We present high S/N spectroscopy of 15 emission-line galaxies (ELGs) cataloged in the KPNO International Spectroscopic Survey (KISS), selected for their possession of high equivalent width [O III] lines. The primary goal of this study was to attempt
to derive direct-method ($T_e$) abundances for use in constraining the upper-metallicity branch of the $R_{23}$ relation. The spectra cover the full optical region from [O II]{lambda}{lambda}3726,3729 to [S III]{lambda}{lambda}9069,9531 and include the measurement of [O III]{lambda}4363 in 13 objects. From these spectra, we determine abundance ratios of helium, nitrogen, oxygen, neon, sulfur, and argon. We find these galaxies to predominantly possess oxygen abundances in the range of 8.0 $lesssim$ 12+log(O/H) $lesssim$ 8.3. We present a comparison of direct-method abundances with empirical SEL techniques, revealing several discrepancies. We also present a comparison of direct-method oxygen abundance calculations using electron temperatures determined from emission lines of O$^{++}$ and S$^{++}$, finding a small systematic shift to lower $T_e$ (~1184 K) and higher metallicity (~0.14 dex) for sulfur-derived $T_e$ compared to oxygen-derived $T_e$. Finally, we explore in some detail the different spectral activity types of targets in our sample, including regular star-forming galaxies, those with suspected AGN contamination, and a local pair of low-metallicity, high-luminosity compact objects.
We have derived oxygen abundances for 8 galaxies from the Survey of HI in Extremely Low-mass Dwarfs (SHIELD). The SHIELD survey is an ongoing study of very low-mass galaxies, with M$_{rm HI}$ between 10$^{6.5}$ and 10$^{7.5}$ M$_{odot}$, that were de
tected by the Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA (ALFALFA) survey. H$alpha$ images from the WIYN 3.5m telescope show that these 8 SHIELD galaxies each possess one or two active star-forming regions which were targeted with long-slit spectral observations using the Mayall 4m telescope at KPNO. We obtained a direct measurement of the electron temperature by detection of the weak [O III] $lambda$4363 line in 2 of the HII regions. Oxygen abundances for the other HII regions were estimated using a strong-line method. When the SHIELD galaxies are plotted on a B-band luminosity-metallicity diagram they appear to suggest a slightly shallower slope to the relationship than normally seen. However, that offset is systematically reduced when the near-infrared luminosity is used instead. This indicates a different mass-to-light ratio for the galaxies in this sample and we suggest this may be indicative of differing star-formation histories in the lowest luminosity and surface brightness dwarf irregulars.
We present KPNO 4-m and LBT/MODS spectroscopic observations of an HII region in the nearby dwarf irregular galaxy Leo P discovered recently in the Arecibo ALFALFA survey. In both observations, we are able to accurately measure the temperature sensiti
ve [O III] 4363 Angstrom line and determine a direct oxygen abundance of 12 + log(O/H) = 7.17 +/- 0.04. Thus, Leo P is an extremely metal deficient (XMD) galaxy, and, indeed, one of the most metal deficient star-forming galaxies ever observed. For its estimated luminosity, Leo P is consistent with the relationship between luminosity and oxygen abundance seen in nearby dwarf galaxies. Leo P shows normal alpha element abundance ratios (Ne/O, S/O, and Ar/O) when compared to other XMD galaxies, but elevated N/O, consistent with the delayed release hypothesis for N/O abundances. We derive a helium mass fraction of 0.2509 +0.0184 -0.0123 which compares well with the WMAP + BBN prediction of 0.2483 +/- 0.0002 for the primordial helium abundance. We suggest that surveys of very low mass galaxies compete well with emission line galaxy surveys for finding XMD galaxies. It is possible that XMD galaxies may be divided into two classes: the relatively rare XMD emission line galaxies which are associated with starbursts triggered by infall of low-metallicity gas and the more common, relatively quiescent XMD galaxies like Leo P, with very low chemical abundances due to their intrinsically small masses.
We present new Very Large Array HI spectral line, archival Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and archival Spitzer Space Telescope imaging of eight star-forming blue compact dwarf galaxies that were selected to be optically compact (optical radii less than 1
kpc). These systems have faint blue absolute magnitudes (M_B >= -17), ongoing star formation (based on emission-line selection by the H alpha or [OIII] lines), and are nearby (mean velocity = 3315 km/s = 45 Mpc). One galaxy in the sample, ADBS 113845+2008, is found to have an HI halo that extends 58 r-band scale lengths from its stellar body. In contrast, the rest of the sample galaxies have HI radii to optical-scale-length ratios ranging from 9.3 to 26. The size of the HI disk in the giant disk dwarf galaxy ADBS 113845+2008 appears to be unusual as compared to similarly compact stellar populations.
We present new spectroscopy and metallicity estimates for a sample of 15 star-forming galaxies with redshifts in the range 0.29 - 0.42. These objects were selected in the KPNO International Spectroscopic Survey via their strong emission lines seen in
red objective-prism spectra. Originally thought to be intermediate-redshift Seyfert 2 galaxies, our new spectroscopy in the far red has revealed these objects to be metal-poor star-forming galaxies. These galaxies follow a luminosity-metallicity (L-Z) relation that parallels the one defined by low-redshift galaxies, but is offset by a factor of more than ten to lower abundances. The amount of chemical and/or luminosity evolution required to place these galaxies on the local L-Z relation is extreme, suggesting that these galaxies are in a very special stage of their evolution. They may be late-forming massive systems, which would challenge the current paradigm of galaxy formation. Alternatively, they may represent intense starbursts in dwarf-dwarf mergers or a major infall episode of pristine gas into a pre-existing galaxy. In any case, these objects represent an extreme stage of galaxy evolution taking place at relatively low redshift.
