We present radio and mm continuum observations of the Galactic center taken with the VLA and ALMA at 44 and 226 GHz, respectively. We detect radio and mm emission from IRS 3, lying ~4.5" NW of Sgr A*, with a spectrum that is consistent with the photospheric emission from an AGB star at the Galactic center. Millimeter images reveal that the envelope of IRS 3, the brightest and most extended 3.8$μ$m Galactic center stellar source, consists of two semi-circular dust shells facing the direction of Sgr A*. The outer circumstellar shell at the distance of 1.6$\times10^4$ AU, appears to break up into "fingers" of dust directed toward Sgr A*. These features coincide with molecular CS (5-4) emission and a near-IR extinction cloud distributed between IRS 3 and Sgr A*. The NE-SW asymmetric shape of the IRS 3 shells seen at 3.8 micron and radio are interpreted as structures that are tidally distorted by Sgr A*. Using the kinematics of CS emission and the proper motion of IRS 3, the tidally distorted outflowing material from the envelope after 5000 years constrains the distance of IRS 3 to $\sim$0.7 pc in front of or $\sim$0.5 pc behind Sgr A*. This suggests that the mass loss by stars near Sgr A* can supply a reservoir of molecular material near Sgr A*. We also present dark features in radio continuum images coincident with the envelope of IRS 3. These dusty stars provide examples in which high resolution radio continuum images can identify dust enshrouded stellar sources embedded an ionized medium.
The Galactic Center IRS 13E cluster is a very intriguing IR object located at $\sim0.13$ pc from Sagittarius A$^\ast$ (Sgr A$^\ast$) in projection distance. There are both arguments for and against the hypothesis that a dark mass like an intermediate mass black hole (IMBH) exists in the cluster. Recently we have detected the rotating ionized gas ring around IRS 13E3, which belongs to the cluster, in the H30$α$ recombination line using ALMA. The enclosed mass is derived to be $M_{\mathrm{encl.}}\simeq2\times10^4$ $M_\odot$, which agrees with an IMBH and is barely less than the astrometric upper…
Dust production in the harsh environment of Sgr A* - MIRI/JWST observation of the O-rich asymptotic giant branch star IRS~3
I.Physikalisches Institut der Universität zu Köln（科隆大学第一物理研究所）；European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Office, Space Telescope Science Institute（欧洲空间局（ESA），ESA办公室，太空望远镜科学研究所）；Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie（马克斯·普朗克射电天文研究所）；UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Royal Observatory（英国天文学技术中心，皇家天文台）；Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA（天体生物学中心（CAB），西班牙国家科学技术研究委员会-国家航空航天技术研究所）；LIRA, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Cité, CY Cergy Paris Université, CNRS（LIRA，巴黎天文台，巴黎文理研究大学，索邦大学，巴黎西岱大学，CY塞尔吉巴黎大学，法国国家科学研究中心）；Space Telescope Science Institute（太空望远镜科学研究所）；Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie（马克斯·普朗克天文研究所）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, Universiteit Gent（根特大学物理与天文学系）
Context. The majority of stars that leave the main sequence are undergoing extensive mass loss, in particular during the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase of evolution. Observations show that the rate at which this phenomenon develops differs highly from source to source, so that the time-integrated mass loss as a function of the initial conditions (mass, metallicity, etc.) and of the stage of evolution is presently not well understood. Aims. We are investigating the mass loss history of AGB stars by observing the molecular and atomic emissions of their circumstellar envelopes. Methods. In t…
