VLT Spectroscopy of Blue Supergiants in IC 1613
Abstract
We present multiobject spectroscopy of young, massive stars in the Local Group galaxy IC 1613. We provide the spectral classification and a detailed spectral catalog for 54 OBA stars in this galaxy. The majority of the photometrically selected sample is composed of B- and A-type supergiants. The remaining stars include early O-type dwarfs and the only Wolf-Rayet star known in this galaxy. Among the early B stars we have serendipitously uncovered six Be stars, the largest spectroscopically confirmed sample of this class of objects beyond the Magellanic Clouds. We measure chemical abundances for nine early B supergiants, and find a mean oxygen abundance of 12+log(O/H)=7.90+/-0.08. This value is consistent with the result we obtain for two H II regions in which we detect the temperature-sensitive [O III] λ4363 auroral line.
Based on VLT observations for ESO Large Program 171.D-0004.- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- December 2007
- DOI:
- 10.1086/522571
- arXiv:
- arXiv:0707.2881
- Bibcode:
- 2007ApJ...671.2028B
- Keywords:
-
- Galaxies: Abundances;
- Galaxies: Individual: Alphanumeric: IC 1613;
- Galaxies: Stellar Content;
- Stars: Early-Type;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 17 pages, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal