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Issue A&A
Volume 403, Number 3, June I 2003
Page(s) 943 - 954
Section Stellar clusters and associations
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20030461



A&A 403, 943-954 (2003)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20030461

Galactic mass-losing AGB stars probed with the IRTS. II

T. Le Bertre1, M. Tanaka2, 3, I. Yamamura2 and H. Murakami2

1  LERMA, UMR 8112, Observatoire de Paris, 61 Av. de l'Observatoire, 75014 Paris, France
2  Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 229-8510, Japan
3  National Astronomical Observatory, Mitaka, Tokyo, 181-8588, Japan

(Received 21 January 2003/ Accepted 11 March 2003)

Abstract
We are using the 2002 data-release from the Japanese space experiment IRTS to investigate the spatial distribution of galactic mass-losing ( > $2\times 10^{-8}$ $M_{\odot}$ yr -1) AGB stars and the relative contribution of C-rich and O-rich ones to the replenishment of the ISM. Our sample contains 126 C-rich and 563 O-rich sources which are sorted on the basis of the molecular bands observed in the range 1.4-4.0  $\mu$m, and for which we estimate distances and mass loss rates from near-infrared photometry ( K and  L'). There is a clear dependence on galactocentric distance, with O-rich sources outnumbering C-rich ones for $r_{\rm GC}< 8$ kpc, and the reverse for $r_{\rm GC}> 10$ kpc. The contribution to the replenishment of the ISM by O-rich AGB stars relative to C-rich ones follows the same trend. Although they are rare (~10% in our sample), sources with 10 -6 $M_{\odot}$ yr -1 $< \dot{M} <\,10^{-5}$ $M_{\odot}$ yr -1 dominate the replenishment of the ISM by contributing to ~50% of the total of the complete sample. We find 2 carbon stars at more than 1 kpc from the Galactic Plane, that probably belong to the halo of our Galaxy.


Key words: stars: carbon -- stars: mass-loss -- stars: AGB and post-AGB -- ISM: evolution -- Galaxy: solar neighbourhood -- infrared: stars

Offprint request: T. Le Bertre, Thibaut.LeBertre@obspm.fr

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