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SUMMARY:Galactic morphology and evolution through X-ray spectroscopy of th
 e (diffuse) interstellar medium - Ciro Pinto (SRON -&gt\; IoA)
DTSTART:20130206T134500Z
DTEND:20130206T141500Z
UID:TALK42032@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:28811
DESCRIPTION:The diffuse interstellar medium (ISM) is an integral part of t
 he evolution\nof the entire Galaxy. Metals are produced by stars and their
  abundances are\nthe direct testimony of the history of stellar evolution.
  The interstellar\ndust composition and hence the total abundances are yet
  to be accurately\ndetermined.\nIn this talk I will show how to probe ISM 
 dust composition\, total\nabundances\, and their Galactic gradients throug
 h the study of interstellar\nabsorption features in the X-ray spectra of G
 alactic low-mass X-ray binaries\ntaken with XMM-Newton. I measured the col
 umn densities of O\, Ne\, Mg\, and Fe\nwith an empirical model and estimat
 e the Galactic abundance gradients.\nSolids are a significant reservoir of
  metals like oxygen and iron.\nRespectively\, 15-25 % and 65-95 % of the t
 otal amount of O I and Fe I is\nfound in dust. The dust amount and mixture
  seem to be consistent along all\nthe lines-of-sight (LOS). Abundance grad
 ients and predictions of local\ninterstellar abundances are in agreement w
 ith those measured at longer\nwavelengths. On a large scale the ISM appear
 s to be chemically homogeneous\nshowing similar gas ionization ratios and 
 dust composition. The agreement\nbetween the abundances of the ISM and the
  young\, stellar objects suggests\nthat the young\, local Galaxy is also c
 hemically homogeneous.
LOCATION:Sackler Lecture Theatre\, IoA
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