{
  "abstract": "Depletion is the observed phenomenon where gas-phase elemental abundances are reduced through accretion onto dust grains. We measure neutral gas-phase elemental abundances (S, Fe) in the Magellanic Clouds along 33 sightlines using high-resolution UV spectroscopy (Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) and HST/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS)), and compare them to ionized gas-phase abundances (S, Fe) adopted from the literature for six colocated H ii regions (with the furthest separation of ≲ 3 ′ , 50 pc). Comparison of S abundances shows that S is minimally depleted in the H ii regions and surrounding diffuse interstellar medium (ISM). However, we find that the gas-phase Fe abundances in H ii regions are lower than those of the neighboring neutral ISM by >0.5 dex and >2 σ in three SMC regions. This difference is consistent with an offset in the amount of Fe depleted into dust grains. As accretion of gas-phase Fe is likely not effective at the temperatures of the H ii regions, Fe depletion into solid form would have occurred in the dense atomic or molecular clouds prior to star formation. The implied stronger depletion in the H ii regions suggests that Fe-bearing grains survive destruction in the first few million years following ionization. Our observations highlight that Fe depletion in H ii regions can be a useful tracer of Fe depletion in dense molecular clouds, which are challenging to observe directly via UV absorption.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "University of Washington",
    "Indiana University",
    "Space Telescope Science Institute",
    "University of California Santa Cruz"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yun Qi Li",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1147-831X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jessica K. Werk",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0355-0134"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Caleb R. Choban",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9200-169X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Julia Roman-Duval",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6326-7069"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Kirill Tchernyshyov",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0789-9939"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "J. Xavier Prochaska",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7738-6875"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Doyeon A. Kim",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9654-5889"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Arianna S. Long",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7530-8857"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bnwxh6znc0n5e.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3847/1538-4357/aeacd7",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "bnwxh6znc0n5e",
  "issns": [
    "1538-4357",
    "0004-637X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aeacd7",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "feed-journal",
      "astronomy/general"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aeacd7/pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-11-02",
  "publisher": "American Astronomical Society",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bnwxh6znc0n5e.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-02T12:20:43Z",
      "native_id": "10.3847/1538-4357/aeacd7",
      "source": "feed-iop",
      "url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aeacd7"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-02T12:21:56Z",
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      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aeacd7"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "journal-openalex:3103|Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies",
      "subfield": "stellar"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Observing Colocated Neutral and Ionized Gas-phase Iron Depletion in the Magellanic Clouds",
  "title_text": "Observing Colocated Neutral and Ionized Gas-phase Iron Depletion in the Magellanic Clouds",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-04T00:22:41Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bnwxh6znc0n5e",
  "venue": "The Astrophysical Journal",
  "versions": [
    {
      "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2608.12557",
      "pid": "7pyxbb6k231rm",
      "relation": "preprint",
      "title": "Observing Co-Located Neutral and Ionized Gas-Phase Iron Depletion in the Magellanic Clouds",
      "venue": "arXiv"
    }
  ]
}