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Challenging the Carbon Star Dust Condensation Sequence: Anarchist C Stars
There have been several investigations of the evolution of themid-infrared (IR) dust features in carbon star spectra based on IRAS LRSdata, but these studies are somewhat contradictory. In order tounderstand these differences in interpretations and to develop anunderstanding of the carbon star dust sequence, we have reexamined 26IRAS LRS spectra of carbon stars that have also been observedspectroscopically by ISO SWS. The low resolution and narrow wavelengthcoverage of the IRAS LRS data hinder determination of the effect ofmolecular absorptions in these spectra. This has led to incorrectestimations of the continuum levels in these spectra, which has a hugeeffect on the continuum-divided and continuum-subtracted spectra used toanalyze trends in the shape, strength, and position of the mid-IRfeatures. The higher resolution and broader wavelength coverage of theISO data allow more accurate fitting of the underlying continuum. Wehave reassessed the trends in shape, strength, and position of the ~11μm silicon carbide (SiC) feature and the apparent emergence of the ~9μm feature. We find that there are no correlations between thespectral parameters. We also investigate whether any of these parameterscorrelate with the strength of the molecular bands; no correlation wasfound. Moreover, we show that the apparent 9 μm feature is probablyan artifact. We discuss the implications of this study in terms of botha carbon star condensation sequence and the application of this study tothe larger IRAS data set.
| UIR bands in the ISO SWS spectrum of the carbon star TU Tauri
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules are thought to form inthe ejecta of carbon-rich Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars. Fifty ISOSWS spectra of warm carbon-rich AGB stars have been investigated for theUnidentified IR (UIR) emission due to fluorescence by PAH molecules. Inthis sample the binary star TU Tau, which has a blue companion, showsinteresting spectral structure in the appropriate wavelength regions.The profiles of the UIR bands in TU Tau have been derived by comparingto suitable carbon-star spectra. The presence of the UIR bands in TU Tauis attributed to UV photons originating from the A2 companion star whichare necessary to excite PAH molecules. The absence of the UIR bands inthe remainder of the sample is ascribed to the lack of UV (or visible)photons in their environment. Hence, the absence of UIR bands does notnecessarily imply the absence of circumstellar PAHs in these sources.The derived UIR band profiles have been compared to UIR band profilesfrom Reflection Nebulae, Planetary Nebulae (PNe), Hii regions, YoungStellar Objects, evolved stars and Galaxies. The profiles of TU Tau areshown to have the most resemblance to those from PNe. Integrated bandflux ratios have also been determined and compared to object type fluxratio correlations found in other studies. Here no definite match wasfound. TU Tau is the only binary with a blue companion in this sample ofAGB stars. In line with earlier studies, we suggest that the bluephotons provided by this companion are required for efficient excitationof PAH molecules in AGB ejecta. In addition, we argue that these bluephotons may promote complex chemistry in the ejecta of TU Tau. Thesimilarity in the peak profiles observed in the spectrum of TU Tau withthose in the spectra of PNe indicates that PAHs are formed in thecircumstellar envelope of carbon-rich AGB stars and make it largelyunmodified into the PNe phase. The variations in the band strengthratios between the different objects has been linked to the ionizationstate of PAHs and reflects the different physical environments betweenthis AGB star and PNe. In contrast, the variation in UIR band profilesbetween stellar ejecta and the Interstellar Medium (ISM) are largelyattributed to chemical modifications during the ISM phase.
| Infrared photometry and evolution of mass-losing AGB stars. I. Carbon stars revisited
As part of a reanalysis of galactic Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) starsat infrared (IR) wavelengths, we discuss a sample (357) of carbon starsfor which mass loss rates, near-IR photometry and distance estimatesexist. For 252 sources we collected mid-IR fluxes from the MSX (6C) andthe ISO-SWS catalogues. Most stars have spectral energy distributions upto 21 μm, and some (1/3) up to 45 μm. This wide wavelengthcoverage allows us to obtain reliable bolometric magnitudes. Theproperties of our sample are discussed with emphasis on ~70 stars withastrometric distances. We show that mid-IR fluxes are crucial toestimate the magnitude of stars with dusty envelopes. We construct HRdiagrams and show that the luminosities agree fairly well with modelpredictions based on the Schwarzschild's criterion, contrary to what iswidely argued in the literature. A problem with the brightness of Cstars does not appear to exist. From the relative number of Mira andSemiregular C-variables, we argue that the switch between these classesis unlikely to be connected to thermal pulses. The relevance of the twopopulations varies with the evolution, with Miras dominating the finalstages. We also analyze mass loss rates, which increase for increasingluminosity, but with a spread that probably results from a dependence ona number of parameters (like e.g. different stellar masses and differentmechanisms powering stellar winds). Instead, mass loss rates are wellmonitored by IR colours, especially if extended to 20 μm and beyond,where AGB envelopes behave like black bodies. From these colours theevolutionary status of various classes of C stars is discussed.
