Spitzer/IRS observations of OHPNe

Abstract

We present Spitzer/IRS spectra of a small sample of galactic OHPNe. This is a rare class of transition sources displaying both radio continuum and OH maser emission at 1612 MHz. Our observations show that they are heavily obscured O-rich stars whose mid-infrared spectra are dominated by the simultaneous presence of strong and broad amorphous silicate absorption features together with crystalline silicate emission features which sometimes appear also in absorption. Three of the sources observed are non-variable, confirming their post-AGB status, while another two seem to be still strongly variable. We propose that OHPNe represent the youngest population of high-mass PNe in the Galaxy.