Related papers: The transition from AGB to post-AGB evolution as o…
A review is presented of the most relevant results obtained in the last few years on this rare class of astronomical sources. Multi-wavelength analysis of an increasing number of post-AGB stars reveal that they constitute a more…
We present AKARI/IRC and Spitzer/IRS observations of a selected sample of galactic IRAS sources considered to be heavily obscured AGB/post-AGB stars based on their characteristic IRAS colours. All of them are completely invisible in the…
The study of post asymptotic giant branch (post-AGB) stars is a valuable tool to study still poorly known aspects of the evolution of the stars through the AGB. This is due to the accurate determination of their surface chemical composition…
A study is made of a sample of 58 dust-enshrouded Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars (including 2 possible post AGB stars), of which 27 are carbon-rich and 31 are oxygen-rich. These objects were originally identified by Jura & Kleinmann as…
We present a novel approach to address dust production by low- and intermediate-mass stars. We study the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase, during which the formation of dust takes place, from the perspective of post-AGB and planetary…
We present first preliminary results from AKARI/FIS pointed observations of post-AGB stars and planetary nebulae (PNe). A first analysis of the radial (azimuthally averaged) profile of the observed sources shows no evidence for excess…
We present AKARI/IRC observations of a sample of six extremely red IRAS sources, of which three are variable OH/IR stars and the rest are early post-AGB stars. The OH/IR stars show a red continuum with the expected strong 10 micron silicate…
We study the population of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) by means of full evolutionary models of stars of mass 1Msun < M < 8Msun, evolved through the thermally pulsing phase. The models also account…
Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are significant contributors to the chemical enrichment of the interstellar medium (ISM) of galaxies. It is therefore essential to constrain the AGB contribution to the dust budget in galaxies. Recent…
A parameter study of the spectral evolution of a typical post-AGB star, with particular emphasis on the evolution of the infrared colours, is presented. The models are based on the latest evolutionary tracks for hydrogen burning post-AGB…
We observed mid-infrared (7.5-22 mum) spectra of AGB stars in the globular cluster 47 Tuc with the Spitzer telescope and find significant dust features of various types. Comparison of the characteristics of the dust spectra with the…
We calculated theoretical evolutionary sequences of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, including formation and evolution of dust grains in their circumstellar envelope. By considering stellar populations of the Large Magellanic Cloud…
Context: Stars evolving through the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase provide significant feedback to their host system, in form of both gas enriched in nuclear-burning products and dust formed in their winds, which they eject into the…
In this chapter the focus is on the properties of post-Asymptotic Giant Branch (post-AGB) stars in binary systems. Their Spectral Energy Distributions (SEDs) are very characteristic: they show a near-infrared excess, indicative of the…
The goal of this study is to reconstruct the evolution and the dust formation processes during the final AGB phases of a sample of carbon-rich, post-AGB Galactic stars, with particular attention to the determination of the past mass-loss…
The heavy mass loss observed in evolved asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars is usually attributed to a two-stage process: atmospheric levitation by pulsation-induced shock waves, followed by radiative acceleration of newly formed dust…
We trace the full evolution of low- and intermediate-mass stars ($1 M_{\odot} \leq M \leq 8M_{\odot}$) during the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) phase in the {\it Spitzer} two-color and color-magnitude diagrams. We follow the formation and…
S-type AGB stars are thought to be in the transitional phase between M-type and C-type AGB stars. Because of their peculiar chemical composition, one may expect a strong influence of the stellar C/O ratio on the molecular chemistry and the…
Mass loss through stellar winds governs the evolution of stars on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB). In the case of carbon-rich AGB stars, the wind is believed to be driven by radiation pressure on amorphous carbon (amC) dust forming in the…
Intermediate mass stars (1-8 solar masses) evolve along the Asymptotic Giant Branch after completion of hydrogen and helium core burning. At the tip they lose for several ten to hundred thousand years copious amounts of mass and exhibit…