Chemical abundances of photoionized nebulae in the Local Group

TL;DR

This paper reviews the chemical abundances in photoionized nebulae within the Local Group, providing insights into stellar nucleosynthesis and galaxy evolution through analysis of element distributions.

Contribution

It compiles and discusses extensive data on element abundances in Local Group nebulae, highlighting correlations independent of distance and their implications for chemical evolution.

Findings

Abundance data for He, N, O, Ne, S, Ar in Local Group nebulae.

Correlations between element abundances and galaxy properties.

Insights into nucleosynthesis processes in different stellar populations.

Abstract

Photoionized nebulae comprise basically HII regions and planetary nebulae, and their abundances give important clues on the nucleosynthesis and chemical evolution of their host galaxies. There is presently a large amount of data on these objects, especially for the elements He and N, which are strongly affected by the evolution of intermediate mass stars, as well as O, Ne, S, and Ar, which are essentially synthesized in stars with larger masses. The abundances of these elements in several systems in the Local Group are discussed on the basis of distance-independent correlations.