Long period variable stars: galactic populations and infrared luminosity calibrations

Abstract

In this paper HIPPARCOS astrometric and kinematic data are used to calibrate both infrared lumi-nosities and kinematical parameters of Long Period Variable stars (LPVs). Individual absolute K and IRAS 12and 25 luminosities of 800 LPVs are determined and made available in electronic form?. The estimated meankinematics is analyzed in terms of galactic populations. LPVs are found to belong to galactic populations rangingfrom the thin disk to the extended disk. An age range and a lower limit of the initial mass is given for starsof each population. A di erence of 1.3 mag in K for the upper limit of the Asymptotic Giant Branch is foundbetween the disk and old disk galactic populations, con rming its dependence on the mass in the main sequence.LPVs with a thin envelope are distinguished using the estimated mean IRAS luminosities. The level of attraction(in the classi cation sense) of each group for the usual classifying parameters of LPVs (variability and spectraltypes) is examined