| Three-micron spectra of AGB stars and supergiants in nearby galaxies
The dependence of stellar molecular bands on the metallicity is studiedusing infrared L-band spectra of AGB stars (both carbon-rich andoxygen-rich) and M-type supergiants in the Large and Small MagellanicClouds (LMC and SMC) and in the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy. Thespectra cover SiO bands for oxygen-rich stars, and acetylene (C2H2), CHand HCN bands for carbon-rich AGB stars. The equivalent width ofacetylene is found to be high even at low metallicity. The high C2H2abundance can be explained with a high carbon-to-oxygen (C/O) ratio forlower metallicity carbon stars. In contrast, the HCN equivalent width islow: fewer than half of the extra-galactic carbon stars show the 3.5μm HCN band, and only a few LMC stars show high HCN equivalent width.HCN abundances are limited by both nitrogen and carbon elementalabundances. The amount of synthesized nitrogen depends on the initialmass, and stars with high luminosity (i.e. high initial mass) could havea high HCN abundance. CH bands are found in both the extra-galactic andGalactic carbon stars. One SMC post-AGB star, SMC-S2, shows the 3.3μm PAH band. This first detection of a PAH band from an SMC post-AGBstar confirms PAHs can form in these low-metallicity stars. None of theoxygen-rich LMC stars show SiO bands, except one possible detection in alow quality spectrum. The limits on the equivalent widths of the SiObands are below the expectation of up to 30 Å for LMC metallicity.Several possible explanations are discussed, mostly based on the effectof pulsation and circumstellar dust. The observations imply that LMC andSMC carbon stars could reach mass-loss rates as high as their Galacticcounterparts, because there are more carbon atoms available and morecarbonaceous dust can be formed. On the other hand, the lack of SiOsuggests less dust and lower mass-loss rates in low-metallicityoxygen-rich stars. The effect on the ISM dust enrichment is discussed.
| CHARM2: An updated Catalog of High Angular Resolution Measurements
We present an update of the Catalog of High Angular ResolutionMeasurements (CHARM, Richichi & Percheron \cite{CHARM}, A&A,386, 492), which includes results available until July 2004. CHARM2 is acompilation of direct measurements by high angular resolution methods,as well as indirect estimates of stellar diameters. Its main goal is toprovide a reference list of sources which can be used for calibrationand verification observations with long-baseline optical and near-IRinterferometers. Single and binary stars are included, as are complexobjects from circumstellar shells to extragalactic sources. The presentupdate provides an increase of almost a factor of two over the previousedition. Additionally, it includes several corrections and improvements,as well as a cross-check with the valuable public release observationsof the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). A total of 8231entries for 3238 unique sources are now present in CHARM2. Thisrepresents an increase of a factor of 3.4 and 2.0, respectively, overthe contents of the previous version of CHARM.The catalog is only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/431/773
| The mass loss of C-rich giants
The mass loss rates, expansion velocities and dust-to-gas density ratiosfrom millimetric observations of 119 carbon-rich giants are compared, asfunctions of stellar parameters, to the predictions of recenthydrodynamical models. Distances and luminosities previously estimatedfrom HIPPARCOS data, masses from pulsations and C/O abundance ratiosfrom spectroscopy, and effective temperatures from a new homogeneousscale, are used. Predicted and observed mass loss rates agree fairlywell, as functions of effective temperature. The signature of the massrange M≤4 Mȯ of most carbon-rich AGB stars is seenas a flat portion in the diagram of mass loss rate vs. effectivetemperature. It is flanked by two regions of mass loss rates increasingwith decreasing effective temperature at nearly constant stellar mass.Four stars with detached shells, i.e. episodic strong mass loss, andfive cool infrared carbon-rich stars with optically-thick dust shells,have mass loss rates much larger than predicted values. The latter(including CW Leo) could be stars of smaller masses (M≃ 1.5-2.5Mȯ) while M≃ 4 Mȯ is indicated formost of the coolest objects. Among the carbon stars with detachedshells, R Scl returned to a predicted level (16 times lower) accordingto recent measurements of the central source. The observed expansionvelocities are in agreement with the predicted velocities at infinity ina diagram of velocities vs. effective temperature, provided the carbonto oxygen abundance ratio is 1≤ɛ C/ɛO≤2, i.e. the range deduced from spectra and modelatmospheres of those cool variables. Five stars with detached shellsdisplay expansion velocities about twice that predicted at theireffective temperature. Miras and non-Miras do populate the same locus inboth diagrams at the present accuracy. The predicted dust-to-gas densityratios are however about 2.2 times smaller than the values estimatedfrom observations. Recent drift models can contribute to minimize thediscrepancy since they include more dust. Simple approximate formulaeare proposed.This research has made use of the Simbad database operated at CDS.Partially based on data from the ESA HIPPARCOS astrometry satellite.Table 3 is only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymousftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/429/235
| Merrill-Sanford bands in Large Magellanic Cloud carbon stars
From a sample of 304 carbon stars in the central parts of the LargeMagellanic Cloud (LMC), ~27 per cent have Merrill-Sanford (MS) bands ofthe SiC2 molecule. The data are based on a uniform set ofspectra taken with 2dF on the Anglo-Australian Telescope, and giveuseful statistics on the incidence of MS bands and on their correlation(or otherwise) with other properties. All of these are red stars, coolerthan 3100 K. The proportion of stars showing the bands is highestamongst the coolest stars, but not all very cool stars show the bands.There is no evidence that MS bands are more common in J-type stars(carbon stars with a high 13C/12C ratio) than inN-type carbon stars, at least within this sample of LMC stars. There isno apparent correlation with stellar variability, or between thephotospheric temperature [as measured by (J-K)] and the occurrence ofthe `hot' MS bands from excited molecular states.
| JHKLM Photometry for Carbon Stars
We discuss our JHKLM photometry for nine carbon Mira stars, eighteencarbon semiregular variables, and two oxygen Mira stars. For fourteencarbon stars, we present and analyze their infrared light and colorcurves. For all of the observed objects, we have estimated the opticaldepths of the circumstellar dust envelopes, the angular diameters of thestars, and their temperatures.
