scholarly journals Link between Mass-loss and Variability Type for AGB Stars?

1999 ◽  
Vol 191 ◽  
pp. 395-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Željko Ivezić ◽  
Gillian R. Knapp

We find that AGB stars separate in the 25–12 vs. 12-K color-color diagram according to their chemistry (O, S vs. C) and variability type (Miras vs. SRb/Lb). While discrimination according to the chemical composition is not surprising, the separation of Miras from SRb/Lb variables is unexpected.We show that “standard” steady-state radiatively driven models provide excellent fits to the color distribution of Miras of all chemical types. However, these models are incapable of explaining the dust emission from O-rich SRb/Lb stars. The models can be altered to fit the data by postulating different optical properties for silicate grains, or by assuming that the dust temperature at the inner envelope radius is significantly lower (300–400 K) than typical condensation temperatures (800–1000 K), a possibility which is also supported by the detailed characteristics of LRS data. While such lower temperatures are required only for O- and S-rich SRb/Lb stars, they are also consistent with the colors of C-rich SRb/Lb stars.The absence of hot dust for SRb/Lb stars can be interpreted as a recent (order of 100 yr) decrease in the mass-loss rate. The distribution of O-rich SRb/Lb stars in the 25–12 vs. K-12 color-color diagram shows that the mass-loss rate probably resumes again, on similar time scales. It cannot be ruled out that the mass-loss rate is changing periodically on such time scales, implying that the stars might oscillate between the Mira and SRb/Lb phases during their AGB evolution as proposed by Kerschbaum et al. (1996). Such a possibility appears to be supported by recent HST images of the Egg Nebula obtained by Sahai et al. (1997), the discovery of multiple CO winds reported by Knapp et al. (1998), and long-term visual light-curve changes detected for some stars by Mattei (1998).

2000 ◽  
Vol 176 ◽  
pp. 124-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Željko Ivezić ◽  
Gillian R. Knapp

AbstractWe discuss difficulties in explaining the distribution of AGB stars in the 25–12 vs. 12–K color–color diagram by steady-state radiatively driven models, and propose that the discrepancy may be due to changes of mass-loss rate with the time scales of ∼ 100 yr.


1999 ◽  
Vol 191 ◽  
pp. 379-388
Author(s):  
M. Steffen ◽  
D. Schönberner ◽  
R. Szczerba

Up to now, hydrodynamical models of dust-driven AGB winds do not generally take into account the ‘long-term’ changes of the stellar parameters (on stellar evolution time scales of 103 to 105 yrs), although it is well known that the luminosity and (very likely) the mass loss rate undergo significant variations when so called ‘thermal pulses’ occur on the upper AGB. In this review we demonstrate that time-dependent radiation hydrodynamics calculations are needed to understand the formation, structure, and spectral energy distribution of detached dust shells detected by IRAS and ISO. Combined with appropriate models, these observations can reveal part of the previous mass loss history on the AGB and allow an empirical check of presently adopted mass loss laws.Based on insights from hydrodynamical simulations, we discuss the two competing scenarios that have been put forward to explain the origin of the very thin molecular shells recently discovered around some carbon stars. We find that the signature of a short mass loss ‘eruption’ broadens quickly with time due to the related velocity gradient across the shell. Hence, this scenario is not considered a likely explanation of detached CO shells. On the other hand, the alternative mechanism, interaction of winds, is shown to be capable of producing very thin shells of greatly enhanced gas density in the dusty outflows from AGB stars by sweeping up matter at the interface between both type of winds.


2020 ◽  
Vol 494 (1) ◽  
pp. 1323-1347 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Danilovich ◽  
A M S Richards ◽  
L Decin ◽  
M Van de Sande ◽  
C A Gottlieb

ABSTRACT We present and analyse SO and SO2, recently observed with high angular resolution and sensitivity in a spectral line survey with ALMA, for two oxygen-rich AGB stars: the low mass-loss rate R Dor and high mass-loss rate IK Tau. We analyse 8 lines of SO detected towards both stars, 78 lines of SO2 detected towards R Dor, and 52 lines of SO2 detected towards IK Tau. We detect several lines of 34SO, 33SO, and 34SO2 towards both stars, and tentatively S18O towards R Dor, and hence derive isotopic ratios for these species. The spatially resolved observations show us that the two sulphur oxides are co-located towards R Dor and trace out the same wind structures in the circumstellar envelope. Much of the emission is well reproduced with a Gaussian abundance distribution spatially centred on the star. Emission from the higher energy levels of SO and SO2 towards R Dor provides evidence in support of a rotating inner region of gas identified in earlier work. The new observations allow us to refine the abundance distribution of SO in IK Tau derived from prior observations with single antennas, and confirm that the distribution is shell like with the peak in the fractional abundance not centred on the star. The confirmation of different types of SO abundance distributions will help fine-tune chemical models and allows for an additional method to discriminate between low and high mass-loss rates for oxygen-rich AGB stars.


