Related papers: The Luminosity Function of Red Supergiants in M31
Despite the many successes that modern massive star evolutionary theory has enjoyed, reproducing the apparent trend in the relative number of red supergiants (RSGs) and Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars has remained elusive. Previous estimates show the…
We discuss the physics and the evolution of a typical massive star passing through an evolutionary stage similar to that of Betelgeuse. After a brief introduction recalling various observed parameters of Betelgeuse, we discuss the…
We have conducted a near-infrared monitoring campaign at the UK InfraRed Telescope (UKIRT), of the Local Group spiral galaxy M33 (Triangulum). The main aim was to identify stars in the very final stage of their evolution, and for which the…
We investigate the red supergiant (RSG) content of the SMC and LMC using multi-object spectroscopy on a sample of red stars previously identified by {\it BVR} CCD photometry. We obtained high accuracy ($<1$ km s$^{-1}$) radial velocities…
Red supergiants (RSGs) are a He-burning phase in the evolution of moderately high mass stars (10-25 solar masses). The evolution of these stars, particularly at low metallicities, is still poorly understood. The latest-type RSGs in the…
Mass loss by red giants is an important process to understand the final stages of stellar evolution and the chemical enrichment of the interstellar medium. Mass-loss rates are thought to be controlled by pulsation-enhanced dust-driven…
An average value of the total-to-selective-extinction ratio R_V=3.8 +/- 0.4 in M31 is obtained by means of two independent methods and by use of the analytical formula of Cardelli, Clayton & Mathis (1989). This result differs from previous…
The mechanism and characteristics of the irregular variations of red supergiants (RSGs) are studied based on the RSG samples in Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and M31. With the time-series data from All-Sky…
The apparent tension between the luminosity functions of red supergiant (RSG) stars and of RSG progenitors of Type II supernovae (SNe) is often referred to as the RSG problem and it motivated some to suggest that many RSGs end their life…
Quiescent mass-loss during the red supergiant (RSG) phase has been shown to be far lower than prescriptions typically employed in single-star evolutionary models. Importantly, RSG winds are too weak to drive the production of Wolf-Rayets…
The binarity of red supergiants (RSGs) influences their evolution and the fate of supernovae. We investigate the binary fraction of RSGs in the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and Triangulum Galaxy (M33) using photometry from the Hubble Space…
The red supergiant (RSG) problem, which describes the apparent lack of high-luminosity progenitors detected in Type II supernova (SN) pre-images, has been a contentious topic for two decades. We re-assess this problem using a new RSG…
Analysis of pre-explosion imaging has confirmed red supergiants (RSGs) as the progenitors to Type II-P supernovae (SNe). However, extracting the RSG's luminosity requires assumptions regarding the star's temperature or spectral type and the…
This review discusses some of the observational constraints on what we know about the mass loss experienced by stars in the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) phase of evolution. Mass loss affects the maximum mass attained by the core of an AGB…
Massive stars lose a significant fraction of mass during their evolution. However, the corresponding mass-loss rates are rather uncertain. To improve this, we calculated global line-driven wind models for Galactic B supergiants. Our models…
We present results from the first application of the Grid of Red Supergiant and Asymptotic Giant Branch ModelS (GRAMS) model grid to the entire evolved stellar population of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). GRAMS is a pre-computed grid of…
Mass loss plays a dominant role in the evolution of massive stars at solar metallicity. After discussing different mass loss mechanisms and their metallicity dependence, we present the possibility of strong mass loss at very low…
We present the most comprehensive RSG sample for the SMC up to now, including 1,239 RSG candidates. The initial sample is derived based on a source catalog for the SMC with conservative ranking. Additional spectroscopic RSGs are retrieved…
By comparing the properties of Red Supergiant (RSG) supernova progenitors to those of field RSGs, it has been claimed that there is an absence of progenitors with luminosities $L$ above $\log(L/L_\odot) > 5.2$. This is in tension with the…
Pulsations driven by partial ionization of hydrogen in the envelope are often considered important for driving winds from red supergiants (RSGs). In particular, it has been suggested by some authors that the pulsation growth rate in a RSG…