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UBVR and H(alpha) Photometry of H II Regions and OB Associations in Galaxies: A Test for a Variable IMF

1997; Institute of Physics; Volume: 113; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1086/118313

1538-3881

Fabio Bresolin, Jr. Kennicutt Robert C.,

Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena

Photometry in \UBVR and \halpha of \hii regions and OB associations in a sample of Sa-Scd galaxies is presented. The distributions of \halpha equivalent widths for \hii regions show no significant dependence on morphological type, and the continuum luminosity functions of the OB associations closely parallel the \halpha luminosity functions of the \hii regions. Both luminosity functions show a strong dependence on Hubble type, in the sense that the characteristic luminosity of the brightest \hii regions/OB associations decreases sharply in early-type disks. This implies that the changes in \hii region and association properties along the Hubble sequence are most likely due to changes in the clustering properties of massive stars, rather than in the mass function.