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A.S. Miroshnichenko, K.S. Bjorkman (Univ. Toledo), A.V. Kusakin (Sternberg Astron. Inst., Moscow, Russia), R.O. Gray (Appalachian State Univ.), N. Manset (CFHT Corp.), V.G. Klochkova, M.V. Yushkin (Special Astrophys. Observ., Nizhnyj Arkhyz, Russia), R.J. Rudy, D.K. Lynch, S. Mazuk, C.C. Venturini (Aerospace Corp.), R.C. Puetter (Univ. California San Diego), R.B. Perry (NASA Langley Research Center)
Circumstellar dust can easily form near evolved cool stars. Dust formation around evolved hot stars requires special conditions, such as very high matter densities or hydrogen deficiency. Only a few groups of hot and luminous stars producing new dust are currently known (Wolf-Rayet stars, B[e] supergiants, and LBVs). Studying unclassified B[e] stars, we have identified another distinct group of ~20 intermediate- and low-luminosity (\log L/L\odot=2.5--5) hot stars with IRAS fluxes suggestive of a recent dust formation process. The dust formation mechanism in these objects is not clear. In order to investigate how common these stars are in the Milky Way, we searched for optical counterparts of IRAS sources with similar colors in the mid-infrared MSX catalog, near-infrared 2MASS catalog, and optical USNO--B1.0 catalog. As a result, we found ~50 new candidates to our group. In this poster, we present a list of newly found objects and the results of initial photometric and spectroscopic observations. We also discuss the role of these objects in galactic dust production, and possible impacts of their study on understanding dust formation around hot stars.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: anatoly@physics.utoledo.edu
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 35#5
© 2003. The American Astronomical Soceity.