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Chin. Phys. B, 2008, Vol. 17(4): 1518-1525    DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/17/4/061
GEOPHYSICS, ASTRONOMY, AND ASTROPHYSICS Prev   Next  

The lack of carbon stars in the Galactic bulge

Zhu Chun-Hua(朱春花)a)b), LüGuo-Liang(吕国梁)b), Wang Zhao-Jun(王兆军)b), and Zhang Jun(张军)b)
a School of Science, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China; b Department of Physics, Xinjiang University, Wulumuqi 830046, China
Abstract  In order to explain the lack of carbon stars in the Galactic bulge, we have made a detailed study of thermal pulse-asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB) stars by using a population synthesis code. The effects of the oxygen overabundance and the mass loss rate on the ratio of the number of carbon stars to that of oxygen stars in the Galactic bulge are discussed. We find that the oxygen overabundance which is about twice as large as that in the solar neighbourhood (close to the present observations) is insufficient to explain the rareness of carbon stars in the bulge. We suggest that the large mass loss rate may serve as a controlling factor in the ratio of the number of carbon stars to that of oxygen stars.
Keywords:  carbon stars      thermal pulse-asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB)      population synthesis      Galactic bulge  
Received:  29 August 2007      Revised:  03 December 2007      Accepted manuscript online: 
PACS:  97.20.Jg (Main-sequence: late-type stars (G, K, and M))  
  97.20.Li (Giant and subgiant stars)  
Fund: Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No 10647003), and the Foundations of Xinjiang University, China (Grant Nos 070195 and BS060109).

Cite this article: 

Zhu Chun-Hua(朱春花), LüGuo-Liang(吕国梁), Wang Zhao-Jun(王兆军), and Zhang Jun(张军) The lack of carbon stars in the Galactic bulge 2008 Chin. Phys. B 17 1518

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