The Keck Aperture-masking Experiment: Near-Infrared Sizes of Dusty Wolf-Rayet Stars
We report the results of a high angular resolution near-infrared surveyof dusty Wolf-Rayet stars using the Keck I Telescope, including newmultiwavelength images of the pinwheel nebulae WR 98a, WR 104, and WR112. Angular sizes were measured for an additional eight dustyWolf-Rayet stars using aperture-masking interferometry, allowing us toprobe characteristic sizes down to ~20 mas (~40 AU for typical sources).With angular sizes and specific fluxes, we can directly measure thewavelength-dependent surface brightness and size relations for oursample. We discovered tight correlations of these properties within oursample that could not be explained by simple spherically symmetric dustshells or even the more realistic ``pinwheel nebula''(three-dimensional) radiative transfer model, when using Zubko's opticalconstants. While the tightly correlated surface brightness relations weuncovered offer compelling indirect evidence of a shared and distinctivedust shell geometry among our sample, long-baseline interferometersshould target the marginally resolved objects in our sample in order toconclusively establish the presence or absence of the putativeunderlying colliding-wind binaries thought to produce the dust shellsaround WC Wolf-Rayet stars.
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Really Cool Stars and the Star Formation History at the Galactic Center
We present λ/Δλ=550-1200 near-infrared H and Kspectra for a magnitude-limited sample of 79 asymptotic giant branch andcool supergiant stars in the central ~5 pc (diameter) of the Galaxy. Weuse a set of similar spectra obtained for solar neighborhood stars withknown Teff and Mbol that is in the same range asthe Galactic center (GC) sample to derive Teff andMbol for the GC sample. We then construct the H-R diagram forthe GC sample. Using an automated maximum likelihood routine, we derivea coarse star formation history of the GC. We find that (1) roughly 75%of the stars formed in the central few parsecs are older than 5 Gyr; (2)the star formation rate (SFR) is variable over time, with a roughly 4times higher SFR in the last 100 Myr compared to the average SFR; (3)our model can match dynamical limits on the total mass of stars formedonly by limiting the initial mass function to masses above 0.7Msolar (this could be a signature of mass segregation or ofthe bias toward massive star formation from the unique star formationconditions in the GC); (4) blue supergiants account for 12% of the totalsample observed, and the ratio of red to blue supergiants is roughly1.5; and (5) models with isochrones with [Fe/H]=0.0 over all ages fitthe stars in our H-R diagram better than models with lower [Fe/H] in theoldest age bins, consistent with the finding of Ramírez et al.that stars with ages between 10 Myr and 1 Gyr have solar [Fe/H].
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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
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New periodic variables from the Hipparcos epoch photometry
Two selection statistics are used to extract new candidate periodicvariables from the epoch photometry of the Hipparcos catalogue. Theprimary selection criterion is a signal-to-noise ratio. The dependenceof this statistic on the number of observations is calibrated usingabout 30000 randomly permuted Hipparcos data sets. A significance levelof 0.1 per cent is used to extract a first batch of candidate variables.The second criterion requires that the optimal frequency be unaffectedif the data are de-trended by low-order polynomials. We find 2675 newcandidate periodic variables, of which the majority (2082) are from theHipparcos`unsolved' variables. Potential problems with theinterpretation of the data (e.g. aliasing) are discussed.
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Stellar Iron Abundances at the Galactic Center
We present measurements of [Fe/H] for six M supergiant stars and threegiant stars within 2.5 pc of the Galactic center (GC) and one Msupergiant star within 30 pc of the GC. The results are based onhigh-resolution (λ/Δλ=40,000) K-band spectra, takenwith CSHELL at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility. We determine theiron abundance by detailed abundance analysis, performed with thespectral synthesis program MOOG. The mean [Fe/H] of the GC stars isdetermined to be near solar, [Fe/H]=+0.12+/-0.22. Our analysis is adifferential analysis, as we have observed and applied the same analysistechnique to 11 cool, luminous stars in the solar neighborhood withsimilar temperatures and luminosities as the GC stars. The mean [Fe/H]of the solar neighborhood comparison stars, [Fe/H]=+0.03+/-0.16, issimilar to that of the GC stars. The width of the GC [Fe/H] distributionis found to be narrower than the width of the [Fe/H] distribution ofBaade's window in the bulge but consistent with the width of the [Fe/H]distribution of giant and supergiant stars in the solar neighborhood.
