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Title:
The Metallicity and Dust Content of HVC287+22+240: Evidence for a Magellanic Clouds Origin
Authors:
Wakker, B.; Savage, B. D.; Lu, L.; Sargent, W. L. W.; Sembach, K. R.; Oosterloo, T. A.
Publication:
New Views of the Magellanic Clouds, IAU Symposium #190, Edited by Y.-H. Chu, N. Suntzeff, J. Hesser, & D. Bohlender. ISBN: 1-58381-021-8, p.506
Publication Date:
00/1999
Origin:
AUTHOR
Comment:
ISBN: 1-58381-021-8
Bibliographic Code:
1999IAUS..190..506W

Abstract

We present abundance measurements of the high velocity cloud HVC 287+22+240, based on GHRS spectra of NGC 3783, a background Seyfert galaxy, combined with H I 21-cm interferometric data taken with the Australia Telescope Compact Array. We find that (S/H) = 0.25 +/- 0.07 solar, providing the first accurate measure of the chemical enrichment level in an HVC. For other elements we find that the gas-phase abundances are: (Fe/S) = 0.13 +/- 0.04 solar and (Si/S) > 0.064 solar. These subsolar ratios clearly indicate the presence of dust in the HVC. West et al. (1985, MNRAS 215, 481) argued that the relatively low value of (Ca/H) (0.014 +/- 0.006 solar) suggests that the cloud is extra-galactic, although this ratio suffers from an unknown ionization correction. Blitz et al. (1996, BAAS 189, 61.01) argued that many HVCs, including HVC 287+22+240, are best explained as ``remnants of Local Group formation'', and they use the lower-than-solar S abundance as supporting evidence. Gardiner & Noguchi (1996, MNRAS 278, 191) presented an N-body simulation of the Magellanic system and predict that tidally stripped gas should be present at velocities of +250 - +350 km/s in the region l = 270 - 300, b = +30 - +60; the details of this prediction depend on the as-yet simplistic model for the potential of the LMC. We argue that the metallicity and depletion information for the HVC, coupled with its velocity and position in the sky, strongly suggest that HVC 287+22+240 originated from the Magellanic Clouds. The fact that we find gas with Magellanic abundances ahead of the Magellanic Stream argues that the Stream is unlikely to be the result of ram-pressure stripping by a tenuous galactic corona. Our abundance measurements of HVC 287+22+240 thus provide strong evidence for a tidal origin for the Magellanic Stream.

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