The Contribution of Thermally-Pulsing Asymptotic Giant Branch and Red
  Super Giant Stars to the Luminosities of the Magellanic Clouds at 1-24 um
  We present the near- through mid-infrared flux contribution of
thermally-pulsing asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB) and massive red super giant
(RSG) stars to the luminosities of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC
and SMC, respectively). Combined, the peak contribution from these cool evolved
stars occurs at ~3-4 um, where they produce 32% of the SMC light, and 25% of
the LMC flux. The TP-AGB star contribution also peaks at ~3-4 um and amounts to
21% in both galaxies. The contribution from RSG stars peaks at shorter
wavelengths, 2.2 um, where they provide 11% of the SMC flux, and 7% for the
LMC. Both TP-AGB and RSG stars are short lived, and thus potentially impose a
large stochastic scatter on the near-IR derived mass-to-light ratios of
galaxies at rest-frame 1-4 um. To minimize their impact on stellar mass
estimates, one can use the M/L ratio at shorter wavelengths (e.g. at 0.8 - 1
um). At longer wavelengths (>=8 um), emission from dust in the interstellar
medium dominates the flux. In the LMC, which shows strong PAH emission at 8 um,
TP-AGB and RSG contribute less than 4% of the 8 um flux. However, 19% of the
SMC 8 um flux is from evolved stars, nearly half of which is produced by the
rarest, dustiest, carbon-rich TP-AGB stars. Thus, star formation rates of
galaxies, based on an 8 um flux (e.g. observed-frame 24 um at z=2), may be
biased modestly high, especially for galaxies with little PAH emission.
