Supergiants In M31 Research Articles

The LAMOST Spectroscopic Survey of Supergiants in M31 and M33

Abstract We present systematic identifications of supergiants of M31/M33 based on massive LAMOST spectroscopic survey. Radial velocities of nearly 5000 photometrically selected M31/M33 supergiant candidates have been properly derived from the qualified spectra released in LAMOST DR10. By comparing their radial velocities with those predicted from the rotation curves of M31, as well as utilizing {\it Gaia} astrometric measurements to exclude foreground contaminations, 199 supergiant members in M31, including 168 `Rank1' and 31 `Rank2', have been successfully identified. This sample contains 62 blue supergiants (BSGs, all `Rank1'), 134 yellow supergiants (YSGs, 103 `Rank1' and 31 `Rank2') and 3 red supergiants (RSGs, all `Rank1'). For M33, we identify 84 supergiant members (56 `Rank1' and 28 `Rank2'), which includes 28 BSGs (all `Rank1'), 53 YSGs (25 `Rank1' and 28 `Rank2') and 3 RSGs (all `Rank1'). So far, this is one of the largest supergiant sample of M31/M33 with full optical wavelength coverage (3700 \textless $\lambda$ \textless 9100 \AA). This sample is valuable for understanding the star formation and stellar evolution under different environments.

Red supergiants in M31: the Humphreys–Davidson limit at high metallicity

ABSTRACT The empirical upper limit to red supergiant (RSG) luminosity, known as the Humphreys–Davidson (HD) limit, has been commonly explained as being caused by the stripping of stellar envelopes by metallicity-dependent line-driven winds. As such, the theoretical expectation is that the HD limit should be higher at lower metallicity, where weaker mass-loss rates mean that higher initial masses are required for an envelope to be stripped. In this paper, we test this prediction by measuring the luminosity function of RSGs in M31 and comparing it to those in the LMC and SMC. We find that log (Lmax/L⊙) = 5.53 ± 0.03 in M31 (Z ≳ Z⊙), consistent with the limit found for both the LMC (Z ∼ 0.5 Z⊙) and SMC (Z ∼ 0.25 Z⊙), while the RSG luminosity distributions in these three galaxies are consistent to within 1σ. We therefore find no evidence for a metallicity dependence on both the HD limit and the RSG luminosity function, and conclude that line-driven winds on the main sequence are not the cause of the HD limit.

Red Supergiants in M31 and M33. II. The Mass-loss Rate

Abstract Mass loss is an important activity for red supergiants (RSGs) and can influence their evolution and final fate. Previous estimations of mass-loss rates (MLRs) of RSGs exhibit significant dispersion due to differences in method and the incompleteness of samples. With the improved quality and depth of surveys including the UKIRT/WFCAM observations in the near-infrared, and LGGS and PS1 in the optical, a rather complete sample of RSGs is identified in M31 and M33 according to their brightness and colors. For about 2000 objects in either galaxy from this largest ever sample, the MLR is derived by fitting the observational optical-to-mid-infrared spectral energy distribution with the DUSTY code of a 1D dust radiative transfer model. The average MLR of RSGs is found to be around 2.0 × 10−5 M ⊙ yr−1 with a gas-to-dust ratio of 100, which yields a total contribution to the interstellar dust from RSGs of about 1.1 × 10−3 M ⊙ yr−1 in M31 and 6.0 × 10−4 M ⊙ yr−1 in M33, a non-negligible source in comparison with evolved low-mass stars. The MLRs are divided into three types by the dust species, i.e., amorphous silicate, amorphous carbon, and optically thin, and the relations between MLR and stellar parameters, infrared flux, and colors are discussed and compared with previous works for the silicate and carbon dust groups.

The Luminosity Function of Red Supergiants in M31

Abstract The mass-loss rates of red supergiant stars (RSGs) are poorly constrained by direct measurements, and yet the subsequent evolution of these stars depends critically on how much mass is lost during the RSG phase. In 2012 the Geneva evolutionary group updated their mass-loss prescription for RSGs with the result that a 20 M ⊙ star now loses 10 times more mass during the RSG phase than in the older models. Thus, higher-mass RSGs evolve back through a second yellow supergiant phase rather than exploding as Type II-P supernovae, in accord with recent observations (the so-called “RSG Problem”). Still, even much larger mass-loss rates during the RSG phase cannot be ruled out by direct measurements of their current dust-production rates, as such mass loss is episodic. Here, we test the models by deriving a luminosity function for RSGs in the nearby spiral galaxy, M31, which is sensitive to the total mass loss during the RSG phase. We carefully separate RSGs from asymptotic giant branch stars in the color–magnitude diagram following the recent method exploited by Yang and collaborators in their Small Magellanic Cloud studies. Comparing our resulting luminosity function with that predicted by the evolutionary models shows that the new prescription for RSG mass loss does an excellent job of matching the observations, and we can readily rule out significantly larger values.

