Strong Emission Line H II Galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. I. Catalog of DR1 Objects with Oxygen Abundances from Te Measurements

We present the first edition of the SDSS H II galaxies with Oxygen abundances Catalog (SHOC), which is a listing of strong emission-line galaxies (ELGs) from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Oxygen abundances have been obtained with the classic Te method. We describe the method exploiting the SDSS database to construct this sample. The selection procedures are described and discussed in detail, as well as some problems encountered in the process of deriving reliable emission line parameters. The method was applied to the SDSS Data Release 1 (DR1). We present 612 SDSS emission-line galaxies (624 separate SDSS targets in total), for which the oxygen abundances 12 + log(O/H) have rms uncertainties ≤0.20 dex. The subsample of 263 ELGs (272 separate SDSS targets) have an uncertainty ≤0.10 dex, while 459 ELGs (470 separate SDSS targets) have an uncertainty ≤0.15 dex. The catalog includes the main parameters of all selected ELGs, the intensities and equivalent widths of hydrogen and oxygen emission lines, as well as oxygen abundances with their uncertainties. The information on the presence of Wolf-Rayet blue and/or red bumps in 109 galaxies is also included. With the use of combined g, r, i SDSS images we performed visual morphological classification of all SHOC galaxies. Four hundred sixty-one galaxies (∼75%) are classified as confident or probable blue compact galaxies (BCG/BCG?), 78 as irregular ones, 20 as low surface brightness galaxies (LSBG), 10 as obviously interacting, and 43 as spiral galaxies. In creating the catalog, 30 narrow-line active galactic nuclei and 69 LINERs were also identified; these are also presented apart of the main catalog. We outline briefly the content of the catalog, and the prospects of its use for statistical studies of the star formation and chemical evolution issues. Some of these studies will be presented in the forthcoming paper. Finally, we show that the method presented by Kniazev et al. for calculating O+/H+ using intensities of the [O II] λλ7320, 7330 lines for SDSS emission-line spectra in the absence of [O II] λ3727 line appears to yield reliable results over a wide range of studied oxygen abundances: 7.10 < 12 + log(O/H) < 8.5.

[1]  E. Grebel,et al.  Low Surface Brightness Galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. I. Search Method and Test Sample , 2003, astro-ph/0310644.

[2]  A. Kniazev,et al.  Starburst in HS 0822+3542 induced by the very blue LSB dwarf SAO 0822+3545 , 2003, astro-ph/0307556.

[3]  J. Brinkmann,et al.  Discovery of Eight New Extremely Metal-poor Galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey , 2003, astro-ph/0307401.

[4]  Tucson,et al.  Spectroscopic and photometric studies of low-metallicity star-forming dwarf galaxies - III. SBS 1415+437 , 2003, astro-ph/0306166.

[5]  Bhasker K. Moorthy,et al.  The First Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey , 2003, astro-ph/0305492.

[6]  R. Nichol,et al.  Early-Type Galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. I. The Sample , 2003 .

[7]  F. M. Maley,et al.  An Efficient Targeting Strategy for Multiobject Spectrograph Surveys: the Sloan Digital Sky Survey “Tiling” Algorithm , 2001, astro-ph/0105535.

[8]  Canada,et al.  Uncovering Additional Clues to Galaxy Evolution. II. The Environmental Impact of the Virgo Cluster on the Evolution of Dwarf Irregular Galaxies , 2003, astro-ph/0303359.

[9]  R. Nichol,et al.  Hδ-Strong Galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: I. The Catalog , 2003, astro-ph/0301305.

[10]  S. Pustilnik,et al.  Search for and study of extremely metal-deficient galaxies , 2003, astro-ph/0301089.

[11]  Eva K. Grebel,et al.  The Progenitors of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies , 2002, astro-ph/0301025.

[12]  Ž. Ivezić,et al.  Astrometric Calibration of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey , 2002, astro-ph/0211375.

[13]  L. Pilyugin Abundance determinations in HII regions: model fitting versus Te-method , 2002, astro-ph/0211319.

