| Name | OT1_mmatsuur_1 |
| Title | Herschel SPIRE FTS observations of mass loss from a red supergiant in the Large Magellanic Cloud |
| URL | http://archives.esac.esa.int/hsa/whsa-tap-server/data?retrieval_type=OBSERVATION&observation_id=1342247097&instrument_name=SPIRE&product_level=LEVEL0&compress=true |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-w5cwkk6 |
| Author | matsuura, m. |
| Description | We propose to observe submillimeter CO thermal lines in the brightest red supergiant (RSG) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We will use Herschel/SPIRE in the FTS mode. The high sensitivity of this instrument enables us to detect CO thermal lines in a RSG beyond the Milky Way for the first time. The objectives of this programme are (1) to obtain the gas mass-loss rate from the RSG, (2) to evaluate the gas-to-dust mass ratio of the RSG, and (3) compare the gas-to-dust mass ratio of the RSG with that of the LMC interstellar medium (ISM). Those will place important constraints on whether RSGs are important contributors to the chemical enrichment of the ISM.RSGs lose a large quantity of mass through stellar winds, and these winds consist mainly of molecules whose mass can be measured by the CO thermal lines. Using the newly obtained gas mass-loss rate, and the previously obtained dust mass-loss rate, we will estimate the gas-to-dust mass ratio of the circumstellar envelope (CSE) of the RSG. Of particular interest is whether the gas-to-dust mass ratio is affected by the metallicity of galaxies. The metallicity of the LMC is about half of the solar metallicity, and we will compare our measurements with those of Galactic RSGs. Dust grains are composed of metals, and we expect a higher gas-to-dust mass ratio in the LMC. Further, we will compare our measured CSE gas-to-dust mass ratio to the LMC ISM value. That would aid determining whether these dying stars are important sources of gas and dust in the ISM, or if dust grains gain mass from the gas phase in the ISM, using the dust injected by dying stars as seeds. If the dust mass increases in the ISM, the gas-to-dust ratios should differ between the CSE and the ISM. This will provide the first direct observational evidence of whether additional dust depletion is important in the ISM.This small (7.7 hour) project will have a great impact on our understanding of both stellar physics and ISM evolution. |
| Publication |
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| Instrument | SPIRE_SpireSpectrometer_ |
| Temporal Coverage | 2012-06-16T21:16:40Z/2012-06-17T04:55:33Z |
| Version | SPG v14.1.0 |
| Mission Description | Herschel was launched on 14 May 2009! It is the fourth cornerstone mission in the ESA science programme. With a 3.5 m Cassegrain telescope it is the largest space telescope ever launched. It is performing photometry and spectroscopy in approximately the 55-671 µm range, bridging the gap between earlier infrared space missions and groundbased facilities. |
| Creator Contact | https://support.cosmos.esa.int/h®erschel/ |
| Date Published | 2012-12-17T01:06:21Z |
| Keywords | Herschel, HSC, submillimetre, far-infrared, HIFI, PACS, SPIRE |
| Publisher And Registrant | European Space Agency |
| Credit Guidelines | European Space Agency, matsuura et al., 2012, 'Herschel SPIRE FTS observations of mass loss from a red supergiant in the Large Magellanic Cloud', SPG v14.1.0, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-w5cwkk6 |