[43.01] Calibrating [\ion{O}{2}]/H$\alpha$ as a Star Formation Indicator

AAS 200th meeting, Albuquerque, NM, June 2002
Session 43. Galaxies
Display, Tuesday, June 4, 2002, 10:00am-6:30pm, SW Exhibit Hall

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[43.01] Calibrating [\ion{O}{2}]/H\alpha as a Star Formation Indicator

J. Moustakas, R.C. Kennicutt (University of Arizona)

Based on truly integrated spectrophotometry of a sample of ~300 galaxies we derive a new calibration of the [\ion{O}{2}]/H\alpha spectral ratio as a star formation indicator . Our study extends the analysis of Kennicutt (1992) and Jansen et.~al. (2000) on the [\ion{O}{2}]/H\alpha ratio in morphologically normal galaxies to include a majority fraction of starburst and infrared luminous galaxies. Our results have direct application for deriving star formation rates from observations of [\ion{O}{2}] in high-redshift galaxies. Our broad spectral coverage (\lambda3600-7000~Å) and insensitivity to aperture effects enable us to study the spatially integrated effects of excitation, metallicity, and extinction on [\ion{O}{2}]/H\alpha as a star-formation indicator. This research was funded by grants NSF AST-9900789 and NASA NAG5-8426.

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