Observational study reveals variations in ionized carbon emission in 108 local galaxies, indicating that metallicity, ionization parameter, and star formation regulate gas phase origins.
This paper presents a statistical study of the division of the [C ii] 158 μm line into ionized and neutral components, using a new carbon-to-nitrogen abundance ratio, log(C/N) = 0.75, for a sample of 108 local galaxies. We investigate the correlation between the ionized-to-total [C ii] ratio ([C ii]ionized/[C ii]total) and the far-infrared color f60/f100, finding a moderate negative correlation. Additionally, we explore the dependence of [C ii]ionized/[C ii]total on various physical properties. We find that [C ii]ionized/[C ii]total exhibits a weak negative correlation with the offset from the main sequence and a moderate negative correlation with the [O iii]88 μm/ [N ii] 122 μm. Furthermore, no significant correlation with molecular gas mass is found. It shows a positive correlation with metallicity. Our results suggest that [C ii]ionized/[C ii]total is influenced by the ionization parameter, star formation efficiency and metallicity.
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Yinghe Zhao (2025) studied this question.
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