Temporal Changes in the Infrared Spectra of Magellanic Carbon Stars

Abstract

The Medium-Resolution Spectrometer on the Mid-Infrared Instrument on JWST obtained spectra of three carbon stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Two of the spectra differ significantly from spectra obtained ~16-19 years earlier with the Infrared Spectrograph on the Spitzer Space Telescope. The one semi-regular variable among the three has changed little. The long-period Mira variable in the sample shows changes consistent with its pulsation cycle. The short-period Mira shows dramatic changes in the strength of its molecular absorption bands, with some bands growing weaker and some stronger. Whether these variations result from its pulsation cycle or its evolution is not clear.

arXiv comment7 pages, 3 figures

References in corpus (17)

• The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE): Mission Description and Initial On-orbit Performance
• The Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) for the Spitzer Space Telescope
• The Spitzer Space Telescope Mission
• The Infrared Spectrograph on the Spitzer Space Telescope
• Initial Performance of the NEOWISE Reactivation Mission
• Spitzer Survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud, Surveying the Agents of a Galaxy's Evolution (SAGE) I: Overview and Initial Results
• The James Webb Space Telescope Mission
• The Mid-Infrared Instrument for the James Webb Space Telescope, VI: The Medium Resolution Spectrometer
• The global gas and dust budget of the Large Magellanic Cloud: AGB stars and supernovae, and the impact on the ISM evolution
• The Dust Budget of the SMC: Are AGB Stars the Primary Dust Source at Low Metallicity?
• Luminosities and mass-loss rates of Local Group AGB stars and Red Supergiants
• Long Period Variables in the LMC: Results from MACHO and 2MASS
• The global gas and dust budget of the Small Magellanic Cloud
• The infrared spectral properties of Magellanic carbon stars
• The VMC Survey -- XXXVII. Pulsation periods of dust enshrouded AGB stars in the Magellanic Clouds
• Stellar Pulsation and the Production of Dust and Molecules in Galactic Carbon Stars
• The Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment. The OGLE-III Catalog of Variable Stars. IV. Long-Period Variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud