Mass Loss from Red Giants: Infrared Spectroscopy

Abstract

A discussion is presented of IR spectroscopy, particularly high-resolution spectroscopy in the ~1–20 micron band, as it impacts the study of circumstellar envelopes. The molecular bands within this region contain an enormous amount of Information, especially when observed with sufficient resolution to obtain kinematic information. In a single spectrum, it is possible to resolve lines from up to 50 different rotational/vibrational levels of a given molecule and to detect several different isotopic variants. When high resolution techniques are combined with mapping techniques and/or time sequence observations of variable stars, the resulting information can paint a very detailed picture of the mass-loss phenomenon.

To date, near-IR observations have been made of more than 20 molecular species. CO is the most widely observed molecule and useful information has been gleaned from the observed rotational excitation, kinematics, time variability and spatial structure of its lines. Examples of different observing techniques are discussed.