The wind of W Hydrae as seen by Herschel II. The molecular envelope of W Hydrae

Khouri, T., de Koter, A., Decin, L., Waters, L. B. F. M., Maercker, M., Lombaert, R., Alcolea, J., Blommaert, J. A. D. L., Bujarrabal, V., Groenewegen, M. A. T., Justtanont, K., Kerschbaum, F., Matsuura, Mikako ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5529-5593, Menten, K. M., Olofsson, H., Planesas, P., Royer, P., Schmidt, M. R., Szczerba, R., Teyssier, D. and Yates, J. 2014. The wind of W Hydrae as seen by Herschel II. The molecular envelope of W Hydrae. Astronomy and Astrophysics 570 , A67. 10.1051/0004-6361/201424298

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Abstract

Context. The evolution of low- and intermediate-mass stars on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) is mainly controlled by the rate at which these stars lose mass in a stellar wind. Understanding the driving mechanism and strength of the stellar winds of AGB stars and the processes enriching their surfaces with products of nucleosynthesis are paramount to constraining AGB evolution and predicting the chemical evolution of galaxies. Aims. In a previous paper we have constrained the structure of the outflowing envelope of W Hya using spectral lines of the 12CO molecule. Here we broaden this study by including an extensive set of H2O and 28SiO lines. It is the first time such a comprehensive study is performed for this source. The oxygen isotopic ratios and the 28SiO abundance profile can be connected to the initial stellar mass and to crucial aspects of dust formation at the base of the stellar wind, respectively. Methods. We model the molecular emission observed by the three instruments on board Herschel Space Observatory using a state-of-the-art molecular excitation and radiative transfer code. We also account for the dust radiation field in our calculations. Results. We find an H2O ortho-to-para ratio of 2.5 +2.5-1.0, consistent with what is expected for an AGB wind. The O16/O17 ratio indicates that W Hya has an initial mass of about 1.5 M⊙. Although the ortho- and para-H2O lines observed by HIFI appear to trace gas of slightly different physical properties, we find that a turbulence velocity of 0.7 ± 0.1 km s-1 fits the HIFI lines of both spin isomers and those of 28SiO well. Conclusions. The modelling of H2O and 28SiO confirms the properties of the envelope model of W Hya, as derived from 12CO lines, and allows us to constrain the turbulence velocity. The ortho- and para-H216O and 28SiO abundances relative to H2 are (6+ 3-2)×10-4, (3+ 2-1)×10-4, and (3.3 ± 0.8) × 10-5, respectively, in agreement with expectations for oxygen-rich AGB outflows. Assuming a solar silicon-to-carbon ratio, the 28SiO line emission model is consistent with about one-third of the silicon atoms being locked up in dust particles.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Physics and Astronomy
Subjects:	Q Science > QB Astronomy
Uncontrolled Keywords:	stars: AGB and post-AGB ; radiative transfer ; stars: late-type ; stars: individual: W Hydrae ; stars: winds, outflows
Additional Information:	Full text PDF uploaded in accordance with publisher's policy at http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/issn/0004-6361/ [Accessed 23/03/15]
Publisher:	EDP Sciences
ISSN:	0004-6361
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Date of Acceptance:	21 August 2014
Last Modified:	16 Nov 2024 02:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/69880

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