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Register a new userIce chemistry in embedded young stellar objects in the Large Magellanic Cloud
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J.M. Oliveira
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We present spectroscopic observations of a sample of 15 embedded young stellar objects (YSOs) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). These observations were obtained with the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) as part of the SAGE-Spec Legacy program. We analyze the two prominent ice bands in the IRS spectral range: the bending mode of CO_2 ice at 15.2 micron and the ice band between 5 and 7 micron that includes contributions from the bending mode of water ice at 6 micron amongst other ice species. The 5-7 micron band is difficult to identify in our LMC sample due to the conspicuous presence of PAH emission superimposed onto the ice spectra. We identify water ice in the spectra of two sources; the spectrum of one of those sources also exhibits the 6.8 micron ice feature attributed to ammonium and methanol. We model the CO_2 band in detail, using the combination of laboratory ice profiles available in the literature. We find that a significant fraction (> 50%) of CO_2 ice is locked in a water-rich component, consistent with what is observed for Galactic sources. The majority of the sources in the LMC also require a pure-CO_2 contribution to the ice profile, evidence of thermal processing. There is a suggestion that CO_2 production might be enhanced in the LMC, but the size of the available sample precludes firmer conclusions. We place our results in the context of the star formation environment in the LMC.
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The aim of this study is to understand the chemical conditions of ices around embedded young stellar objects (YSOs) in the metal-poor Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We performed near-infrared (2.5-5 micron) spectroscopic observations toward 12 massive embedded YSOs and their candidates in the LMC using the Infrared Camera (IRC) onboard AKARI. We estimated the column densities of the H2O, CO2, and CO ices based on their 3.05, 4.27, and 4.67 micron absorption features, and we investigated the correlation between ice abundances and physical properties of YSOs.The ice absorption features of H2O, CO2, 13CO2, CO, CH3OH, and possibly XCN are detected in the spectra. In addition, hydrogen recombination lines and PAH emission bands are detected toward the majority of the targets. The derived typical CO2/H2O ice ratio of our samples (~0.36 +- 0.09) is greater than that of Galactic massive YSOs (~0.17 +- 0.03), while the CO/H2O ice ratio is comparable. It is shown that the CO2 ice abundance does not correlate with the observed characteristics of YSOs; the strength of hydrogen recombination line and the total luminosity. Likewise, clear no correlation is seen between the CO ice abundance and YSO characteristics, but it is suggested that the CO ice abundance of luminous samples is significantly lower than in other samples.The systematic difference in the CO2 ice abundance around the LMCs massive YSOs, which was suggested by previous studies, is confirmed with the new near-infrared data. We suggest that the strong ultraviolet radiation field and/or the high dust temperature in the LMC are responsible for the observed high abundance of the CO2 ice. It is suggested that the internal stellar radiation does not play an important role in the evolution of the CO2 ice around a massive YSO, while more volatile molecules like CO are susceptible to the effect of the stellar radiation.
(Abridged) Photometry of archival Spitzer observations of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) are used to search for young stellar objects (YSOs). Simple mid-infrared selection criteria were used to exclude most normal and evolved stars and background galaxies. We identify a sample of 2,910 sources in the LMC that could potentially be YSOs. We then simultaneously considered images and photometry from the optical through mid-IR wavelengths to assess the source morphology, spectral energy distribution (SED), and the surrounding interstellar environment to determine the most likely nature of each source. From this examination of the initial sample, we suggest 1,172 sources are most likely YSOs and 1,075 probable background galaxies, consistent with expectations based on SWIRE survey data. Spitzer IRS observations of 269 of the brightest YSOs from our sample have confirmed that ~>95% are indeed YSOs. A comprehensive search for YSOs in the LMC has also been carried out by the SAGE team. There are three major differences between these two searches. (1) In the common region of color-magnitude space, ~850 of our 1,172 probable YSOs are missed in the SAGE YSO catalog because their conservative point source identification criteria have excluded YSOs superposed on complex diffuse emission. (2) About 20-30% of the YSOs identified by the SAGE team are sources we classify as background galaxies. (3) the SAGE YSO catalog identifies YSO in parts of color-magnitude space that we excluded and thus contains more evolved or fainter YSOs missed by our analysis. Finally, the mid-IR luminosity functions of our most likely YSO candidates in the LMC can be well described by N(L) propto L^-1, which is consistent with the Salpeter initial mass function if a mass-luminosity relation of L propto M^2.4 is adopted.
