Bibcode
Sánchez, S. F.; Galbany, L.; Pérez, E.; Sánchez-Blázquez, P.; Falcón-Barroso, J.; Rosales-Ortega, F. F.; Sánchez-Menguiano, L.; Marino, R.; Kuncarayakti, H.; Anderson, J. P.; Kruehler, T.; Cano-Díaz, M.; Barrera-Ballesteros, J. K.; González-González, J. J.
Bibliographical reference
Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 573, id.A105, 13 pp.
Advertised on:
1
2015
Journal
Citations
42
Refereed citations
39
Description
We present a study of the H II regions in the galaxy NGC 6754 from a two
pointing mosaic comprising 197 637 individual spectra, using integral
field spectroscopy recently acquired with the MUSE instrument during its
Science Verification program. The data cover the entire galaxy out to ~2
effective radii (re), sampling its morphological structures
with unprecedented spatial resolution for a wide-field Integral Field
Unit. A complete census of the H II regions limited by the atmospheric
seeing conditions was derived, comprising 396 individual ionized
sources. This is one of the largest and most complete catalogues of H II
regions with spectroscopic information in a single galaxy. We use this
catalogue to derive the radial abundance gradient in this SBb galaxy,
finding a negative gradient with a slope consistent with the
characteristic value for disk galaxies recently reported. The large
number of H II regions allows us to estimate the typical mixing scale
length (rmix ~ 0.4re), which sets strong
constraints on the proposed mechanisms for metal mixing in disk
galaxies, like radial movements associated with bars and spiral arms. We
found evidence of an azimuthal variation in the oxygen abundance that
may be connected with the radial migration. These results illustrate the
unique capabilities of MUSE for the study of the enrichment mechanisms
in Local Universe galaxies.
Related projects
Traces of Galaxy Formation: Stellar populations, Dynamics and Morphology
We are a large, diverse, and very active research group aiming to provide a comprehensive picture for the formation of galaxies in the Universe. Rooted in detailed stellar population analysis, we are constantly exploring and developing new tools and ideas to understand how galaxies came to be what we now observe.
Ignacio
Martín Navarro