arXiv subjects

M. Meixner

Publications and source records attributed to M. Meixner.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

The Dust-to-Gas Ratio in the Small Magellanic Cloud Tail

The Tail region of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) was imaged using the MIPS instrument on the Spitzer Space Telescope as part of the SAGE-SMC Spitzer Legacy. Diffuse infrared emission from dust was detected in all the MIPS bands. The Tail gas-to-dust ratio was measured to be 1200 +/- 350 using the MIPS observations combined with existing IRAS and HI observations. This gas-to-dust ratio is higher than the expected 500-800 from the known Tail metallicity indicating possible destruction of dust grains. Two cluster regions in the Tail were resolved into multiple sources in the MIPS observations and local gas-to-dust ratios were measured to be ~440 and ~250 suggests dust formation and/or significant amounts of ionized gas in these regions. These results support the interpretation that the SMC Tail is a tidal tail recently stripped from the SMC that includes gas, dust, and young stars.

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arXiv2008

Variable Evolved Stars and YSOs Discovered in the Large Magellanic Cloud using the SAGE Survey

We present initial results and source lists of variable sources in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) for which we detect thermal infrared variability from the SAGE (Surveying the Agents of a Galaxy's Evolution) survey, which had 2 epochs of photometry separated by three months. The SAGE survey mapped a 7 degree by 7 degree region of the LMC using the IRAC and the MIPS instruments on board Spitzer. Variable sources are identified using a combination of the IRAC 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, 8.0 \micron bands and the MIPS 24 \micron bands. An error-weighted flux difference between the two epochs is used to assess the variability. Of the ~ 3 million sources detected at both epochs we find ~ 2,000 variable sources for which we provide electronic catalogs. Most of the variable sources can be classified as asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. A large fraction (> 66%) of the extreme AGB stars are variable and only smaller fractions of carbon-rich (6.1%) and oxygen-rich (2.0%) stars are detected as variable. We also detect a population of variable young stellar object candidates.

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arXiv2008

SMC in space and time: a project to study the evolution of the prototype interacting late-type dwarf galaxy

We introduce the SMC in space and time, a large coordinated space and ground-based program to study star formation processes and history, as well as variable stars, structure, kinematics and chemical evolution of the whole SMC. Here, we present the Colour-Magnitude Diagrams(CMDs) resulting from HST/ACS photometry, aimed at deriving the star formation history (SFH) in six fields of the SMC. The fields are located in the central regions, in the stellar halo, and in the wing toward the LMC. The CMDs are very deep, well beyond the oldest Main Sequence Turn-Off, and will allow us to derive the SFH over the entire Hubble time.

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arXiv2008

HST Snapshot Survey of Post-AGB Objects

The results from a Hubble Space Telescope (HST) snapshot survey of post-AGB objects are shown. The aim of the survey is to complement existing HST images of PPN and to connect various types of nebulosities with physical and chemical properties of their central stars. Nebulosities are detected in 15 of 33 sources. Images and photometric and geometric measurements are presented. For sources with nebulosities we see a morphological bifurcation into two groups, DUPLEX and SOLE, as previous studies have found. We find further support to the previous results suggesting that this dichotomy is caused by a difference in optical thickness of the dust shell. The remaining 18 sources are classified as stellar post-AGB objects, because our observations indicate a lack of nebulosity. We show that some stellar sources may in fact be DUPLEX or SOLE based on their infrared colors. The cause of the differences among the groups are investigated. We discuss some evidence suggesting that high progenitor-mass AGB stars tend to become DUPLEX post-AGB objects. Intermediate progenitor-mass AGB stars tend to be SOLE post-AGB objects. Most of the stellar sources probably have low mass progenitors and do not seem to develop nebulosities during the post-AGB phase and therefore do not become planetary nebulae.

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arXiv2007

SPITZER SAGE Observations of Large Magellanic Cloud Planetary Nebulae

We present IRAC and MIPS images and photometry of a sample of previously known planetary nebulae (PNe) from the SAGE survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) performed with the Spitzer Space Telescope. Of the 233 known PNe in the survey field, 185 objects were detected in at least two of the IRAC bands, and 161 detected in the MIPS 24 micron images. Color-color and color-magnitude diagrams are presented using several combinations of IRAC, MIPS, and 2MASS magnitudes. The location of an individual PN in the color-color diagrams is seen to depend on the relative contributions of the spectral components which include molecular hydrogen, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), infrared forbidden line emission from the ionized gas, warm dust continuum, and emission directly from the central star. The sample of LMC PNe is compared to a number of Galactic PNe and found to not significantly differ in their position in color-color space. We also explore the potential value of IR PNe luminosity functions (LFs) in the LMC. IRAC LFs appear to follow the same functional form as the well-established [O III] LFs although there are several PNe with observed IR magnitudes brighter than the cut-offs in these LFs.

