Large Variations Seen in First Ultraviolet Spectroscopic M33 Dust Extinction Curves

TL;DR

This study measures ultraviolet dust extinction curves in M33, revealing significant variations in their shapes and highlighting the influence of local conditions over global galaxy properties.

Contribution

First spectroscopic UV extinction curves in M33 are presented, expanding the sample of Local Group galaxies with such measurements and analyzing their variations.

Findings

Large UV extinction curve variations observed in M33.

Average extinction in M33 is lower than other Local Group galaxies.

Stronger correlation with gas-to-dust ratio than with metallicity.

Abstract

Dust extinction curves provide one of the main avenues to understanding the detailed nature of dust grains and accounting for the effects of dust on observations of many astrophysical objects. For the first time, spectroscopic ultraviolet (UV) extinction curves are measured in M33 expanding the sample of Local Group galaxies with such measurements to five. These curves are based on Hubble Space Telescope/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph spectra and literature photometry from the UV to the near-infrared. The four measured curves show large variations in their UV shapes including their 2175 A bump and UV slope strengths. The average extinction of these four sightlines is lower than the averages for other Local Group Galaxies and does not follow the Milky Way R(V) dependent relationship. The variations between UV extinction shape parameters and gas-to-dust ratios for the M33 sightlines fall within the variations seen in the combined sample of UV extinction curves in the Milky Way, Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, and M31. The correlation with gas-to-dust ratio is much stronger than the correlation with global metallicity. This strengthens the picture that local conditions like radiation field density and shocks dominate over global galaxy properties like metallicity in determining the wavelength dependence of dust extinction.