| Molecular and dust features of 29 SiC carbon AGB stars
We have reduced and analyzed the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO)Short-Wavelength Spectrometer (SWS) spectra of 29 infrared carbon starswith a silicon carbide feature at 11.30 μm, 17 of which have not beenpreviously published. Absorption or emission features of C2,HCN, C2H2, C3 and silicon carbide (SiC)have been identified in all 17 unpublished carbon stars. In addition,two unidentified absorption features at 3.50 and 3.65 μm are listedfor the first time in this paper. We classify these 29 carbon stars intogroups A, B, C and D according to the shapes of their spectral energydistribution, and this classification seems to show an evolutionarysequence of carbon stars with an SiC feature. Moreover we have found thefollowing results for the different groups: on average, the relativeintegrated flux of the 3.05 μm C2H2+HCNabsorption feature increases gradually from group A to B and C; that ofthe 5.20 μm C3 absorption feature becomes gradually weakerfrom group A to B and C; that of the 11.30 μm SiC emission featureincreases gradually from group A to B and C but weakens in group D; andin contrast, that of the 13.70 μm C2H2absorption feature weakens gradually from group A to B and C but becomesstronger in group D. We suggest that the evolution of the IR spectra ofcarbon stars along the sequence A to D is a result of the followingphenomena: as the near-IR black-body temperature (Tnir)decreases, the circumstellar envelope becomes thicker; also theeffective temperature (Teff) of the photosphere of thecentral star decreases gradually and the C/O ratio increases from A toB.Based on observations with ISO, an ESA project with instruments fundedby ESA Member States (especially the PI countries: France, Germany, TheNetherlands and the UK) with the participation of ISAS and NASA.
| Reprocessing the Hipparcos data of evolved stars. III. Revised Hipparcos period-luminosity relationship for galactic long-period variable stars
We analyze the K band luminosities of a sample of galactic long-periodvariables using parallaxes measured by the Hipparcos mission. Theparallaxes are in most cases re-computed from the Hipparcos IntermediateAstrometric Data using improved astrometric fits and chromaticitycorrections. The K band magnitudes are taken from the literature andfrom measurements by COBE, and are corrected for interstellar andcircumstellar extinction. The sample contains stars of several spectraltypes: M, S and C, and of several variability classes: Mira, semiregularSRa, and SRb. We find that the distribution of stars in theperiod-luminosity plane is independent of circumstellar chemistry, butthat the different variability types have different P-L distributions.Both the Mira variables and the SRb variables have reasonablywell-defined period-luminosity relationships, but with very differentslopes. The SRa variables are distributed between the two classes,suggesting that they are a mixture of Miras and SRb, rather than aseparate class of stars. New period-luminosity relationships are derivedbased on our revised Hipparcos parallaxes. The Miras show a similarperiod-luminosity relationship to that found for Large Magellanic CloudMiras by Feast et al. (\cite{Feast-1989:a}). The maximum absolute Kmagnitude of the sample is about -8.2 for both Miras and semi-regularstars, only slightly fainter than the expected AGB limit. We show thatthe stars with the longest periods (P>400 d) have high mass lossrates and are almost all Mira variables.Based on observations from the Hipparcos astrometric satellite operatedby the European Space Agency (ESA \cite{Hipparcos}).Table \ref{Tab:data1} is only available in electronic form at the CDSvia anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/403/993
| J-type carbon stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud
A sample of 1497 carbon stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) hasbeen observed in the red part of the spectrum with the 2dF facility onthe Anglo-Australian Telescope. Of these, 156 have been identified asJ-type (i.e. 13C-rich) carbon stars using a technique whichprovides a clear distinction between J stars and the normal N-typecarbon stars that comprise the bulk of the sample, and yields fewborderline cases. A simple two-dimensional classification of thespectra, based on their spectral slopes in different wavelength regions,has been constructed and found to be related to the more conventional cand j indices, modified to suit the spectral regions observed. Most ofthe J stars form a photometric sequence in the K- (J-K) colour-magnitudediagram, parallel to and 0.6 mag fainter than the N-star sequence. Asubset of the J stars (about 13 per cent) are brighter than this J-starsequence; most of these are spectroscopically different from the other Jstars. The bright J stars have stronger CN bands than the other J starsand are found strongly concentrated in the central regions of the LMC.Most of the rather few stars in common with Hartwick and Cowley's sampleof suspected CH stars are J stars. Overall, the proportion of carbonstars identified as J stars is somewhat lower than has been found in theGalaxy. The Na D lines are weaker in the LMC J stars than in either theGalactic J stars or the LMC N stars, and do not seem to depend ontemperature.
| How many Hipparcos Variability-Induced Movers are genuine binaries?
