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Register a new userLuminous AGB variables in the dwarf Irregular Galaxy, NGC 3109
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J. W. Menzies
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In a shallow near-infrared survey of the dwarf Irregular galaxy, NGC 3109, near the periphery of the Local Group, we have found eight Mira variables, seven of which appear to be oxygen-rich (O-Miras). The periods range from about 430 days to almost 1500 days. Because of our relatively bright limiting magnitude, only 45 of the more than 400 known carbon stars were measured, but none was found to be a large amplitude variable. One of the Miras may be an unrecognised C star. Five of the O-Miras are probably hot-bottom burning stars considering that they are brighter than expected from the period--luminosity relation of Miras and that, by comparison with theoretical evolutionary tracks, they appear to have masses >~4 Msun. A census of very long period (P>1000 days) Miras in the Galaxy and Magellanic Clouds is presented and discussed together with the newly discovered long period, but relatively blue, variables in NGC 3109. New $JHKL$ photometry is presented for three O-rich long period Miras i n the SMC (including a candidate super-AGB star).
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The near and mid-infrared characteristics of large amplitude, Mira, variables in Local Group dwarf irregular galaxies (LMC, NGC 6822, IC 1613, Sgr dIG) are described. Two aspects of these variables are discussed. First, the short period (P < 420 days) Miras are potentially powerful distance indicators, provided that they have low circumstellar extinction, or can be corrected for extinction. These are the descendants of relatively low mass stars. Secondly, the longer period stars, many of which undergo hot bottom burning, are poorly understood. These provide new insight into the evolution of intermediate mass stars during the high mass-loss phases, but their use as distance indicators depends on a much firmer understanding of their evolution. The change in slope of the K period luminosity relation for O-rich stars that is seen around 400 to 420 days in the LMC is due to the onset of hot bottom burning. It will be sensitive to metallicity and should therefore be expected at different periods in populations with significant differences from the LMC. The [4.5] period-luminosity relation splits into two approximately parallel sequences. The fainter one fits stars where the mid-infrared flux originates from the stellar photosphere, while the brighter one fits observations dominated by the circumstellar shell.
A transient in the Local Group dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 6822 (Barnards Galaxy) was discovered on 2017 August 2 and is only the second classical nova discovered in that galaxy. We conducted optical, near-ultraviolet, and X-ray follow-up observations of the eruption, the results of which we present here. This very fast nova had a peak $V$-band magnitude in the range $-7.41>M_V>-8.33$ mag, with decline times of $t_{2,V} = 8.1 pm 0.2$ d and $t_{3,V} = 15.2 pm 0.3$ d. The early- and late-time spectra are consistent with an Fe II spectral class. The H$alpha$ emission line initially has a full width at half-maximum intensity of $sim 2400$ km s$^{-1}$ - a moderately fast ejecta velocity for the class. The H$alpha$ line then narrows monotonically to $sim1800$ km s$^{-1}$ by 70 d post-eruption. The lack of a pre-eruption coincident source in archival Hubble Space Telescope imaging implies that the donor is a main sequence, or possibly subgiant, star. The relatively low peak luminosity and rapid decline hint that AT 2017fvz may be a faint and fast nova.
We search for LBV stars in galaxies outside the Local Group. Here we present a study of two bright $Halpha$ sources in the NGC 247 galaxy. Object j004703.27-204708.4 ($M_V=-9.08 pm 0.15^m$) shows the spectral lines typical for well-studied LBV stars: broad and bright emission lines of hydrogen and helium He I with P Cyg profiles, emission lines of iron Fe II, silicon Si II, nitrogen N II and carbon C II, forbidden iron [Fe II] and nitrogen [N II] lines. The variability of the object is $Delta B = 0.74pm0.09^m$ and $Delta V = 0.88pm0.09^m$, which makes it reliable LBV candidate. The star j004702.18-204739.93 ($M_V=-9.66 pm 0.23^m$) shows many emission lines of iron Fe II, forbidden iron lines [Fe II], bright hydrogen lines with broad wings, and also forbidden lines of oxygen [O I] and calcium [Ca II] formed in the circumstellar matter. The study of the light curve of this star also did not reveal significant variations in brightness ($Delta V = 0.29pm0.09^m$). We obtained estimates of interstellar absorption, the photosphere temperature, as well as bolometric magnitudes $M_text{bol}=-10.5^{+0.5}_{-0.4}$ and $M_text{bol}=-10.8^{+0.5}_{-0.6}$, which corresponds to bolometric luminosities $log(L_text{bol}/L_{odot})=6.11^{+0.20}_{-0.16}$ and $6.24^{+0.20}_{-0.25}$ for j004703.27-204708.4 and j004702.18-204739.93 respectively. Thus, the object j004703.27-204708.4 remains a reliable LBV candidate, while the object j004702.18-204739.93 can be classified as B[e]-supergiant.
[abridged] We study the resolved stellar populations and derive the SFH of the SDIG, a gas-rich dwarf galaxy member of the NGC7793 subgroup in the Sculptor group. We construct a CMD using archival HST observations and examine its stellar content. We derive its SFH using a maximum-likelihood fit to the CMD. The CMD shows that SDIG contains stars from 10Myr to several Gyr old, as revealed from the MS, BL, luminous AGB, and RGB stars. The young stars with ages less than ~250Myr show a spatial distribution confined to its central regions, and additionally the young MS stars exhibit an off-center density peak. The intermediate-age and older stars are more spatially extended. SDIG is dominated by intermediate-age stars with an average age of 6.4Gyr. The average metallicity inferred is [M/H]approx -1.5dex. Its SFH is consistent with a constant SFR, except for ages younger than ~200Myr. The lifetime average SFR is 1.3x10^{-3} Mo/yr. More recently than 100Myr, there has been a burst of SF at a rate ~2-3 times higher than the average SFR. The inferred recent SFR from CMD modelling is higher than inferred from the Ha flux of the galaxy; we interpret this to mean that the upper end of the IMF is not being fully sampled due to the low SFR. Additionally, an observed lack of bright blue stars in the CMD could indicate a downturn in SFR on 10^7-yr timescales. A previous SF enhancement appears to have occurred between 600-1100Myr ago, with amplitude similar to the most recent 100Myr. Older bursts of similar peak SFR and duration would not be resolvable with these data. The observed enhancements in SF suggest that SDIG is able to sustain a complex SFH without the effect of interactions with its nearest massive galaxy. Integrating the SFR over the entire history of SDIG yields a total stellar mass 1.77x10^{7}Mo, and a current V-band stellar mass-to-light ratio 3.2Mo/Lo.
We report the discovery of a luminous yellow post-asymptotic-giant-branch (PAGB) star in the globular cluster (GC) M19 (NGC 6273), identified during our uBVI survey of Galactic GCs. The uBVI photometric system is optimized to detect stars with large Balmer discontinuities, indicating very low surface gravities and high luminosities. The spectral-energy distribution (SED) of the star is consistent with an effective temperature of about 6250 K and a surface gravity of $log g=0.5$. We use Gaia data to show that the stars proper motion and radial velocity are consistent with cluster membership. One aim of our program is to test yellow PAGB stars as candidate Population II standard candles for determining extragalactic distances. We derive a visual absolute magnitude of $M_V=-3.39pm0.09$ for the M19 star. This is in close agreement with the $M_V$ values found for yellow PAGB stars in the GCs omega Cen, NGC 5986, and M79, indicating a very narrow luminosity function. These objects are four magnitudes brighter than RR Lyrae variables, and they can largely avoid the issues of interstellar extinction that are a problem for Population I distance indicators. We also identified a second luminous PAGB object in M19, this one a hotter UV-bright star. Its SED is consistent with an effective temperature of about 11,750 K and $log g=2.0$. The two objects have nearly identical bolometric luminosities, $log L/L_odot=3.24$ and 3.22, respectively.
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