2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (S251) ◽  
pp. 197-200
Author(s):  
M. Matsuura ◽  
G. C. Sloan ◽  
J. Bernard-Salas ◽  
A. A. Zijlstra ◽  
P. R. Wood ◽  
...  

AbstractWe have obtained infrared spectra of carbon-rich AGB stars in three nearby galaxies – the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, and the Fornax dwarf spheroidal galaxy. Our primary aim is to investigate gas compositions and mass-loss rate of these stars as a function of metallicity, by comparing AGB stars in several galaxies with different metallicities. C2H2are detectable from AGB stars, and possibly PAHs are subsequently formed from C2H2. Thus, it is worth investigating chemical processes at low metallicity. These stars were observed using the Infrared Spectrometer (irs) onboard theSpitzer Space Telescopewhich covers 5–35 μm region, and the Infrared Spectrometer And Array Camera (isaac) on the Very Large Telescope which covers the 2.9–4.1 μm region. HCN, CH and C2H2molecular bands, as well as SiC and MgS dust features are identified in the spectra. The equivalent width of C2H2molecular bands is larger at lower metallicity, thus PAHs might be abundant in AGB stars at low metallicity. We find no evidence that mass-loss rates depend on metallicity. Chemistry of carbon stars is affected by carbon production during the AGB phase rather than the metallicities. We argue that lower detection rate of PAHs from the interstellar medium of lower metal galaxies is caused by destruction of PAHs in the ISM by stronger UV radiation field.


2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (S262) ◽  
pp. 48-51
Author(s):  
Rosa A. González-Lópezlira ◽  
Gustavo Bruzual-A. ◽  
Stéphane Charlot ◽  
Javier Ballesteros-Paredes ◽  
Laurent Loinard

AbstractWe present optical and IR integrated colors and SBF magnitudes, computed from stellar population synthesis models that include emission from the dusty envelopes surrounding mass-loosing TP-AGB stars. We explore the effects of varying the mass-loss rate by one order of magnitude around the fiducial value, modifying accordingly both the stellar parameters and the output spectra of the TP-AGB stars plus their dusty envelopes. We compare these models to optical and near-IR data of single AGB stars and Magellanic star clusters. Neither broad-band colors nor SBF measurements in the optical or the near-IR can discern global changes in the mass-loss rate of a stellar population. However, we predict that mid-IR SBF measurements can pick out such changes, and actually resolve whether a relation between metallicity and mass-loss exists.


2020 ◽  
Vol 637 ◽  
pp. A91 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. El Mellah ◽  
J. Bolte ◽  
L. Decin ◽  
W. Homan ◽  
R. Keppens

Context. The late evolutionary phase of low- and intermediate-mass stars is strongly constrained by their mass-loss rate, which is orders of magnitude higher than during the main sequence. The wind surrounding these cool expanded stars frequently shows nonspherical symmetry, which is thought to be due to an unseen companion orbiting the donor star. The imprints left in the outflow carry information about the companion and also the launching mechanism of these dust-driven winds. Aims. We study the morphology of the circumbinary envelope and identify the conditions of formation of a wind-captured disk around the companion. Long-term orbital changes induced by mass loss and mass transfer to the secondary are also investigated. We pay particular attention to oxygen-rich, that is slowly accelerating, outflows in order to look for systematic differences between the dynamics of the wind around carbon and oxygen-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. Methods. We present a model based on a parametrized wind acceleration and a reduced number of dimensionless parameters to connect the wind morphology to the properties of the underlying binary system. Thanks to the high performance code MPI-AMRVAC, we ran an extensive set of 72 three-dimensional hydrodynamics simulations of a progressively accelerating wind propagating in the Roche potential of a mass-losing evolved star in orbit with a main sequence companion. The highly adaptive mesh refinement that we used, enabled us to resolve the flow structure both in the immediate vicinity of the secondary, where bow shocks, outflows, and wind-captured disks form, and up to 40 orbital separations, where spiral arms, arcs, and equatorial density enhancements develop. Results. When the companion is deeply engulfed in the wind, the lower terminal wind speeds and more progressive wind acceleration around oxygen-rich AGB stars make them more prone than carbon-rich AGB stars to display more disturbed outflows, a disk-like structure around the companion, and a wind concentrated in the orbital plane. In these configurations, a large fraction of the wind is captured by the companion, which leads to a significant shrinking of the orbit over the mass-loss timescale, if the donor star is at least a few times more massive than its companion. In the other cases, an increase of the orbital separation is to be expected, though at a rate lower than the mass-loss rate of the donor star. Provided the companion has a mass of at least a tenth of the mass of the donor star, it can compress the wind in the orbital plane up to large distances. Conclusions. The grid of models that we computed covers a wide scope of configurations: We vary the terminal wind speed relative to the orbital speed, the extension of the dust condensation region around the cool evolved star relative to the orbital separation, and the mass ratio, and we consider a carbon-rich and an oxygen-rich donor star. It provides a convenient frame of reference to interpret high-resolution maps of the outflows surrounding cool evolved stars.


