A new survey of cool supergiants in the Magellanic Clouds

Abstract

In this study, we conduct a pilot program aimed at the red supergiant population of the Magellanic Clouds. We intend to extend the current known sample to the unexplored low end of the brightness distribution of these stars, building a more representative dataset with which to extrapolate their behaviour to other Galactic and extra-galactic environments. We select candidates using only near infrared photometry, and with medium resolution multi-object spectroscopy, we perform spectral classification and derive their line-of-sight velocities, confirming the nature of the candidates and their membership to the clouds. Around two hundred new RSGs have been detected, hinting at a yet to be observed large population. Using near and mid infrared photometry we study the brightness distribution of these stars, the onset of mass-loss and the effect of dust in their atmospheres. Based on this sample, new a priori classification criteria are investigated, combining mid and near infrared photometry to improve the observational efficiency of similar programs as this.

39 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A

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• The Red Supergiant Content of M31 and M33
• Red Supergiants in M31 and M33 I. The Complete Sample
• The VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey: XXXI. Radial velocities and multiplicity constraints of red supergiant stars in 30 Doradus
• The Red Supergiant Binary Fraction as a Function of Metallicity in M31 and M33
• Evolved Massive Stars at Low-metallicity III. A Source Catalog for the Large Magellanic Cloud
• Multiplicity of the red supergiant population in the young massive cluster NGC 330
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• Evolved Massive Stars at Low-metallicity II. Red Supergiant Stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud
• The impact of winds on the spectral appearance of Red Supergiants
• Characterisation of red supergiants in the Gaia spectral range
• Characterizing the Population of Bright Infrared Sources in the Small Magellanic Cloud
• A dearth of OH/IR stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud
• Evolved Massive Stars at Low-metallicity IV. Using 1.6 $\mu$m "H-bump" to identify red supergiant stars: a case study of NGC 6822
• Physical parameters of red supergiants in dwarf irregular galaxies in the Local Group
• Massive stars in the Sagittarius Dwarf Irregular Galaxy
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• On the nature of VX Sagitarii: Is it a TZO, a RSG or a high-mass AGB star?
• V838 Monocerotis as seen by ALMA: a remnant of a binary merger in a triple system