The Abundance of Interstellar Krypton

Abstract

We present high signal-to-noise ratio HST Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) observations of the weak interstellar Kr I λ1236 absorption toward the stars τ CMa, κ Ori, ɛ Ori, λ Ori, δ Sco, ω¹ Sco, ɛ Per, and ζ Per. In combination with previous GHRS measurements of Kr I in two other sight lines (ζ Oph and 1 Sco), these new observations yield a mean interstellar gas-phase krypton abundance (per 10⁹ H atoms) of 10⁹ Kr/H = 0.96 +/- 0.05. There is no statistically significant variation from sight line to sight line in the measured Kr I abundance and, in particular, no evidence for any correlation with the fraction of hydrogen in molecular form. Since Kr, as a noble gas, is not expected to deplete into dust grains, its gas-phase abundance should reflect the total interstellar abundance. Consequently, the GHRS observations imply that the interstellar Kr abundance in the vicinity of the Sun is about 60% of the solar system value of 10⁹ Kr/H = 1.70 +/- 0.30. This interstellar abundance deficit is similar to that recently found for oxygen with GHRS.

Based on observations obtained with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope through the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NASA-26555.