A Carbon-rich Mira variable in a globular cluster: A stellar merger

Abstract

The membership of Matsunaga's variable 1, a carbon-rich, mass-losing, Mira variable, in the globular cluster Lynga 7 is discussed on the basis of radial velocities. We conclude that it is a member, the first known C-Mira in a globular cluster. Since such a variable is expected to have an age of $\sim 1-2$ Gyr and an initial mass of $\sim 1.5$ solar masses, we conclude that this star must be the product of a stellar merger.

3 pages, one figure. Accepted for publication in MNRAS Letters

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• Hunting for C-rich long-period variable stars in the Milky Way's bar-bulge using unsupervised classification of Gaia BP/RP spectra
• Discovery of carbon-rich Miras in the Galactic bulge
• A kinematic calibration of the O-rich Mira variable period-age relation from Gaia
• The VVV survey: Long-period variable stars I. Photometric catalog of ten VVV/OGLE tiles
• Cool carbon stars in the halo and in dwarf galaxies: Halpha, colours, and variabiity
• Variable Stars and Galactic Structure
• Asymptotic Giant Branch Variables as Extragalactic Distance Indicators
• Large-Scale Surveys of Pulsating Stars for Studying Stellar Populations in the Inner Galaxy