Metallicities of galaxies in the nearby Lynx-Cancer void

TL;DR

This study investigates the metallicities of dwarf galaxies in the Lynx-Cancer void to understand how the void environment influences their evolution, revealing some of the most metal-poor galaxies known.

Contribution

It provides new oxygen abundance measurements for 38 void dwarf galaxies, highlighting the presence of extremely metal-poor galaxies in a low-density environment.

Findings

Several galaxies have oxygen abundances of 12+log(O/H)=7.12-7.3 dex.

The data suggest that void environment may affect galaxy chemical evolution.

Some of the most metal-poor galaxies are found in the Lynx-Cancer void.

Abstract

Does the void environment have a sizable effect on the evolution of dwarf galaxies? If yes, the best probes should be the most fragile least massive dwarfs. We compiled a sample of about one hundred dwarfs with M_B in the range -12 to -18 mag, falling within the nearby Lynx-Cancer void. The goal is to study their evolutionary parameters -- gas metallicity and gas mass-fraction, and to address the epoch of the first substantial episode of Star Formation. Here we present and discuss the results of O/H measurements in 38 void galaxies, among which several the most metal-poor galaxies are found with the oxygen abundances of 12+log(O/H)=7.12-7.3 dex.