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Electron Energy Distributions in HII Regions and Planetary Nebulae: kappa-Distributions Do Not Apply

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arxiv 1803.10003 v2 pith:YI242Z7V submitted 2018-03-27 astro-ph.GA

Electron Energy Distributions in HII Regions and Planetary Nebulae: kappa-Distributions Do Not Apply

B. T. Draine (Princeton) , C.D. Kreisch (Princeton) This is my paper
classification astro-ph.GA
keywords electronregionsenergykappa-distributionsmaxwelliannebulaeplanetarydistributions
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Some authors have proposed that electron energy distributions in H II regions and planetary nebulae may be significantly nonthermal, and kappa-distributions have been suggested as being appropriate. Here it is demonstrated that the electron energy distribution function is extremely close to a Maxwellian up to electron kinetic energies ~13 eV in HII regions, and up to ~16eV in planetary nebulae: kappa-distributions are inappropriate. The small departures from a Maxwellian have negligible effects on line ratios. When observed line ratios in H II regions deviate from models with a single electron temperature, it must arise from spatial variations in electron temperature, rather than local deviations from a Maxwellian.

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