- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/574/A102
- Title:
- AGB candidates in NGC 6822
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/574/A102
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The ratio of C- and M-type asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars is commonly used to estimate the metallicity of extragalactic populations. Sources in the AGB population must therefore be accurately classified as either C- or M-type. Spectroscopic data are presented for candidate C- and M-type AGB stars, previously classified using JHK photometry, in the Local Group dwarf galaxy NGC 6822. This paper aims to evaluate the success of the JHK classification criteria used in order to determine the level of error associated with this method, and to refine the criteria for future studies. The success rate of a second independent method of source classification, the CN-TiO method, is also examined. We also review the validity of the 4kpc radial limit imposed in our previous work. Spectra of 323 sources, distributed across an area of 2deg^2^, were taken using the AAOmega multi-fibre spectrograph on the Anglo-Australian Telescope and have been classified using an automated classification system and spectral standards from the literature. Nearly half (135) of these sources were selected in common with a photometric catalogue that relied on the CN-TiO method. Within this sample we were able to classify 158 sources, including 82 C-type giants and one anomalous M-type giant, all members of NGC 6822, and 75 foreground K- and M-type dwarf sources. All but three of the giant sources are located within 3 kpc of the galactic centre. Using this spectroscopic sample, new JHK photometric criteria for the isolation and classification of C- and M-type AGB stars have been derived. The error rate in the CN-TiO method, arising from stars incorrectly classified as C-type, has been estimated to be ~7%. Based on the new JHK classification criteria, revised estimates of the global C/M ratio, 0.95+/-0.04, and iron abundance, -1.38+/-0.06dex, are presented for NGC 6822.
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Search Results
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/540/A135
- Title:
- AGB population of NGC 6822
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/540/A135
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- NGC 6822 is an irregular dwarf galaxy and part of the Local Group. Its close proximity and apparent isolation provide a unique opportunity to study galactic evolution without any obvious strong external influences. This paper aims to study the spatial distribution of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) population and metallicity in NGC 6822. Using deep, high quality JHK photometry, taken with WFCAM on UKIRT, carbon- and oxygen-rich AGB stars have been isolated. The ratio between their number, the C/M ratio, has then been used to derive the [Fe/H] abundance across the galaxy.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/394/795
- Title:
- AGB stars in Fornax dwarf spheroidal galaxy
- Short Name:
- J/MNRAS/394/795
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We report on a multi-epoch study of the Fornax dwarf spheroidal galaxy, made with the Infrared Survey Facility, over an area of about 42x42arcmin^2^. The colour-magnitude diagram shows a broad well-populated giant branch with a tip that slopes downwards from red to blue, as might be expected given Fornax's known range of age and metallicity. The extensive asymptotic giant branch (AGB) includes seven Mira variables and 10 periodic semiregular variables. Five of the seven Miras are known to be carbon rich. Their pulsation periods range from 215 to 470d, indicating a range of initial masses. Three of the Fornax Miras are redder than typical Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) Miras of similar period, probably indicating particularly heavy mass-loss rates. Many, but not all, of the characteristics of the AGB are reproduced by isochrones from Marigo et al. (2008A&A...482..883M) for a 2Gyr population with a metallicity of Z=0.0025.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/841/33
- Title:
- AGB stars with GALEX observations
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/841/33
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We have performed a comprehensive study of the UV emission detected from asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX). Of the 468 AGB stars in our sample, 316 were observed by GALEX. In the near-UV (NUV) bandpass ({lambda}_eff_~2310{AA}), 179 AGB stars were detected and 137 were not detected. Only 38 AGB stars were detected in the far-UV (FUV) bandpass ({lambda}_eff_~1528{AA}). We find that NUV emission is correlated with optical to near-infrared emission, leading to higher detection fractions among the brightest, and hence closest, AGB stars. Comparing the AGB time-variable visible phased light curves to corresponding GALEX NUV phased light curves, we find evidence that for some AGB stars the NUV emission varies in phase with the visible light curves. We also find evidence that the NUV emission and possibly the FUV emission are anticorrelated with the circumstellar envelope density. These results suggest that the origin of the GALEX-detected UV emission is an inherent characteristic of the AGB stars that can most likely be traced to a combination of photospheric and chromospheric emission. In most cases, UV detections of AGB stars are not likely to be indicative of the presence of binary companions.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/475/257