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Pinwheel Nebula around WR 98A
We present the first near-infrared images of the dusty Wolf-Rayet starWR 98a. Aperture-masking interferometry has been utilized to recoverimages at the diffraction limit of the Keck I telescope, <~50 mas at2.2 μm. Multiepoch observations spanning about 1 yr have resolved thedust shell into a ``pinwheel'' nebula, the second example of a new classof dust shell first discovered around WR 104 by Tuthill, Monnier, &Danchi. Interpreting the collimated dust outflow in terms of aninteracting winds model, the binary orbital parameters and apparent windspeed are derived: a period of 565+/-50 days, a viewing angle of35^deg+/-6 deg from the pole, and a wind speed of 99+/-23 mas yr^-1.This period is consistent with a possible ~588 day periodicity in theinfrared light curve, linking the photometric variation to the binaryorbit. Important implications for binary stellar evolution are discussedby identifying WR 104 and WR 98a as members of a class of massive,short-period binaries whose orbits were circularized during a previousred supergiant phase. The current component separation in each system issimilar to the diameter of a red supergiant, which indicates that thesupergiant phase was likely terminated by Roche lobe overflow, leadingto the present Wolf-Rayet stage.
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Silicate and hydrocarbon emission from Galactic M supergiants
Following our discovery of unidentified infrared (UIR) band emission ina number of M supergiants in h and chi Per, we have obtained 10-μmspectra of a sample of 60 galactic M supergiants. Only three newsources, V1749 Cyg, UW Aql and IRC+40 427, appear to show the UIR bands;the others show the expected silicate emission or a featurelesscontinuum. The occurrence of UIR-band emission in M supergiants istherefore much higher in the h and chi Per cluster than in the Galaxy asa whole. Possible explanations for the origin and distribution of UIRbands in oxygen-rich supergiants are discussed. We use our spectra toderive mass-loss rates ranging from 10^-8 to 10^-4 M_solar yr^-1 for thenew sample, based on the power emitted in the silicate feature. Therelationship between mass-loss rate and luminosity for M supergiants isdiscussed, and correlations are explored between their mid-infraredemission properties.
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Classification and Identification of IRAS Sources with Low-Resolution Spectra
IRAS low-resolution spectra were extracted for 11,224 IRAS sources.These spectra were classified into astrophysical classes, based on thepresence of emission and absorption features and on the shape of thecontinuum. Counterparts of these IRAS sources in existing optical andinfrared catalogs are identified, and their optical spectral types arelisted if they are known. The correlations between thephotospheric/optical and circumstellar/infrared classification arediscussed.
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Vitesses radiales. Catalogue WEB: Wilson Evans Batten. Subtittle: Radial velocities: The Wilson-Evans-Batten catalogue.
We give a common version of the two catalogues of Mean Radial Velocitiesby Wilson (1963) and Evans (1978) to which we have added the catalogueof spectroscopic binary systems (Batten et al. 1989). For each star,when possible, we give: 1) an acronym to enter SIMBAD (Set ofIdentifications Measurements and Bibliography for Astronomical Data) ofthe CDS (Centre de Donnees Astronomiques de Strasbourg). 2) the numberHIC of the HIPPARCOS catalogue (Turon 1992). 3) the CCDM number(Catalogue des Composantes des etoiles Doubles et Multiples) byDommanget & Nys (1994). For the cluster stars, a precise study hasbeen done, on the identificator numbers. Numerous remarks point out theproblems we have had to deal with.
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M supergiants with large infrared excesses in the direction of the Galactic centre
The spatial distribution of M supergiant stars in the Galaxy isdiscussed on the basis of IR data from IRAS. Using the calibratedabsolute magnitude and assuming no interstellar extinction at 12microns, the distance moduli of the M supergiants are calculated.Nineteen of the 27 M supergiants are associated with the spiral arm.Seven M supergiants have distance moduli between 14.2 and 14.7, fromwhich it is inferred that these stars are located within 2 kpc from theGalactic center.
