HE 1015-2050: Discovery of a Hydrogen-deficient carbon star at high galactic latitude

Medium resolution spectral analysis of candidate Faint High Latitude Carbon (FHLC) stars from Hamburg/ESO survey has given us the potential to discover objects of rare types. Two primary spectral characteristics of R Coroanae Borealis (RCB) stars are hydrogen deficiency and weaker CN bands relative to C_{2} bands. They are also characterized by their characteristic location in the J-H, H-K plane with respect to cool carbon stars. From a spectral analysis of a sample of 243 candidate FHLC stars, we have discovered a hydrogen-deficient carbon (HdC) star HE 1015-2050, at high Galactic latitude. A differential analysis of its spectrum with that of the spectrum of U Aquarii (U Aqr), a well-known cool HdC star of RCB type, provides sufficient evidence to put this object in a group same as that of U Aqr. Further, it is shown that HE 1015-2050 does not belong to any of the C-star groups CH, C-R, C-N or C-J. Cool RCB stars form a group of relatively rare astrophysical objects; approximately 51 are known in the Galaxy and some 18 in the Large Magellanic Clouds (LMC) and five in Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The present discovery adds a new member to this rare group. Although its spectral characteristics and its location in the J-H vs H-K plane places HE 1015-2050 in the same group to which U Aqr belongs, extended photometric observations would be useful to learn if there is any sudden decline in brightness, this being a characteristic property of HdC stars of RCB type.

The CH fraction of Carbon stars at high Galactic latitudes

CH stars form a distinct class of objects with characteristic properties like iron deficiency, enrichment of carbon and overabundance in heavy elements. These properties can provide strong observational constraints for theoretical computation of nucleosynthesis at low-metallicity. An important question is the relative surface density of CH stars which can provide valuable inputs to our understanding on the role of low to intermediate-mass stars in the early Galactic chemical evolution. Spectroscopic characterization provides an effective way of identifying CH stars. The present analysis is aimed at a quantitative assessment of the fraction of CH stars in a sample of stars using a set of spectral classification criteria. The sample consists of 92 objects selected from a collection of candidate Faint High Latitude Carbon stars from the Hamburg/ESO survey. Medium resolution (R ~ 1300) spectra for these objects were obtained using OMR at VBO, Kavalur and HFOSC at HCT, IAO, Hanle, during 2007 - 2009 spanning a wavelength range 3800 - 6800 A. Spectral analysis shows 36 of the 92 objects to be potential CH stars; combined with our earlier studies (Goswami 2005, Goswami et al. 2007) this implies ~ 37% (of 243) objects as the CH fraction. We present spectral descriptions of the newly identified CH star candidates. Estimated effective temperatures, 12C/13C isotopic ratios and their locations on the two colour J-H vs H-K plot are used to support their identification.