- Title:
- AGB subpopulations in NGC 6397
- Short Name:
- J/MNRAS/475/257
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- It has been well established that Galactic Globular clusters (GCs) harbour more than one stellar population, distinguishable by the anticorrelations of light-element abundances (C-N, Na-O, and Mg-Al). These studies have been extended recently to the asymptotic giant branch (AGB). Here, we investigate the AGB of NGC 6397 for the first time. We have performed an abundance analysis of high-resolution spectra of 47 red giant branch (RGB) and eight AGB stars, deriving Fe, Na, O, Mg, and Al abundances. We find that NGC 6397 shows no evidence of a deficit in Na-rich AGB stars, as reported for some other GCs - the subpopulation ratios of the AGB and RGB in NGC 6397 are identical, within uncertainties. This agrees with expectations from stellar theory. This GC acts as a control for our earlier work on the AGB of M4 (with contrasting results), since the same tools and methods were used.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/161/100
- Title:
- Ages and alpha-abundances of population in K2
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/161/100
- Date:
- 19 Jan 2022 13:30:38
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We explore the relationships between the chemistry, ages, and locations of stars in the Galaxy using asteroseismic data from the K2 mission and spectroscopic data from the Apache Point Galactic Evolution Experiment survey. Previous studies have used giant stars in the Kepler field to map the relationship between the chemical composition and the ages of stars at the solar circle. Consistent with prior work, we find that stars with high [{alpha}/Fe] have distinct, older ages in comparison to stars with low [{alpha}/Fe]. We provide age estimates for red giant branch (RGB) stars in the Kepler field, which support and build upon previous age estimates by taking into account the effect of {alpha}-enrichment on opacity. Including this effect for [{alpha}/Fe]-rich stars results in up to 10% older ages for low- mass stars relative to corrected solar mixture calculations. This is a significant effect that Galactic archeology studies should take into account. Looking beyond the Kepler field, we estimate ages for 735 RGB stars from the K2 mission, mapping age trends as a function of the line of sight. We find that the age distributions for low- and high-[{alpha}/Fe] stars converge with increasing distance from the Galactic plane, in agreement with suggestions from earlier work. We find that K2 stars with high [{alpha}/Fe] appear to be younger than their counterparts in the Kepler field, overlapping more significantly with a similarly aged low-[{alpha}/Fe] population. This observation may suggest that star formation or radial migration proceeds unevenly in the Galaxy.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/556/L1
- Title:
- ALMA observations of 12CO/13CO around R Scl
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/556/L1
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The detached-shell source R Scl, displaying CO emission from recent mass loss, in a binary-induced spiral structure as well as in a clumpy shell produced during a thermal pulse, provides a unique laboratory for studying the differences in CO isotope abundances throughout its recent evolution. We observed both the ^12^CO(J=3-2) and the ^13^CO(J=3-2) line using ALMA. We find significant variations in the ^12^CO/^13^CO intensity ratios and consequently in the abundance ratios. The average CO isotope abundance ratio is at least a factor three lower in the shell (~19) than that in the present-day (<~300yr) mass loss (>60). Additionally, variations in the ratio of more than an order of magnitude are found in the shell itself. We attribute these variations to the competition between selective dissociation and isotope fractionation in the shell, of which large parts cannot be warmer than ~35K. However, we also find that the ^12^CO/^13^CO ratio in the present-day mass loss is significantly higher than the ^12^C/^13^C ratio determined in the stellar photosphere from molecular tracers (~19). The origin of this discrepancy is still unclear, but we speculate that it is due to an embedded source of UV-radiation that is primarily photo-dissociating ^13^CO. This radiation source could be the hitherto hidden companion. Alternatively, the UV-radiation could originate from an active chromosphere of R Scl itself. Our results indicate that caution should be taken when directly relating the ^12^CO/^13^CO intensity and ^12^C/^13^C abundance ratios for specific asymptotic giant branch stars, in particular binaries or stars that display signs of chromospheric stellar activity.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/883/128