Hipparcos observations of some variable stars, and especially oflong-period (e.g. Mira) variables, reveal a motion of the photocentercorrelated with the brightness variation (variability-induced mover -VIM), suggesting the presence of a binary companion. A re-analysis ofthe Hipparcos photometric and astrometric data does not confirm the VIMsolution for 62 among the 288 VIM objects (21%) in the Hipparcoscatalogue. Most of these 288 VIMs are long-period (e.g. Mira) variables(LPV). The effect of a revised chromaticity correction, which accountsfor the color variations along the light cycle, was then investigated.It is based on ``instantaneous'' V-I color indices derived fromHipparcos and Tycho-2 epoch photometry. Among the 188 LPVs flagged asVIM in the Hipparcos catalogue, 89 (47%) are not confirmed as VIM afterthis improved chromaticity correction is applied. This dramatic decreasein the number of VIM solutions is not surprising, since the chromaticitycorrection applied by the Hipparcos reduction consortia was based on afixed V-I color. Astrophysical considerations lead us to adopt a morestringent criterion for accepting a VIM solution (first-kind risk of0.27% instead of 10% as in the Hipparcos catalogue). With this moresevere criterion, only 27 LPV stars remain VIM, thus rejecting 161 ofthe 188 (86%) of the LPVs defined as VIMs in the Hipparcos catalogue.Based on observations from the Hipparcos astrometric satellite operatedby the European Space Agency (ESA 1997).Table 1 is also available in electronic form at the CDS, via anonymousftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/399/1167
| Hipparcos red stars in the HpV_T2 and V I_C systems
For Hipparcos M, S, and C spectral type stars, we provide calibratedinstantaneous (epoch) Cousins V - I color indices using newly derivedHpV_T2 photometry. Three new sets of ground-based Cousins V I data havebeen obtained for more than 170 carbon and red M giants. These datasetsin combination with the published sources of V I photometry served toobtain the calibration curves linking Hipparcos/Tycho Hp-V_T2 with theCousins V - I index. In total, 321 carbon stars and 4464 M- and S-typestars have new V - I indices. The standard error of the mean V - I isabout 0.1 mag or better down to Hp~9 although it deteriorates rapidly atfainter magnitudes. These V - I indices can be used to verify thepublished Hipparcos V - I color indices. Thus, we have identified ahandful of new cases where, instead of the real target, a random fieldstar has been observed. A considerable fraction of the DMSA/C and DMSA/Vsolutions for red stars appear not to be warranted. Most likely suchspurious solutions may originate from usage of a heavily biased color inthe astrometric processing.Based on observations from the Hipparcos astrometric satellite operatedby the European Space Agency (ESA 1997).}\fnmsep\thanks{Table 7 is onlyavailable in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/397/997
| Medium-Resolution Stellar Spectra in the L Band from 2400 to 3000 cm-1 (3.3 to 4.2 Microns)
We present a brief atlas of L-band (3.3-4.2 μm) spectra for 42 starsplus the Sun and a sunspot observed at a resolving power of R~3000. Thiscontribution is intended to supplement our previous K-band, H-band, andJ-band spectral atlases. The L-band data, which cover some or all of the2400 to 3000 cm-1 (3.3-4.2 μm) region, are mainly forluminous late-type stars. In reducing these data, special care has beentaken to remove telluric features, especially water vapor. We identifytemperature- and luminosity-sensitive atomic and molecular indices toaid in the classification of stellar spectra in the L band. The data areavailable electronically.
| Carbon-rich giants in the HR diagram and their luminosity function
The luminosity function (LF) of nearly 300 Galactic carbon giants isderived. Adding BaII giants and various related objects, about 370objects are located in the RGB and AGB portions of the theoretical HRdiagram. As intermediate steps, (1) bolometric corrections arecalibrated against selected intrinsic color indices; (2) the diagram ofphotometric coefficients 1/2 vs. astrometric trueparallaxes varpi are interpreted in terms of ranges of photosphericradii for every photometric group; (3) coefficients CR andCL for bias-free evaluation of mean photospheric radii andmean luminosities are computed. The LF of Galactic carbon giantsexhibits two maxima corresponding to the HC-stars of the thick disk andto the CV-stars of the old thin disk respectively. It is discussed andcompared to those of carbon stars in the Magellanic Clouds and Galacticbulge. The HC-part is similar to the LF of the Galactic bulge,reinforcing the idea that the Bulge and the thick disk are part of thesame dynamical component. The CV-part looks similar to the LF of theLarge Magellanic Cloud (LMC), but the former is wider due to thesubstantial errors on HIPPARCOS parallaxes. The obtained meanluminosities increase with increasing radii and decreasing effectivetemperatures, along the HC-CV sequence of photometric groups, except forHC0, the earliest one. This trend illustrates the RGB- and AGB-tracks oflow- and intermediate-mass stars for a range in metallicities. From acomparison with theoretical tracks in the HR diagram, the initial massesMi range from about 0.8 to 4.0 Msun for carbongiants, with possibly larger masses for a few extreme objects. A largerange of metallicities is likely, from metal-poor HC-stars classified asCH stars on the grounds of their spectra (a spheroidal component), tonear-solar compositions of many CV-stars. Technetium-rich carbon giantsare brighter than the lower limit Mbol =~ -3.6+/- 0.4 andcentered at =~-4.7+0.6-0.9 at about =~(2935+/-200) K or CV3-CV4 in our classification. Much like the resultsof Van Eck et al. (\cite{vaneck98}) for S stars, this confirms theTDU-model of those TP-AGB stars. This is not the case of the HC-stars inthe thick disk, with >~ 3400 K and>~ -3.4. The faint HC1 and HC2-stars( =~ -1.1+0.7-1.0) arefound slightly brighter than the BaII giants ( =~-0.3+/-1.3) on average. Most RCB variables and HdC stars range fromMbol =~ -1 to -4 against -0.2 to -2.4 for those of the threepopulation II Cepheids in the sample. The former stars show the largestluminosities ( <~ -4 at the highest effectivetemperatures (6500-7500 K), close to the Mbol =~ -5 value forthe hot LMC RCB-stars (W Men and HV 5637). A full discussion of theresults is postponed to a companion paper on pulsation modes andpulsation masses of carbon-rich long period variables (LPVs; Paper IV,present issue). This research has made use of the Simbad databaseoperated at CDS, Strasbourg, France. Partially based on data from theESA HIPPARCOS astrometry satellite. Table 2 is only available inelectronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr(130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/390/967
| CHARM: A Catalog of High Angular Resolution Measurements
The Catalog of High Angular Resolution Measurements (CHARM) includesmost of the measurements obtained by the techniques of lunaroccultations and long-baseline interferometry at visual and infraredwavelengths, which have appeared in the literature or have otherwisebeen made public until mid-2001. A total of 2432 measurements of 1625sources are included, along with extensive auxiliary information. Inparticular, visual and infrared photometry is included for almost allthe sources. This has been partly extracted from currently availablecatalogs, and partly obtained specifically for CHARM. The main aim is toprovide a compilation of sources which could be used as calibrators orfor science verification purposes by the new generation of largeground-based facilities such as the ESO Very Large Interferometer andthe Keck Interferometer. The Catalog is available in electronic form atthe CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/386/492, and from theauthors on CD-Rom.
