An improved method for statistical studies of the internal kinematics of HII regions: the case of M83

Blasco-Herrera, J.; Fathi, K.; Beckman, J. E.; Gutiérrez, L.; Lundgren, A.; Epinat, B.; Östlin, G.; Font, J.; Hernandez, O.; de Denus-Baillargeon, M.-M.; Carignan, C.
Bibliographical reference

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 407, Issue 4, pp. 2519-2529.

Advertised on:
10
2010
Number of authors
11
IAC number of authors
3
Citations
19
Refereed citations
17
Description
We present the integrated Hα emission line profile for 157 HII regions in the central 3.4 × 3.4 arcmin2 of the galaxy M83 (NGC 5236). Using the Fabry-Perot interferometer GHαFAS, on the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope on La Palma, we show the importance of a good characterization of the instrumental response function for the study of line profile shapes. The luminosity-velocity dispersion relation is also studied, and in the log(L)-log(σ) plane we do not find a linear relation, but an upper envelope with equation log(LHα) = 0.9 log(σ) + 38.1. For the adopted distance of 4.5 Mpc, the upper envelope appears at the luminosity L = 1038.5ergs-1, in full agreement with previous studies of other galaxies, reinforcing the idea of using HII regions as standard candles.
Related projects
Poster Almeria Astronomy week
Kinematic, Structural and Composition Studies of the Interstellar and Intergalactic Media
The basic objective of the broject is to investigate the evolution of galaxies by deepening our understanding of the interaction between the insterstellar medium and the stars.The main technique which we use is the two-dimensional kinematic study of whole galaxies observed using our instrument:GHaFaS, a Fabry-Perot interferometer on the William
Prof.
John E. Beckman