Using PNe to Explore the History of M31's Extended Disk

Balick, B.; Kwitter, Karen B.; Corradi, R. L. M.; Hensley, Kerry G.; Henry, Richard B. C.
Bibliographical reference

American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #224, #121.14

Advertised on:
6
2014
Number of authors
5
IAC number of authors
1
Citations
0
Refereed citations
0
Description
The results of O/H abundances derived from PNe in M31 (accompanying poster by Hensley et al.) have extended the radius coverage of our previous gradient studies out to projected disk distances of 100 kpc. The PNe are drawn from the peak of the [OIII] PNLF which suggests that their progenitor stars are more massive than about 1.5 M_sun with evolution lifetimes less than ~2 billion years. However, many of the PNe in this sample are located in regions without gas and other signatures of recent star formation. Here we investigate how the measured O/H abundances of PNe beyond the classical disk of M31 correlate within stellar groupings that are defined in various ways (region, disk radius, kinematic deviations from a thin disk model, and proximity to known stellar streams). The goal is to determine the relationships of the M31 PN sample to any HI and the other stellar populations associated with the evolution of M31's outer environment.