[14]  J. Iglesias-Páramo,et al.  Spectroscopy of Dwarf Galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. I. Data, Chemical Abundances, and Ionization Structure , 2002, astro-ph/0211164.

[15]  H. Hagen,et al.  The Hamburg/SAO Survey for low metallicity blue compact H II galaxies (HSS–LM) - I. The first list of 46 strong-lined galaxies , 2002, astro-ph/0209499.

[16]  Kyiv,et al.  The emission line sequence of H II galaxies , 2002, astro-ph/0301442.

[17]  V. Narayanan,et al.  Spectroscopic Target Selection in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: The Main Galaxy Sample , 2002, astro-ph/0206225.

[18]  Bonn,et al.  Studies of galaxies in voids. I. H I observations of Blue Compact Galaxies , 2002, astro-ph/0205195.

[19]  A. Kniazev,et al.  The metallicities of UM 151, UM 408 and A 1228+12 revisited , 2002, astro-ph/0205172.

[20]  R. Nichol,et al.  Stellar masses and star formation histories for 105 galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey , 2002, astro-ph/0204055.

[21]  J. Melbourne,et al.  Metal Abundances of KISS Galaxies. I. Coarse Metal Abundances and the Metallicity-Luminosity Relation , 2002, astro-ph/0202301.

[22]  M. SubbaRao,et al.  Spectroscopic Target Selection in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: The Quasar Sample , 2002, astro-ph/0202251.

[23]  Cambridge,et al.  New Light on the Search for Low-Metallicity Galaxies , 2001, astro-ph/0110356.

[24]  J. Gunn,et al.  A Photometricity and Extinction Monitor at the Apache Point Observatory , 2001, astro-ph/0106511.

[25]  L. Kewley,et al.  Theoretical Modeling of Starburst Galaxies , 2001, astro-ph/0106324.

[26]  U. Hopp,et al.  The Hamburg/SAO survey for emission-line galaxies. VI. The sixth list of 126 galaxies , 2001, astro-ph/0507082.

[27]  F. M. Maley,et al.  An Efficient Algorithm for Positioning Tiles in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey , 2001, astro-ph/0105535.

[28]  L. Pilyugin Oxygen abundances in dwarf irregular galaxies and the metallicity-luminosity relationship , 2001, astro-ph/0105360.

[29]  A. Kniazev,et al.  On the metallicities of UM 133, UM 283 and UM 382 , 2001, astro-ph/0102479.

[30]  Walter A. Siegmund,et al.  The Luminosity Function of Galaxies in SDSS Commissioning Data , 2000, astro-ph/0012085.

[31]  Walter A. Siegmund,et al.  The Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Technical Summary , 2000, astro-ph/0006396.

[32]  T. Boroson,et al.  The KPNO International Spectroscopic Survey. I. Description of the Survey , 2000, astro-ph/0004074.

[33]  A. Kniazev,et al.  Spectroscopy of candidate metal-deficient galaxies with the 6-m telescope , 2000 .

[34]  G. Östlin,et al.  The most metal-poor galaxies , 1999, astro-ph/9911094.

[35]  T. Thuan,et al.  A Spectroscopic Study of a Large Sample Of Wolf-Rayet Galaxies , 1999, astro-ph/9910432.

[36]  N. Grogin,et al.  An Imaging and Spectroscopic Survey of Galaxies within Prominent Nearby Voids. II. Morphologies, Star Formation, and Faint Companions , 1999, astro-ph/9910096.

[37]  H. Hagen,et al.  The Hamburg/SAO survey for emission–line galaxies - II. The second list of 128 galaxies , 1999 .

[38]  U. Hopp,et al.  The Hamburg/SAO Survey for Emission–Line Galaxies - I. A First List of 70 Galaxies , 1999 .

[39]  D. Schaerer,et al.  New catalogue of Wolf-Rayet galaxies and high-excitation extra-galactic HII regions , 1998, astro-ph/9812347.

[40]  T. Thuan,et al.  Heavy-Element Abundances in Blue Compact Galaxies , 1998, astro-ph/9811387.

[41]  Walter A. Siegmund,et al.  The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Photometric Camera , 1998, astro-ph/9809085.

