Spitzer infrared spectrograph point source classification in the Small Magellanic Cloud

Ruffle, Paul M. E., Kemper, F., Jones, O. C., Sloan, G. C., Kraemer, K. E., Woods, Paul M., Boyer, M. L., Srinivasan, Subashini, Antoniou, V., Lagadec, E., Matsuura, Mikako ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5529-5593, McDonald, I., Oliveira, J. M., Sargent, B. A., Sewito, M., Szczerba, R., van Loon, J. Th., Volk, K. and Zijlstra, A. A. 2015. Spitzer infrared spectrograph point source classification in the Small Magellanic Cloud. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 451 (4) , pp. 3504-3536. 10.1093/mnras/stv1106

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Abstract

The Magellanic Clouds are uniquely placed to study the stellar contribution to dust emission. Individual stars can be resolved in these systems even in the mid-infrared, and they are close enough to allow detection of infrared excess caused by dust. We have searched the Spitzer Space Telescope data archive for all Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) staring-mode observations of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and found that 209 Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) point sources within the footprint of the Surveying the Agents of Galaxy Evolution in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SAGE-SMC) Spitzer Legacy programme were targeted, within a total of 311 staring-mode observations. We classify these point sources using a decision tree method of object classification, based on infrared spectral features, continuum and spectral energy distribution shape, bolometric luminosity, cluster membership and variability information. We find 58 asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, 51 young stellar objects, 4 post-AGB objects, 22 red supergiants, 27 stars (of which 23 are dusty OB stars), 24 planetary nebulae (PNe), 10 Wolf–Rayet stars, 3 H II regions, 3 R Coronae Borealis stars, 1 Blue Supergiant and 6 other objects, including 2 foreground AGB stars. We use these classifications to evaluate the success of photometric classification methods reported in the literature.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Physics and Astronomy
Subjects:	Q Science > QC Physics
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
ISSN:	0035-8711
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Date of Acceptance:	11 May 2015
Last Modified:	06 May 2023 08:08
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/84607

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