A multiwavelength analysis of planetary nebulae in the Large Magellanic Cloud

Abstract

This paper examines, compares and plots optical, near- and mid-infrared (MIR) photometric data for 605 planetary nebulae (PNe) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). With the aid of multi-wavelength surveys such as the Spitzer legacy programme Surveying the Agents of a Galaxy's Evolution, the Two Micron All Sky Survey and the Magellanic Cloud Photometric Survey, plots have been constructed to expose the relative contributions from molecular hydrogen, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, forbidden emission lines, warm dust continuum and stellar emission at various bands. Besides identifying trends, these plots have helped to reveal PN mimics including six previously known PNe in the outer LMC which are re-classied as other object types. Together with continuing follow-up optical observations, the data have enabled a substantial reduction in the number of PNe previously tagged as `likely' and `possible'. The total number of LMC PNe is adjusted to 715 but with a greater degree of confidence in regard to classification. In each colour-colour plot, the more highly evolved LMC PNe are highlighted for comparison with younger, brighter PNe. The faintest and most evolved PNe typically cluster in areas of colour-colour space occupied by ordinary stars. Possible reasons for the wide disparity in infrared colour-colour ratios, such as evolution and dust composition, are presented for evaluation. A correlation is found between the optical luminosity of PNe, emission-line ratios and the MIR dust luminosity at various bands. Luminosity functions using the four Infrared Array Camera and Multiband Imaging Photometer of Spitzer (MIPS) [24] bands are directly compared, revealing an increasing accumulation of PNe within the brightest two magnitudes at longer wavelengths. A correlation is also found between the MIPS [24] band and the [O III] 5007 and H-beta fluxes.

25 pages, 18 figures, accepted in MNRAS

References in corpus (11)

• Spitzer SAGE survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud II: Evolved Stars and Infrared Color Magnitude Diagrams
• New Optical Reddening Maps of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds
• Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph Observations of Magellanic Cloud Planetary Nebulae: the nature of dust in low metallicity circumstellar ejecta
• A New Population of Planetary Nebulae Discovered in the Large Magellanic Cloud (II): Complete PN Catalogue
• Spitzer observations of acetylene bands in carbon-rich AGB stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud
• The Spitzer-IRS spectrum of SMP LMC 11
• Variable Evolved Stars and YSOs Discovered in the Large Magellanic Cloud using the SAGE Survey
• Discovery of 5000 Active Galactic Nuclei behind the Magellanic Clouds
• SPITZER SAGE Observations of Large Magellanic Cloud Planetary Nebulae
• A New Population of Planetary Nebulae Discovered in the Large Magellanic Cloud (IV): The Outer LMC
• Ionization-bounded and Density-bounded Planetary Nebulae

Cited by in corpus (12)

• Optically Visible Post-AGB Stars, Post-RGB Stars and Young Stellar Objects in the Large Magellanic Cloud
• A census of symbiotic stars in the 2MASS, WISE and Gaia surveys
• A machine learning approach for identification and classification of symbiotic stars using 2MASS and WISE
• The Progenitors and Lifetimes of Planetary Nebula
• Observations of the Planetary Nebula SMP LMC 058 with the JWST MIRI Medium Resolution Spectrometer
• Resolving the clumpy circumstellar environment of the B[e] supergiant LHA 120-S 35
• The VMC Survey -- XXXVII. Pulsation periods of dust enshrouded AGB stars in the Magellanic Clouds
• Neutron-Capture Element Abundances in Magellanic Cloud Planetary Nebulae
• Optical discovery and multiwavelength investigation of supernova remnant MCSNR J0512-6707 in the Large Magellanic Cloud
• Radio Continuum Sources behind the Large Magellanic Cloud
• Spitzer and Herschel studies of dust in supernova remnants in the Small Magellanic Cloud
• Four New Planetary Nebulae Toward the Small Magellanic Cloud