Wolf–Rayet stars in M 81 using GTC/OSIRIS: seven new detections, analysis, and classification of the full sample

Abstract

ABSTRACT We report the detection of seven new Wolf–Rayet (WR) star locations in M 81 using the Multi-Object Spectrograph of the OSIRIS instrument at Gran Telescopio Canarias. These detections are the result of a follow-up of an earlier study using the same instrumental set-up that resulted in the detection of 14 WR locations. We analyse the entire sample of 21 spectra to classify them to one of the known WR sub-types using template spectra of WR stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), with similar metallicity to M 81. Taking into consideration the dispersion in the strengths of the bumps for a given WR sub-type, we found that 19 of the 21 locations correspond to individual stars, including all the seven new detections, of sub-types: WNL, WNE, WCE, and the transitional WN/C. None of the detections correspond to WCL or WO types. The positions of these stars in the red bump versus blue bump luminosity diagram agrees well with an evolutionary path according to the Conti scenario. Based on this, we propose this diagram as a straightforward tool for spectral classification of extragalactic WR sources. The detection of individual WR stars in M 81, which is at a distance of 3.6 Mpc, opens up a new environment for testing the massive star evolutionary models.