Abstract
In this chapter, we move from considering plasmas that are excited by predominantly collisional means to those that are heated by energetic photons coming from a photoionizing source, be it a star, a nucleus of an active galaxy, or whatever. Such photoionization-dominated plasmas are very commonly observed in galaxies and historically, were one of the first to be studied in detail, thanks to their bright and prominent emission line spectra at optical wavelengths.
“How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world”
— Shakespeare (The Merchant of Venice, Act5)
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2003 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Dopita, M.A., Sutherland, R.S. (2003). The Theory of Photoionized Regions. In: Astrophysics of the Diffuse Universe. Astronomy and Astrophysics Library. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-05866-4_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-05866-4_9
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-07771-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-05866-4
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive