Subscribe to the gold package and get unlimited access to Shamra Academy
Register a new user86 GHz SiO maser survey of late-type stars in the Inner Galaxy III. Interstellar extinction and colours of the SiO targets
79
0
0.0
(
0
)
Ask ChatGPT about the research
No Arabic abstract
We have determined extinction corrections for a sample of 441 late-type stars in the inner Galaxy, which we previously searched for SiO maser emission, using the 2MASS near-infrared photometry of the surrounding stars. From this, the near-infrared extinction law is found to be approximated by a power law A$_lambda propto lambda^{-1.9pm0.1}$. Near- and mid-infrared colour-colour properties of known Mira stars are reviewed. From the distribution of the dereddened infrared colours of the SiO target stars we infer mass-loss rates between $10^{-7}$ and $10^{-5}$ M$_odot$ yr$^{-1}$.
rate research
Read More
We present an 86 GHz SiO (v = 1, J = 2 ---> 1) maser search toward late-type stars located within |b|<0.5 deg and 20 deg < l < 50 deg. This search is an extension at longer longitudes of a previously published work. We selected 135 stars from the MSX catalog using color and flux criteria and detected 92 (86 new detections). The detection rate is 68%, the same as in our previous study. The last few decades have seen the publication of several catalogs of point sources detected in infrared surveys (MSX, 2MASS, DENIS, ISOGAL, WISE, GLIMPSE, AKARI, and MIPSGAL). We searched each catalog for data on the 444 targets of our earlier survey and for the 135 in the survey reported here. We confirm that, as anticipated, most of our targets have colors typical of oxygen-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. Only one target star may have already left the AGB. Ten stars have colors typical of carbon-rich stars, meaning a contamination of our sample with carbon stars <=1.7%.
Results of an SiO maser survey for the late-type stars selected by the IRTS (Infrared Telescope in Space) are presented. We have detected SiO J=1-0, v=1 and/or v=2 lines in 27 stars out of 59 stars. The maser intensity increases with the depth of the H2O absorption in the infrared spectra and redness of the 2.2 and 12 micron color. The column densities of the water vapor in the target stars are estimated from the depth of the water absorption in the IRTS spectra. We found that the SiO maser was detected mostly in the stars with the column density of water vapor higher than 3x10^19-3x10^20 cm^-2. We further estimate the density of hydrogen molecules in the outer atmosphere corresponding to these column densities, obtaining 10^9 - 10^10 cm^-3 as a lower limit. These values are roughly in agreement with the critical hydrogen density predicted by models for the excitation of the SiO masers. It is possible that the SiO masers are excited in clumps with even higher than this density. The present results provide useful information on the understanding of the physical conditions of the outer atmospheres in late-type stars.
We present results of 3 mm observations of SiO maser sources in the Galactic Centre (GC) from observations with the Australia Telescope Compact Array between $2010-2014$, along the transitions of the SiO molecule at $v = 1, J = 2-1$ at 86.243 GHz and $v = 2, J = 2-1$ at 85.640 GHz. We also present the results of the 3 mm observations with Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA). We detected 5 maser sources from the ATCA data, IRS 7, IRS 9, IRS 10EE, IRS 12N, and IRS 28; and 20 sources from the ALMA data including 4 new sources. These sources are predominantly late-type giants or emission line stars with strong circumstellar maser emission. We analyse these sources and calculate their proper motions. We also study the variability of the maser emission. IRS 7, IRS 12N and IRS 28 exhibit long period variability of the order of $1 - 2$ years, while other sources show steady increase or decrease in flux density and irregular variability over observation timescales. This behaviour is consistent with the previous observations.
We present results on a search for 86.243 GHz SiO (J = 2 -- 1, v = 1) maser emission toward 67 OH/IR stars located near the Galactic Centre. We detected 32 spectral peaks, of which 28 correspond to SiO maser lines arising from the envelopes of these OH/IR stars. In OH/IR stars, we obtained an SiO maser detection rate of about 40%. We serendipitously detected two other lines from OH/IR stars at 86.18 GHz, which could be due to a CCS-molecule transition at 86.181 GHz or probably to an highly excited OH molecular transition at 86.178 GHz. The detection rate of 86 GHz maser emission is found to be about 60% for sources with The Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) A - E < 2.5 mag; but it drops to 25% for the reddest OH/IR stars with MSX A - E > 2.5 mag. This supports the hypothesis by Messineo et al. (2002) that the SiO masers are primarily found in relatively thinner circumstellar material.
We study the polarization of the SiO maser emission in a representative sample of evolved stars in order to derive an estimate of the strength of the magnetic field, and thus determine the influence of this magnetic field on evolved stars. We made simultaneous spectroscopic measurements of the 4 Stokes parameters, from which we derived the circular and linear polarization levels. The observations were made with the IF polarimeter installed at the IRAM 30m telescope. A discussion of the existing SiO maser models is developed in the light of our observations. Under the Zeeman splitting hypothesis, we derive an estimate of the strength of the magnetic field. The averaged magnetic field varies between 0 and 20 Gauss, with a mean value of 3.5 Gauss, and follows a 1/r law throughout the circumstellar envelope. As a consequence, the magnetic field may play the role of a shaping, or perhaps collimating agent of the circumstellar envelopes in evolved objects.
Log in to be able to interact and post comments
comments
Fetching comments
Sign in to be able to follow your search criteria
