Related papers: The s Process: Nuclear Physics, Stellar Models, Ob…
This paper provides a detailed analysis of the main component of the slow neutron capture process (the s-process), which accounts for the solar abundances of half of the nuclei with 90 <~ A <~ 208. We examine the impact of the uncertainties…
We review the observed properties of extremely hot hydrogen-deficient post-AGB stars of spectral type [WC] and PG1159. Their H-deficiency is probably caused by a (very) late helium-shell flash or a AGB final thermal pulse, laying bare…
We have investigated the role of the convective overshooting on the production of s-nuclei during core He-burning phase in stellar models with different initial mass and metallicity ($15 \leq M_{ZAMS}/M_{\odot} \leq 25$; $10^{-4} \leq Z…
Barium stars are one of the important probes to understand the origin and evolution of slow neutron-capture process elements in the Galaxy. These are extrinsic stars, where the observed s-process element abundances are believed to have an…
CEMP-s stars are very metal-poor stars with enhanced abundances of carbon and s-process elements. They form a significant proportion of the very metal-poor stars in the Galactic halo and are mostly observed in binary systems. This suggests…
We have collected an heterogeneous sample of galaxies at redshifts 0.001<z<3.35 with the aim of exploring the evolution of the physical parameters and of the element abundances calculated by modelling the observed spectra. The evolution…
There is now strong evidence that some stars have been born with He mass fractions as high as $Y \approx 0.40$ (e.g., in $\omega$ Centauri). However, the advanced evolution, chemical yields, and final fates of He-rich stars are largely…
The s-process should occur in all but the lower mass progenitor stars of planetary nebulae, and this should be reflected in the chemical composition of the gas which is expelled to create the current planetary nebula shell. Weak forbidden…
Lithium and zirconium abundances (the latter taken as representative for s-process enrichment) are determined for a large sample of massive Galactic O-rich AGB stars, for which high resolution optical spectroscopy has been obtained…
The He-shell flash convection in AGB stars is the site for the high-temperature component of the s-process in low- and intermediate mass giants, driven by the Ne22 neutron source. [...] The upper convection boundary plays a critical role…
Within the framework of the current models for the slow neutron capture (s) process in Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars we explore the uncertainties introduced by the assumptions made on stellar modeling. On the basis of star models…
We present the main results derived from a chemical analysis carried out on a large sample of galactic O-rich AGB stars using high resolution optical spectroscopy (R~40,000-50,000) with the intention of studying their lithium abundances…
The synthesis of nuclei in diverse cosmic scenarios is reviewed, with a summary of the basic concepts involved before a discussion of the current status in each case is made. We review the physics of the early universe, the proton to…
New stellar models with mass ranging between 4 and 8 Mo, Z=0 and Y=0.23 are presented. The models have been evolved from the pre Main Sequence up to the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB). At variance with previous claims, we find that these…
We investigate the enrichment in elements produced by the slow neutron-capture process ($s$-process) in the globular clusters M4 (NGC 6121) and M22 (NGC 6656). Stars in M4 have homogeneous abundances of Fe and neutron-capture elements, but…
In this paper we present a large-scale sensitivity study of reaction rates in the main component of the $s$ process. The aim of this study is to identify all rates, which have a global effect on the $s$ process abundance distribution and…
In this paper we discuss the impact of the s-process nucleosynthesis in Asymptotic Giant Branch stars on the enrichment of heavy elements. We review the main steps made on this subject in the last 40 years and discuss the importance of…
Current models of s-nucleosynthesis in massive stars ($M\sim15 M_{\odot}$ to $\sim 30 M_{\odot}$) are able to reproduce some main features of the abundance distributions of heavy isotopes in the solar system, at least in the $A\sim 60-90$…
The observational data guiding the theoretical chemical evolutionary models of AGB stars come mainly from the analysis of intrinsic and extrinsic s-process enriched objects. The first are the stars of the M-MS-S-SC-C star sequence which is…
We propose an evolutionary scenario by successive bursts of star formation to reproduce the chemical properties of massive nearby Starburst Nucleus Galaxies (SBNGs). The N/O abundance ratios in SBNGs are 0.2 dex higher than in normal HII…