Asymptotic giant branch stars in the Large Megellanic Cloud: Results from a deep BV survey and theoretical implications

Journal Article · Mon Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1985 · Astrophys. J., Lett. Ed.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/184498· OSTI ID:5404085

Renzini, A; Bernazzani, M; Buonanno, R; Corsi, C E

Late-type stars in part of the Bar West field in the Large Megallanic Cloud, discovered through either grism or near-IR surveys, have been identified with their counterparts in the deep B and V photographic survey published by Hardy et al. in 1984, thus both allowing an assessment of the degree of completeness of carbon star surveys and providing BV photometry for carbon stars as well a non-carbon stars. While existing carbon star surveys appear to be reasonably complete, little can be said about the completeness of surveys of non-carbon AGB stars, as bolometrically bright M type AGB stars are found to overlap normal K giants in the V = (B-V) diagram. Some implications of these findings are then briefly discussed, the question of the paucity in the Megallanic Clouds of bright asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars is revisited, and the notion is introduced that theoretical calculations may have strongly overestimated the mass limit M/sub up/, below which stars develop an electron degenerate C-O core and experience the thermally pulsing AGB phase, and above which carbon is ignited, and burned in a nondegenerate core.

• Research Organization: Dipartimento di Astronomia, Universita di Bologna
• OSTI ID: 5404085
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J., Lett. Ed.; (United States), Journal Name: Astrophys. J., Lett. Ed.; (United States) Vol. 294:1; ISSN AJLEA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640102* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
CARBON STARS
GALAXIES
GIANT STARS
MAGELLANIC CLOUDS
MAIN SEQUENCE STARS
MASS
PHOTOMETRY
STAR EVOLUTION
STARS