Program: GS-2007A-Q-35

One of the most unusual types of objects discovered as a result of IRAS is the class of silicate carbon stars. The origin of these stars has been a mystery since their discovery. The carbon-rich nature of these objects is revealed in the visible/near infrared region and the oxygen-rich features, such as amorphous and crystalline silicates are seen in the mid/far infrared region. Current interpretations point to the existence of circumbinary disks which were created in a previous evolutionary phase. In this work we intend to study the nature of 4 new silicate carbon star candidates, by investigating the presence of the 9.8 um emission due to silicate dust using the long-slit T-ReCS spectrograph.The T-ReCS observations will be used to constrain theoretical SED (Spectral Energy Distribution) obtained by radiative transfer modelling for each star. This project will be a great contribution on the study of these silicate carbon stars, as we will be able to obtain detailed information about their shells and probably give a new glance into the study of their evolutionary scenario.