To date, the proposed observation of Young Stellar Objects (YSOs) in the Galactic center (GC) still raises the question where and how these objects could have formed due to the violent vicinity of Sgr~A*. Here, we report the multi-wavelength detection of a highly dynamic YSO close to Sgr~A* that might be a member of the IRS13 cluster. We observe the beforehand known coreless bow-shock source X3 in the near- and mid-infrared (NIR/MIR) with SINFONI (VLT), NACO (VLT), ISAAC (VLT), VISIR (VLT), SHARP (NTT), and NIRCAM2 (KECK). In the radio domain, we use CO continuum and H30$α$ ALMA observations t…
Sagittarius (Sgr) is a massive disrupted dwarf spheroidal galaxy in the Milky Way halo that has undergone several stripping events. Previous chemical studies were restricted mainly to a few, metal- rich ([Fe/H]~ -1) stars that suggested a top-light initial mass function (IMF). Here we present the first high-resolution, very metal-poor ([Fe/H]=-1 to -3) sample of 13 giant stars in the main body of Sgr. We derive abundances of 13 elements namely C, Ca, Co, Fe, Sr, Ba, La, Ce, Nd, Eu, Dy, Pb, and Th which challenge the interpretation based on previous studies. Our abundances from Sgr mimic those …
Interacting stellar winds feeding Sgr A*: from the system of mass-losing stars to the binary IRS 16SW
Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik（马克斯·普朗克天体物理研究所）；Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez（阿道夫·伊巴涅斯大学）；University of Delaware（特拉华大学）；Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München（慕尼黑大学）；Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics（马克斯·普朗克地外物理研究所）；Universität Hamburg（汉堡大学）；Stockholm University（斯德哥尔摩大学）；McGill University（麦吉尔大学）
We report and discuss JHKs photometry for Sgr dIG, a very metal-deficient galaxy in the Local Group, obtained over 3.5 years with the Infrared Survey Facility in South Africa. Three large amplitude asymptotic giant branch variables are identified. One is an oxygen-rich star that has a pulsation period of 950 days, that was until recently undergoing hot bottom burning, with Mbol~-6.7. It is surprising to find a variable of this sort in Sgr dIG, given their rarity in other dwarf irregulars. Despite its long period the star is relatively blue and is fainter, at all wavelengths shorter than 4.5mic…
IRS~13E is an enigmatic compact group of massive stars located in projection only 3.6 arcseconds away from Sgr A*. This group has been suggested to be bounded by an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH). We present a multi-wavelength study of the group and its interplay with the environment. Based on Chandra observations, we find the X-ray spectrum of IRS~13E can be well characterized by an optically thin thermal plasma. The emission peaks between two strongly mass-losing Wolf-Rayet stars of the group. These properties can be reasonably well reproduced by simulated colliding winds of these two s…
The Galactic Center is the nuclear region of the nearest spiral galaxy, Milky Way, and contains the supermassive black hole with M~4x10^6 Msun, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*). One of basic questions about the Galactic Center is whether Sgr A* alone exists as a "massive" black hole in the region or not. The IRS13E complex is a very intriguing IR object which contains a large dark mass comparable to the mass of an intermediate mass black hole (IMBH) from the proper motions of the main member stars. However, the existence of the IMBH remains controversial. There are some objections to accepting the exis…
We present high-resolution multiwavelength radio continuum images of the region within 150$"$ of Sgr A*, revealing a number of new extended features and stellar sources in this region. First, we detect a continuous 2" east-west ridge of radio emission, linking Sgr A* and a cluster of stars associated with IRS 13N and IRS 13E. The ridge suggests that an outflow of east-west blob-like structures is emerging from Sgr A*. We also find arc-like features within the ridge with morphologies suggestive of photoevaporative protoplanetary disks. We use near-IR fluxes to show that the emission has similar…
The flaring drill in the Galactic centre. Did the IRS 13 cluster carve out the mini-cavity in the mini-spiral?
