paper

The Internal Kinematics of the HII Galaxy II Zw 40

arXiv:0902.2716 · doi:10.1088/0004-637X/696/2/1668

Abstract

We present a study of the kinematic properties of the ionized gas in the dominant giant HII region of the well known HII galaxy: II Zw 40. High spatial and spectral resolution spectroscopy has been obtained using IFU mode on the GMOS instrument at Gemini-North telescope. We have used a set of kinematics diagnostic diagrams, such as the intensity vs. velocity dispersion intensity vs. radial velocity, for global and individual analysis in sub-regions of the nebula. We aim to separate the main line broadening mechanisms responsible for producing a smooth supersonic integrated line profile for the giant HII region. The brightest central region (R ~ 50 pc) is responsible for sigma derived from a single fit to the integrated line profile. The dominant action of gravity, and possibly unresolved winds of young (<10 Myr) massive stars, in this small region should be responsible for the characteristic Halpha velocity profile of the starburst region as a whole. Our observations show that the complex structure of the interstellar medium of this galactic scale star-forming region is very similar to that of nearby extragalactic giant HII regions in the Local Group galaxies.

40 pages, 13 figures. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

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