| Long period variable stars: galactic populations and infrared luminosity calibrations
In this paper HIPPARCOS astrometric and kinematic data are used tocalibrate both infrared luminosities and kinematical parameters of LongPeriod Variable stars (LPVs). Individual absolute K and IRAS 12 and 25luminosities of 800 LPVs are determined and made available in electronicform. The estimated mean kinematics is analyzed in terms of galacticpopulations. LPVs are found to belong to galactic populations rangingfrom the thin disk to the extended disk. An age range and a lower limitof the initial mass is given for stars of each population. A differenceof 1.3 mag in K for the upper limit of the Asymptotic Giant Branch isfound between the disk and old disk galactic populations, confirming itsdependence on the mass in the main sequence. LPVs with a thin envelopeare distinguished using the estimated mean IRAS luminosities. The levelof attraction (in the classification sense) of each group for the usualclassifying parameters of LPVs (variability and spectral types) isexamined. Table only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/374/968 or via ASTRIDdatabase (http://astrid.graal.univ-montp2.fr).
| Speckle Interferometry of New and Problem Hipparcos Binaries. II. Observations Obtained in 1998-1999 from McDonald Observatory
The Hipparcos satellite made measurements of over 9734 known doublestars, 3406 new double stars, and 11,687 unresolved but possible doublestars. The high angular resolution afforded by speckle interferometrymakes it an efficient means to confirm these systems from the ground,which were first discovered from space. Because of its coverage of adifferent region of angular separation-magnitude difference(ρ-Δm) space, speckle interferometry also holds promise toascertain the duplicity of the unresolved Hipparcos ``problem'' stars.Presented are observations of 116 new Hipparcos double stars and 469Hipparcos ``problem stars,'' as well as 238 measures of other doublestars and 246 other high-quality nondetections. Included in these areobservations of double stars listed in the Tycho-2 Catalogue andpossible grid stars for the Space Interferometry Mission.
| The effective temperatures of carbon-rich stars
We evaluate effective temperatures of 390 carbon-rich stars. Theinterstellar extinction on their lines of sights was determined andcircumstellar contributions derived. The intrinsic (dereddened) spectralenergy distributions (SEDs) are classified into 14 photometric groups(HCi, CVj and SCV with i=0,5 and j=1,7). The newscale of effective temperatures proposed here is calibrated on the 54angular diameters (measured on 52 stars) available at present from lunaroccultations and interferometry. The brightness distribution on stellardiscs and its influence on diameter evaluations are discussed. Theeffective temperatures directly deduced from those diameters correlatewith the classification into photometric groups, despite the large errorbars on diameters. The main parameter of our photometric classificationis thus effective temperature. Our photometric < k right >1/2 coefficients are shown to be angular diameters on arelative scale for a given photometric group, (more precisely for agiven effective temperature). The angular diameters are consistent withthe photometric data previously shown to be consistent with the trueparallaxes from HIPPARCOS observations (Knapik, et al. \cite{knapik98},Sect. 6). Provisional effective temperatures, as constrained by asuccessful comparison of dereddened SEDs from observations to modelatmosphere predictions, are in good agreement with the values directlycalculated from the observed angular diameters and with those deducedfrom five selected intrinsic color indices. These three approaches wereused to calibrate a reference angular diameter Phi 0 and theassociated coefficient CT_eff. The effective temperatureproposed for each star is the arithmetic mean of two estimates, one(``bolometric'') from a reference integrated flux F0, theother (``spectral'') from calibrated color indices which arerepresentative of SED shapes. Effective temperatures for about 390carbon stars are provided on this new homogeneous scale, together withvalues for some stars classified with oxygen-type SEDs with a total of438 SEDs (410 stars) studied. Apparent bolometric magnitudes are given.Objects with strong infrared excesses and optically thick circumstellardust shells are discussed separately. The new effective temperaturescale is shown to be compatible and (statistically) consistent with thesample of direct values from the observed angular diameters. Theeffective temperatures are confirmed to be higher than the mean colortemperatures (from 140 to 440 K). They are in good agreement with thepublished estimates from the infrared flux method forTeff>= 3170 K, while an increasing discrepancy is observedtoward lower temperatures. As an illustration of the efficiency of thephotometric classification and effective temperature scale, the C/Oratios and the Merrill-Sanford (M-S) band intensities are investigated.It is shown that the maximum value, mean value and dispersion of C/Oincrease along the photometric CV-sequence, i.e. with decreasingeffective temperature. The M-S bands of SiC2 are shown tohave a transition from ``none'' to ``strong'' at Teff =~(2800+/- 150right ) K. Simultaneously, with decreasing effectivetemperature, the mean C/O ratio increases from 1.04 to 1.36, thetransition in SiC2 strength occurring while 1.07<= C/O<= 1.18. This research has made use of the Simbad database operatedat CDS, Strasbourg, France. Table 10 is only available in electronicform at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5)}or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/369/178
| Models of circumstellar molecular radio line emission. Mass loss rates for a sample of bright carbon stars
Using a detailed radiative transfer analysis, combined with an energybalance equation for the gas, we have performed extensive modelling ofcircumstellar CO radio line emission from a large sample of opticallybright carbon stars, originally observed by Olofsson et al. (ApJS, 87,267). Some new observational results are presented here. We determinesome of the basic parameters that characterize circumstellar envelopes(CSEs), e.g., the stellar mass loss rate, the gas expansion velocity,and the kinetic temperature structure of the gas. Assuming a sphericallysymmetric CSE with a smooth gas density distribution, created by acontinuous mass loss, which expands with a constant velocity we are ableto model reasonably well 61 of our 69 sample stars. The derived massloss rates depend crucially on the assumptions in the circumstellarmodel, of which some can be constrained if enough observational dataexist. Therefore, a reliable mass loss rate determination for anindividual star requires, in addition to a detailed radiative transferanalysis, good observational constraints in the form of multi-lineobservations and radial brightness distributions. In our analysis we usethe results of a model for the photodissociation of circumstellar CO byMamon et al. (1988). This leads to model fits to observed radialbrightness profiles that are, in general, very good, but there are alsoa few cases with clear deviations, which suggest departures from asimple r-2 density law. The derived mass loss rates spanalmost four orders of magnitude, from ~ 5 10-9Msun yr-1 up to ~ 2 10-5Msun yr-1, with the median mass loss rate being ~3 10-7 Msun yr-1. We estimate that themass loss rates are typically accurate to ~ 50% within the adoptedcircumstellar model. The physical conditions prevailing in the CSEs varyconsiderably over such a large range of mass loss rates. Among otherthings, it appears that the dust-to-gas mass ratio and/or the dustproperties change with the mass loss rate. We find that the mass lossrate and the gas expansion velocity are well correlated, and that bothof them clearly depend on the pulsational period and (with largerscatter) the stellar luminosity. Moreover, the mass loss rate correlatesweakly with the stellar effective temperature, in the sense that thecooler stars tend to have higher mass loss rates, but there seems to beno correlation with the stellar C/O-ratio. We conclude that the massloss rate increases with increased regular pulsation and/or luminosity,and that the expansion velocity increases as an effect of increasingmass loss rate (for low mass loss rates) and luminosity. Five, of theremaining eight, sample stars have detached CSEs in the form ofgeometrically thin CO shells. The present mass loss rates and shellmasses of these sources are estimated. Finally, in three cases weencounter problems using our model. For two of these sources there areindications of significant departures from overall spherical symmetry ofthe CSEs. Carbon stars on the AGB are probably important in returningprocessed gas to the ISM. We estimate that carbon stars of the typeconsidered here annually return ~ 0.05 Msun of gas to theGalaxy, but more extreme carbon stars may contribute an order ofmagnitude more. However, as for the total carbon budget of the Galaxy,carbon stars appear to be of only minor importance. Presented in thispaper is observational data collected using the Swedish-ESOsubmillimetre telescope, La Silla, Chile, the 20\,m telescope at OnsalaSpace Observatory, Chalmers Tekniska Högskola, Sweden, and the NRAO12\,m telescope located at Kitt Peak, USA.}
| Catalogue of Apparent Diameters and Absolute Radii of Stars (CADARS) - Third edition - Comments and statistics
The Catalogue, available at the Centre de Données Stellaires deStrasbourg, consists of 13 573 records concerning the results obtainedfrom different methods for 7778 stars, reported in the literature. Thefollowing data are listed for each star: identifications, apparentmagnitude, spectral type, apparent diameter in arcsec, absolute radiusin solar units, method of determination, reference, remarks. Commentsand statistics obtained from CADARS are given. The Catalogue isavailable in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcar?J/A+A/367/521
| Modeling of C stars with core/mantle grains: Amorphous carbon + SiC
A set of 45 dust envelopes of carbon stars has been modeled. Among them,34 were selected according to their dust envelope class (as suggested bySloan et al. \cite{Sloan98}) and 11 are extreme carbon stars. The modelswere performed using a code that describes the radiative transfer indust envelopes considering core/mantle grains composed by an alpha -SiCcore and an amorphous carbon (A.C.) mantle. In addition, we have alsocomputed models with a code that considers two kinds of grains - alpha-SiC and A.C. - simultaneously. Core-mantle grains seem to fit dustenvelopes of evolved carbon stars, while two homogeneous grains are moreable to reproduce thinner dust envelopes. Our results suggest that thereexists an evolution of dust grains in the carbon star sequence. In thebeginning of the sequence, grains are mainly composed of SiC andamorphous carbon; with dust envelope evolution, carbon grains are coatedin SiC. This phenomena could perhaps explain the small quantity of SiCgrains observed in the interstellar medium. However, in this work weconsider only alpha -SiC grains, and the inclusion of beta -SiC grainscan perhaps change some of these results.
