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Inhomogeneous H II Regions and the Helium Abundance
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 May 2016
Abstract
When calculating the helium (4He) abundance in low metallicity H ii regions, the ionization correction factor (icf) for unseen neutral helium (and hydrogen) is usually assumed to be unity. In this paper, we explore this factor for H ii regions ionized by young stellar clusters. Our main result is that icf < 1 for homogeneous H ii regions and, that the effect of density condensations in the H ii regions is to further reduce the icf. For icf < 1, the primordial helium abundance inferred from observations of low-metallicity, extragalactic H ii regions is decreased.
- Type
- 3. Abundances of D, 3He and 4He
- Information
- Symposium - International Astronomical Union , Volume 198: The Light Elements and their Evolution , 2000 , pp. 188 - 193
- Copyright
- Copyright © Astronomical Society of the Pacific 2000
References
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