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arXiv2007

The Stellar Mass Distribution in the Giant Star Forming Region NGC 346

Deep F555W and F814W Hubble Space Telescope ACS images are the basis for a study of the present day mass function (PDMF) of NGC346, the largest active star forming region in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). We find a PDMF slope of Gamma=-1.43+/-0.18 in the mass range 0.8-60 Mo, in excellent agreement with the Salpeter Initial Mass Function (IMF) in the solar neighborhood. Caveats on the conversion of the PDMF to the IMF are discussed. The PDMF slope changes, as a function of the radial distance from the center of the NGC 346 star cluster, indicating a segregation of the most massive stars. This segregation is likely primordial considering the young age (~3 Myr) of NGC346, and its clumpy structure which suggests that the cluster has likely not had sufficient time to relax. Comparing our results for NGC346 with those derived for other star clusters in the SMC and the Milky Way (MW), we conclude that, while the star formation process might depend on the local cloud conditions, the IMF does not seem to be affected by general environmental effects such as galaxy type, metallicity, and dust content.

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arXiv2007

Progressive star formation in the young SMC cluster NGC 602

NGC 602 is a young stellar cluster located in a peripheral region of the Small Magellanic Cloud known as the wing. Far from the main body of the galaxy and abutting the Magellanic Bridge, the SMC's wing is characterized by low gas and stellar content. With deep optical imaging from the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), we have discovered an extensive pre-Main Sequence (PMS) population, with stellar masses in the range 0.6-3 Solar masses. These low mass PMS stars formed coevally with the central cluster about 4 Myr ago. Spitzer Space Telescope (Spitzer) images of the same region from the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) also reveal a population of Young Stellar Objects (YSOs), some of which are still embedded in nebular material and most of which likely formed even more recently than the young stars detected with HST/ACS imaging. We infer that star formation started in this region about 4 Myr ago with the formation of the central cluster and gradually propagated towards the outskirts where star formation is presently ongoing.

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arXiv2007

HD 97048's Circumstellar Environment as Revealed by a HST/ACS Coronagraphic Study of Disk Candidate Stars

We present the results of a coronagraphic scattered-light imaging survey of six young disk candidate stars using the Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys. The observations made use of the 1.8" occulting spot through the F606W (broad V) filter. Circumstellar material was imaged around HD 97048, a Herbig Ae/Be star located in the Chamaeleon I dark cloud at a distance of 180 pc. The material is seen between ~2" (360 AU) and ~4" (720 AU) from the star in all directions. A V-band azimuthally-averaged radial surface brightness profile peaks at r = 2" with a value of 19.6 +/- 0.2 mag arcsec^-2 and smoothly decreases with projected distance from the star as r^(-3.3 +/- 0.5). An integrated flux of 16.8 +/- 0.1 mag is measured between 2" and 4", corresponding to a scattered-light fractional luminosity lower limit of 8.4 x 10^-4. Filamentary structure resembling spiral arms similar to that seen in Herbig Ae/Be disks is observed. Such structure has been attributed to the influence of orbiting planets or stellar encounters. Average surface brightness upper limits are determined for the five non-detections: HD 34282, HD 139450, HD 158643, HD 159492, and HD 195627. Possible reasons for the non-detections are disks that are too faint or disks hidden by the occulter.

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arXiv2006

Past and present star formation in the SMC: NGC 346 and its neighborhood

In the quest of understanding how star formation occurs and propagates in the low metallicity environment of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), we acquired deep F555W (~V), and F814W (~I) HST/ACS images of the young and massive star forming region NGC 346. These images and their photometric analysis provide us with a snapshot of the star formation history of the region. We find evidence for star formation extending from ~10 Gyr in the past until ~150 Myr in the field of the SMC. The youngest stellar population (~3 +/- 1 Myr) is associated with the NGC 346 cluster. It includes a rich component of low mass pre-main sequence stars mainly concentrated in a number of sub-clusters, spatially co- located with CO clumps previously detected by Rubio et al. (2000). Within our analysis uncertainties, these sub-clusters appear coeval with each other. The most massive stars appear concentrated in the central sub-clusters, indicating possible mass segregation. A number of embedded clusters are also observed. This finding, combined with the overall wealth of dust and gas, could imply that star formation is still active. An intermediate age star cluster, BS90, formed ~4.3 +/-0.1 Gyr ago, is also present in the region. Thus, this region of the SMC has supported star formation with varying levels of intensity over much of the cosmic time.

