Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
May 2007
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007sptz.prop40210c&link_type=abstract
Spitzer Proposal ID #40210
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
One of the longest standing and most difficult astronomical problems is to determine the relation between the birth mass of stars and the mass left when they die. Most mass lost by 1-8 solar mass stars occurs during rapid evolution on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB). Towards the end of its life, a star sheds its outer layers as a planetary nebula (PN) but little matter is expelled. The hot, remnant star ionizes the PN and previous ejecta. PN ionized gas is ~0.1 solar masses so most of a progenitor star's mass must be dispersed into a large faint envelope: an AGB halo. Techniques exist to measure stellar core mass, ionized nebula and faint halo once a PN is identified and its halo recognized, but only if we know the PN's distance. The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) distance is well established while its geometry implies all its PNe share this distance. We propose a combined IR, optical and radio study of all known LMC PNe observed by the SAGE Legacy project. The enhanced products, due for release in 2007-8, will provide photometry of unresolved PNe. Fluxes of resolved PNe will be extracted from IRAC/ MIPS images. Of 693 LMC PNe observed by SAGE, 233 were found optically prior to SAGE and 460 newly found by Co-Is Reid and Parker in an ultra-deep H-alpha survey of the LMC's central 25sq.deg. Their survey is a unique database of optical spectra and H-alpha images in which 280 new, faint, AGB halos have also been discovered. Our goals are to: seek IR matches to AGB halos and estimate total dust masses of their PNe; combine these with Gemini/VLT optical spectra of ~30 PN central stars, their shells and halos to provide an unrivaled sample of PNe for which we will derive masses of total ejecta and stellar core to define an independent initial-final mass relation. We will also enlarge the LMC census by seeking PNe in SAGE source lists by their IR colors and create new IR and radio luminosity functions for LMC PNe to compare with our unprecedentedly complete new [OIII] and H-alpha luminosity functions.
Cohen Martin
Hora Joseph
Parker Quentin
Reid Warren
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