Spectroscopic and photometric monitoring of a poorly known high-luminous OH/IR star: IRAS 18278+0931

TL;DR

This study presents long-term optical and infrared observations of the poorly known OH/IR star IRAS 18278+0931, revealing its pulsation period, distance, luminosity, mass-loss rate, and spectral variability, enhancing understanding of its stellar properties.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed long-term photometric and spectroscopic analysis of IRAS 18278+0931, including period estimation, SED modeling, and spectral feature variability, which were previously unknown.

Findings

Pulsation period of 575 days with large amplitude variability.

Estimated distance of 4.0 kpc using Period-Luminosity relations.

Derived luminosity of approximately 9600 solar luminosities and a mass-loss rate of 1.0×10⁻⁶ M⊙/yr.

Abstract

We present the time-dependent properties of a poorly known OH/IR star $-$ IRAS 18278+0931 (hereafter, IRAS 18+09) towards the Ophiuchus constellation. We have carried out long-term optical/near-infrared (NIR) photometric and spectroscopic observations to study the object. From optical $R$- and $I$-band light curves, the period of IRAS 18+09 is estimated to be 575 $\pm$ 30 days and the variability amplitudes range from $\Delta$R $\sim$ 4.0 mag to $\Delta$I $\sim$ 3.5 mag. From the standard Period-Luminosity (PL) relations, the distance ($D$) to the object, 4.0 $\pm$ 1.3 kpc, is estimated. Applying this distance in the radiative transfer model, the spectral energy distribution (SED) are constructed from multi-wavelength photometric and IRAS-LRS spectral data which provides the luminosity, optical depth, and gas mass-loss rate (MLR) of the object to be 9600 $\pm$ 500 $L_{\odot}$, 9.1 $\pm$ 0.6 at 0.55 $\mu$m and 1.0$\times$10$^{-6}$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$, respectively. The current mass of the object infers in the range 1.0 $-$ 1.5 $M_\odot$ assuming solar metallicity. Notably, the temporal variation of atomic and molecular features (e.g., TiO, Na I, Ca I, CO, H$_2$O) over the pulsation cycle of the OH/IR star illustrates the sensitivity of the spectral features to the dynamical atmosphere as observed in pulsating AGB stars.