[N II] and [O III] Mean Electron Temperatures in Planetary Nebulae

Mean electron temperatures for 106 planetary nebulae are presented, which have been derived using calculations of the values of electron temperature-sensitive line ratios involving forbidden transitions among the 2s² 2p² ³P, ¹D, and ¹S levels of N⁺ and O⁺⁻, based on new electron impact rates and tra...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 1996-07, Vol.108 (725), p.610-614
Main Authors: McKenna, F. C., Keenan, F. P., Kaler, J. B., Wickstead, A. W., Bell, K. L., Aggarwal, K. M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astronomy
Coefficients
Electron energy
Electron impact
Electrons
Ions
Mathematical functions
Nebulae
Planetary nebulae
Ratios
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Summary:Mean electron temperatures for 106 planetary nebulae are presented, which have been derived using calculations of the values of electron temperature-sensitive line ratios involving forbidden transitions among the 2s² 2p² ³P, ¹D, and ¹S levels of N⁺ and O⁺⁻, based on new electron impact rates and transition probabilities. Comparison of these results with values of Te [N II] and Te [O III] determined previously by Kaler reveals that the present electron temperatures are systematically lower for both ions, and that this discrepancy is correlated with the electron density in the nebula. It is also shown that the average difference between Te [N II] and Te [O III] in a planetary nebula is somewhat smaller than that derived by Kaler, with the present results implying that the N II and O III temperatures disagree on average by 2070 K as opposed to the 2210 K average found by Kaler.
ISSN:0004-6280
1538-3873
DOI:10.1086/133772