INFRARED COLOR-COLOR DIAGRAMS FOR AGB STARS

Abstract

We present infrared color-color diagrams of AGB stars from the observations at near and mid infrared bands. We compile the observations for hundreds of OH/IR stars and carbon stars using the data from the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX), the two micron sky survey (2MASS), and the IRAS point source catalog (PSC). We compare the observations with the theoretical evolutionary tracks of AGB stars. From the new observational data base and the theoretical evolution tracks, we discuss the meaning of the infrared color-color diagrams at different wavelengths.

Keywords

• stars: AGB and post-AGB
• infrared: stars
• circumstellar matter
• dust: extinction
• radiative transfer