We have carried out a search for optically visible post-Asymptotic Giant Branch (post-AGB) stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). First, we selected candidates with a mid-IR excess and then obtained their optical spectra. We disentangled contaminants with unique spectra such as M-stars, C-stars, planetary nebulae, quasi-stellar objects and background galaxies. Subsequently, we performed a detailed spectroscopic analysis of the remaining candidates to estimate their stellar parameters such as effective temperature, surface gravity (log g), metallicity ([Fe/H]), reddening and their luminosities. This resulted in a sample of 35 likely post-AGB candidates with late-G to late-A spectral types, low log g, and [Fe/H] < -0.5. Furthermore, our study confirmed the existence of the dusty post-Red Giant Branch (post-RGB) stars, discovered previously in our SMC survey, by revealing 119 such objects in the LMC. These objects have mid-IR excesses and stellar parameters (Teff, log g, [Fe/H]) similar to those of post-AGB stars except that their luminosities (< 2500 Lsun), and hence masses and radii, are lower. These post-RGB stars are likely to be products of binary interaction on the RGB. The post-AGB and post-RGB objects show SED properties similar to the Galactic post-AGB stars, where some have a surrounding circumstellar shell, while some others have a surrounding stable disc similar to the Galactic post-AGB binaries. This study also resulted in a new sample of 162 young stellar objects, identified based on a robust log g criterion. Other interesting outcomes include objects with an UV continuum and an emission line spectrum; luminous supergiants; hot main-sequence stars; and 15 B[e] star candidates, 12 of which are newly discovered in this study.
Studies of young stellar objects (YSOs) in the Galaxy have found that a significant fraction exhibit photometric variability. However, no systematic investigation has been conducted on the variability of extragalactic YSOs. Here we present the first variability study of massive YSOs in a $sim 1.5,mathrm{deg^2}$ region of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The aim is to investigate whether the different environmental conditions in the metal-poor LMC ($sim$ 0.4-0.5 Z_sun) have an impact on the variability characteristics. Multi-epoch near-infrared (NIR) photometry was obtained from the VISTA Survey of the Magellanic Clouds (VMC) and our own monitoring campaign using the VISTA telescope. By applying a reduced $chi^2$-analysis, stellar variability was identified. We found 3062 candidate variable stars from a population of 362 425 stars detected. Based on several Spitzer studies, we compiled a sample of high-reliability massive YSOs: a total of 173 massive YSOs have NIR counterparts ($K_{mathrm{s}}sim 18.5,$mag) in the VMC catalogue, of which 39 display significant ($>3sigma$) variability. They have been classified as eruptive, fader, dipper, short-term variable and long-period variable YSOs based mostly on the appearance of their $K_{mathrm{s}}$ band light curves. The majority of YSOs are aperiodic, only five YSOs exhibit periodic lightcurves. The observed amplitudes are comparable or smaller than those for Galactic YSOs (only two Magellanic YSOs exhibit $Delta K_{mathrm{s}}>1,$mag), not what would have been expected from the typically larger mass accretion rates observed in the Magellanic Clouds.
We present the comparison of the three most important ice constituents (water, CO and CO2) in the envelopes of massive Young Stellar Objects (YSOs), in environments of different metallicities: the Galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and, for the first time, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). We present observations of water, CO and CO2 ice in 4 SMC and 3 LMC YSOs (obtained with Spitzer-IRS and VLT/ISAAC). While water and CO2 ice are detected in all Magellanic YSOs, CO ice is not detected in the SMC objects. Both CO and CO2 ice abundances are enhanced in the LMC when compared to high-luminosity Galactic YSOs. Based on the fact that both species appear to be enhanced in a consistent way, this effect is unlikely to be the result of enhanced CO2 production in hotter YSO envelopes as previously thought. Instead we propose that this results from a reduced water column density in the envelopes of LMC YSOs, a direct consequence of both the stronger UV radiation field and the reduced dust-to-gas ratio at lower metallicity. In the SMC the environmental conditions are harsher, and we observe a reduction in CO2 column density. Furthermore, the low gas-phase CO density and higher dust temperature in YSO envelopes in the SMC seem to inhibit CO freeze-out. The scenario we propose can be tested with further observations.
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