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Electron Kappa Distributions in Astrophysical Nebulae

Nicholls, David; Dopita, Michael; Sutherland, Ralph; Kewley, Lisa

Description

Until recently, it had been assumed that the electrons in astrophysical nebulae (HII regions and planetary nebulae) are in thermal equilibrium, with energies described by the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution. This may not always be true. Based on satellite and space probe measurements of electron energies in the solar system, where nonequilibrium energy distributions are regularly encountered, it appears to be entirely plausible that such distributions also occur in nebulae, under similar...[Show more]

dc.contributor.authorNicholls, David
dc.contributor.authorDopita, Michael
dc.contributor.authorSutherland, Ralph
dc.contributor.authorKewley, Lisa
dc.contributor.editorLivadiotis, George
dc.date.accessioned2019-09-17T02:05:16Z
dc.identifier.isbn9780128046388
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/170478
dc.description.abstractUntil recently, it had been assumed that the electrons in astrophysical nebulae (HII regions and planetary nebulae) are in thermal equilibrium, with energies described by the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution. This may not always be true. Based on satellite and space probe measurements of electron energies in the solar system, where nonequilibrium energy distributions are regularly encountered, it appears to be entirely plausible that such distributions also occur in nebulae, under similar physical conditions. If we adopt kappa distributions for the nebulae electron energies, we can resolve a long-standing problem where measurements of electron temperatures and chemical abundances using different methods yield discrepant results. This has been a major concern, as measurements of nebular abundances are widely used to study galaxy evolution and dynamics. By assuming nonequilibrium electron energies, we can resolve the measurement discrepancies and gain a deeper understanding of the physics in these regions.
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.language.isoen_AU
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.relation.ispartofKappa Distributions: Theory and Applications in Plasmas
dc.relation.isversionof1st Edition
dc.rights© 2017 Elsevier Inc
dc.subjectAtomic data
dc.subjectAtomic processes
dc.subjectPhysical data and processes
dc.subjectRadiative transfer
dc.titleElectron Kappa Distributions in Astrophysical Nebulae
dc.typeBook chapter
local.description.notesImported from ARIES
local.description.refereedYes
dc.date.issued2017-04-28
local.identifier.absfor020106 - High Energy Astrophysics; Cosmic Rays
local.identifier.absfor020201 - Atomic and Molecular Physics
local.identifier.absfor020109 - Space and Solar Physics
local.identifier.ariespublicationu6048437xPUB450
local.publisher.urlhttps://www.sciencedirect.com
local.type.statusPublished Version
local.contributor.affiliationNicholls, David C., College of Science, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationDopita, Michael, College of Science, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationSutherland, Ralph, College of Science, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationKewley, Lisa, College of Science, ANU
local.description.embargo2099-12-31
local.bibliographicCitation.startpage633
local.bibliographicCitation.lastpage655
local.identifier.doi10.1016/B978-0-12-804638-8.00017-6
local.identifier.absseo970102 - Expanding Knowledge in the Physical Sciences
dc.date.updated2019-04-14T08:35:10Z
local.bibliographicCitation.placeofpublicationNetherlands
local.identifier.scopusID2-s2.0-85040419751
CollectionsANU Research Publications

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