arXiv subjects

M. A. T. Groenewegen

Publications and source records attributed to M. A. T. Groenewegen.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Are extreme AGB stars post-common envelope binaries?

Modelling dust formation in single stars evolving through the carbon-star stage of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) reproduces well the mid-infrared colours and magnitudes of most of the C-rich sources in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), apart from a small subset of extremely red objects (EROs). The analysis of EROs spectral energy distribution suggests the presence of large quantities of dust, which demand gas densities in the outflow significantly higher than expected from theoretical modelling. We propose that binary interaction mechanisms that involve common envelope (CE) evolution could be a possible explanation for these peculiar stars; the CE phase is favoured by the rapid growth of the stellar radius occurring after C$/$O overcomes unity. Our modelling of the dust provides results consistent with the observations for mass-loss rates $\dot M \sim 5\times 10^{-4}~\dot M/$yr, a lower limit to the rapid loss of the envelope experienced in the CE phase. We propose that EROs could possibly hide binaries of orbital periods $\sim$days and are likely to be responsible for a large fraction of the dust production rate in galaxies.

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arXiv2020

Extended view on the dust shells around two carbon stars

Stars on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) lose considerable amounts of matter through their dust-driven stellar winds. A number of such sources have been imaged by Herschel/PACS, revealing a diverse sample of different morphological types. Among them are a few examples which show geometrically thin, spherically symmetric shells which can be used to probe the mass loss history of their host stars. We aim to determine the physical properties of the dust envelope around the two carbon stars U Hya and W Ori. With the much-improved spatial constraints from the new far-infrared maps, our primary goal is to measure the dust masses contained in the shells and see how they fit the proposed scenarios of shell formation. We calculated the radiative transfer of the circumstellar dust envelope using the 1D code More of DUSTY (MoD). Adopting a parametrised density profile, we obtained a best-fit model in terms of the photometric and spectroscopic data, as well as a radial intensity profile based on Herschel/PACS data. For the case of U Hya, we also computed a grid of circumstellar envelopes by means of a stationary wind code and compare the results of the two modelling approaches. The Herschel/PACS maps show U Hya surrounded by a detached shell of $114''\ (0.12\,\mathrm{pc})$ in radius, confirming the observations from previous space missions. The dust masses calculated for the shell by the two approaches are consistent with respect to the adopted dust grain properties. In addition, around W Ori, we detect for the first time a weak spherically symmetric structure with a radius of $92''\ (0.17\,\mathrm{pc})$ and a dust mass of $(3.5\pm0.3)\times10^{-6}\,\mathrm{M_\odot}$.

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arXiv2020

How to disentangle geometry and mass-loss rate from AGB-star spectral energy distributions -- The case of EP Aqr

High-angular-resolution observations of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars often reveal non-spherical morphologies for the gas and dust envelopes. We aim to make a pilot study to quantify the impact of different geometries (spherically symmetric, spiral-shaped, and disc-shaped) of the dust component of AGB envelopes on spectral energy distributions (SEDs), mass estimates, and subsequent mass-loss rate (MLR) estimates. We also estimate the error made on the MLR if the SED is fitted by an inappropriate geometrical model. We use the 3D Monte-Carlo-based radiative-transfer code RADMC-3D to simulate emission from dusty envelopes with different geometries (but fixed spatial extension). We compare these predictions with each other, and with the SED of the AGB star EP Aqr that we use as a benchmark since its envelope is disc-like and known to harbour spiral arms, as seen in CO. The SEDs involving the most massive envelopes are those for which the different geometries have the largest impact, primarily on the silicate features at 10 and 18 um. These different shapes originate from large differences in optical depths. Massive spirals and discs appear akin to black bodies. Optically thick edge-on spirals and discs (with dust masses of 1e-4 and 1e-5 Msun) exhibit black-body SEDs that appear cooler than those from face-on structures and spheres of the same mass, while optically thick face-on distributions appear as warmer emission. We find that our more realistic models, combined spherical and spiral distributions, are 0.1 to 0.5 times less massive than spheres with similar SEDs. More extreme, less realistic scenarios give that spirals and discs are 0.01 to 0.05 times less massive than corresponding spheres. This means that adopting the wrong geometry for an AGB circumstellar envelope may result in a MLR that is incorrect by as much as 1 to 2 orders of magnitude when derived from SED fitting.

