Site Map
Contacts
Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter YouTube channel
Centro de Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto

Detached Dust Shell around Wolf-Rayet Star WR60-6 in the Young Stellar Cluster VVV CL036

J. Borissova, M. S. N. Kumar, P. Amigo, A.-N. Chené, R. Kurtev, D. Minniti

Abstract
The discovery of a detached dust shell around the Wolf-Rayet (WR) star WR60-6 in the young stellar cluster VVV CL036 is reported. This shell is uncovered through the Spitzer-MIPS 24 μm image, where it appears brightest, and it is invisible at shorter wavelengths. Using new APEX observations and other data available from the literature, we have estimated some of the shell parameters: the inner and outer radii of 0.15 and 0.90 pc, respectively; the overall systemic velocity of the molecular 12CO(3 → 2) emission of –45.7 ± 2.3 km s–1; an expansion velocity of the gas of 16.3 ± 1 km s–1; the dust temperature and opacity of 122 ± 12 K and 1.04, respectively; and an age of 2.8 × 104 yr. The WR star displays some cyclic variability. The mass computed for the WR60-6 nebula indicates that the material was probably ejected during its previous stages of evolution. In addition, we have identified a bright spot very close to the shell, which can be associated with the Midcourse Space Experiment source G312.13+00.20.

Keywords
circumstellar matter - infrared: stars - open clusters and associations: individual: VVV CL036 - stars: massive - stars: Wolf-Rayet

The Astronomical Journal
Volume 147, Page 18_1
January 2014

>> ADS>> DOI

Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences

Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences (IA) is a new but long anticipated research infrastructure with a national dimension. It embodies a bold but feasible vision for the development of Astronomy, Astrophysics and Space Sciences in Portugal, taking full advantage and fully realizing the potential created by the national membership of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO). IA resulted from the merging the two most prominent research units in the field in Portugal: the Centre for Astrophysics of the University of Porto (CAUP) and the Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics of the University of Lisbon (CAAUL). It currently hosts more than two-thirds of all active researchers working in Space Sciences in Portugal, and is responsible for an even greater fraction of the national productivity in international ISI journals in the area of Space Sciences. This is the scientific area with the highest relative impact factor (1.65 times above the international average) and the field with the highest average number of citations per article for Portugal.

Proceed on CAUP's website|Go to IA website