An exploratory non-LTE model atmosphere analysis of B-type supergiants in the Small Magellanic Cloud

A preliminary differential non-LTE model atmosphere analysis of moderate resolution (R ~ 5 000) and signal-to-noise ratio spectra of 48 Small Magellanic Cloud B-type supergiants is presented. Standard techniques are adopted, viz. plane-parallel geometry and radiative and hydrostatic equilibrium. Spectroscopic atmospheric parameters (T_eff, log g and v_turb), luminosities and chemical abundances (He, C, N, O, Mg and Si) are estimated. These are compared with those deduced for a comparable sample of Galactic supergiants. The SMC targets appear to have similar atmospheric parameters, luminosities and helium abundances to the Galactic sample. Their magnesium and silicon underabundances are compatible with those found for main sequence SMC objects and there is no evidence for any large variation in their oxygen abundances. By contrast both their carbon and nitrogen lines strengths are inconsistent with single abundances, while their nitrogen to carbon abundance ratios appear to vary by at least as much and probably more than that found in the Galactic sample.