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arXiv2020

DEATHSTAR: Nearby AGB stars with the Atacama Compact Array I. CO envelope sizes and asymmetries: A new hope for accurate mass-loss-rate estimates

This is the first publication of the DEATHSTAR project. The goal of the project is to reduce the uncertainties of observational estimates of mass-loss rates from Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars. Line emission from 12CO J=2-1 and 3-2 were mapped using the ACA. In this initial analysis, the emission distribution was fit to a Gaussian distribution in the uv-plane. Detailed radiative transfer analysis will be presented in the future. The axes of the best-fit Gaussian at the line center of the 12CO J=2-1 emission gives a first indication of the size of the emitting region. Furthermore, the fitting results, such as the major and minor axis, center position, and the goodness of fit across both lines, constrain the symmetry of the emission distribution. We find that the CO envelope sizes are, in general, larger for C-type than for M-type AGB stars, which is expected if the CO/H2 ratio is larger in C-type stars. Furthermore, a relation between the 12CO J=2-1 size and circumstellar density is shown that, while in broad agreement with photodissociation calculations, reveals large scatter and systematic differences between the stellar types. The majority of the sources have CO envelopes that are consistent with a spherically symmetric, smooth outflow. For about a third of the sources, indications of strong asymmetries are found. This is consistent with previous interferometric investigations of northern sources. Smaller scale asymmetries are found in a larger fraction of sources. These results for CO envelope radii and shapes can be used to constrain detailed radiative transfer modeling of the same stars so as to determine mass-loss rates that are independent of photodissociation models. For a large fraction of the sources, observations at higher spatial resolution will be necessary to further investigate the complex circumstellar dynamics revealed by our ACA observations.

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arXiv2020

The flux-weighted gravity-luminosity relation of Galactic classical Cepheids

The flux-weighted gravity-luminosity relation (FWGLR) is investigated for a sample of 477 classical Cepheids (CCs), including stars that have been classified in the literature as such but are probably not. The luminosities are taken from the literature, based on the fitting of the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) assuming a certain distance and reddening. The flux-weighted gravity (FWG) is taken from gravity and effective temperature determinations in the literature based on high-resolution spectroscopy. There is a very good agreement between the theoretically predicted and observed FWG versus pulsation period relation that could serve in estimating the FWG (and $\log g$) in spectroscopic studies with a precision of 0.1~dex. As was known in the literature, the theoretically predicted FWGLR relation for CCs is very tight and is not very sensitive to metallicity (at least for LMC and solar values), rotation rate, and crossing of the instability strip. The observed relation has a slightly different slope and shows more scatter (0.54~dex). This is due both to uncertainties in the distances and to the pulsation phase averaged FWG values. Data from future Gaia data releases should reduce these errors, and then the FWGLR could serve as a powerful tool in Cepheid studies.

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arXiv2020

Modelling the Milky Way. I -- Method and first results fitting the thick disk and halo with DES-Y3 data

We present MWFitting, a method to fit the stellar components of the Galaxy by comparing Hess Diagrams (HDs) from TRILEGAL models to real data. We apply MWFitting to photometric data from the first three years of the Dark Energy Survey (DES). After removing regions containing known resolved stellar systems such as globular clusters, dwarf galaxies, nearby galaxies, the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Sagittarius Stream, our main sample spans a total area of $\sim$2,300 deg$^2$ distributed across the DES footprint. We further explore a smaller subset ($\sim$ 1,300 deg$^2$) that excludes all regions with known stellar streams and stellar overdensities. Validation tests on synthetic data possessing similar properties to the DES data show that the method is able to recover input parameters with a precision better than 3\%. Based on the best-fit models, we create simulated stellar catalogues covering the whole DES footprint down to $g = 24$ magnitude. Comparisons of data and simulations provide evidence for a break in the power law index describing the stellar density of the Milky Way (MW) halo. Several previously discovered stellar over-densities are recovered in the residual stellar density map, showing the reliability of MWFitting in determining the Galactic components. Simulations made with the best-fitting parameters are a promising way to predict MW star counts for surveys such as LSST and Euclid.