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arXiv2006

Spitzer SAGE survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud II: Evolved Stars and Infrared Color Magnitude Diagrams

Color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) are presented for the Spitzer SAGE (Surveying the Agents of a Galaxy's Evolution) survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). IRAC and MIPS 24 um epoch one data are presented. These data represent the deepest, widest mid-infrared CMDs of their kind ever produced in the LMC. Combined with the 2MASS survey, the diagrams are used to delineate the evolved stellar populations in the Large Magellanic Cloud as well as Galactic foreground and extragalactic background populations. Some 32000 evolved stars brighter than the tip of the red giant branch are identified. Of these, approximately 17500 are classified as oxygen-rich, 7000 carbon-rich, and another 1200 as ``extreme'' asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. Brighter members of the latter group have been called ``obscured'' AGB stars in the literature owing to their dusty circumstellar envelopes. A large number (1200) of luminous oxygen--rich AGB stars/M supergiants are also identified. Finally, there is strong evidence from the 24 um MIPS channel that previously unexplored, lower luminosity oxygen-rich AGB stars contribute significantly to the mass loss budget of the LMC (1200 such sources are identified).

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arXiv2006

Detached shells as tracers of AGB-ISM bow shocks

New Spitzer imaging observations have revealed the structure around the Mira variable star R Hya to be a one-sided parabolic arc 100 arcsec to the West stretching from North to South. We successfully model R Hya and its surroundings in terms of an interaction of the stellar wind from an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star with the interstellar medium (ISM) the star moves through. Our three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulation reproduces the structure as a bow shock into the oncoming ISM. We propose this as another explanation of detached shells around such stars which should be considered alongside current theories of internal origin. The simulation predicts the existence of a tail of ram-pressure-stripped AGB material stretching downstream. Indications for such a tail behind R Hya are seen in IRAS maps.

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arXiv2006

Detection of a Far-Infrared Bow-Shock Nebula Around R Hya: the First MIRIAD Results

We present the first results of the MIRIAD (MIPS [Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer] Infra-Red Imaging of AGB [asymptotic giant branch] Dustshells) project using the Spitzer Space Telescope. The primary aim of the project is to probe the material distribution in the extended circumstellar envelopes (CSE) of evolved stars and recover the fossil record of their mass loss history. Hence, we must map the whole of the CSEs plus the surrounding sky for background subtraction, while avoiding the central star that is brighter than the detector saturation limit. With our unique mapping strategy, we have achieved better than one MJy/sr sensitivity in three hours of integration and successfully detected a faint (< 5 MJy/sr), extended (~400 arcsec) far-infrared nebula around the AGB star R Hya. Based on the parabolic structure of the nebula, the direction of the space motion of the star with respect to the nebula shape, and the presence of extended H alpha emission co-spatial to the nebula, we suggest that the detected far-IR nebula is due to a bow shock at the interface of the interstellar medium and the AGB wind of this moving star. This is the first detection of the stellar-wind bow-shock interaction for an AGB star and exemplifies the potential of Spitzer as a tool to examine the detailed structure of extended far-IR nebulae around bright central sources. \

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arXiv2006

The Discovery of a Population of Pre-Main Sequence Stars in N66/NGC346 from Deep HST/ACS Image

We report the discovery of a rich population of low mass stars in the young, massive star forming region N66/NGC346 in the Small Magellanic Cloud, from deep V, I and H alpha images taken with the HST/ACS. These stars have likely formed together with the NGC346 cluster, ~3-5 Myr ago. Their magnitude and colors are those of pre-main sequence stars in the mass range 0.6-3 Mo, mostly concentrated in the main cluster, but with secondary subclusters spread over a region across ~45 pc. These subclusters appear to be spatially coincident with previously known knots of molecular gas identified in ground based and ISO observations. We show that N66/NGC346 is a complex region, being shaped by its massive stars, and the observations presented here represent a key step towards the understanding of how star formation occurred and has progressed in this low metallicity environment.

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arXiv2005

Detection of a massive dust shell around the Type II supernova SN 2002hh

Dust emission from the Type II supernova SN 2002hh in NGC 6946 has been detected at mid-infrared wavelengths by the Spitzer Space Telescope from 590 to 758 days after outburst and confirmed by higher angular resolution Gemini-N mid-IR observations. The day-600 5.8-24 micron emission can be fit by a 290-K blackbody having a luminosity of 1.6E+7 L_Sol. The minimum emitting radius of 1.1E+17 cm is too large for the emitting dust to have been formed in the supernova ejecta. Using radiative transfer models and realistic dust grain parameters, fits to the observed flux distribution could be obtained with an optically thick dust shell having a mass of 0.10-0.15 M_Sol, corresponding to a total dust+gas mass in excess of 10 M_Sol, suggesting a massive M supergiant or luminous blue variable precursor to this self-obscured object.

