Abstract
In this work, we investigate the recycling properties of the interestellar medium in HII galaxies from the analysis of the spatial variation of Oxygen abundance. The spatial variation of the abundance of this element should reflect the physical mechanisms involved in their recycling processes. We present the preliminary results for the galaxy UM 408, observed at the Gemini south observatory using GMOS-IFU spectroscopy. UM 408 is a compact and low metallicity galaxy without WR signature in their spectra. Maps of emission lines, continuum, EW(Hβ ), Log [OIII]/Hβ and T_e are derived and compared with the spatial distribution of 12+Log(O/H). We do not observe a significant gradient in the oxygen abundance, suggesting that the new metals formed in the current star formation episode are possibly not observed and reside in a hot gas phase, whereas the metals from previous events are well mixed and homogeneously distributed through the whole extent of the galaxy. Under this supposition an underlying old stellar population would be expected.