[42]  V. Lipovetsky,et al.  Spectral survey of Case emission–line galaxies with the 6 m Russian telescope , 1998 .

[43]  T. Thuan,et al.  Reexamining the Helium Abundance of I Zw 18 , 1998 .

[44]  William D. Vacca,et al.  New Models for Wolf-Rayet and O Star Populations in Young Starbursts , 1997, astro-ph/9711140.

[45]  Bernard E. J. Pagel,et al.  Nucleosynthesis and chemical evolution of galaxies , 1997 .

[46]  D. Spergel,et al.  The Formation of Disk Galaxies , 1996, astro-ph/9611226.

[47]  M. Fukugita,et al.  The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Photometric System , 1996 .

[48]  M. Newberry,et al.  Imaging and Spectroscopic Observations of the Case Survey Blue/Emission- Line Galaxies , 1995 .

[49]  V. Lipovetsky,et al.  Heavy element abundances in a new sample of low-metallicity blue compact galaxies , 1995 .

[50]  V. Lipovetsky,et al.  The Primordial helium abundance from a new sample of metal-deficient blue compact galaxies , 1994 .

[51]  R. Kennicutt,et al.  Spatially resolved optical and near infrared spectroscopy of I Zw 18 , 1993 .

[52]  N. S. Komarov,et al.  The chemical composition of two Praesepe's giants , 1992 .

[53]  S. McGaugh,et al.  H II region abundances - Model oxygen line ratios , 1991 .

[54]  S. Veilleux,et al.  Spectral Classification of Emission-Line Galaxies , 1986 .

[55]  T. Boroson,et al.  OBSERVATIONS OF A COMPLETE SAMPLE OF EMISSION-LINE GALAXIES , 1986 .

[56]  B. Twarog The Chemical Evolution of the Galaxy , 1985 .

[57]  A. V. Filippenko,et al.  THE IMPORTANCE OF ATMOSPHERIC DIFFERENTIAL REFRACTION IN SPECTROPHOTOMETRY. , 1982 .

[58]  D. Weedman,et al.  Spectrophotometry of Michigan-Tololo quasars. , 1979 .

[59]  Bernard E. J. Pagel,et al.  On the composition of H II regions in southern galaxies – I. NGC 300 and 1365 , 1979 .

[60]  M. Smith,et al.  Emission-line galaxies and quasars. II. The classification systems and list N1, declination ⪉ -27.5, galactic latitude ⪆ +20 . , 1976 .

[61]  M. Brocklehurst,et al.  Calculations of Level Populations for the Low Levels of Hydrogenic Ions in Gaseous Nebulae , 1971 .

[62]  A. Whitford The law of interstellar reddening. , 1958 .

[63]  John E. Davis,et al.  Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Early Data Release , 2002 .

[64]  V. Lipovetsky,et al.  The Primordial Helium Abundance: Systematic Effects and a New Determination , 1997 .

[65]  V. Lipovetsky,et al.  A new family of non-linear filters for background subtraction of wide-field surveys , 1996 .

[66]  J. Masegosa,et al.  ELEMENT ABUNDANCES IN H II GALAXIES , 1994 .

[67]  S. Neizvestny,et al.  Spectrophotometry of 83 possible blue compact dwarf galaxies from the second byurakan survey , 1993 .

[68]  J. A. Stepanian,et al.  Unusually low heavy-element abundance found in the blue compact dwarf galaxy SBS0335–052 , 1990, Nature.

[69]  Lawrence H. Aller,et al.  Physics of thermal gaseous nebulae , 1984 .

[70]  N. Sanduleak,et al.  The Case low-dispersion northern sky survey. III , 1983 .

[71]  J. Audouze Nucleosynthesis and Chemical Evolution of Galaxies , 1983 .

[72]  J. Baldwin,et al.  ERRATUM - CLASSIFICATION PARAMETERS FOR THE EMISSION-LINE SPECTRA OF EXTRAGALACTIC OBJECTS , 1981 .

[73]  W. Sargent,et al.  Inferences from the Composition of Two Dwarf Blue Galaxies , 1972 .