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Astron. Astrophys. 358, 72-76 (2000)
On the origin of the luminosity-metallicity relation for late-type galaxies
Spirals to irregulars transition
L.S. Pilyugin 1 and
F. Ferrini 2
1 Main Astronomical Observatory of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Goloseevo, 03680 Kiev-127, Ukraine (pilyugin@mao.kiev.ua)
2 Department of Physics, Section of Astronomy, University of Pisa, piazza Torricelli 2, 56100 Pisa, Italy (federico@astr2pi.difi.unipi.it)
Received 29 October 1999 / Accepted 22 December 1999
Abstract
We consider the roles of two widely invoked mechanisms for the
metallicity-luminosity correlation among late-type galaxies: higher
astration level and decreasing efficiency of heavy-element loss with
increasing luminosity. We find that both mechanisms contribute about
equally to the range in oxygen abundance between low
(![[FORMULA]](img1.gif)
) and high
(![[FORMULA]](img2.gif)
) luminosity galaxies.
We also consider the transition from spirals to irregulars, finding that both the oxygen abundance deficiency (indicating the degree of mass exchange between a galaxy and its environment) and the gas fraction vary smoothly along the sequence. Thus we find no "irregular versus spiral dichotomy".
Key words: galaxies:
abundances 
galaxies:
evolution
galaxies: ISM
Send offprint requests to: L.S. Pilyugin
This article contains no SIMBAD objects.
Contents
- 1. Introduction
- 2. The luminosity-metallicity relation for late-type galaxies
- 3. Discussion and conclusions
- Acknowledgements
- References
© European Southern Observatory (ESO) 2000
Online publication: June 26, 2000
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