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Mass-losing M supergiants in the solar neighborhood
A list of the 21 mass-losing red supergiants (20 M type, one G type; Lgreater than 100,000 solar luminosities) within 2.5 kpc of the sun iscompiled. These supergiants are highly evolved descendants ofmain-sequence stars with initial masses larger than 20 solar masses. Thesurface density is between about 1 and 2/sq kpc. As found previously,these stars are much less concentrated toward the Galactic center thanW-R stars, which are also highly evolved massive stars. Although withconsiderable uncertainty, it is estimated that the mass return by the Msupergiants is somewhere between 0.00001 and 0.00003 solar mass/sq kpcyr. In the hemisphere facing the Galactic center there is much less massloss from M supergiants than from W-R stars, but, in the anticenterdirection, the M supergiants return more mass than do the W-R stars. Theduration of the M supergiant phase appears to be between 200,000 and400,000 yr. During this phase, a star of initially at least 20 solarmasses returns perhaps 3-10 solar masses into the interstellar medium.
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Supergiants and the Galactic metallicity gradient. II - Spectroscopic abundances for 64 distant F- to M-type supergiants
The metallicity gradient in the Galactic disk from in situ stars withvisual magnitude ranging from 6 to 10 is analyzed. Atmosphericparameters and detailed chemical abundances for 64 Population Isupergiants of spectral types F through M and luminosity classes Iathrough II have been determined. The derived Fe/H ratios ranging from-0.5 to + 0.7 show a mean value of +0.13 with an estimated uncertaintyof + or - 0.2. A subset of 25 supergiants fainter than 7th magnitudelying in the direction of the Galactic center shows a Fe/H mean of +0.18+ or - 0.04, while a similar sample of 15 faint supergiants lying in thedirection of the Galactic anticenter shows a lower Fe/H mean of +0.07 +or - 0.06. For a sample of bright supergiants analyzed by Luck andLambert (1985), the mean abundance pattern for all 64 stars showed thefollowing: deficient C and O along with enhancement of N, indicatingmixing of CNO-cycled material to the stellar surfaces; an apparent Srenhancement attributed to departures from LTE; and an essentially solarpattern of other chemical elements.
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Infrared circumstellar shells - Origins, and clues to the evolution of massive stars
The infrared fluxes, spatial and spectral characteristics for a sampleof 111 supergiant stars of spectral types F0 through M5 are tabulated,and correlations examined with respect to the nature of theircircumstellar envelopes. One-fourth of these objects were spatialyresolved by IRAS at 60 microns and possess extended circumstellar shellmaterial, with implied expansion ages of about 10 to the 5th yr.Inferences about the production of dust, mass loss, and the relation ofthese characteristics of the evolution of massive stars, are discussed.
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Lunar occultations of IRAS point sources, 1991-2000
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1989ApJS...69..651C&db_key=AST
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IRAS catalogues and atlases - Atlas of low-resolution spectra
Plots of all 5425 spectra in the IRAS catalogue of low-resolutionspectra are presented. The catalogue contains the average spectra ofmost IRAS poiont sources with 12 micron flux densities above 10 Jy.
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M supergiants in the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds Colors, spectral types, and luminosities
The differences in metal abundances between the Milky Way, LargeMagellanic Cloud (LMC), and Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) affect most ofthe observable properties of the M supergiants in these galaxies; thosein the SMC (which has the lowest metal abundance) have the earliest meanspectral type, while those of the Milky Way exhibit the latest meanspectral type. This is presently interpreted as a combination of twoeffects of differing metal abundance on the supergiant atmospheres:first, lower abundance stars of a given effective temperature haveearlier MK spectral types due to reduced TiO abundance; second, theHayashi track is shifted to hotter effective temperature at reducedmetal abundance, thereby shifting the mean spectral type still earlier.The fact that the 10-micron excess decreases linearly with metalabundance suggests that mass loss rates are roughly the same for starsin all three galaxies, with the dust-to-gas ratio proportional to metalabundance.