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arXiv2020

The VMC Survey -- XXXVII. Pulsation periods of dust enshrouded AGB stars in the Magellanic Clouds

(abridged)Variability is a key property of stars on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB). Their pulsation period is related to the luminosity and mass-loss rate of the star. The long-period variables (LPVs) and Mira variables are the most prominent of all types of variability of evolved stars. The reddest, most obscured AGB stars are too faint in the optical and have eluded large variability surveys. Selection criteria are derived based on colour-colour and colour-magnitude diagrams from the combination of VISTA Magellanic Cloud (VMC) survey, Spitzer IRAC and AllWISE data. After eliminating LPVs with known periods shorter than 450 days, a sample of 1299 candidate obscured AGB stars is selected. K-band LCs are constructed combining the epoch photometry available in the VMC survey with literature data, analysed for variability and fitted with a single period sine curve to derive mean magnitudes, amplitudes and periods. A subset of 254 stars are either new variables, or known variables where the period we find is better determined than the literature value, or longer than 1000 days. The spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of these stars are fitted to a large number of templates. For this purpose the SEDs and Spitzer IRS spectra of some non-AGB stars are also fitted to have templates of the most likely contaminants in the sample. A sample of 217 likely LPVs is found. Thirty-four stars have periods longer than 1000 days although some of them have alternative shorter periods. Mass-loss rates and luminosities are estimated from the template fitting. Period-luminosity relations are presented for C- and O-rich Miras that appear to be extensions of relations derived in the literature for shorter periods. The fit for the C-stars is particularly well defined (with 182 objects) and reads Mbol = (-2.27 \pm 0.20) log P + (1.45 \pm 0.54)mag with an rms of 0.41 mag.

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arXiv2020

Analysing the spectral energy distributions of Galactic classical Cepheids

(abridged) Spectral energy distributions (SEDs) were constructed for a sample of 477 classical cepheids (CCs). The SEDs were fitted with a dust radiative transfer code. Four stars showed a large mid- or far-infrared excess and the fitting then included a dust component. These comprise the well-known case of RS Pup, and three stars that are (likely) Type-II cepheids (T2Cs), AU Peg, QQ Per, and FQ Lac. The remainder of the sample was fitted with a stellar photosphere to derive the best-fitting luminosity and effective temperature. Distance and reddening were taken from the literature. The stars were plotted in a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram and compared to evolutionary tracks for cepheids and theoretical instability strips. For the large majority of stars, the position in the HRD is consistent with the instability strip for a CC or T2C. About 5% of the stars are outliers in the sense that they are much hotter or cooler than expected. A comparison to effective temperatures derived from spectroscopy suggests in some cases that the photometrically derived temperature is not correct and that this is likely linked to an incorrectly adopted reddening. In this work the presence of a small NIR excess, as has been proposed in the literature for a few well-known cepheids, is investigated. Firstly, this was done by using a sample of about a dozen stars for which a mid-infrared spectrum is available. Secondly, the SEDs of all stars were fitted with a dust model to see if a statistically significant better fit could be obtained. The results were compared to recent work. Eight new candidates for exhibiting a NIR excess are proposed, solely based on the photometric SEDs. Obtaining mid-infrared spectra would be needed to confirm this excess. Finally, period-bolometric luminosity and period-radius relations are presented for samples of over 370 fundamental-mode CCs.

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arXiv2020

Characterization of M-stars in the LMC in the JWST era

We study the M-type asymptotic giant branch (AGB) population of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) by characterizing the individual sources in terms of the main properties of the progenitors and of the dust present in the circumstellar envelope. To this aim, we compare the combination of the spectroscopic and photometric data collected by Spitzer, complemented by additional photometric results available in the literature, with results from AGB modelling that include the description of dust formation in the wind. To allow the interpretation of a paucity stars likely evolving through the post-AGB phase, we extended the available evolutionary sequences to reach the PN phase. The main motivation of the present analysis is to prepare the future observations of the evolved stellar populations of Local Group galaxies that will be done by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), by identifying the combination of filters that will maximize the possibilities of characterizing the observed sources. The present results show that for the M-star case the best planes to be used for this purpose are the colour-magnitude ([F770W]-[F2550W], [F770W]) and (Ks-[F770W], [F770W]) planes. In these observational diagrams the sequences of low-mass stars evolving in the AGB phases before the achievement of the C-star stage and of massive AGBs experiencing hot bottom burning are clearly separated and peculiar sources, such as post-AGB, dual-dust chemistry and iron-dust stars can be easily identified

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arXiv2019

Do evolved stars in the LMC show dual dust chemistry?

