Abundances of O, Mg, S, Cr, Mn, Ti, Ni and Zn from absorption lines of neutral gas in the Large Magellanic Cloud in front of R136*

We have searched six high-dispersion IUE spectra of R136 for weak absorption lines of C I, O I, Mg I, Mg II, Si I, Si II, P I, Cl I, Cr II, Mn II, Fe I, Ni II, Zn II, CO and C₂. The absorption detected is from neutral gas in front of the 30 Doradus H II region. For the first time abundances of Mg, Cr, Mn, Ti, Ni, and Zn are determined for an extragalactic system. The LMC abundances from the absorption lines are a factor of 2 to 3 below those of the Milky Way, in agreement with general results from emission line studies. The density and temperature of the neutral gas are estimated from the observed excitation and ionization at approximately n(H)=300cm ^–3 and T = 100 K, implying a gas pressure of about $$3\times{10}^{4}\,\text{cm}^{-3}\,\text{K}$$.