| Stars with the Largest Hipparcos Photometric Amplitudes
A list of the 2027 stars that have the largest photometric amplitudes inHipparcos Photometry shows that most variable stars are all Miras. Thepercentage of variable types change as a function of amplitude. Thiscompilation should also be of value to photometrists looking forrelatively unstudied, but large amplitude stars.
| General Catalog of Galactic Carbon Stars by C. B. Stephenson. Third Edition
The catalog is an updated and revised version of Stephenson's Catalogueof Galactic Cool Carbon Stars (2nd edition). It includes 6891 entries.For each star the following information is given: equatorial (2000.0)and galactic coordinates, blue, visual and infrared magnitudes, spectralclassification, references, designations in the most significantcatalogs and coordinate precision classes. The main catalog issupplemented by remarks containing information for which there was noplace in entries of the main part, as well as some occasional notesabout the peculiarities of specific stars.
| The Chemical Composition of Carbon Stars. II. The J-Type Stars
Abundances of lithium, heavy elements, and carbon isotope ratios havebeen measured in 12 J-type Galactic carbon stars. The abundance analysisshows that in these stars the abundances of s-process elements withrespect to the metallicity are nearly normal. Tc is not present in mostof them, although upper limits have been derived for WZ Cas and WX Cyg,perhaps two SC-type rather than J-type carbon stars. The Rb abundances,obtained from the resonance λ7800 Rb I line, are surprisinglylow, probably owing to strong non-LTE effects in the formation of thisline in cool carbon-rich stars. Lithium and 13C are found tobe enhanced in all the stars. These results together with the nitrogenabundances and oxygen isotope ratios measured by Lambert et al. andHarris et al. are used to discuss the origin of J stars. The luminosityand variability class of the stars studied would indicate that they arelow-mass (M<~2-3 Msolar), less evolved objects than thenormal carbon stars, although the presence of some luminous(Mbol<-5.5) J stars in our Galaxy (WZ Cas may be anexample) and in other galaxies, suggests the existence of at least twotypes of J stars, with different formation scenarios depending upon theinitial mass of the parent star. Standard evolutionary AGB models aredifficult to reconcile with all the observed chemical characteristics.In fact, they suggest the existence of an extra mixing mechanism thattransports material from the convective envelope down to hotter regionswhere some nuclear burning occurs. This mechanism would act preferablyon the early-AGB phase in low-mass stars. Mixing at the He-core flashand the binary system hypothesis are also discussed as alternatives tothe above scenario.
| On the distance and mass-loss rate of carbon stars showing the silicon carbide emission feature
The distances and the mass-loss rates of carbon stars are in generalvery poorly known. The various estimates of the distances, taken fromthe general literature, show considerable discrepancies, while theevaluations of the mass-loss rates can be in error by more than an orderof magnitude. In this work we have evaluated these two important stellarparameters for a previously selected sample of 55 carbon stars showingthe 11.3 mu m band, commonly attributed to silicon carbide (SiC) grains.To perform the calculation we have used the values of geometrical andphysical parameters of these sources obtained from the best fits oftheir observed spectra. Using the distance values derived in this wayand the 11.3 mu m band intensity, we have evaluated the absolute bandstrength and we have found that, in agreement with other authors, thereis a correlation between this quantity and the mass-loss rate. Thiscorrelation can be very useful to determine the mass-loss rate of othercarbon stars not included in our sample, by means of the intensity ofthe SiC band, without using the usual technique based on COobservations. The same procedure can be conveniently applied to the sameas well as to other carbon stars, whose spectra will be available to thecommunity in the next future (i.e. the infrared spectra of sourcesobserved by the Infrared Satellite Observatory, ISO).
| The chemical composition of the rare J-type carbon stars.
Abundances of lithium, heavy elements and carbon isotope ratios havebeen derived in 12 J-type galactic carbon stars. The abundance analysisshows that in these stars the abundances of s-process elements withrespect to the metallicity are nearly solar. Tc is not present in mostof them. The Rb abundances, obtained from the resonance 7800 {\AA} RbIline, are surprisingly low, probably due to stroong non-LTE effects.Lithium and $^{13}$C are found to be enhanced in all the stars. Theseresults are used to discuss the origin of J-stars.
| Multiperiodicity in semiregular variables. I. General properties
We present a detailed period analysis for 93 red semiregular variablesby means of Fourier and wavelet analyses of long-term visualobservations carried out by amateur astronomers. The results of thisanalysis yield insights into the mode structure of semiregular variablesand help to clarify the relationship between them and Mira variables.After collecting all available data from various international databases(AFOEV, VSOLJ, HAA/VSS and AAVSO) we test the accuracy and reliabilityof data. We compare the averaged and noise-filtered visual light curveswith simultaneous photoelectric V-measurements, the effect of the lengthversus the relatively low signal-to-noise ratio is illustrated by periodanalysis of artificial data, while binning effects are tested bycomparing results of frequency analyses of the unbinned and averagedlight curves. The overwhelming majority of the stars studied showmultiperiodic behaviour. We found two significant periods in 44variables, while there are definite signs of three periods in 12 stars.29 stars turned out to be monoperiodic with small instabilities in theperiod. Since this study deals with the general trends, we wanted tofind only the most dominant periods. The distribution of periods andperiod ratios is examined through the use of the (log P_0, log P_1) and(log P_1, log P_0/P_1) plots. Three significant and two less obvioussequences are present which could be explained as the direct consequenceof different pulsational modes. This hypothesis is supported by theresults for multiperiodic variables with three periods. Finally, thesespace methods are illustrated by several interesting case studies thatshow the best examples of different special phenomena such as long-termamplitude modulation, amplitude decrease and mode switching.
