2000ApJ...538L..39F

We report on measurements of interstellar O VI, H₂, P II, Si II, Ar I, and Fe II absorption along the line of sight to Sk -67°05, a B0 Ia star in a diffuse H II region in the western edge of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We find logN(O VI)=14.40±0.04 in the Milky Way component and, using the C IV column density from previous IUE observations, N(C IV)/N(O VI)=1.00±0.16, a value similar to other halo measurements made with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer. In the LMC component, logN(O VI)=13.89±0.05 and N(C IV)/N(O VI)<0.4 (3 σ), since only an upper limit on N(C IV) is available. Along this sight line, the LMC is rich in molecular hydrogen [logN(H₂)=19.50±0.08]; in the Milky Way, logN(H₂)=14.95±0.08. A two-component fit for the excitation temperature of the molecular gas in the LMC gives T₀₁=59±5 K for J=0, 1 and T_ex=800±330 K for J=3, 4, 5. For the Milky Way, T₀₁=99⁺³⁰_–20 K; no excitation temperature could be determined for the higher rotational states. The Milky Way and LMC gas-phase [Fe/P] abundances are ∼0.6 and ∼0.7 dex lower, respectively, than solar system abundances. These values are similar to [Fe/Zn] measurements for the Milky Way and LMC toward SN 1987A.