Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Dec 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006aas...209.0913g&link_type=abstract
2007 AAS/AAPT Joint Meeting, American Astronomical Society Meeting 209, #09.13; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, V
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars are very massive, luminous stars, likely descended from O stars with initial masses greater than 30 solar masses. The byproducts of nuclear burning have been brought to the surface of these He-rich stars and a high rate of mass loss is evident through strong emission lines of He, C, N and O. The unique emission line spectra of WR stars make them readily identifiable. Despite the importance of WR stars both in the evolutionary paths of massive stars and as tracers of active star formation, only 250 of these stars have been identified in the Galaxy due to absorption. To detect Galactic WR stars, a narrowband infrared imaging survey has been completed in seven filters. The survey covers the Galactic plane +/-1 degree and was taken in J, narrowband filters centered on HeI, HeII, CIV, Bracket Gamma and in continuum filters both redward and blueward of the narrowband filters. WR candidates are being selected by their excess emission in the narrowband filters; we present initial CMDs and new WR candidates from select fields. This survey is expected to yield several thousand WR candidates in the Galactic plane. Spectra of the candidates will be necessary to confirm each object as a WR star.
Doyon Rene
Drissen Laurent
Gerke Jill
Moffat A. F.
Robert Carmelle
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