The SAGE-Spec Spitzer Legacy programme: the life-cycle of dust and gas in the Large Magellanic Cloud - Point source classification I

Woods, Paul M; Oliveira, JM; Kemper, F; van Loon, J Th; Sargent, BA; Matsuura, M; Szczerba, R; Volk, K; Zijlstra, AA; Sloan, GC; Lagadec, E; McDonald, I; Jones, O; Gorjian, V; Kraemer, KE; Gielen, Clio; Meixner, M; Blum, RD; Sewilo, M; Riebel, D; Shiao, B; Chen, C-HR; Boyer, ML; Indebetouw, R; Antoniou, V; Bernard, J-P; Cohen, M; Dijkstra, C; Galametz, M; Galliano, F; Gordon, Karl D; Harris, J; Hony, S; Hora, JL; Kawamura, A; Lawton, B; Leisenring, JM; Madden, S; Marengo, M; McGuire, C; Mulia, AJ; O'Halloran, B; Olsen, K; Paladini, R; Paradis, D; Reach, WT; Rubin, D; Sandstrom, K; Soszynski, I; Speck, AK; Srinivasan, S; Tielens, AGGM; van Aarle, Els; Van Dyk, SD; Van Winckel, Hans; Vijh, Uma P; Whitney, B; Wilkins, AN

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.17794.x

The SAGE-Spec Spitzer Legacy programme: the life-cycle of dust and gas in the Large Magellanic Cloud - Point source classification I

Author:

Woods, Paul M

Oliveira, JM ; Kemper, F ; van Loon, J Th ; Sargent, BA ; Matsuura, M ; Szczerba, R ; Volk, K ; Zijlstra, AA ; Sloan, GC ; Lagadec, E ; McDonald, I ; Jones, O ; Gorjian, V ; Kraemer, KE ; Gielen, Clio ; Meixner, M ; Blum, RD ; Sewilo, M ; Riebel, D ; Shiao, B ; Chen, C-HR ; Boyer, ML ; Indebetouw, R ; Antoniou, V ; Bernard, J-P ; Cohen, M ; Dijkstra, C ; Galametz, M ; Galliano, F ; Gordon, Karl D ; Harris, J ; Hony, S ; Hora, JL ; Kawamura, A ; Lawton, B ; Leisenring, JM ; Madden, S ; Marengo, M ; McGuire, C ; Mulia, AJ ; O'Halloran, B ; Olsen, K ; Paladini, R ; Paradis, D ; Reach, WT ; Rubin, D ; Sandstrom, K ; Soszynski, I ; Speck, AK ; Srinivasan, S ; Tielens, AGGM ; van Aarle, Els ; Van Dyk, SD ; Van Winckel, Hans ; Vijh, Uma P ; Whitney, B ; Wilkins, AN

Keywords:

techniques: spectroscopic, surveys, galaxies: individual: lmc, magellanic clouds, infrared: galaxies, infrared: stars, asymptotic giant branch, young stellar objects, long-period variables, post-agb stars, gravitational lensing experiment., coronae-borealis stars, ogle-iii catalog, mu-m sources, extreme carbon stars, wolf-rayet stars, Science & Technology, Physical Sciences, Astronomy & Astrophysics, galaxies: individual: LMC, Magellanic Clouds, ASYMPTOTIC GIANT BRANCH, YOUNG STELLAR OBJECTS, LONG-PERIOD VARIABLES, POST-AGB STARS, GRAVITATIONAL LENSING EXPERIMENT., CORONAE-BOREALIS STARS, OGLE-III CATALOG, MU-M SOURCES, EXTREME CARBON STARS, WOLF-RAYET STARS, astro-ph.GA, astro-ph.SR, 0201 Astronomical and Space Sciences, 5101 Astronomical sciences, 5107 Particle and high energy physics, 5109 Space sciences

Abstract:

We present the classification of 197 point sources observed with the Infrared Spectrograph in the SAGE-Spec Legacy programme on the Spitzer Space Telescope. We introduce a decision-tree method of object classification based on infrared spectral features, continuum and spectral energy distribution shape, bolometric luminosity, cluster membership and variability information, which is used to classify the SAGE-Spec sample of point sources. The decision tree has a broad application to mid-infrared spectroscopic surveys, where supporting photometry and variability information are available. We use these classifications to make deductions about the stellar populations of the Large Magellanic Cloud and the success of photometric classification methods. We find 90 asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, 29 young stellar objects, 23 post-AGB objects, 19 red supergiants, eight stellar photospheres, seven background galaxies, seven planetary nebulae, two Hii regions and 12 other objects, seven of which remain unclassified. © 2010 The Authors Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society © 2010 RAS.