| Quantitative analysis of carbon isotopic ratios in carbon stars. III. 26 J-type carbon stars including 5 silicate carbon stars
We present the result of a quantitative analysis of (12C/({13)) C}ratios in 26 J-type carbon stars. The (12C/({13)) C} ratios aredetermined from lines of the CN red system around 8000 Angstroms, usingthe iso-intensity method and line-blanketed model atmospheres. Theaverage of (12C/({13)) C}\ ratios in the 26 stars is 4.7 +/- 2.8(standard deviation). All the stars studied, except for two stars, have(12C/({13)) C}\ ratios smaller than 10. (12C/({13)) C}\ ratios as low as1 ~ 2, which are lower than the value at the equilibrium of theCN-cycle, are found for a significant fraction of our sample, suggestingthe operation of non-equilibrium nuclear processes. For several starspreviously analyzed by other authors, our result shows fair agreement.The serious disagreement of (12C/({13)) C}\ ratios, which we reportedfor N-type carbon stars in our preceding paper, is not found for J-typecarbon stars. Five silicate carbon stars in our sample show no peculiar(12C/({13)) C} ratios among the stars studied in the present work. Thisresult implies that the mechanism responsible for low (12C/({13)) C}\ratios in silicate carbon stars might be the same with that operating inother J-type carbon stars. In other words, (12C/({13)) C}\ ratios insilicate carbon stars have turned out to give few clues to identify themechanism responsible for their formation.
| Dust extinction and intrinsic SEDs of carbon-rich stars. III. The Miras, CS, and SC stars
The present work is an extension of a recent study by Knapik &Bergeat (\cite{knapik97}), and Bergeat et al. (\cite{berge98b})henceforth called Papers I and II, respectively. The spectral energydistributions (SEDs) of about 440 carbon-rich stars and the interstellarextinction observed on their line of sights were analysed. The methodsoriginally developed for Semi-Regular (SR) and Irregular (L) variables(Paper I: our groups CV1 to CV6) were then extended (Paper II) to thehot carbon (HC) stars (our groups HC0 to HC5) and related objects (RCB,BaII and HdC stars). Shortly, this is a kind of a pair method making usesimultaneously of the whole SED from UV to IR. Our approach is appliedhere to the galactic cool carbon-rich variables which were notconsidered in Paper I, namely the carbon Miras and very cool non-Miras,and the CS and SC variables. The carbon Miras with infrared silicateemission are also studied. The photometric CV1 to CV6 classificationscheme of paper I is implemented, and we add here a later CV7-group anda specific SCV-group which corresponds to spectroscopic SC stars. Acontinuous S-SC-CS-C sequence is clearly supported by our results. Thecarbon stars with IR silicate emission included in our study do havecarbon-rich SEDs of the three consecutive groups HC5, CV1 and CV2. Theystand among the relatively hot carbon variables, in the 3600-3000 Krange in effective temperature. The carbon Miras are satisfactorilydescribed in this enlarged scheme. No specific extension is requiredsince non-Miras are also found in the CV7 and SCV-groups. The derivedgroup is however frequently phase-dependent in these large amplitudevariables. Additional selective extinction of circumstellar (CS) originis observed in variable amounts. The mean extinction law for theinterstellar diffuse medium as tabulated by Mathis (\cite{mathis}) isshown to be relevant. It applies to both interstellar and circumstellarextinction with a possible CS neutral extinction in addition which wouldremain undetected here. The corresponding colour excess E(B-V) is largerat minimum light or intermediate phases than what it is at maximum light(where it can amount to zero). It is associated to large IR excessesattributed to the emission from CS dust. Long-term variations onthousands of days may be interpreted in terms of varying CS dust opacityon the line of sight. The dust influence is discussed. It is shown thatscattering, if substantial on the line of sight in the observing lobe,has to be essentially wavelength-independent, i.e. due to large neutralscatterers, especially in high opacity objects like IRC +10216. Finally,with the HC0 to HC5 classification of HC stars (Paper II), we obtain afourteen groups sequence (HC0 to HC5 and then CV1 to CV7 from theearlier one to the latest one, and SCV for SC stars apart). The numberof studied stars amounts now to about 600 that is about 40 stars pergroup on the average when the oxygen-type SEDs are subtracted. Theeffective temperature calibration of this classification scheme iscurrently in preparation. This research has made use of the Simbaddatabase operated at CDS, Strasbourg, France.}\fnmsep\thanks{Partiallybased on data from the ESA HIPPARCOS astrometrysatellite}\fnmsep\thanks{Table~5 is only available in electronic form atthe CDS via anonymous ftp 130.79.128.5
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Andromeda |
| Right ascension: | 00h19m54.03s |
| Declination: | +44°42'34.0" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 7.791 |
| Distance: | 280.899 parsecs |
| Proper motion RA: | 0 |
| Proper motion Dec: | 0 |
| B-T magnitude: | 14.965 |
| V-T magnitude: | 8.384 |
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