A census of Post-AGB stars in Gaia DR3: evidence for a substantial population of Galactic post-RGB stars

TL;DR

This study provides the first comprehensive census of Galactic post-AGB stars using Gaia DR3 data, revealing a diverse population including underluminous post-RGB stars likely formed through binary evolution.

Contribution

It combines Gaia DR3 parallaxes with flux data to create the largest HR diagram of post-AGB candidates, identifying a significant underluminous population.

Findings

One third of candidates are underluminous post-RGB stars.

The HR diagram includes a wide luminosity range, challenging existing evolutionary models.

Identification of post-RGB stars as a substantial population.

Abstract

This paper presents the first census of Galactic post-Asymptotic Giant Branch stars in the HR diagram. We combined Gaia DR3 parallax-based distances with extinction corrected integrated fluxes, and derived luminosities for a sample of 185 stars that had been proposed to be post-AGB stars in the literature. The luminosities allow us to create an HR diagram containing the largest number of post-AGB candidate objects to date. A significant fraction of the objects fall outside the typical luminosity range as covered by theoretical evolutionary post-AGB tracks as well as observed for Planetary Nebula central stars. These include massive evolved supergiants and lower luminosity objects. Here we highlight the fact that one third of the post-AGB candidates is underluminous and we identify these with the recently recognised class of post-Red Giant Branch objects thought to be the result of binary evolution.