H and H absorption lines and the Initial Mass Function in extragalactic star forming regions

I. Data

¹ Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory and Isaac Newton Institute of Chile, Armenian Branch, 378443 Byurakan, Armenia
² Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, CNRS, 98-bis Boulevard Arago, 75014 Paris, France
³ Observatoire de Paris, 61 avenue de l'Observatoire, 75014 Paris, France
⁴ Observatoire Astronomique de Marseille-Provence and Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille, 2 place Le Verrier, 13248 Marseille, France

Corresponding author: D. Kunth, kunth@iap.fr

Received: 30 January 2002
Accepted: 15 May 2002

Abstract

High-dispersion, long-slit spectroscopic observations of 13 extragalactic star–forming regions were obtained for two Blue Compact Dwarf galaxies (IZw18, IZw36) and for bright star–formation regions in the spiral galaxies M 101 and M 51 and in the irregular starburst galaxies Mrk 171 and NGC 4449. The H and/or H absorption lines have been observed in 11 star forming regions and will be used to constrain the Initial Mass Function and age of the young stellar populations. In this paper we present the results of the observations and the measurements of the absorption and emission lines. The astrophysical discussion is deferred to a forthcoming paper.