Charles University（查理大学）；Helmholtz-Institut für Strahlen- und Kernphysik, University of Bonn（波恩大学亥姆霍兹辐射与核物理研究所）；Universität zu Köln（科隆大学）；University of California（加州大学）
A 22 GHz water maser survey was conducted towards 178 O-rich AGB stars with the aim of identifying maser emission associated with the Sagittarius stellar stream. In this survey, maser emissions were detected in 21 targets, of which 20 were new detections. We studied the Galactic distributions of H2O and SiO maser-traced AGBs towards the Sgr orbital plane, and found an elongated structure towards the (l, b)~(340, 40) direction. In order to verify its association with the Sagittarius tidal stream, we further studied the 3D motions of these sources, but found, kinematically, these maser-traced AG…
We present an analysis and comparison of the 30 micron dust features seen in the Spitzer Space Telescope spectra of 207 carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, post-AGB objects, and planetary nebulae located in the Milky Way, the Magellanic Clouds (MCs), or the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy (Sgr dSph), which are characterised by different average metallicities. We investigated whether the formation of the 30 micron feature carrier may be a function of the metallicity. Through this study we expect to better understand the late stages of stellar evolution of carbon-rich stars in t…
(abridged) Variability is a key property of stars on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB). Their pulsation period is related to the luminosity and mass-loss rate (MLR) of the star. Long-period variables (LPVs) and Mira variables are the most prominent of all types of variability of evolved stars. However, the reddest, most obscured AGB stars are too faint in the optical and have eluded large variability surveys. Our goal is to obtain a sample of LPVs with large MLRs by analysing WISE W1 and W2 light curves (LCs) for about 2000 sources, photometrically selected to include known C-stars with the 11…
The near and mid-infrared characteristics of large amplitude, Mira, variables in Local Group dwarf irregular galaxies (LMC, NGC 6822, IC 1613, Sgr dIG) are described. Two aspects of these variables are discussed. First, the short period (P < 420 days) Miras are potentially powerful distance indicators, provided that they have low circumstellar extinction, or can be corrected for extinction. These are the descendants of relatively low mass stars. Secondly, the longer period stars, many of which undergo hot bottom burning, are poorly understood. These provide new insight into the evolution of in…
Several publications highlight the importance of the observations of bow shocks to learn more about the surrounding interstellar medium and radiation field. We revisit the most prominent dusty and gaseous bow shock source, X7, close to the supermassive black hole, Sgr~A*, using multiwavelength analysis. For the purpose of this study, we use SINFONI (H+K-band) and NACO ($L'$- and $M'$-band) data-sets between 2002 and 2018 with additional COMIC/ADONIS+RASOIR ($L'$-band) data of 1999. By analyzing the line maps of SINFONI, we identify a velocity of $\sim 200$ km/s from the tip to the tail. Furthe…
The source G2 has already completed its pericentre passage around Sgr A*, the super-massive black hole in the centre of our Galaxy. Although it has been monitored for 15 years, its astrophysical nature and origin still remain unknown. In this work, we aim to test the hypothesis of G2 being the result of a stellar wind collision. To do so, we study the motion and final fate of gas clumps formed as a result of collisions of stellar winds in massive binaries. Our approach is based on a test-particle model in order to describe the trajectories of such clumps. The model takes into account the gravi…
A small cluster of massive stars residing in the Galactic center, collectively known as IRS13E, is of special interest due to its close proximity to Sgr A* and the possibility that an embedded intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) binds its member stars. It has been suggested that colliding winds from two member stars, both classified as Wolf-Rayet type, are responsible for the observed X-ray, infrared and radio emission from IRS13E. We have conducted an in-depth study of the X-ray spatial, temporal and spectral properties of IRS13E, based on 5.6 Ms of ultra-deep Chandra observations obtained ov…
IRS 9: The Case for a Dynamically-Ejected Star from the Galactic Center