1993 ◽  
Vol 155 ◽  
pp. 478-478
Author(s):  
E. Vassiliadis ◽  
P.R. Wood

Stars of mass 1–5 MM⊙ and composition Y=0.25 and Z=0.016 have been evolved from the main-sequence to the white dwarf stage with an empirical mass loss formula based on observations of mass loss rates in AGB stars. This mass loss formula (Wood 1990) causes the mass loss rate to rise exponentially with pulsation period on the AGB until superwind rates are achieved, where these rates correspond to radiation pressure driven mass loss rates. The formula was designed to reproduce the maximum periods observed for optically-visible LPVs and it also reproduces extremely well the maximum AGB luminosities observed in star clusters in the Magellanic Clouds (see Vassiliadis and Wood 1992 for details).


2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (S283) ◽  
pp. 80-82
Author(s):  
Mikako Matsuura

AbstractIt is important to properly describe the mass-loss rate of AGB stars, in order to understand their evolution from the AGB to PN phase. The primary goal of this study is to investigate the influence of metallicity on the mass-loss rate, under well determined luminosities. The luminosity of the star is a crucial parameter for the radiative driven stellar wind. Many efforts have been invested to constrain the AGB mass-loss rate, but most of the previous studies use Galactic objects, which have poorly known distances, thus their luminosities. To overcome this problem, we have studied mass loss from AGB stars in the Galaxies of the Local Group. The distance to the stars have been independently measured, thus AGB stars in these galaxies are ideal for understanding the mass-loss rate. Moreover, these galaxies have a lower metallicity than the Milky Way, providing an ideal target to study the influence of metallicity on the mass-loss rate. We report our analysis of mass loss, using the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Herschel Space Observatory. We will discuss the influence of AGB mass-loss on stellar evolution, and explore AGB and PN contribution to the lifecycle of matter in galaxies.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (S343) ◽  
pp. 529-530
Author(s):  
Stefan Uttenthaler ◽  
Iain McDonald ◽  
Klaus Bernhard ◽  
Sergio Cristallo ◽  
David Gobrecht

AbstractWe follow up on a previous finding that Miras containing the third dredge-up (3DUP) indicator technetium (Tc) in their atmosphere form a different sequence of K – [22] colour as a function of pulsation period than Miras without Tc. A near-to-mid-infrared colour such as K – [22] is a good probe for the dust mass-loss rate (MLR) of these AGB stars. Contrary to what one might naïvely expect, Tc-poor Miras show redderK – [22] colours (i.e. higher dust MLRs) than Tc-rich Miras at a given period. In the follow-up work, the previous sample is extended and the analysis is expanded towards other colours and ISO dust spectra to check if the previous finding is due to a specific dust feature in the 22 μm band. We also investigate if the same two sequences can be revealed in the gas MLR. Different hypotheses to explain the observation of two sequences in the P vs. K – [22] diagram are discussed and tested, but so far none of them convincingly explains the observations.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (S343) ◽  
pp. 464-465
Author(s):  
Iain McDonald

AbstractThe factors controlling strong mass loss from evolved stars remain elusive, frustrating efforts to parameterise mass loss in models of evolved stars. We herein describe evidence we have collected to show that the mass-loss rate of stars is controlled by stellar pulsations, and that we are close to providing improved prescriptions for mass-loss rates from many kinds of evolved stars.


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