A Spitzer Space Telescope far-infrared spectral atlas of compact sources
  in the Magellanic Clouds. I. The Large Magellanic Cloud
  [abridged] We present 52-93 micron spectra obtained with Spitzer in the
MIPS-SED mode, of a representative sample of luminous compact far-IR sources in
the LMC. These include carbon stars, OH/IR AGB stars, post-AGB objects and PNe,
RCrB-type star HV2671, OH/IR red supergiants WOHG064 and IRAS05280-6910, B[e]
stars IRAS04530-6916, R66 and R126, Wolf-Rayet star Brey3a, Luminous Blue
Variable R71, supernova remnant N49, a large number of young stellar objects,
compact HII regions and molecular cores, and a background galaxy (z~0.175). We
use the spectra to constrain the presence and temperature of cold dust and the
excitation conditions and shocks within the neutral and ionized gas, in the
circumstellar environments and interfaces with the surrounding ISM. Evolved
stars, including LBV R71, lack cold dust except in some cases where we argue
that this is swept-up ISM. This leads to an estimate of the duration of the
prolific dust-producing phase ("superwind") of several thousand years for both
RSGs and massive AGB stars, with a similar fractional mass loss experienced
despite the different masses. We tentatively detect line emission from neutral
oxygen in the extreme RSG WOHG064, with implications for the wind driving. In
N49, the shock between the supernova ejecta and ISM is revealed by its strong
[OI] 63-micron emission and possibly water vapour; we estimate that 0.2 Msun of
ISM dust was swept up. Some of the compact HII regions display pronounced
[OIII] 88-micron emission. The efficiency of photo-electric heating in the
interfaces of ionized gas and molecular clouds is estimated at 0.1-0.3%. We
confirm earlier indications of a low nitrogen content in the LMC. Evidence for
solid state emission features is found in both young and evolved object; some
of the YSOs are found to contain crystalline water ice.
