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- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/626/A92
- Title:
- Spitzer/IRS analysis of the 30-micron sources
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/626/A92
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present an analysis and comparison of the 30{mu}m dust features seen in the Spitzer Space Telescope spectra of 207 carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, post-AGB objects, and planetary nebulae (PNe) located in the Milky Way, the Magellanic Clouds (MCs), or the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy (Sgr dSph), which are characterised by different average metallicities. We investigated whether the formation of the 30{mu}m feature carrier may be a function of the metallicity. Through this study we expect to better understand the late stages of stellar evolution of carbon-rich stars in these galaxies. Our analysis uses the "Manchester method" as a basis for estimating the temperature of dust for the carbon-rich AGB stars and the PNe in our sample. For post-AGB objects we changed the wavelength ranges used for temperature estimation, because of the presence of the 21{mu}m feature on the short wavelength edge of the 30{mu}m feature. We used a black-body function with a single temperature deduced from the Manchester method or its modification to approximate the continuum under the 30{mu}m feature. We find that the strength of the 30{mu}m feature increases until dust temperature drops below 400K. Below this temperature, the large loss of mass and probably the self-absorption effect reduces the strength of the feature. During the post-AGB phase, when the intense mass-loss has terminated, the optical depth of the circumstellar envelope is smaller, and the 30{um}m feature becomes visible again, showing variety of values for post-AGB objects and PNe, and being comparable with the strengths of AGB stars. In addition, the AGB stars and post-AGB objects show similar values of central wavelengths - usually between 28.5 and 29.5{mu}m. However, in case of PNe the shift of the central wavelength towards longer wavelengths is visible. The normalised median profiles for AGB stars look uniformly for various ranges of dust temperature, and different galaxies. We analysed the profiles of post-AGB objects and PNe only within one dust temperature range (below 200K), and they were also similar in different galaxies. In the spectra of 17 PNe and five post-AGB objects we found the broad 16-24{mu}m feature. Two objects among the PNe group are the new detections: SMP LMC 51, and SMP LMC 79, whereas in the case of post-AGBs the new detections are: IRAS 05370-7019, IRAS 05537-7015, and IRAS 21546+4721. In addition, in the spectra of nine PNe we found the new detections of 16-18{mu}m feature. We also find that the Galactic post-AGB object IRAS 11339-6004 has a 21{mu}m emission. Finally, we have produced online catalogues of photometric data and Spitzer IRS spectra for all objects that show the 30{mu}m feature. These resources are available online for use by the community. The most important conclusion of our work is the fact that the formation of the 30{mu}m feature is affected by metallicity. Specifically that, as opposed to more metal-poor samples of AGB stars in the MCs, the feature is seen at lower mass-loss rates, higher temperatures, and has seen to be more prominent in Galactic carbon stars. The averaged feature (profile) in the AGB, post-AGB objects, and PNe seems unaffected by metallicity at least between a fifth and solar metallicity, but in the case of PNe it is shifted to significantly longer wavelengths.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/414/500
- Title:
- Spitzer/IRS ATLAS project source
- Short Name:
- J/MNRAS/414/500
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present a panoramic atlas of Spitzer/Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) spectra of extragalactic sources collected from the recent literature, with value-added measurements of their spectral features obtained in a homogeneous and concise manner. The atlas covers the full spectrum of the extragalactic Universe and includes star-forming galaxies, obscured and unobscured active galaxies, luminous and ultra-luminous infrared galaxies, and hybrid objects. Measured features such as the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the strength of the silicates in emission or absorption around 9.7um, rest-frame monochromatic luminosities or colours, combined with measurements derived from spectral decomposition are used to establish diagnostics that allow for classification of sources, based on their infrared properties alone. Average templates of the various classes are also derived. The full atlas with the value-added measurements and ancillary archival data are publicly available at http://www.denebola.org/atlas, with full references to the original data.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/211/25
- Title:
- Spitzer/IRS debris disk catalog. I.
