Related papers: Supergiants transiting towards white dwarf

Blue supergiants of spectral types B and A are the visually brightest stars in spiral and irregular galaxies, with their most luminous members (at M_V=-10) outshining entire dwarf galaxies. This characteristic allows us to use them as…

Barium (Ba) stars are chemically peculiar stars that show enhanced surface abundances of heavy elements produced by the slow-neutron-capture process, the so-called s-process. These stars are not sufficiently evolved to undergo the s-process…

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…

We have searched for near-infrared stellar counterparts of IRAS point sources in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), in J and K-bands. This resulted in the detection of 21 counterparts, of which 19 are new discoveries. Using colour-magnitude…

In this review I will discuss recent developments on the topic of resolved Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars and Long Period Variables (LPVs) in our Galaxy, the Magellanic Clouds, and the Local Group in general. Since the main…

This chapter reviews some of the expected contributions of the ngVLA to the understanding of the late evolutionary stages of low-to-intermediate mass stars, including asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, post-AGB stars, and pre-planetary…

Super-AGB stars can conclude their evolution either as neon-oxygen white dwarfs or as electron-capture supernovae. We discuss the possible consequences of the existence of this "double final fate" in the self-enrichment of globular clusters…

The structure and evolution of central stars of planetary nebulae (CSPNe) is reviewed. CSPNe represent the rapid transitional stage between the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) and the white-dwarf domain. It is shown that the whole evolution…

In the recent years, the discovery of a new class of Galactic transients with fast and bright flaring X-ray activity, the Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients, has completely changed our view and comprehension of massive X-ray binaries. These…

The detected variety in chemistry and circumstellar shell morphology of the limited sample of Galactic post-AGB stars is so large that there is no consensus yet on how the different objects are linked by evolutionary channels. The…

It is currently admitted that an AGB star in a binary system is likely to pollute its companion with carbon- and s-process-rich matter. After the AGB star has faded into an unconspicuous white dwarf, the polluted companion enters the zoo of…

We discuss the various post-main sequence phases of massive stars, focusing on Wolf-Rayet stars, Luminous Blue Variables, plus connections with other early-type and late-type supergiants. End states for massive stars are also investigated,…

A sample of 116 Long Period Variables is studied with the aim to reveal relations between the properties of their light curves and of their evolution along the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB). Each light curve is carefully scrutinized and its…

We examine the envelope properties of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars as they evolve on the upper AGB and during the early post-AGB phase. Due to the high mass loss rate, the envelope mass decreases by more than an order of magnitude.…

This thesis is aimed at clarifying one of the least studied phases of stellar evolution: the asymptotic giant branch (AGB). Recent results obtained for Galactic globular clusters (GCs) suggest that the AGB stage may contain crucial…

We report the results of an exploratory program to image the extended circumstellar envelopes of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in dust-scattered galactic light. The goal is to characterize the morphology of the envelopes as a probe of…

Context. When low and intermediate-mass stars leave the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) phase, and before they reach the Planetary Nebulae stage, they enter a very brief and rather puzzling stellar evolutionary stage named post-AGB. Aims. To…

Despite of numerous efforts, the stage from Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) to Planetary Nebulae (PN) is a poorly understood phase of stellar evolution. We have therefore carried out interferometric (VLA) observations of a sample of hot…

There are three important aspects concerning the study of the red giant and in particular of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in the Magellanic Clouds. These are: the surface distribution, the luminosity function and the variability.…

The physical structures of the outer atmospheres of red giants are not known. They are certainly complex and a range of recent observations are showing that we need to embrace to non-classical atmosphere models to interpret these regions.…