Related papers: The Ionization Energies of Dust-Forming Metal Oxid…
Aluminum oxide (alumina, Al$_{2}$O$_{3}$) is a promising candidate as a primary dust condensate in the atmospheres of oxygen-rich evolved stars. Therefore, alumina \textit{seed} particles might trigger the onset of stellar dust formation…
We present new models for the evolution of stars with mass in the range 1Msun < M < 7.5Msun, followed from the pre-main-sequence through the asymptotic giant branch phase. The metallicity adopted is $Z=3*10^{-4} (which, with an…
Traditionally, the condensation sequence of circumstellar dust is predicted based on the thermodynamic stabilities of specific condensates in the macroscopic bulk phase. However, at the (sub-)nanometer scale clusters with non-crystalline…
Silicon carbide (SiC) is one of the major cosmic dust components in carbon-rich environments. However, the formation of SiC dust is not well understood. In particular, the initial stages of the SiC condensation (i.e. the SiC nucleation)…
(abbreviated) We aim to constrain the dust formation histories in the winds of oxygen-rich AGB stars. We have obtained ALMA observations with a spatial resolution of 120x150 mas tracing the dust formation region of a low mass-loss rate and…
Spinel (MgAl$_{2}$O$_{4}$) and krotite (CaAl$_{2}$O$_{4}$) are alternative candidates to alumina (Al$_2$O$_3$) as primary dust condensates in the atmospheres of oxygen-rich evolved stars. Moreover, spinel was proposed as a potential carrier…
We model the synthesis of molecules and dust in the inner wind of the oxygen-rich Mira-type star IK Tau, by considering the effects of periodic shocks induced by the stellar pulsation on the gas, and by following the non-equilibrium…
Magnetic fields play such essential roles in star formation as transporting angular momentum and driving outflows from a star-forming cloud, thereby controlling the formation efficiency of a circumstellar disc and also multiple stellar…
We calculate the dust formed around AGB and SAGB stars of metallicity Z=0.008 by following the evolution of models with masses in the range 1M<M<8M throughthe thermal pulses phase, and assuming that dust forms via condensation of molecules…
Unravelling the composition and characteristics of gas and dust lost by asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars is important as these stars play a vital role in the chemical life cycle of galaxies. The general hypothesis of their mass loss…
Condensation of circumstellar dust begins with formation of molecular clusters close to the stellar photosphere. These clusters are predicted to act as condensation cores at lower temperatures and allow efficient dust formation farther away…
Silicon carbide (SiC) grains are a major dust component in carbon-rich AGB stars. The formation pathways of these grains are, however, not fully understood.\ We calculate ground states and energetically low-lying structures of (SiC)$_n$,…
Dust production among post-main-sequence stars is investigated in the Galactic globular cluster 47 Tucanae (NGC 104) based on infrared photometry and spectroscopy. We identify metallic iron grains as the probable dominant opacity source in…
We compute the mass and composition of dust produced by stars with masses in the range 1Msun<M<8 Msun and with a metallicity of Z=0.001 during their AGB and Super AGB phases. Stellar evolution is followed from the pre-main sequence phase…
We present new results for ground-state candidate energies of Mg-rich olivine (MRO) clusters and use the binding energies of these clusters to determine their nucleation rates in stellar outflows, with particular interest in the en-…
We present dust yields for asymptotic giant branch (AGB) and super--asymptotic giant branch (SAGB) stars of solar metallicity. Stars with initial mass $1.5~M_{\odot} \leq M_{\rm ini} \leq 3~M_{\odot}$ reach the carbon star stage during the…
The tori around active galactic nuclei (AGN) are potential formation sites for large amounts of dust, and they may help resolve the so-called dust budget crisis at high redshift. We investigate the dust composition in 53 of the 87 Palomar…
The formation of silicate dust in oxygen-rich envelopes of evolved stars is thought to be initiated by formation of seed particles that can withstand the high temperatures close to the stellar photosphere and act as condensation cores…
Star formation occurs in dark molecular regions where the number density of hydrogen nuclei, nH, exceeds 10^4 cc and the fractional ionization is 10^-7 or less. Dust grains with sizes ranging up to tenths of microns and perhaps down to tens…
Context. We investigate the binding energies of atoms to interstellar dust particles, which play a key role in their growth and evolution, as well as for the chemical reactions on their surfaces. Aims. We aim to compute the binding energies…