SPITZER survey of dust grain processing in stable discs around binary post-AGB stars

Aims: We investigate the mineralogy and dust processing in the circumbinary discs of binary post-AGB stars using high-resolution TIMMI2 and SPITZER infrared spectra. Methods: We perform a full spectral fitting to the infrared spectra using the most recent opacities of amorphous and crystalline dust species. This allows for the identification of the carriers of the different emission bands. Our fits also constrain the physical properties of different dust species and grain sizes responsible for the observed emission features. Results: In all stars the dust is oxygen-rich: amorphous and crystalline silicate dust species prevail and no features of a carbon-rich component can be found, the exception being EPLyr, where a mixed chemistry of both oxygen- and carbon-rich species is found. Our full spectral fitting indicates a high degree of dust grain processing. The mineralogy of our sample stars shows that the dust is constituted of irregularly shaped and relatively large grains, with typical grain sizes larger than 2 micron. The spectra of nearly all stars show a high degree of crystallinity, where magnesium-rich end members of olivine and pyroxene silicates dominate. Other dust features of e.g. silica or alumina are not present at detectable levels. Temperature estimates from our fitting routine show that a significant fraction of grains must be cool, significantly cooler than the glass temperature. This shows that radial mixing is very efficient is these discs and/or indicates different thermal conditions at grain formation. Our results show that strong grain processing is not limited to young stellar objects and that the physical processes occurring in the discs are very similar to those in protoplanetary discs.Comment: 22pages, 50 figures (in appendix), accepted for A&

The optically bright post-AGB population of the LMC

The detected variety in chemistry and circumstellar shell morphology of the limited sample of Galactic post-AGB stars is so large that there is no consensus yet on how the different objects are linked by evolutionary channels. The evaluation is complicated by the fact that their distances and hence luminosities remain largely unknown. Via cross-correlation of the Spitzer SAGE catalogue with optical catalogues we selected a sample of LMC post-AGB candidates based on their [8]-[24] colour index and estimated luminosity. We determined the fundamental properties of the central stars of 105 of these objects using low-resolution, optical spectra that we obtained at Siding Spring Observatory and SAAO, and constructed a catalogue of 70 high probability and 1337 candidate post-AGB stars that is available at the CDS. The sample forms an ideal testbed for stellar evolution theory predictions of the final phase of low- and intermediate-mass stars, because the distance and hence luminosity and also the current and initial mass of these objects is well constrained. About half of the objects in our sample of post-AGB candidates show a spectral energy distribution (SED) that is indicative of a disc rather than an expanding and cooling AGB remnant. Like in the Galaxy, the disc sources are likely associated with binary evolution. Important side products of this research are catalogues of candidate young stellar objects, candidate supergiants with circumstellar dust, and discarded objects for which a spectrum was obtained. These too are available at the CDS

Resolving the compact dusty discs around binary post-AGB stars using N-band interferometry

We present the first mid-IR long baseline interferometric observations of the circumstellar matter around binary post-AGB stars. Two objects, SX Cen and HD 52961, were observed using the VLTI/MIDI instrument during Science Demonstration Time. Both objects are known binaries for which a stable circumbinary disc is proposed to explain the SED characteristics. This is corroborated by our N-band spectrum showing a crystallinity fraction of more than 50 % for both objects, pointing to a stable environment where dust processing can occur. Surprisingly, the dust surrounding SX Cen is not resolved in the interferometric observations providing an upper limit of 11 mas (or 18 AU at the distance of this object) on the diameter of the dust emission. This confirms the very compact nature of its circumstellar environment. The dust emission around HD 52961 originates from a very small but resolved region, estimated to be ~ 35 mas at 8 micron and ~ 55 mas at 13 micron. These results confirm the disc interpretation of the SED of both stars. In HD 52961, the dust is not homogeneous in its chemical composition: the crystallinity is clearly concentrated in the hotter inner region. Whether this is a result of the formation process of the disc, or due to annealing during the long storage time in the disc is not clear.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in A &

On the Origins of the High-Latitude H-alpha Background

The diffuse high-latitude H-alpha background is widely believed to be predominantly the result of in-situ recombination of ionized hydrogen in the warm interstellar medium of the Galaxy. Instead, we show that both a substantial fraction of the diffuse high-latitude H-alpha intensity in regions dominated by Galactic cirrus dust and much of the variance in the high-latitude H-alpha background are the result of scattering by interstellar dust of H-alpha photons originating elsewhere in the Galaxy. We provide an empirical relation, which relates the expected scattered H-alpha intensity to the IRAS 100um diffuse background intensity, applicable to about 81% of the entire sky. The assumption commonly made in reductions of CMB observations, namely that the observed all-sky map of diffuse H-alpha light is a suitable template for Galactic free-free foreground emission, is found to be in need of reexamination.Comment: 26 pages, 5 figures, Accepted for publication in Ap

Is telomere length socially patterned? Evidence from the West of Scotland Twenty-07 study