We study a group of evolved M-stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, characterized by a peculiar spectral energy distribution. While the $9.7~μ$m feature arises from silicate particles, the whole infrared data seem to suggest the presence of an additional featureless dust species. We propose that the circumstellar envelopes of these sources are characterized by a dual dust chemistry, with an internal region, harbouring carbonaceous particles, and an external zone, populated by silicate, iron and alumina dust grains. Based on the comparison with results from stellar modelling that describe the dust formation process, we deduce that these stars descend from low-mass ($M < 2~M_{\odot}$) objects, formed $1-4$ Gyr ago, currently evolving either in the post-AGB phase or through an after-pulse phase, when the shell CNO nuclear activity is temporarily extinguished. Possible observations able to confirm or disregard the present hypothesis are discussed.

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arXiv2018

The VMC Survey - XXXIII. The tip of the red giant branch in the Magellanic Clouds

In this paper JK_s data from the VISTA Magellanic Cloud (VMC) survey are used to investigate the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) as a distance indicator. A linear fit to recent theoretical models is used which reads M_{K_s} = -4.196 -2.013 (J-K_s), valid in the colour range 0.75 < (J-K_s) < 1.3 mag and in the 2MASS system. The observed TRGB is found based on a classical first-order and a second-order derivative filter applied to the binned luminosity function using the "sharpened" magnitude that takes the colour term into account. Extensive simulations are carried out to investigate any biases and errors in the derived distance modulus (DM). Based on these simulations criteria are established related to the number of stars per bin in the 0.5 magnitude range below the TRGB and related to the significance with which the peak in the filter response curve is determined such that the derived distances are unbiased. The DMs based on the second-order derivative filter are found to be more stable and are therefore adopted, although this requires twice as many stars per bin. The TRGB method is applied to specific lines-of-sight where independent distance estimates exist, based on detached eclipsing binaries in the LMC and SMC, classical Cepheids in the LMC, RR Lyrae stars in the SMC, and fields in the SMC where the star formation history (together with reddening and distance) has been derived from deep VMC data. The analysis shows that the theoretical calibration is consistent with the data, that the systematic error on the DM is approximately 0.045 mag, and that random errors of 0.015 mag are achievable. Reddening is an important element in deriving the distance: we find mean DMs ranging from 18.92 (for a typical E(B-V) of 0.15 mag) to 19.07 mag (E(B-V) about 0.04) for the SMC, and ranging from 18.48 (E(B-V) about 0.12 mag) to 18.57 mag (E(B-V) about 0.05) for the LMC.

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arXiv2018

The Cepheid period -- luminosity -- metallicity relation based on Gaia DR2 data

We use parallax data from the Gaia second data release (GDR2), combined with parallax data based on Hipparcos and HST data, to derive the period-luminosity-metallicity (PLZ) relation for Galactic classical cepheids (CCs) in the V,K, and Wesenheit WVK bands. An initial sample of 452 CCs are extracted from the literature with spectroscopically derived iron abundances. Reddening values, pulsation periods, and mean magnitudes are taken from the literature. Based on nine CCs with a goodness-of-fit (GOF) statistic <8 and with an accurate non-Gaia parallax, a parallax zero-point offset of -0.049 +- 0.018 mas is derived. Selecting a GOF statistic <8 removes about 40\% of the sample most likely related due to binarity. Excluding first overtone and multi-mode cepheids and applying some other criteria reduces the sample to about 200 stars. The derived PL(Z) relations depend strongly on the parallax zero-point offset. The slope of the PL relation is found to be different from the relations in the LMC at the 3 sigma level. Fixing the slope to the value found in the LMC leads to a distance modulus (DM) to the LMC of order 18.7 mag, larger than the canonical distance. The canonical DM of around 18.5 mag would require a parallax zero-point offset of order $-0.1$ mas. Given the strong correlation between zero point, period and metallicity dependence of the PL relation, and the parallax zero-point offset there is no evidence for a metallicity term in the PLZ relation. The GDR2 release does not allow us to improve on the current distance scale based on CCs. The value of and the uncertainty on the parallax zero-point offset leads to uncertainties of order 0.15 mag on the distance scale. The parallax zero-point offset will need to be known at a level of 3 microas or better to have a 0.01 mag or smaller effect on the zero point of the PL relation and the DM to the LMC.

