The Lithium Flash - Thermal instabilities generated by lithium burning in RGB stars
Astrophysics
2009-11-06 v1
Abstract
We present a scenario to explain the lithium-rich phase which occurs on the red giant branch at the so-called bump in the luminosity function. The high transport coefficients required to enhance the surface lithium abundance are obtained in the framework of rotation-induced mixing thanks to the impulse of the important nuclear energy released in a lithium burning shell. Under certain conditions a lithium flash is triggered off. The enhanced mass loss rate due to the temporary increase of the stellar luminosity naturally accounts for a dust shell formation.
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0106441,
title = {The Lithium Flash - Thermal instabilities generated by lithium burning in RGB stars},
author = {A. Palacios and C. Charbonnel and M. Forestini},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0106441},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
Accepted for publications in A&A Letters