Related papers: Connection between the Long Secondary Period pheno…
The mass-loss rates of red supergiant stars (RSGs) are poorly constrained by direct measurements, and yet the subsequent evolution of these stars depends critically on how much mass is lost during the RSG phase. In 2012 the Geneva…
We have investigated the spectro-photometric properties of the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars and their contribution to the integrated infrared emission in simple stellar populations (SSP). Adopting analytical relations describing 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…
The increase in luminosity as a star evolves on the red-giant branch is interrupted briefly when the hydrogen-burning shell reaches the vicinity of the composition discontinuity left behind from the first convective dredge-up. The…
Early-time observations of the Type II supernovae (SNe) 2013cu and 2013fs have revealed an interaction of ejecta with material near the star surface. Unlike the Type IIn SN2010jl, which interacts with a dense wind for ~1yr, the interaction…
The monotonic increase of the radius of low mass stars during their ascent on the red giant branch halts when they suffer a temporary contraction. This occurs when the hydrogen burning shell reaches the discontinuity in hydrogen content…
Barium (Ba), CH, and extrinsic or Tc-poor S-type stars are evolved low- and intermediate-mass stars that show enhancement of slow-neutron-capture-process elements on their surface, an indication of mass accretion from a former asymptotic…
We calculated theoretical evolutionary sequences of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, including formation and evolution of dust grains in their circumstellar envelope. By considering stellar populations of the Large Magellanic Cloud…
In this paper we investigate the level of agreement between observations and "new" Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) models, as produced by updating the physical inputs adopted in previous stellar computations. One finds that the new physics…
This review discusses the causes, nature, importance and observational evidence of mass loss by red supergiants. It arrives at the perception that mass loss finds its origin in the gravity which makes the star a star in the first place, and…
The asteroseismology of red giant stars has continued to yield surprises since the onset of high-precision photometry from space-based observations. An exciting new theoretical result shows that the previously observed suppression of dipole…
The characteristics of oxygen-rich and carbon-rich, large amplitude (dK>0.4 mag), asymptotic giant branch variables in the Large Magellanic Clouds are discussed, with an emphasis on those obscured by dust. Near-infrared photometry, obtained…
We trace the full evolution of low- and intermediate-mass stars ($1 M_{\odot} \leq M \leq 8M_{\odot}$) during the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) phase in the {\it Spitzer} two-color and color-magnitude diagrams. We follow the formation and…
Mass loss is a crucial process that affects the observational properties, evolution path and fate of highly evolved stars. However, the mechanism of mass loss is still unclear, and the mass-loss rate (MLR) of red supergiant stars (RSGs)…
Context: the space-borne missions CoRoT and Kepler have provided photometric observations of unprecedented quality. The study of solar-like oscillations observed in red giant stars by these satellites allows a better understanding of the…
One of fundamental questions in relation to symbiotic binaries is the process of mass transfer - Roche lobe overflow or stellar wind - and possibility of an accretion disc formation. The presence of secondary minima in the quiescent light…
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.…
We explore the effects of stellar population models on estimating star formation histories, ages and masses of high redshift galaxies. The focus is on the Thermally-Pulsing Asymptotic Giant Branch (TP-AGB) phase of stellar evolution, whose…
We present an analysis of Li abundances in low mass stars (LMS) during the Red Giant Branch (RGB) and Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stages, based on a new determination of their luminosities and evolutionary status. By applying recently…
Massive stars less massive than ~30 Msol evolve into a red supergiant after the main sequence. Given a standard IMF, this means about 80% of all single massive stars will experience this phase. RSGs are dominated by convection, with a…