Lower socioeconomic status (SES) is strongly associated with an increased risk of morbidity and premature mortality, but it is not known if the same is true for telomere length, a marker often used to assess biological ageing. The West of Scotland Twenty-07 Study was used to investigate this and consists of three cohorts aged approximately 35 (N = 775), 55 (N = 866) and 75 years (N = 544) at the time of telomere length measurement. Four sets of measurements of SES were investigated: those collected contemporaneously with telomere length assessment, educational markers, SES in childhood and SES over the preceding twenty years. We found mixed evidence for an association between SES and telomere length. In 35-year-olds, many of the education and childhood SES measures were associated with telomere length, i.e. those in poorer circumstances had shorter telomeres, as was intergenerational social mobility, but not accumulated disadvantage. A crude estimate showed that, at the same chronological age, social renters, for example, were nine years (biologically) older than home owners. No consistent associations were apparent in those aged 55 or 75. There is evidence of an association between SES and telomere length, but only in younger adults and most strongly using education and childhood SES measures. These results may reflect that childhood is a sensitive period for telomere attrition. The cohort differences are possibly the result of survival bias suppressing the SES-telomere association; cohort effects with regard different experiences of SES; or telomere possibly being a less effective marker of biological ageing at older ages

The influence of binarity on dust obscuration events in the planetary nebula M 2-29 and its analogues

The central star of the planetary nebula (CSPN) M 2-29 shows an extraordinary R Coronae Borealis-like fading event in its optical lightcurve. The only other CSPN to show these events are CPD-568032 (Hen 3-1333) and V651 Mon (NGC 2346). Dust cloud formation in the line of sight appears responsible but the exact triggering mechanism is not well understood. Understanding how planetary nebulae (PNe) trigger dust obscuration events may help understand the same process in a wide range of objects including Population-I WC9 stars, symbiotic stars and perhaps Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars with long secondary periods (LSPs). A binary scenario involving an eccentric, wide companion that triggers dust formation via interaction at periastron is a potential explanation that has been suggested for LSP variables. Model fits to the lightcurves of CPD-568032 and M 2-29 show the dust forms in excess of 70 AU at the inner edge of a dust disk. In the case of CPD-568032 this radius is far too large to coincide with a binary companion trigger, although a binary may have been responsible for the formation of the dust disk. We find no direct evidence to support previous claims of binarity in M 2-29 either from the OGLE lightcurve or deep medium-resolution VLT FLAMES spectroscopy of the CSPN. We classify the CSPN as Of(H) with T_eff=50+-10 kK and log g=4.0+-0.3. We find a mean distance of 7.4+-1.8 kpc to M 2-29 at which the M_V=-0.9 mag CSPN could potentially hide a subgiant luminosity or fainter companion. A companion would help explain the multiple similarities with D'-type symbiotic stars whose outer nebulae are thought to be bona-fide PNe. The 7.4 kpc distance, oxygen abundance of 8.3 dex and Galactic coordinates (l=4.0, b=-3.0) prove that M 2-29 is a Galactic Bulge PN and not a Halo PN as commonly misconceived.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figures, 7 tables. Accepted for publication in A\&

CS 30322-023: an ultra metal-poor TP-AGB star?

With [Fe/H] = -3.5, CS 30322-023 is the most metal-poor star to exhibit a clear s-process signature and the most metal-poor ``lead star'' known. CS 30322-023 is also remarkable in having the lowest surface gravity (log g <= -0.3) among the metal-poor stars studied to date. The available evidence indicates that this star is presently a thermally-pulsing asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB) star, with no strong indication of binarity thus far (although a signal of period 192 d is clearly present in the radial-velocity data, this is likely due to pulsation of the stellar envelope). We show that low-mass TP-AGB stars are not expected to be exceedingly rare in a magnitude-limited sample such as the HK survey, because their high luminosities make it possible to sample them over a very large volume. The strong N overabundance and the low 12C/13C ratio (4) in this star is typical of the operation of the CN cycle. Coupled with a Na overabundance and the absence of a strong C overabundance, this pattern seems to imply that hot-bottom burning operated in this star, which should then have a mass of at least 2 Msun. However, the luminosity associated with this mass would put the star at a distance of about 50 kpc, in the outskirts of the galactic halo. We explore alternative scenarios in which the observed abundance pattern results from some mixing mechanism yet to be identified occurring in a single low-metallicity 0.8 Msun AGB star, or from pollution by matter from an intermediate-mass AGB companion which has undergone hot-bottom burning. We stress, however, that our abundances may be subject to uncertainties due to NLTE or 3D granulation effects which were not taken into consideration.Comment: 17 pages, Astronomy & Astrophysics, in press; also available at http://www.astro.ulb.ac.be/Html/ps.html#PR

Amorphous alumina in the extended atmosphere of Alpha Orionis

In this paper we study the extended atmosphere of the late-type supergiant Alpha Orionis. Infrared spectroscopy of red supergiants reveals strong molecular bands, some of which do not originate in the photosphere but in a cooler layer of molecular material above it. Lately, these layers have been spatially resolved by near and mid-IR interferometry. In this paper, we try to reconcile the IR interferometric and ISO-SWS spectroscopic results on Alpha Orionis with a thorough modelling of the photosphere, molecular layer(s) and dust shell. From the ISO and near-IR interferometric observations, we find that Alpha Orionis has only a very low density water layer close above the photosphere. However, mid-IR interferometric observations and a narrow-slit N-band spectrum suggest much larger extra-photospheric opacity close to the photosphere at those wavelengths, even when taking into account the detached dust shell. We argue that this cannot be due to the water layer, and that another source of mid-IR opacity must be present. We show that this opacity source is probably neither molecular nor chromospheric. Rather, we present amorphous alumina (Al2O3) as the best candidate and discuss this hypothesis in the framework of dust-condensation scenarios.Comment: 15 pages, 18 figures, accepted for publication in A&