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arXiv2018

PACS and SPIRE range spectroscopy of cool, evolved stars

Context: At the end of their lives AGB stars are prolific producers of dust and gas. The details of this mass-loss process are still not understood very well. Herschel PACS and SPIRE spectra offer a unique way of investigating properties of AGB stars in general and the mass-loss process in particular. Methods: The HIPE software with the latest calibration is used to process the available PACS and SPIRE spectra of 40 evolved stars. The spectra are convolved with the response curves of the PACS and SPIRE bolometers and compared to the fluxes measured in imaging data of these sources. Custom software is used to identify lines in the spectra, and to determine the central wavelengths and line intensities. Standard molecular line databases are used to associate the observed lines. Because of the limited spectral resolution of the spectrometers several known lines are typically potential counterparts to any observed line. To help identifications the relative contributions in line intensity of the potential counterpart lines are listed for three characteristic temperatures based on LTE calculations and assuming optically thin emission. Result: The following data products are released: the reduced spectra, the lines that are measured in the spectra with wavelength, intensity, potential identifications, and the continuum spectra, i.e. the full spectra with all identified lines removed. As simple examples of how this data can be used in future studies we have fitted the continuum spectra with three power laws and find that the few OH/IR stars seem to have significantly steeper slopes than the other oxygen- and carbon-rich objects in the sample. As another example we constructed rotational diagrams for CO and fitted a two-component model to derive rotational temperatures.

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arXiv2017

An Infrared Census of DUST in Nearby Galaxies with Spitzer (DUSTiNGS). IV. Discovery of High-Redshift AGB Analogs

The survey for DUST in Nearby Galaxies with Spitzer (DUSTiNGS) identified several candidate Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars in nearby dwarf galaxies and showed that dust can form even in very metal-poor systems (Z ~ 0.008 $Z_\odot$). Here, we present a follow-up survey with WFC3/IR on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), using filters that are capable of distinguishing carbon-rich (C-type) stars from oxygen-rich (M-type) stars: F127M, F139M, and F153M. We include six star-forming DUSTiNGS galaxies (NGC 147, IC 10, Pegasus dIrr, Sextans B, Sextans A, and Sag DIG), all more metal-poor than the Magellanic Clouds and spanning 1 dex in metallicity. We double the number of dusty AGB stars known in these galaxies and find that most are carbon rich. We also find 26 dusty M-type stars, mostly in IC 10. Given the large dust excess and tight spatial distribution of these M-type stars, they are most likely on the upper end of the AGB mass range (stars undergoing Hot Bottom Burning). Theoretical models do not predict significant dust production in metal-poor M-type stars, but we see evidence for dust excess around M-type stars even in the most metal-poor galaxies in our sample (12+log(O/H) = 7.26-7.50). The low metallicities and inferred high stellar masses (up to ~10 $M_\odot$) suggest that AGB stars can produce dust very early in the evolution of galaxies (~30 Myr after they form), and may contribute significantly to the dust reservoirs seen in high-redshift galaxies.

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arXiv2017

Detailed chemical composition of classical Cepheids in the LMC cluster NGC 1866 and in the field of the SMC

Context: Cepheids are excellent tracers of young stellar populations. They play a crucial role in astrophysics as standard candles. The chemistry of classical Cepheids in the Milky Way is now quite well-known. Despite a much larger sample, the chemical composition of Magellanic Cepheids has been only scarcely investigated. Aims: For the first time, we study the chemical composition of several Cepheids located in the same populous cluster: NGC 1866, in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). To also investigate the chemical composition of Cepheids at lower metallicity, four targets are located in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). Our sample allows us to increase the number of Cepheids with known metallicities in the LMC/SMC by 20%/25% and the number of Cepheids with detailed chemical composition in the LMC/SMC by 46%/50%. Methods: We use canonical spectroscopic analysis to determine the chemical composition of Cepheids and provide abundances for a good number of $α$, iron-peak and neutron-capture elements. Results: We find that six Cepheids in the LMC cluster NGC 1866 have a very homogeneous chemical composition, also consistent with red giant branch (RGB) stars in the cluster. Period--age relations that include no or average rotation indicate that all the Cepheids in NGC 1866 have a similar age and therefore belong to the same stellar population. Our results are in good agreement with theoretical models accounting for luminosity and radial velocity variations. Using distances based on period-luminosity relations in the near- or mid-infrared, we investigate for the first time the metallicity distribution of the young population in the SMC in the depth direction. Preliminary results show no metallicity gradient along the SMC main body, but our sample is small and does not contain Cepheids in the inner few degrees of the SMC.

