Newly Discovered Wolf–Rayet Stars in M31

Neugent, Kathryn F. and Massey, Philip (2023) Newly Discovered Wolf–Rayet Stars in M31. The Astronomical Journal, 166 (2). p. 68. ISSN 0004-6256

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Abstract

The evolved massive star populations of the Local Group galaxies are generally thought to be well understood. However, recent work has suggested that the Wolf–Rayet (WR) content of M31 may have been underestimated. We therefore began a pilot project to search for new WRs in M31 and to reexamine the completeness of our previous WR survey, finished almost a decade prior. Our improved imaging data and spectroscopic follow-up confirmed 19 new WRs across three small fields in M31. These newly discovered WRs are generally fainter than the previously known sample due to slightly increased reddening as opposed to intrinsic faintness. From these findings, we estimate that there are another ∼60 WRs left to be discovered in M31; however, the overall ratio of WN-type (nitrogen-rich) to WC-type (carbon-rich) WRs remains unchanged with our latest additions to the M31 WR census. We are in the process of extending this pilot WR survey to include the rest of M31, and a more complete population will be detailed in our future work.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: Eprint Open STM Press > Physics and Astronomy
Depositing User: Unnamed user with email admin@eprint.openstmpress.com
Date Deposited: 15 Nov 2023 07:33
Last Modified: 15 Nov 2023 07:33
URI: http://library.go4manusub.com/id/eprint/1676

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