Classification of 2.4–45.2 Micron Spectra from the Infrared Space Observatory Short Wavelength Spectrometer

Abstract

The Infrared Space Observatory observed over 900 objects with the Short Wavelength Spectrometer in full-grating scan mode (2.4-45.2 μm). We have developed a comprehensive system of spectral classification using these data. Sources are assigned to groups based on the overall shape of the spectral energy distribution (SED). The groups include naked stars, dusty stars, warm dust shells, cool dust shells, very red sources, and sources with emission lines but no detected continuum. These groups are further divided into subgroups based on spectral features that shape the SED such as silicate or carbon-rich dust emission, silicate absorption, ice absorption, and fine-structure or recombination lines. Caveats regarding the data and data reduction, as well as biases intrinsic to the database, are discussed. We also examine how the subgroups relate to the evolution of sources to and from the main sequence and how this classification scheme relates to previous systems.