Related papers: Why Galaxies Care about Post-AGB stars
The transition from the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) to the final white dwarf (WD) stage is arguably the least understood phase in the evolution of single low- and intermediate-mass stars ($0.8 \lesssim M_{\rm ZAMS}/M_\odot\lesssim…
Recent improvements in globular cluster colour-magnitude diagrams, coupled with an increase in large-sample spectroscopic abundance studies of cluster giants, finally allow some attempts at a statistically meaningful comparison of the…
Recent morphological studies of galaxies by the {\it Hubble Space Telescope (HST)} have revealed that actively star-forming galaxies at intermediate and high redshifts ($z=0.5-2.0$) have very clumpy and irregular distributions of stars. It…
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 present new spectro-photometric NIR observations of 16 post-starburst galaxies especially designed to test for the presence of strong carbon features of thermally pulsing AGB (TP-AGB) stars, as predicted by recent models of stellar…
The connection between AGB evolution of stellar populations and infrared vs. ultraviolet properties of the parent galaxies is reviewed relying on the updated lookout provided by population-synthesis theory. In particular, planetary-nebula…
A previously reported literature search suggested that the AGB stars in Galactic globular clusters may be showing different distributions of CN-strong and CN-weak stars as compared to their RGB stars. In most cases the second giant branches…
FUSE spectroscopy has proved that extremely hot hydrogen-deficient post-AGB stars (PG1159 stars) display matter on their surface that usually remains hidden in the region between the H- and He-burning shells of the former AGB star. Hence,…
The AKARI and Spitzer satellites provided an unique opportunity to observe a variety of stars, which are considered as departing from the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) and have started their post-AGB evolution recently. Most of these stars…
The presence of AGB stars in clusters provides key constraints for stellar models, as has been demonstrated with historical data from the Magellanic Clouds. In this work, we look for candidate AGB stars in M31 star clusters from the…
Observational manifestations of far evolved stars at the asymptotic giants branch and their nearest descendants are briefly considered. Main results of their chemical composition determinations based on long term high resolution…
Stellar photospheres of post-asymptotic giant branch stars bear witness to the internal chemical enrichment processes, integrated over their entire stellar evolution. Here we study post-AGB stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). With…
We present the results of our search for low- and intermediate mass evolved stars in the outer Galaxy using AllWISE catalogue photometry. We show that the [3.4]-[12] versus [4.6]-[22] colour-colour diagram is most suitable for separating…
This study calls attention to the importance of properly coupling the molecular opacities to the actual surface abundances of TP-AGB stars that experience the third dredge-up and/or hot-bottom burning, i.e. with surface abundances of carbon…
A self-consistent spectrophotometric modelling of intermediate age post-starburst requires accurate stellar ingredients taking into account a principal feature of the stars dominating the near-IR emission during this phase: the variability…
In this introduction to the Third Congress of Vienna on AGB stars I first try to highlight why it is so hard to cope with the AGB evolutionary phase. This phase is indeed dominated by three main physical processes concerning bulk motions of…
Despite numerous efforts, the transition from Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars to Planetary Nebulae (PN) is a poorly understood phase of stellar evolution. We have therefore carried out interferometric (VLA) radio observations of a…
An analysis of high-resolution near-infrared spectra of a sample of 45 asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars towards the Galactic bulge is presented. The sample consists of two subsamples, a larger one in the inner and intermediate bulge, and…
The transition from Asymptotic Giant Branch star to Planetary Nebula is short-lived and mysterious. Though it lasts only a few thousand years, it is thought to be the time when the asymmetries observed in subsequent phases arise. During…
During this last decade our knowledge of the evolutionary properties of stars has significantly improved. This result has been achieved thanks to our improved understanding of the physical behavior of stellar matter in the thermal regimes…