolution spectra obtained with the Ultraviolet-Visual Echelle Spectrograph at the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, is presented. The highest amplitudes of the radial velocity variations are between 50 and 125 m s -1 visible in the Eu II lines. The spectral lines of La II and the core of the Ha line have amplitudes of about 30 m s -1 . The frequency obtained for the oscillations is in good agreement with theoretical predictions of longer-period, evolved roAp stars. The distinction in luminosity between the roAp and noAp stars, and the suggestion that in all roAp stars the abundance of the second ions of Pr and Nd, relative to the abundance of the first ions, is anomalously high, need to be revised in the light of this discovery.

Probing the magnetoacoustic boundary layer in the peculiar magnetic star 33 Lib (HD 137949)

Abstract We show unprecedented resolution of the amplitudes and phases of the principal 2.015-mHz mode and its 4.030-mHz harmonic as a function of atmospheric depth in the roAp star 33 Lib using high-resolution Very Large Telescope (VLT) Ultraviolet–Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) spectra. We show that the pulsation amplitude increases upwards into the Nd iii line-forming layer away from an atmospheric node, and increases downwards from the same node in the Nd ii line-forming layer. We suggest that the Nd iii layer, which arises at, or above, τ ∼ 10−3, overlaps with the magnetoacoustic boundary layer, and that our detailed observations of pulsation amplitude and phase variations with depth provide a first probe of this layer.

Total gas mass $\Omega_{\rm HI+HeII}$ at $z&gt;2$

HTML view is not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button. Absorbers seen in the spectrum of background quasars are a unique tool to select HI-rich galaxies at all redshifts. These allow us to determine the cosmological evolution of H I gas, $\Omega_{\rm HI+HeII}$, a possible indicator of gas consumption as star formation proceeds. The damped Lyman-$\alpha$ systems (DLAs with NHI $\ge$ 10$^{20.3}$ cm$^{-2}$) in particular are believed to contain a large fraction of the H I gas, but there are also indications that lower column density systems, namely “sub-damped Lyman-$\alpha$” systems play a role at high-redshift. Here we present the discovery of high-redshift sub-DLAs based on 17 $z>4$ quasar spectra observed with the Ultraviolet-Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) on VLT. This sample is composed of 21 new sub-DLAs which, together with another 10 systems from previous ESO archive studies, make up a homogeneous sample. The redshift evolution of the number density of several classes of absorbers is derived and shows that all systems seem to be evolving in the redshift range from $z=5$ to $z\sim3$. The redshift evolution of the column density distribution, $f(N,z)$, down to NHI=10$^{19}$ cm$^{-2}$ is also presented. A departure from a power law due to a flattening of $f(N,z)$ in the sub-DLA regime is present in the data. $f(N,z)$ is further used to determine the H I gas mass contained in sub-DLAs at $z>2$. The complete sample shows that sub-DLAs are important at all redshifts from $z=5$ to $z=2$.

Magellanic Diffuse Interstellar Bands and Carbon Chemistry

AbstractWith the Ultraviolet Visual Echelle Spectrograph mounted at the Very Large Telescope, we have observed at unprecedented spectral resolution the absorption spectrum toward reddened stars in the Magellanic Clouds over the wavelength range of 3500-10500 Å. This range covers the strong transitions associated with neutral and charged large carbon molecules of varying sizes and structures. We report the first detection of diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) at 5780 and 5797 Å in the Small Magellanic Cloud and the variation of those DIBs toward several targets in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The variation of DIBs in the Magellanic Clouds compared with Galactic targets may be governed by a combination of the different chemical processes prevailing in low-metallicity regions and the local environmental conditions. The analysis of high-resolution absorption spectra allows us to reveal the global effects in the chemistry and recycling of cosmic dust in the Magellanic Clouds which are relevant for the chemical pathways forming large organic molecules in external galaxies.

Chemical abundances in QSO host galaxies and environments from narrow absorption line systems

We determined C, N and a-element relative abundances in the gas surrounding six quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) at an average redshift of z 2.4, by studying six narrow associated absorption systems in Ultraviolet Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) high-resolution spectra. We found five systems with a metallicity (measured by C/H) consistent or above the solar value. The ionization structure observed in the associated systems is clearly different from that of the intervening ones, indicating that the associated systems are influenced by the strong UV flux from the QSO. There is a possible correlation (anticorrelation) between [N/C] ([Si/C]) and [C/H] of the studied associated systems, and [N/C]= 0 when [C/H]= 0. We have compared these observational results with the predictions of a model simulating the joint evolution of QSOs and their spheroidal hosts. The agreement turns out to be very good; in particular, the case envisaging massive haloes and high star formation rates recovers both the correlation between [N/C] and [C/H] and the anticorrelation for [Si/C] versus [C/H]. Narrow associated absorption systems prove to be powerful tracers of the chemical abundances in gas belonging to high-redshift spheroidal galaxies. The outflow of this same gas, triggered by the QSO feedback, is probably going to contribute to the early enrichment of the surrounding intergalactic medium. A larger sample, possibly increasing the number of ionization stages, chemical elements and the redshift range, would allow us to put firm constraints on detailed chemical evolution models of galaxies at high redshifts.