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arXiv · 0910.4418

Evidence for mass ejection associated with long secondary periods in red giants

P. R. Wood·C. P. Nicholls
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Abstract

Approximately 30% of luminous red giants exhibit a Long Secondary Period (LSP) of variation in their light curves, in addition to a shorter primary period of oscillation. The cause of the LSP has so far defied explanation: leading possibilities are binarity and a nonradial mode of oscillation. Here, large samples of red giants in the Large Magellanic Cloud both with and without LSPs are examined for evidence of an 8 or 24 $\mu$m mid-IR excess caused by circumstellar dust. It is found that stars with LSPs show a significant mid-IR excess compared to stars without LSPs. Furthermore, the near-IR $J$-$K$ color seems unaffected by the presence of the 24 $\mu$m excess. These findings indicate that LSPs cause mass ejection from red giants and that the lost mass and circumstellar dust is most likely in either a clumpy or a disk-like configuration. The underlying cause of the LSP and the mass ejection remains unknown.

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P. R. Wood, C. P. Nicholls. 2009-10-23. Evidence for mass ejection associated with long secondary periods in red giants. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637x/707/1/573

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