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| Paper: |
DUST in Nearby Galaxies with Spitzer (DUSTiNGS): An Infrared Census of Extreme AGB Stars in Nearby Dwarf Galaxies |
| Volume: |
497, Why Galaxies Care about AGB Stars III: A Closer Look in Space and Time |
| Page: |
453 |
| Authors: |
Boyer, M. L.; McQuinn, K. B. W.; Barmby, P.; Bonanos, A. Z.; Gehrz, R. D.; Gordon, K. D.; Groenewegen, M. A. T.; Lagadec, E.; Lennon, D.; Marengo, M.; Meixner, M.; Skillman, E.; Sloan, G. C.; Sonneborn, G.; van Loon, J. Th.; Zijlstra, A. A. |
| Abstract: |
Nearby resolved dwarf galaxies provide excellent opportunities for
studying the dust-producing late stages of stellar evolution. DUSTiNGS
(DUST in Nearby Galaxies with Spitzer) is a 3.6- and 4.5-μm
imaging survey of 50 dwarf galaxies within 1.5 Mpc. We obtained
observations in two epochs, separated by approximately 6 months, to
assist in identifying long-period thermally-pulsing (TP-)AGB stars.
We find more than 500 dusty variable TP-AGB stars (sometimes called
extreme AGB stars). The majority of these stars are new discoveries,
including 12 with [Fe/H]<–2 dex. These stars are likely in
the superwind phase and thus dominate the current AGB dust input to the
interstellar medium of their respective galaxies. |
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