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HIGH IONIZATION SPECIES IN THE NEARBY INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM FROM AN EXHAUSTIVE ANALYSIS OF THE IUE INES DATABASE

Main-sequence (MS) and giant late-B and early-A type stars are the best targets for searching for nearby interstellar (IS) Si IV and C IV resonance lines because they are not able to produce them, either in atmospheric layers or in their circumstellar environment, and because many stars of these spe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Astronomical journal 2012-02, Vol.143 (2), p.1-38
Main Authors: Ferrero, R Freire, Duran, C Morales, Halbwachs, J-L, CUBEIRO, A M CABO
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Main-sequence (MS) and giant late-B and early-A type stars are the best targets for searching for nearby interstellar (IS) Si IV and C IV resonance lines because they are not able to produce them, either in atmospheric layers or in their circumstellar environment, and because many stars of these spectral types are nearby and located in the local interstellar medium (LISM). This work analyzes the reliable Short-Wavelength Prime high-resolution UV spectra of 558 B6-A9 type stars observed by the International Ultraviolet Explorer at distances lower than 400 pc from the Sun. We conclude that these highly ionized species originate most probably in the LISM, at 90 pc from the Sun, corresponding to the warm interaction zone (IZ), where the expanding Loop I super-shell and the Local Bubble collide. Our estimated column densities N of both ions are similar to those obtained by other authors for distant stars, suggesting that these absorptions concentrate fundamentally in the IZ. A logarithmic correlation between N and the distance D confirms these results.
ISSN:0004-6256
1538-3881
1538-3881
DOI:10.1088/0004-6256/143/2/28