Far-infrared lines from H II regions: Abundance variations in the galaxy

Far-infrared lines of (N III) (57 microns), (O III) (52, 88 microns), (Ne III) (36 microns), and (S III) (19, 33 microns) have been measured in the H II regions G1.13 - 0.11, W31B, G23.95 + 0.15, G25.38 - 0.18, G29.96 - 0.02, W43, W51e, S156, S158, NGC 3576, NGC 3603, and G298.22-0.34. These observations were made with the facility Cryogenic Grating Spectrometer on the Kuiper Airborne Observatory to examine variations in abundances throughout the Galaxy. Previously published observations of G0.095 + 0.012, G333.60 - 0.21, G45.13 + 0.14A, K3-50, and M17 are also discussed. The giant H II region 30 Doradus in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) was observed for comparison. Fluxes for (Ne II) (12.8 microns), (S IV) (10.5 microns), and the radio free-free continuum were collected from the literature for those sources. Electron densities were estimated from FIR line-pair ratios, and ionic abundances were estimated from the FIR line and radio fluxes. The excitation was estimated from the O(2+)/S(2+) ratio. Corrections for unseen ionization stages were calculated with the use of constnat-density H II region models. The validity and range of applicability of such semiempirical ionization correction schemes are discussed. The abundances with respect to hydrogen exhibit gradients with RG comparable to those previously measured for our Galaxy and for other galaxies. The overall gradients are d (log N/H)/dR = -0.10 +/- 0.02 dex/kpc, d(log Ne/H)/dR = -0.08 +/- 0.02 dex/kpc and d(log S/H)/dR = 0.07 +/- 0.02 dex/kpc. Compared to the Orion Nebula, the intermediate RG H II regions with 6 is less than RG is less than 11 kpc have similar or lower S/H and N/O ratios. The N/O ratios in the inner Galaxy are more than twice those observed in the Orion Nebula and intermediate RG H II regions. In fact, all the abundance ratios are as well or better fitted by a step fit with two levels than by a linear gradient. As has been noted in previous studies, the N/O ratio estimated from infrared observations of the doubly ionized N and O lines in H II regions is larger than the ratio estimated from optical observations of the singly ionized N and O lines. The Ne(2+)/O(2+) ratio is observed to be essentially constant over a wide range of excitation. This contradicts predictions of model H II regions calculated with the use of Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (LTE) model stellar atmospheres. We conclude that these stellar atmospheres significantly underestimate the actual emergent fluxes for energies greater than 41 eV.