UCLA Department of Physics and Astronomy（加州大学洛杉矶分校物理与天文学系）；Mani L. Bhaumik Institute for Theoretical Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, UCLA（加州大学洛杉矶分校曼尼·L·巴乌米克理论物理研究所物理与天文学系）；Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA), Northwestern University（西北大学天体物理学跨学科探索与研究中心）；Space Telescope Science Institute（太空望远镜科学研究所）
Context: Low- and intermediate-mass stars lose most of their stellar mass at the end of their lives on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB). Determining gas and dust mass-loss rates (MLRs) is important in quantifying the contribution of evolved stars to the enrichment of the interstellar medium. Aims: Attempt to, for the first time, spectrally resolve CO thermal line emission in a small sample of AGB stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Methods: ALMA was used to observe 2 OH/IR stars and 4 carbon stars in the LMC in the CO J= 2-1 line. Results: We present the first measurement of expansion veloci…
We detected a compact ionized gas associated physically with IRS13E3, an Intermediate Mass Black Hole (IMBH) candidate in the Galactic Center, in the continuum emission at 232 GHz and H30$α$ recombination line using ALMA Cy.5 observation (2017.1.00503.S, P.I. M.Tsuboi). The continuum emission image shows that IRS13E3 is surrounded by an oval-like structure. The angular size is $0".093\pm0".006\times 0".061\pm0".004$ ( $1.14\times10^{16}$ cm $\times 0.74\times10^{16}$ cm). The structure is also identified in the H30$α$ recombination line. This is seen as an inclined linear feature in the positi…
Background: Most of the stars in the Universe will end their evolution by losing their envelope during the thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB) phase, enriching the interstellar medium of galaxies with heavy elements, partially condensed into dust grains formed in their extended circumstellar envelopes. Among these stars, carbon-rich TP-AGB stars (C-stars) are particularly relevant for the chemical enrichment of galaxies. We here investigated the role of the metallicity in the dust formation process from a theoretical viewpoint. Methods: We coupled an up-to-date description of du…
Interstellar graphene could be present in the interstellar medium (ISM), resulting from the photochemical processing of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules and/or collisional fragmentation of graphitic particles. Indeed, by comparing the observed ultraviolet (UV) extinction and infrared (IR) emission of the diffuse ISM with that predicted for graphene, as much as $\sim$ 2% of the total interstellar carbon could have been locked up in graphene without violating the observational constraints. While the possible detection of planar C$_{24}$, a small piece of a graphene sheet, has been…
The meaning of WISE colours - I. The Galaxy and its satellites
通过与Sloan Digital Sky Survey（SDSS）目录的匹配，我们确定了WISE颜色空间中各种天文物体的位置。我们确定了可靠的指标，从河外来源分离银河/本地，并在这里集中在我们的银河系及其最近的卫星的对象。我们开发的颜色和大小的标准，仅基于WISE数据选择渐近巨星分支（AGB）星拱尘埃壳，并将它们分成O-丰富和C-丰富的类。有了这些标准，我们产生了一个全天地图的两个人口的计数比。这张地图揭示了银河系盘、麦哲伦云和人马座矮球状星系之间的差异，以及大麦云（LMC）盘的径向梯度。我们发现，尘埃AGB星的C：O数比增加与距离的LMC中心约两倍的速度为近红外选择样本的早期AGB星测量。详细的辐射转移模型表明，WISE的颜色很好地解释了中央加热的尘埃壳的尘埃具有标准属性的星际介质（ISM）颗粒的排放。在WISE色空间中不同类别的物体的分离是由于尘埃壳层的性质不同：年轻恒星周围的物体具有均匀的密度分布，而在演化的恒星中，它们具有陡峭的径向轮廓。
We report serendipitous detections of line emission with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in band 3, 6, and 7 in the central parsec down to within 1" around Sgr A* at an up to now highest resolution (<0.5") view of the Galactic Center (GC) in the sub-millimeter (sub-mm) domain. From the 100 GHz continuum and the H39αemission we obtain a uniform electron temperature around 6000 K for the minispiral. The spectral index of Sgr A* is ~ 0.5 at 100 - 250 GHz and ~ 0.0 at 230 - 340 GHz. The bright sources in the center show spectral indices around -0.1 implying Bremsstrahlung e…
In order to construct a catalogue of oxygen-rich (noted M) asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in the halo, complementing those of carbon-rich (C) stars, previous lists of Miras and SRa semiregulars located in the nor thern hemisphere are merged and cleaned of various defects. After putting aside known C stars, characteristics lik e colours and periods indicate that most of the remaining objects are M stars. Distances are obtained through the pe riod-luminosity relation. By considering their position in the sky, stars lying at $|Z| > 5$~kpc are confirmed to b e in majority in the Sgr tidal arm…
The Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) on the {\em Spitzer Space Telescope} observed nearly 800 point sources in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), taking over 1,000 spectra. 197 of these targets were observed as part of the Sage-Spec Spitzer Legacy program; the remainder are from a variety of different calibration, guaranteed time and open time projects. We classify these point sources into types according to their infrared spectral features, continuum and spectral energy distribution shape, bolometric luminosity, cluster membership, and variability information, using a decision-tree classification m…
Max Planck Institute for extraterrestrial Physics（马克斯·普朗克地外物理研究所）；Technical University of Munich（慕尼黑工业大学）；Universidad Adolfo Ibañez（阿道夫·伊巴涅斯大学）；Millennium Nucleus on Transversal Research and Technology to Explore Supermassive Black Holes (TITANS)（探索超大质量黑洞跨学科研究与技术千年核（TITANS））；Departments of Physics and Astronomy, Le Conte Hall, University of California, Berkeley（加州大学伯克利分校物理与天文学系）；Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics（马克斯·普朗克天体物理学研究所）；Racah Institute for Physics, The Hebrew University（希伯来大学拉卡物理研究所）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, Bartol Research Institute, University of Delaware（特拉华大学巴托尔研究所物理与天文学系）；University Observatory Munich（慕尼黑大学天文台）
Mid-Infrared (MIR) images of the Galactic center show extended gas and dust features along with bright IRS sources. Some of these dust features are a part of ionized clumpy streamers orbiting Sgr~A*, known as the mini-spiral. We present their proper motions over 12 year time period and report their flux densities in $N$-band filters {and derive their spectral indices}. The observations were carried out by VISIR at ESO VLT. High-pass filtering led to the detection of several resolved filaments and clumps along the mini-spiral. Each source was fit by a 2-D Gaussian profile to determine the offse…
There is a population of stars with velocities in excess of 500 km s$^{-1}$ relative to the Galactic center. Many, perhaps most, of these hyper-velocity stars (HVSs) are B stars, similar to the disk and S stars in a nuclear cluster around a super-massive black hole (SMBH) near $\rm Sgr~A^{\star}$. In the paper I of this series, we showed that the eccentricity of the stars emerged from a hypothetical disk around the SMBH can be rapidly excited by the secular perturbation of its intermediate-mass companion (IMC), and we suggested IRS 13E as a potential candidate for the IMC. Here, we show that t…
A Tale of Three Mysterious Spectral Features in Carbon-Rich Evolved Stars: The 21 Micrometer, 30 Micrometer, and "Unidentified Infrared" Emission Features
The dust and gas content of carbon stars toward the Galactic Halo
本文给出了位于星系晕和厚盘中的四颗碳星的Spitzer IRS光谱。光谱显示了碳星的典型特征，具有SiC尘埃发射和C $_2$ H $_2$分子吸收。尘埃辐射转移模型和红外颜色使我们能够确定这些恒星的尘埃生产率，而之前的CO测量产生膨胀速度和总质量损失率。气体的性质（低膨胀速度（约7 km/s）和强的C $_2$ H $_2$分子吸收带）与贫金属恒星相一致。然而，这些恒星的尘埃含量（强SiC发射带）与在富含金属的碳星中观察到的非常相似。强烈的SiC辐射可能表明碳星来自富含金属的族群，或者这些AGB星产生硅。晕碳星的起源尚不清楚。它们可能是属于晕族的外晕星，也可能是从人马座矮椭球星系这样的卫星星系吸积而来，或者是从银盘逃逸出来的。如果恒星本身就富含金属，那么最有可能的起源就是圆盘。如果$α$元素的增强可以被证实，那么它将被认为起源于光环（已知是$α$增强的）或银河系卫星。
We report on the succesful search for CO (2-1) and (3-2) emission associated with OH/IR stars in the Galactic Bulge. We observed a sample of eight extremely red AGB stars with the APEX telescope and detected seven. The sources were selected at sufficient high galactic latitude to avoid interference by interstellar CO, which hampered previous studies of inner galaxy stars. To study the nature of our sample and the mass loss we constructed the SEDs from photometric data and Spitzer IRS spectroscopy. In a first step we apply radiative transfer modelling to fit the SEDs and obtain luminosities and…
We present a detailed analysis of the kinematics of 112 stars that mostly comprise the high velocity S-cluster and orbit the super massive black hole SgrA* at the center of the Milky Way. For 39 of them orbital elements are known, for the remainder we know proper motions. The distribution of inclinations, and proper motion flight directions deviate significantly from a uniform distribution which one expects if the orientation of the orbits are random. Across the central arcseconds the S-cluster stars are arranged in two almost edge on disks that are located at a position angle approximately +-…
The Galactic Centre is of fundamental astrophysical interest, but existing near-infrared surveys fall short to cover it adequately. We introduce the GALACTICNUCLEUS survey, a $JHK_s$ imaging survey of the centre of the Milky Way with a $0.2"$ angular resolution. We present the observations of Field 1 of our survey, centred approximately on SgrA* with an approximate size of $7.95'\times3.43'$. We describe the observational set-up and data reduction pipeline and discuss the quality of the data. Finally, we present some preliminary analysis of the data. The data were acquired with the near-infrar…