- Short Name:
- J/ApJS/211/25
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- During the Spitzer Space Telescope cryogenic mission, Guaranteed Time Observers, Legacy Teams, and General Observers obtained Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) observations of hundreds of debris disk candidates. We calibrated the spectra of 571 candidates, including 64 new IRAS and Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) debris disks candidates, modeled their stellar photospheres, and produced a catalog of excess spectra for unresolved debris disks. For 499 targets with IRS excess but without strong spectral features (and a subset of 420 targets with additional MIPS 70{mu}m observations), we modeled the IRS (and MIPS data) assuming that the dust thermal emission was well-described using either a one- or two-temperature blackbody model. We calculated the probability for each model and computed the average probability to select among models. We found that the spectral energy distributions for the majority of objects (~66%) were better described using a two-temperature model with warm (T_gr_~100-500K) and cold (T_gr_~50-150K) dust populations analogous to zodiacal and Kuiper Belt dust, suggesting that planetary systems are common in debris disks and zodiacal dust is common around host stars with ages up to ~1Gyr. We found that younger stars generally have disks with larger fractional infrared luminosities and higher grain temperatures and that higher-mass stars have disks with higher grain temperatures. We show that the increasing distance of dust around debris disks is inconsistent with self-stirred disk models, expected if these systems possess planets at 30-150AU. Finally, we illustrate how observations of debris disks may be used to constrain the radial dependence of material in the minimum mass solar nebula.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/762/128
- Title:
- Spitzer/IRS disk parameters in Serpens
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/762/128
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Spectral energy distributions are presented for 94 young stars surrounded by disks in the Serpens Molecular Cloud, based on photometry and Spitzer/IRS spectra. Most of the stars have spectroscopically determined spectral types. Taking a distance to the cloud of 415pc rather than 259pc, the distribution of ages is shifted to lower values, in the 1-3Myr range, with a tail up to 10Myr. The mass distribution spans 0.2-1.2M_{sun}_, with median mass of 0.7M_{sun}_. The distribution of fractional disk luminosities in Serpens resembles that of the young Taurus Molecular Cloud, with most disks consistent with optically thick, passively irradiated disks in a variety of disk geometries (L_disk_/L_star_~0.1). In contrast, the distributions for the older Upper Scorpius and {eta} Chamaeleontis clusters are dominated by optically thin lower luminosity disks (L_disk_/L_star_~0.02). This evolution in fractional disk luminosities is concurrent with that of disk fractions: with time disks become fainter and the disk fractions decrease. The actively accreting and non-accreting stars (based on H{alpha} data) in Serpens show very similar distributions in fractional disk luminosities, differing only in the brighter tail dominated by strongly accreting stars. In contrast with a sample of Herbig Ae/Be stars, the T Tauri stars in Serpens do not have a clear separation in fractional disk luminosities for different disk geometries: both flared and flat disks present wider, overlapping distributions. This result is consistent with previous suggestions of a faster evolution for disks around Herbig Ae/Be stars. Furthermore, the results for the mineralogy of the dust in the disk surface (grain sizes, temperatures and crystallinity fractions, as derived from Spitzer/IRS spectra) do not show any correlation to either stellar and disk characteristics or mean cluster age in the 1-10Myr range probed here. A possible explanation for the lack of correlation is that the processes affecting the dust within disks have short timescales, happening repeatedly, making it difficult to distinguish long-lasting evolutionary effects.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/857/59
- Title:
- Spitzer/IRS observations of the Galactic Center
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/857/59
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- It has long been shown that the extreme ultraviolet spectrum of the ionizing stars of HII regions can be estimated by comparing the observed line emission to detailed models. In the Galactic Center (GC), however, previous observations have shown that the ionizing spectral energy distribution (SED) of the local photon field is strange, producing both very low excitation ionized gas (indicative of ionization by late O stars) and also widespread diffuse emission from atoms too highly ionized to be found in normal HII regions. This paper describes the analysis of all GC spectra taken by Spitzer's Infrared Spectrograph and downloaded from the Spitzer Heritage Archive. In it, HII region densities and abundances are described, and serendipitously discovered candidate planetary nebulae, compact shocks, and candidate young stellar objects are tabulated. Models were computed with Cloudy, using SEDs from Starburst99 plus additional X-rays, and compared to the observed mid-infrared forbidden and recombination lines. The ages inferred from the model fits do not agree with recent proposed star formation sequences (star formation in the GC occurring along streams of gas with density enhancements caused by close encounters with the black hole, Sgr A*), with Sgr B1, Sgr C, and the Arches Cluster being all about the same age, around 4.5Myr old, with similar X-ray requirements. The fits for the Quintuplet Cluster appear to give a younger age, but that could be caused by higher-energy photons from shocks from stellar winds or from a supernova.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/826/44
