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arXiv 0807.4638astro-ph
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高红移下NV吸收体的性质

The nature of NV absorbers at high redshift

C. Fechner, P. Richter

摘要:

本文研究了19个类星体在1.5 < z < 2.5处的NV吸收系统。我们的分析包括两个吸收所产生的星系际介质以及系统在附近的背景类星体。我们建立了详细的光电离模型来研究吸收体中的物理条件和丰度,并限制电离辐射的光谱硬度。介入NV组分的发生率为dN/dz = 3.38 +/- 0.43,对应于dN/dX = 1.10 +/- 0.14。柱密度分布函数通过斜率β = 1.89 +/- 0.22拟合,与CIV和OVI的测量值一致。窄线宽(bNV ~ 6 km/s)表明光电离而非碰撞是主要的电离过程。CIV和NV的柱密度是相关的,但对于介入和相关吸收体显示出不同的斜率,这表明不同的电离光谱。相关联的系统被发现更富含金属,密度更大,更紧凑,比介入吸收。该结论与所采用的电离辐射无关。对于介于其间的NV体系,我们发现典型值为[C/H] ~ -0.6,n_H ~ 10^-3.6 cm^-3,尺寸为几个kpc,而对于相关的NV吸收体,我们得到[C/H] ~+0.7,n_H ~ 10^-2.8 cm^-3,尺寸为几个10 pc。氮相对于碳的丰度[N/C]和α-元素如氧和硅的丰度[N/α]与[N/H]相关,表明次生氮的富集。介入系统中[N/α]的较大分散表明IGM的不均匀富集。[N/alpha]和[alpha/C]之间存在反相关,这可以用来约束产生碳和氮的恒星星族的初始质量函数。

英文摘要:

We present a study of NV absorption systems at 1.5 < z < 2.5 in the optical spectra of 19 QSOs. Our analysis includes both absorbers arising from the intergalactic medium as well as systems in the vicinity of the background quasar. We construct detailed photoionization models to study the physical conditions and abundances in the absorbers and to constrain the spectral hardness of the ionizing radiation. The rate of incidence for intervening NV components is dN/dz = 3.38 +/- 0.43, corresponding to dN/dX = 1.10 +/- 0.14. The column density distribution function is fitted by the slope beta = 1.89 +/- 0.22, consistent with measurements for CIV and OVI. The narrow line widths (b_NV ~ 6 km/s) imply photoionization rather than collisions as dominating ionization process. The column densities of CIV and NV are correlated but show different slopes for intervening and associated absorbers, which indicates different ionizing spectra. Associated systems are found to be more metal-rich, denser, and more compact than intervening absorbers. This conclusion is independent of the adopted ionizing radiation. For the intervening NV systems we find typical values of [C/H] ~ -0.6 and n_H ~ 10^-3.6 cm^-3, and sizes of a few kpc, while for associated NV absorbers we obtain [C/H] ~ +0.7, n_H ~ 10^-2.8 cm^-3, and sizes of several 10 pc. The abundance of nitrogen relative to carbon [N/C] and alpha-elements like oxygen and silicon [N/alpha] is correlated with [N/H], indicating the enrichment by secondary nitrogen. The larger scatter in [N/alpha] in intervening systems suggests an inhomogeneous enrichment of the IGM. There is an anti-correlation between [N/alpha] and [alpha/C], which could be used to constrain the initial mass function of the carbon- and nitrogen-producing stellar population.

机构、总结、中文摘要均由AI分析而来,可能存在错误,请以论文正文为准。

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