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Nineteen new spectroscopic binaries and the rate of binary stars among F-M supergiants
Nineteen spectroscopic binaries (SBs) have been discovered in radialvelocity measurements made with the CORAVEL spectrophotometer on 181northern F-M supergiants. The rate of detected SBs among northern F-Msupergiants is 21 percent, without any dependence on spectral orluminosity class. The study of the binary F-M supergiants with knownorbital elements indicates that all the systems with a period smallerthan the critical value P(circ) have a nearly circular orbit. The valueof P(circ) depends on the luminosity class, being 400-600 d for class Iband 2000-7000 d for class Ia. This circularization of the orbits may bedue to the transfer of angular momentum during the phase of binary massexchange.
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M supergiants and star formation at the galactic center
High resolution spectra of six sources at the galactic centerdemonstrate that these objects are M supergiants. The dramaticconcentration of such stars is interpreted as evidence for a recentburst of star formation which may also correctly model the ionizationand energetics of the galactic center.
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Supergiants and the galactic metallicity gradient. I - 27 late-type supergiants in the inner-arm regions
From an analysis of high-dispersion Kitt Peak echelle data, atmosphericparameters and chemical abundances have been derived for 27 supergiantsof spectral type F through M. Since the stars studied lie within about 1kpc of the sun, their abundances will form the local reference point forextensions of this study to larger distances. The derived Fe/H abundanceratios range from minus 0.6 to plus 0.1 dex, show a mean value of -0.15dex, and have an internal uncertainty of plus or minus 0.2 dex.
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DDO Observations of Southern Stars
Not Available
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Suggested Identifications for Infrared Sources
Not Available
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Standard Stars for Hα Photometry
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1981A&AS...44..337S&db_key=AST
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Studies of luminous stars in nearby galaxies. I. Supergiants and O stars in the Milky Way.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1978ApJS...38..309H&db_key=AST
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Photoelectric two-dimensional spectral classification of M supergiants
A photoelectric system defined by eight narrow bands between 0.7 and 1.1microns has been used to measure nearly all M supergiants that have beenclassified on the MK system. The photometric TiO and CN indicesreproduce the two-dimensional MK classifications to the accuracy of theMK types themselves. Mean fluxes and spectral classifications arepresented for 128 stars.
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Southern search for OH from M supergiants
Results are reported of a search for OH emission from about 50 southernM supergiants, and it is concluded that most optically identified Msupergiants do not have substantial emission at 1612 MHz. Fromexamination of the published OH profiles of unidentified Type II OH/IRstars, it is also concluded that only a small percentage (about 10%) ofthese stars have spectra similar to those of known OH supergiants,suggesting that Type II OH supergiants are an extremely rare class ofobject. A list of unidentified sources which may be supergiants isgiven.
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Two luminosity effects in the spectra of late-type supergiants.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1977ApJ...214..773I&db_key=AST
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Visual and infrared observations of late-type supergiants in the southern sky
Spectral types and photometry ranging from 0.4 to 18 microns are givenfor 54 late-type stars, including 21 supergiants. The infraredobservations of the supergiants confirm the dependence of the strengthof the 10-micron silicate emission feature on the spectral type andluminosity class of the star. The long-wavelength data are also used todetermine the interstellar extinction by fitting an appropriateblackbody to the infrared observations. The deviation from the blackbodyat the shorter wavelengths is then attributed to interstellar absorptionand absorption by TiO. This method is particularly useful when theshort-wavelength photometry is contaminated by a close companion. The Msupergiant AH Sco has excess radiation between 1.5 and 8 microns similarto the NML Tauri-type infrared stars. This excess energy resemblesfree-free emission.
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Infrared Surveys of the Southern Milky way. II. Suspected Supergiant M Stars
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1972ApJ...176..623A&db_key=AST
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A Recalibration of the Absolute Magnitudes of Supergiants
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1972PASP...84..373S&db_key=AST
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The space distribution and kinematics of supergiants
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1970AJ.....75..602H&db_key=AST
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