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arXiv2004

XMM-Newton Detection of Hot Gas in the Eskimo Nebula: Shocked Stellar Wind or Collimated Outflows?

The Eskimo Nebula (NGC 2392) is a double-shell planetary nebula (PN) known for the exceptionally large expansion velocity of its inner shell, ~90 km/s, and the existence of a fast bipolar outflow with a line-of-sight expansion velocity approaching 200 km/s. We have obtained XMM-Newton observations of the Eskimo and detected diffuse X-ray emission within its inner shell. The X-ray spectra suggest thin plasma emission with a temperature of ~2x10^6 K and an X-ray luminosity of L_X = (2.6+/-1.0)x10^31 (d/1150 pc)^2 ergs/s, where d is the distance in parsecs. The diffuse X-ray emission shows noticeably different spatial distributions between the 0.2-0.65 keV and 0.65-2.0 keV bands. High-resolution X-ray images of the Eskimo are needed to determine whether its diffuse X-ray emission originates from shocked fast wind or bipolar outflows.

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arXiv2004

The Molecular and Dust Envelope of HD 56126

We present millimeter interferometry images of the CO J=1-0 line emission arising in the circumstellar envelope of HD 56126 (a.k.a. IRAS 07134+1005), which is one of the best studied 21-micron proto-planetary nebulae (PPNs). The CO emission extends from 1.2" to 7" in radius from the central star and appears consistent with a simple expanding envelope, as expected for a post-AGB star. We quantitatively model the molecular envelope using a radiative transfer code that we have modified for detached shells. Our best fit model reveals that two sequential winds created the circumstellar envelope of HD 56126: an AGB wind that lasted 6500 years with a mass-loss rate of 5.1x10^{-6} M_odot yr^{-1} and a more intense superwind that lasted 840 years with a mass-loss rate of 3x10^{-5} M_odot yr^{-1} and that ended the star's life on the AGB 1240 years ago. The total mass of this envelope is 0.059 M_odot which indicates a lower limit progenitor mass for the system of 0.66 M_odot, quite reasonable for this low-metallicity star which probably resides in the thick disk of the Galaxy. Comparison with images of the dust emission reveal a similar structure with the gas in the inner regions. Using 2-DUST, we model the dust emission of this source so that the model is consistent with the CO emission model and find an average gas-to-dust mass ratio of 75.

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arXiv2004

Unraveling the Helix Nebula: Its Structure and Knots

Through HST imaging of the inner part of the main-ring of the Helix Nebula together with CTIO 4-m images of the fainter outer parts, we have an unprecedented-quality view of the nearest bright planetary nebula. These images have allowed determination that the main-ring of the nebula is composed of an inner-disk of about 499\arcsec diameter (0.52 pc) surrounded by an outer-ring (in reality a torus) of 742\arcsec diameter (0.77 pc) whose plane is highly inclined to the plane of the disk. This outer-ring is surrounded by an outermost-ring of 1500\arcsec (1.76 pc) diameter which is flattened on the side colliding with the ambient interstellar medium. The inner-disk has an extended distribution of low density gas along its rotational axis of symmetry and the disk is optically thick to ionizing radiation, as is the outer-ring. Published radial velocities of the knots provides support for the two-component structure of the main-ring of the nebula and to the idea that the knots found there are expanding along with the nebular material from which it recently originated. There is a change in the morphology of the knots as a function of the distance from the local ionization front. This supports a scenario in which the knots are formed in or near the ionization front and are then sculpted by the stellar radiation from the central star as the ionization front advances beyond them.

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arXiv2002

Two Subclasses of Proto-Planetary Nebulae: Model Calculations

We use detailed radiative transfer models to investigate the differences between the Star-Obvious Low-level-Elongated proto-planetary nebulae (SOLE PPNs) and DUst-Prominent Longitudinally-EXtended proto-planetary nebulae (DUPLEX PPNs) which are two subclasses of PPNs suggested by Ueta, Meixner, & Bobrowsky (2000). We select one SOLE PPN, HD 161796, and one DUPLEX PPN, IRAS 17150$-$3224, both of which are well studied and representative of their PPN classes. Using an axisymmetric dust shell radiative transfer code, we model these two sources in detail and constrain their mass-loss histories, inclination angles and dust composition. The physical parameters derived for HD 161796 and IRAS 17150$-$3224 demonstrate that they are physically quite different and that their observed differences cannot be attributed to inclination angle effects. If these calculations reflect a more general truth about SOLE vs. DUPLEX PPNs, then these two subclasses of PPNs are physically distinct with the SOLE PPNs derived from low mass progenitors and DUPLEX PPNs derived from high mass progenitors.

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