Abstract
We report on our continuing efforts to determine 3He abundances in H II regions and planetary nebulae. Our detections of 3He in some PNe show that some stars produce large amounts of 3He. However the H II region abundances show no evidence for this production. From our sample of > 40 H II regions, the subsample which should yield the most reliable abundances has 3He/H abundances which scatter between 1-2 × 10-5. There is no trend with either galactocentric distance or metallicity. Even if we do not understand the underlying mechanisms, we see empirically that stars neither produce nor destroy 3He in a major way. We thus suggest that the level of the "3He Plateau" (3He/H = 1.5 +1.0-0.5 × 10-5) is a reasonable estimate for the primordial 3He.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Balser, D. S.: 1994, Ph. D. Dissertation, Boston University.
Balser, D. S., Bania, T. M., Rood, R. T. and Wilson, T. L.: 1995, ApJS 100, 371.
Balser, D. S., Bania, T. M., Brockway, C.J., Rood, R. T. and Wilson, T. L.: 1994, ApJ 430, 667.
Balser, D. S., Bania, T. M., Rood, R. T. and Wilson, T. L.: 1997, ApJ 483, 320.
Balser, D. S., Bania, T. M., Rood, R. T., and Wilson, T. L.: 1998, in preparation.
Bania, T. M., Balser, D. S., Rood, R. T., Wilson, T. L. and Wilson, T. A.: 1997, ApJ, in press.
Bania, T. M., Rood, R. T., and Wilson, T. L.: 1987, ApJ 323, 30 [BRW].
Dearborn, D. S. P., Steigman, G., and Tosi, M.: 1996, ApJ 465, 887.
Fields, B. D.: 1996, ApJ 456, 478.
Galli, D., Palla, F., Ferrini, F., and Penco, U.: 1995, ApJ 443, 536.
Galli, D., Stanghellini, L., Tosi, M., Palla, F.: 1997, ApJ 477, 218.
Geiss, J.: 1993, in ‘Origin and Evolution of the Elements’, eds. N. Prantzos, E. Vangioni-Flam, M. and Cassé (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge), 89.
Gloecker, G. and Geiss, J.: 1996, Nature 381, 210.
Iben, I.: 1967, ApJ 147, 650.
Iben, I. and Truran, J. W.: 1978, ApJ 220, 980.
Olive, K. A., Rood, R. T., Schramm, D. N., Truran, J., and Vangioni-Flam, E.: 1995, ApJ 444, 680.
Prantzos, N.: 1996, A&A 310, 106.
Rood, R. T., Bania, T. M., and Wilson, T. L.: 1984, ApJ 280, 629 [RBW].
Rood, R. T., Bania, T. M., and Wilson, T. L.: 1992, Nature 355, 618.
Rood, R. T., Bania, T. M., Wilson, T. L., and Balser, D. S.: 1995, in ‘ESO—EIPC Workshop on the Light Elements’, ed. P. Crane (Springer, Heidelberg), 201.
Rood, R. T., Steigman, G., and Tinsley, B. M.: 1976, ApJ 207, L57.
Rood, R. T., Wilson, T. L., and Steigman, G.: 1979, ApJ 227, L97.
Rohlfs, K. and Wilson, T. L.: 1996, ‘Tools of Radio Astronomy’, 2ed, (Springer, Heidelberg).
Shaver, P. A., McGee, R. X., Newton, L. M., Danks, A. C., and Pottasch, S. R.: 1983, MNRAS 204, 53.
Truran, J. W., and Cameron, A. G. W.: 1971, ApJS 14, 179.
Vangioni-Flam, E. and Cassé, M.: 1995, ApJ 441, 471.
Wink, W. E., Wilson, T. L., and Bieging, J. H.: 1983, A&A 127, 211.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rood, R.T., Bania, T.M., Balser, D.S. et al. Helium-3: Status and Prospects. Space Science Reviews 84, 185–198 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005023402960
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005023402960