{
  "id": "astro-ph/9410023",
  "version": "v1",
  "published": "1994-10-06T15:37:51.000Z",
  "updated": "1994-10-06T15:37:51.000Z",
  "title": "Dispersal and Mixing of Oxygen in the Interstellar Medium of Gas-Rich Galaxies",
  "authors": [
    "Jean-Rene ROY",
    "Daniel KUNTH"
  ],
  "comment": "Latex file 30 pages, accepted in A&A",
  "categories": [
    "astro-ph"
  ],
  "abstract": "Stellar and nebular abundance indicators reveal that there exists significant abundance fluctuations in the interstellar medium (ISM) of gas-rich galaxies. It is shown that at the present observed solar level of O/H $\\sim 6 \\times 10^{-4}$, abundance differences of a factor of two, such as existing between the Sun and the nearby Orion Nebula, are many times larger than expected. We examine a variety of hydrodynamical processes operating at scales ranging from 1 pc to greater than 10 kpc, and show that the ISM should appear better homogenized chemically than it actually is: $(i)$ on large galactic scales (1 $\\geq\\ l\\ \\geq$ 10 kpc), turbulent diffusion of interstellar clouds in the shear flow of galactic differential rotation is able to wipe out azimuthal O/H fluctuations in less than $10^9$ yrs; $(ii)$ at the intermediate scale (100 $\\geq\\ l\\ \\geq$ 1000 pc), cloud collisions and expanding supershells driven by evolving associations of massive stars, differential rotation and triggered star formation will re-distribute and mix gas efficiently in about $10^8$ yrs; $(iii)$ at small scales (1 $\\geq\\ l\\ \\geq$ 100 pc), turbulent diffusion may be the dominant mechanism in cold clouds, while Rayleigh-Taylor and Kelvin-Helmhotz instabilities quickly develop in regions of gas ionized by massive stars, leading to full mixing in",
  "revisions": [
    {
      "version": "v1",
      "updated": "1994-10-06T15:37:51.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "analyses": {
    "keywords": [
      "interstellar medium",
      "gas-rich galaxies",
      "turbulent diffusion",
      "nebular abundance indicators reveal",
      "azimuthal o/h fluctuations"
    ],
    "note": {
      "typesetting": "LaTeX",
      "pages": 30,
      "language": "en",
      "license": "arXiv",
      "status": "editable",
      "inspire": 390657
    }
  }
}