Variability of Red Supergiants in M31 from the Palomar Transient Factory

Abstract Most massive stars end their lives as red supergiants (RSGs), a short-lived evolutionary phase when they are known to pulsate with varying amplitudes. The RSG period–luminosity (PL) relation has been measured in the Milky Way, the Magellanic Clouds and M33 for about 120 stars in total. Using over 1500 epochs of R-band monitoring from the Palomar Transient Factory survey over a five-year period, we study the variability of 255 spectroscopically cataloged RSGs in M31. We find that all RGSs brighter than M K ≈ −10 mag (log(L/L ⊙) > 4.8) are variable at Δm R > 0.05 mag. Our period analysis finds 63 with significant pulsation periods. Using the periods found and the known values of M K for these stars, we derive the RSG PL relation in M31 and show that it is consistent with those derived earlier in other galaxies of different metallicities. We also detect, for the first time, a sequence of likely first-overtone pulsations. Comparison to stellar evolution models from MESA confirms the first-overtone hypothesis and indicates that the variable stars in this sample have 12 M ⊙ < M < 24 M ⊙. As these RSGs are the immediate progenitors to Type II-P core-collapse supernovae (SNe), we also explore the implication of their variability in the initial-mass estimates for SN progenitors based on archival images of the progenitors. We find that this effect is small compared to the present measurement errors.

A SURVEY OF DIFFUSE INTERSTELLAR BANDS IN THE ANDROMEDA GALAXY: OPTICAL SPECTROSCOPY OF M31 OB STARS

We present the largest sample to-date of intermediate-resolution blue-to-red optical spectra of B-type supergiants in M31 and undertake the first survey of diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) in this galaxy. Spectral classifications, radial velocities and interstellar reddenings are presented for 34 stars in three regions of M31. Radial velocities and equivalent widths are given for the 5780 and 6283 DIBs towards 11 stars. Equivalent widths are also presented for the following DIBs detected in three sightlines in M31: 4428, 5705, 5780, 5797, 6203, 6269, 6283, 6379, 6613, 6660, and 6993. All of these M31 DIB carriers reside in clouds at radial velocities matching those of interstellar Na I and/or H I. The relationships between DIB equivalent widths and reddening (E(B-V)) are consistent with those observed in the local ISM of the Milky Way. Many of the observed sightlines show DIB strengths (per unit reddening) which lie at the upper end of the range of Galactic values. DIB strengths per unit reddening are found (with 68% confidence), to correlate with the interstellar UV radiation field strength. The strongest DIBs are observed where the interstellar UV flux is lowest. The mean Spitzer 8/24 micron emission ratio in our three fields is slightly lower than that measured in the Milky Way, but we identify no correlation between this ratio and the DIB strengths in M31. Interstellar oxygen abundances derived from the spectra of three M31 H II regions in one of the fields indicate that the average metallicity of the ISM in that region is 12 + log[O/H] = 8.54 +- 0.18, which is approximately equal to the value in the solar neighbourhood.

RED SUPERGIANTS IN THE ANDROMEDA GALAXY (M31)

Red supergiants are a short-lived stage in the evolution of moderately massive stars (10-25Mo), and as such their location in the H-R diagram provides an exacting test of stellar evolutionary models. Since massive star evolution is strongly affected by the amount of mass-loss a star suffers, and since the mass-loss rates depend upon metallicity, it is highly desirable to study the physical properties of these stars in galaxies of various metallicities. Here we identify a sample of red supergiants in M31 (the most metal-rich of the Local Group galaxies) and derive their physical properties by fitting MARCS atmosphere models to moderate resolution optical spectroscopy, and from V-K photometry.

Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph Ultraviolet Spectroscopy of Early B Supergiants in M31

We analyze Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) spectra in the 1150-1700 A wavelength range obtained for six early B supergiants in the neighboring galaxy M31. Because of their likely high (nearly solar) abundance, these stars were originally chosen to be directly comparable to their Galactic counterparts and represent a much needed addition to our current sample of B-type supergiants, in our efforts to study the dependence of the wind momentum-luminosity relationship on spectral type and metallicity. As a first step to determine wind momenta we fit the P Cygni profiles of the resonance lines of N V, Si IV, and C IV with standard methods and derive terminal velocities for all of the STIS targets. From these lines we also derive ionic stellar wind column densities. Our results are compared with those obtained previously in Galactic supergiants and confirm earlier claims of normal wind line intensities and terminal velocities in M31. For one-half of the sample we find evidence for an enhanced maximum turbulent velocity when compared to Galactic counterparts.

Analysis of Four A–F Supergiants in M31 from Keck HIRES Spectroscopy

The first stellar abundances in M31 are presented, based on Keck I HIRES spectroscopy and model atmospheres analyses of three A-F supergiants, 41-2368, 41-3712, and A-207. We also present the preliminary analysis of a fourth star, 41-3654. We find that the stellar oxygen abundances are in good agreement with those determined from nebular studies, even though the stars do not show a clear radial gradient in oxygen. The uncertainties in the stellar abundances are smaller than the range in the nebular results, making these stars ideal objects for further studies of the distribution of oxygen in M31. We show that the stars can be used to study the abundance distributions of other elements as well, including iron-group and heavier elements. The A-F supergiants also provide direct information on the metallicity and reddening of nearby Cepheid stars. We have examined the metallicity and reddening assumptions used for Cepheids within 1' of our targets and noted the differences from values used in the literature.

Revisiting the Modified Eddington Limit for Massive Stars

We have determined the location of the line-opacity modified Eddington limit for stars in the LMC using the most recent atmosphere models combined with a precise mapping to the H-R diagram through up-to-date stellar evolution calculations. While we find, in agreement with previous studies, that the shape of the modified Eddington limit qualitatively corresponds to the Humphreys-Davidson (HD) limit defined by the most luminous supergiants, the modified limit is actually a full magnitude higher than the upper luminosity limit observed for LMC stars. The observed limit is consistent with atmosphere models in which the maximum value of the ratio of the radiation force outward to the gravitational force inward (Ymax) is ~0.9, i.e., the photospheres of stars at the observed luminosity limit are bound. As massive stars evolve, they move to higher, and therefore less stable, values of Ymax, so mass loss, either sporadic or continuous, may halt their natural redward evolution as they approach the observed Ymax ≈ 0.9 limit. We assess the metallicity dependence of this limit. If mass loss does limit the redward evolution of the most luminous stars, and if the value of Ymax corresponding to the luminosity limit in the LMC is universal, then the brightest supergiants of the SMC should be only marginally brighter (0.3 mag) than those of the LMC, in agreement with observations. Moreover, the brightest supergiants in M31 should be 0.75 mag fainter than those in the LMC.

The Winds of Hot Stars in External Galaxies. III. HST UV Spectroscopy of O and B Supergiants in M31 and M33

The Winds of Hot Stars in External Galaxies. III. HST UV Spectroscopy of O and B Supergiants in M31 and M33

The red supergiants in M31 - Spectra, colors, and luminosities

M31 has been surveyed for its most luminous red stars; 300 candidates were found distributed across the face of the galaxy. JHK infrared photometry was observed for 57 of the candidates, and far-red (6800-8800 A) spectra were also obtained for 45 stars. The strength of the Ca II triplet (about 8500 A) and the J - H and H - K colors have been used as luminosity discriminants to separate the supergiants from the foreground dwarfs. With these criteria, 23 probable late-type supergiants were identified. Their distribution and relative numbers of the red supergiants are discussed in comparison with the known WR stars in M31. Accurate extinction and infrared (K = 2.2 microns) and bolometric luminosities are also derived from the infrared photometry. 38 references.

The luminosity of red supergiants in the andromeda galaxy

A blink survey of M31 undertaken by means ofB andV plates taken at the 2 m Rozhen observatory telescope gave the possibility to select ten brightest red supergiant candidates. There are a few bright red supergiants in M31 in comparison the LMC, M33, and our Galaxy. They are more frequent in the northern part of M31 where the higher rate of star formation occurs. Our search indicatedM V ≈−8.0 for the brightest red supergiants. Their occurrence in a galaxy depends not only on luminosity of the latter but also on the rate of star formation in it.