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Title: Quantitative spectroscopic J-band study of red supergiants in Perseus OB-1

Abstract

We demonstrate how the metallicities of red supergiant (RSG) stars can be measured from quantitative spectroscopy down to resolutions of ≈3000 in the J-band. We have obtained high resolution spectra on a sample of the RSG population of h and χ Persei, a double cluster in the solar neighborhood. We show that careful application of the MARCS model atmospheres returns measurements of Z consistent with solar metallicity. Using two grids of synthetic spectra–one in pure LTE and one with non-LTE (NLTE) calculations for the most important diagnostic lines–we measure Z = +0.04 ± 0.10 (LTE) and Z = –0.04 ± 0.08 (NLTE) for the sample of eleven RSGs in the cluster. We degrade the spectral resolution of our observations and find that those values remain consistent down to resolutions of less than λ/δλ of 3000. Using measurements of effective temperatures we compare our results with stellar evolution theory and find good agreement. We construct a synthetic cluster spectrum and find that analyzing this composite spectrum with single-star RSG models returns an accurate metallicity. We conclude that the RSGs make ideal targets in the near infrared for measuring the metallicities of star forming galaxies out to 7-10 Mpc and up tomore » 10 times farther by observing the integrated light of unresolved super star clusters.« less

Authors:
;  [1];  [2];  [3];  [4]
  1. Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai'i, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States)
  2. Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University, 146 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool L3 5RF (United Kingdom)
  3. Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA (United Kingdom)
  4. Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier, Université Montpellier 2, CNRS, F-34095 Montpellier (France)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22356673
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Astrophysical Journal
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 788; Journal Issue: 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0004-637X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; ABUNDANCE; ATMOSPHERES; COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS; GALAXIES; LTE; METALLICITY; RESOLUTION; SPECTRA; SPECTROSCOPY; STAR CLUSTERS; STAR EVOLUTION; STARS; VISIBLE RADIATION

Citation Formats

Gazak, J. Zachary, Kudritzki, Rolf, Davies, Ben, Bergemann, Maria, and Plez, Bertrand. Quantitative spectroscopic J-band study of red supergiants in Perseus OB-1. United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/788/1/58.
Gazak, J. Zachary, Kudritzki, Rolf, Davies, Ben, Bergemann, Maria, & Plez, Bertrand. Quantitative spectroscopic J-band study of red supergiants in Perseus OB-1. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/788/1/58
Gazak, J. Zachary, Kudritzki, Rolf, Davies, Ben, Bergemann, Maria, and Plez, Bertrand. 2014. "Quantitative spectroscopic J-band study of red supergiants in Perseus OB-1". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/788/1/58.
@article{osti_22356673,
title = {Quantitative spectroscopic J-band study of red supergiants in Perseus OB-1},
author = {Gazak, J. Zachary and Kudritzki, Rolf and Davies, Ben and Bergemann, Maria and Plez, Bertrand},
abstractNote = {We demonstrate how the metallicities of red supergiant (RSG) stars can be measured from quantitative spectroscopy down to resolutions of ≈3000 in the J-band. We have obtained high resolution spectra on a sample of the RSG population of h and χ Persei, a double cluster in the solar neighborhood. We show that careful application of the MARCS model atmospheres returns measurements of Z consistent with solar metallicity. Using two grids of synthetic spectra–one in pure LTE and one with non-LTE (NLTE) calculations for the most important diagnostic lines–we measure Z = +0.04 ± 0.10 (LTE) and Z = –0.04 ± 0.08 (NLTE) for the sample of eleven RSGs in the cluster. We degrade the spectral resolution of our observations and find that those values remain consistent down to resolutions of less than λ/δλ of 3000. Using measurements of effective temperatures we compare our results with stellar evolution theory and find good agreement. We construct a synthetic cluster spectrum and find that analyzing this composite spectrum with single-star RSG models returns an accurate metallicity. We conclude that the RSGs make ideal targets in the near infrared for measuring the metallicities of star forming galaxies out to 7-10 Mpc and up to 10 times farther by observing the integrated light of unresolved super star clusters.},
doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/788/1/58},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22356673}, journal = {Astrophysical Journal},
issn = {0004-637X},
number = 1,
volume = 788,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jun 10 00:00:00 EDT 2014},
month = {Tue Jun 10 00:00:00 EDT 2014}
}