sample of HeII-emitters abundances

We verified that the use of the softness diagrams including the emission-line ratio HeI/HeII combined with black-body photoionization models can provide an absolute scale of T* for these objects. The application of a Bayesian-like code indicates T* in the range 50-80kK for the sample of galaxies, with a mean value higher than 60kK. The average of these high temperature values can only be reproduced using cluster model populations with nearly metal-free stars, although such ionizing sources cannot explain either the highest T* values, beyond 1{sigma}, or the dispersion observed in the softness diagrams.

According to our photoionization models, most sample galaxies could be affected to some extent by ionizing photon leaking, presenting a mean photon absorption fraction of 26% or higher depending on the metallicity assumed for the ionizing cluster. The entire range of HeI/HeII, [SII]/[SIII], and [OII]/[OIII] ratios for these HeII-emitting galaxies is reproduced with our models, combining nearly metal-free ionizing clusters and photon leaking under different density-bounded conditions.