- Title:
- alpha & Fe abundances in the giant stellar stream
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/883/128
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present the first measurements of [Fe/H] and [{alpha}/Fe] abundances, obtained using spectral synthesis modeling, for red giant branch stars in M31's giant stellar stream (GSS). The spectroscopic observations, obtained at a projected distance of 17kpc from M31's center, yielded 61 stars with [Fe/H] measurements, including 21 stars with [{alpha}/Fe] measurements, from 112 targets identified as M31 stars. The [Fe/H] measurements confirm the expectation from photometric metallicity estimates that stars in this region of M31's halo are relatively metal rich compared to stars in the Milky Way's inner halo: more than half the stars in the field, including those not associated with kinematically identified substructure, have [Fe/H] abundances >-1.0. The stars in this field are {alpha}-enhanced at lower metallicities, while [{alpha}/Fe] decreases with increasing [Fe/H] above metallicities of [Fe/H]>~-0.9. Three kinematical components have been previously identified in this field: the GSS, a second kinematically cold feature of unknown origin, and M31's kinematically hot halo. We compare probabilistic [Fe/H] and [{alpha}/Fe] distribution functions for each of the components. The GSS and the second kinematically cold feature have very similar abundance distributions, while the halo component is more metal poor. Although the current sample sizes are small, a comparison of the abundances of stars in the GSS field with abundances of M31 halo and dSph stars from the literature indicate that the progenitor of the stream was likely more massive, and experienced a higher efficiency of star formation, than M31's existing dSphs or the dEs NGC147 and NGC185.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/708/1290
- Title:
- A 2MASS view of the Sgr dSph. VI.
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/708/1290
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present high-resolution spectroscopic measurements of the abundances of the {alpha} element titanium (Ti) and s-process elements yttrium (Y) and lanthanum (La) for 59 candidate M giant members of the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf spheroidal (dSph) + tidal tail system pre-selected on the basis of position and radial velocity (RV). As expected, the majority of these stars show peculiar abundance patterns compared to those of nominal Milky Way (MW) stars, but as a group, the stars form a coherent picture of chemical enrichment of the Sgr dSph from [Fe/H]=-1.4 to solar abundance. Finally, we analyze the chemical abundances of a moving group of M giants among the Sgr leading arm stars at the North Galactic Cap, but having RVs unlike the infalling Sgr leading arm debris there. Through use of "chemical fingerprinting," we conclude that these mostly receding northern hemisphere M giants also are Sgr stars, likely trailing arm debris overlapping the Sgr leading arm in the north.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/143/28
- Title:
- Analysis of B6-A9 stars from INES UV spectra
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/143/28
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Main-sequence (MS) and giant late-B and early-A type stars are the best targets for searching for nearby interstellar (IS) SiIV and CIV resonance lines because they are not able to produce them, either in atmospheric layers or in their circumstellar environment, and because many stars of these spectral types are nearby and located in the local interstellar medium (LISM). In addition, the use of certain stars hotter than B6 can lead to misinterpretations (e.g., alpha Arae). This work analyzes the reliable Short-Wavelength Prime (SWP) high-resolution UV spectra of 558 B6-A9 type stars observed by the International Ultraviolet Explorer at distances lower than 400pc from the Sun. For the first time, this work utilizes the entire INES database to extract stellar and IS information in a systematic way from homogeneous data. Stars were classified into seven groups: normal (MS and subgiant), giant, peculiar, emission line, Algols, pre-main sequence or Herbig Ae/Be, and shell stars. Only 10 normal stars, located beyond 90pc, show weak SiIV and CIV absorptions and are clustered around the direction of Sco-Cen, while 85 located closer than 90pc, as well as another 89 beyond 90pc, do not show any absorptions at all.