- Title:
- Spitzer/IRS obs. of Magellanic carbon stars
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/826/44
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The Infrared Spectrograph on the Spitzer Space Telescope observed 184 carbon stars in the Magellanic Clouds. This sample reveals that the dust-production rate (DPR) from carbon stars generally increases with the pulsation period of the star. The composition of the dust grains follows two condensation sequences, with more SiC condensing before amorphous carbon in metal-rich stars, and the order reversed in metal-poor stars. MgS dust condenses in optically thicker dust shells, and its condensation is delayed in more metal-poor stars. Metal-poor carbon stars also tend to have stronger absorption from C_2_H_2_ at 7.5{mu}m. The relation between DPR and pulsation period shows significant apparent scatter, which results from the initial mass of the star, with more massive stars occupying a sequence parallel to lower-mass stars, but shifted to longer periods. Accounting for differences in the mass distribution between the carbon stars observed in the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds reveals a hint of a subtle decrease in the DPR at lower metallicities, but it is not statistically significant. The most deeply embedded carbon stars have lower variability amplitudes and show SiC in absorption. In some cases they have bluer colors at shorter wavelengths, suggesting that the central star is becoming visible. These deeply embedded stars may be evolving off of the asymptotic giant branch and/or they may have non-spherical dust geometries.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/803/109
- Title:
- Spitzer/IRS spectral decompositon of AGN
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/803/109
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present results on the spectral decomposition of 118 Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) spectra from local active galactic nuclei (AGNs) using a large set of Spitzer/IRS spectra as templates. The templates are themselves IRS spectra from extreme cases where a single physical component (stellar, interstellar, or AGN) completely dominates the integrated mid-infrared emission. We show that a linear combination of one template for each physical component reproduces the observed IRS spectra of AGN hosts with unprecedented fidelity for a template fitting method with no need to model extinction separately. We use full probability distribution functions to estimate expectation values and uncertainties for observables, and find that the decomposition results are robust against degeneracies. Furthermore, we compare the AGN spectra derived from the spectral decomposition with sub-arcsecond resolution nuclear photometry and spectroscopy from ground-based observations. We find that the AGN component derived from the decomposition closely matches the nuclear spectrum with a 1{sigma} dispersion of 0.12dex in luminosity and typical uncertainties of ~0.19 in the spectral index and ~0.1 in the silicate strength. We conclude that the emission from the host galaxy can be reliably removed from the IRS spectra of AGNs. This allows for unbiased studies of the AGN emission in intermediate- and high-redshift galaxies--currently inaccesible to ground-based observations--with archival Spitzer/IRS data and in the future with the Mid-InfraRed Instrument of the James Webb Space Telescope.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/777/156
- Title:
- Spitzer/IRS spectra of GOALS luminous IR galaxies
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/777/156
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present the data and our analysis of mid-infrared atomic fine-structure emission lines detected in Spitzer/Infrared Spectrograph high-resolution spectra of 202 local Luminous Infrared Galaxies (LIRGs) observed as part of the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey (GOALS). We readily detect emission lines of [SIV], [NeII], [NeV], [NeIII], [SIII]_18.7{mu}m_, [OIV], [FeII], [SIII]_33.5{mu}m_, and [SiII]. More than 75% of these galaxies are classified as starburst-dominated sources in the mid-infrared, based on the [NeV]/[NeII] line flux ratios and equivalent width of the 6.2{mu}m polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon feature. We compare ratios of the emission-line fluxes to those predicted from stellar photo-ionization and shock-ionization models to constrain the physical and chemical properties of the gas in the starburst LIRG nuclei. Comparing the [SIV]/[NeII] and [NeIII]/[NeII] line ratios to the Starburst99-Mappings III models with an instantaneous burst history, the emission-line ratios suggest that the nuclear starbursts in our LIRGs have ages of 1-4.5 Myr, metallicities of 1-2Z_{sun}_, and ionization parameters of 2-8x10^7^cm/s. Based on the [SIII]_33.5{mu}m_/[SIII]_18.7{mu}m_ ratios, the electron density in LIRG nuclei is typically one to a few hundred/cm3, with a median electron density of ~300/cm3, for those sources above the low density limit for these lines.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/469/575
- Title:
- Spitzer mid-IR spectra of 3 molecular clouds
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/469/575
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- This work was conducted as part of the SPECPDR program, dedicated to the study of very small particles and astrochemistry, in Photo-Dissociation Regions (PDRs). We present the analysis of the mid-IR spectro-imagery observations of Ced 201, NCG 7023 East and North-West and rho Ophiuchi West filament. Using the data from all four modules of the InfraRed Spectrograph onboard the Spitzer Space Telescope, we produced a spectral cube ranging from 5 to 35{mu}m, for each one of the observed PDRs. The resulting cubes were analysed using Blind Signal Separation methods (NMF and FastICA).