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arXiv2017

The photodissociation of CO in circumstellar envelopes

Carbon monoxide is the most abundant molecule after H$_2$ and is important for chemistry in circumstellar envelopes around late-type stars. The size of the envelope is important when modelling low-J transition lines and deriving mass-loss rates from such lines. Now that ALMA is coming to full power the extent of the CO emitting region can be measured directly for nearby asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. In parallel, it has become obvious in the past few years that the strength of the interstellar radiation field (ISRF) can have a significant impact on the interpretation of the emission lines. In this paper an update and extension of the classical Mamon et al. (1988; ApJ 328, 797) paper is presented; these authors provided the CO abundance profile, described by two parameters, as a function of mass-loss rate and expansion velocity. Following recent work an improved numerical method and updated H$_2$ and CO shielding functions are used and a larger grid is calculated that covers more parameter space, including the strength of the ISRF. The effect of changing the photodissociation radius on the low-J CO line intensities is illustrated in two cases.

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arXiv2017

Rings and filaments: The remarkable detached CO shell of U Antliae

Aims. Our goal is to characterize the intermediate age, detached shell carbon star U Antliae morphologically and physically in order to study the mass-loss evolution after a possible thermal pulse. Methods. High spatial resolution ALMA observations of unprecedented quality in thermal CO lines allow us to derive first critical spatial and temporal scales and constrain modeling efforts to estimate mass-loss rates for both the present day as well as the ejection period of the detached shell. Results. The detached shell is remarkably thin, overall spherically symmetric, and shows a barely resolved filamentary substructure possibly caused by instabilities in the interaction zone of winds with different outflow velocities. The expansion age of the detached shell is of the order of 2700 years and its overall width indicates a high expansion-velocity and high mass-loss period of only a few hundred years at an average mass-loss rate of $\approx$ 10$^{-5}$ $M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$. The post-high-mass-loss-rate-epoch evolution of U Ant shows a significant decline to a substantially lower gas expansion velocity and a mass-loss rate amounting to 4$\times$10$^{-8}$ $M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$, at present being consistent with evolutionary changes as predicted for the period between thermal pulses.

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arXiv2017

The VLTI/MIDI view on the inner mass loss of evolved stars from the Herschel MESS sample

The mass-loss process from evolved stars is a key ingredient for our understanding of many fields of astrophysics, including stellar evolution and the chemical enrichment of the interstellar medium via stellar yields. One the main unsolved questions is the geometry of the mass-loss process. Taking advantage of the results from the Herschel Mass loss of Evolved StarS (MESS) programme, we initiated a coordinated effort to characterise the geometry of mass loss from evolved red giants at various spatial scales. For this purpose we used the MID-infrared interferometric Instrument (MIDI) to resolve the inner envelope of 14 asymptotic giant branch stars (AGBs) in the MESS sample. In this contribution we present an overview of the interferometric data collected within the frame of our Large Programme, and we also add archive data for completeness. We studied the geometry of the inner atmosphere by comparing the observations with predictions from different geometric models. Asymmetries are detected for five O-rich and S-type, suggesting that asymmetries in the N band are more common among stars with such chemistry. We speculate that this fact is related to the characteristics of the dust grains. Except for one star, no interferometric variability is detected, i.e. the changes in size of the shells of non-mira stars correspond to changes of the visibility of less than 10%. The observed spectral variability confirms previous findings from the literature. The detection of dust in our sample follows the location of the AGBs in the IRAS colour-colour diagram: more dust is detected around oxygen-rich stars in region II and in the carbon stars in region VII. The SiC dust feature does not appear in the visibility spectrum of UAnt and SSct, which are two carbon stars with detached shells. This finding has implications for the theory of SiC dust formation.

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