IC10: the history of the nearest starburst galaxy through its Planetary Nebula and HII region populations

TL;DR

This study uses spectroscopic data of planetary nebulae and HII regions in IC10 to map its metallicity history, revealing non-homogeneous metal distribution and insights into oxygen production processes in dwarf irregular galaxies.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed metallicity map of IC10 at two epochs and investigates the metallicity dependence of oxygen dredge-up in PNe, highlighting galaxy evolution processes.

Findings

Metallicity distribution is non-homogeneous at both epochs.

Average abundances are similar for PNe and HII regions.

Oxygen dredge-up is metallicity dependent and absent in IC10 PNe.

Abstract

We report the results of spectroscopic observations, obtained with the Gemini North Multi-Object Spectrograph, of 9 planetary nebulae (PNe) and 15 \hii\ regions located in the 5.5\arcmin $\times$5.5\arcmin inner region of the nearby starburst galaxy IC10. Twelve new candidate PNe have been discovered during our pre-imaging phase. Nine of them have been spectroscopically confirmed. The direct availability of the electron temperature diagnostics in several nebulae allowed an accurate determination of the metallicity map of IC10 at two epochs: the present-time from \hii regions and the old/intermediate-age from PNe. We found a non-homogeneous distribution of metals at both epochs, but similar average abundances were found for the two populations. The derived age-metallicity relation shows a little global enrichment interpreted as the loss of metals by SN winds and to differential gas outflows. Finally, we analyzed the production of oxygen --through the third dredge-up-- in the chemical abundance patterns of the PN populations belonging to several dwarf irregular galaxies. We found that the third dredge-up of oxygen is a metallicity dependent phenomenon occurring mainly for 12+$\log$(O/H)$\leq$7.7 and substantially absent in IC10 PNe.