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Dissecting the very metal-poor galaxy SBS0335-052E with MUSE: massive stars vs. nebular HeII emission
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 August 2024
Abstract
Nebular Heii emission implies the presence of energetic photons (E≽54 eV). Despite the great deal of effort dedicated to understanding Heii ionization, its origin has remained mysterious, particularly in metal-deficient star-forming galaxies. Unfolding Heii-emitting, metal-poor starbursts at z∼0 can yield insight into the powerful ionization processes occurring in the primordial universe. Here we present a study on the origin of the extended nebular Heii emission in SBS 0335-052E, one of the most metal-poor (Z ∼ 3% Z⊙ Heii-emitter starbursts known locally. Based on optical VLT/MUSE spectroscopic and Chandra X-ray observations, and current stellar models we found that the Heii-ionization budget of SBS 0335-052E can only be produced by peculiar, nearly metal-free ionizing stars (called here “PopIII-like” stars) with a top-heavy initial mass function. This result is in line with recent simulations for PopIII star formation down to z=0.
Keywords
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- Contributed Paper
- Information
- Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 18 , Symposium S361: Massive Stars Near and Far , May 2022 , pp. 88 - 94
- Copyright
- © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of International Astronomical Union