Related papers: Binary post-AGB stars as tracers of stellar evolut…
We present observations of 86 post-Asymptotic Giant Branch (post-AGB) stars of OH maser transitions, taken with the Parkes Telescope between September 2002 and August 2003. Post-AGB stars are the precursors of planetary nebulae, which have…
Carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars, CH stars and barium stars, among other classes of chemically peculiar stars, are thought to be products of the interaction of low- and intermediate-mass binaries which occurred when the most evolved star…
In the late stage of their evolution, low- to intermediate-mass stars pass through the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase, characterised by strong mass loss through dust driven winds. High angular resolution observations reveal that these…
In the 90's, theoretical studies motivated the use of the asymptotic-giant branch bump (AGBb) as a standard candle given the weak dependence between its luminosity and stellar metallicity. Because of the small size of observed…
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 physical mechanism(s) responsible for transitioning from a spherical Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) star to an asymmetric post-AGB (pAGB) object is poorly understood. In particular, excess momenta in the outflows of pAGB objects suggest…
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…
Aims. In a first study, we characterised the properties of the gas component in the circumstellar envelopes surrounding a sample of 29 AGB stars with UV excesses. Now we intend to complement this information with an analysis of the dust…
While the basic properties of AGB stellar evolution are well established, comprehensive observational studies of late phases of intermediate mass stars continue to generate puzzles for current stellar models. Here, I review current…
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,…
There is ample evidence for strong magnetic fields in the envelopes of (Post-)Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars as well as supergiant stars. The origin and role of these fields are still unclear. This paper updates the current status of…
We present the first near-IR milli-arcsecond-scale image of a post-AGB binary that is surrounded by hot circumbinary dust. A very rich interferometric data set in six spectral channels was acquired of IRAS08544-4431 with the new RAPID…
The search for binarity in AGB stars is of critical importance for our understanding of how planetary nebulae acquire the dazzling variety of aspherical shapes which characterises this class. However, detecting binary companions in such…
Post-AGB binaries are surrounded by circumbinary disks of gas and dust that are similar to protoplanetary disks found around young stars. We aim to understand the structure of these disks and identify the physical phenomena at play in their…
Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars are important players in the chemical evolution modelling of galaxies, because they are major producers of several chemical elements and excellent tracers of the structure and of the star formation…
I suggest the existence of an extended zone above the surface of asymptotic giant branch (AGB), as well as similar stars experiencing high mass loss rates. In addition to the escaping wind, in this zone there are parcels of gas that do not…
During their thermally pulsing phase, Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars eject material that forms extended dusty envelopes. Visible polarimetric imaging found clumpy dust clouds within two stellar radii of several oxygen-rich stars.…
Blue horizontal branch and UV bright stars in several globular clusters are analysed spectroscopically and the results are compared with predictions of stellar evolutionary theory. We find that the distribution of temperatures and surface…
Low- and intermediate-mass stars are one of the important dust sources in the interstellar medium (ISM) of galaxies. The compositions of dust ejected from these stars are likely to affect those in the ISM. We investigate dust in…
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…