Related papers: Unraveling the Dusty Environment Around RT Vir

We study the circumstellar environment of the M-type AGB star RT Vir using mid-infrared high spatial resolution observations from the ESO-VLTI focal instrument MIDI. The aim of this study is to provide observational constraints on…

AGB stars are one of the main sources of dust production in the Galaxy. However, it is not clear what this process looks like and where the dust is condensing in the circumstellar environment. By characterizing the location of the dust and…

Using a radiative transfer code (DUSTY) parameters of the circumstellar dust shells of 15 hot post-AGB stars have been derived. Combining the optical, near and far-infrared (ISO, IRAS) data of the stars, we have reconstructed their spectral…

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…

We investigate the molecular and dusty environment of OH/IR stars in order to characterize the mass-loss process during the tip-AGB superwind phase. Employing the AMBER instrument at the VLT Interferometer we obtained near-infrared H- and…

Carbon-rich Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars are among the most important contributors of enriched materials to the interstellar medium due to their strong stellar winds. To fully characterize mass loss on the AGB, it is necessary to…

The DUSTiNGS survey (DUST in Nearby Galaxies with Spitzer) is a 3.6 and 4.5 micron imaging survey of 50 nearby dwarf galaxies designed to identify dust-producing Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars and massive stars. Using two epochs,…

We aim to constrain the dust mass and grain sizes in the interaction regions between the stellar winds and the ISM around asymptotic giant branch stars. By describing the dust in these regions, we aim to shed light on the role of low mass…

The study of post asymptotic giant branch (post-AGB) stars is a valuable tool to study still poorly known aspects of the evolution of the stars through the AGB. This is due to the accurate determination of their surface chemical composition…

The mass loss experienced on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) at the end of the lives of low- and intermediate-mass stars is widely accepted to rely on radiation pressure acting on dust grains formed in the extended AGB atmospheres. The…

We study the close circumstellar environment of the nearby S-type star Pi^1 Gruis using high spatial-resolution, mid-infrared observations from the ESO/VLTI. Spectra and visibilities were obtained with the MIDI interferometer on the VLT…

Recently available near-infrared interferometric data on late-type stars show a strong increase of diameter for asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars between the K (2.0 - 2.4 \mu m) and L (3.4 - 4.1 \mu m) bands. Aiming at an explanation of…

Many asymptotic giant branch (AGB) and supergiant stars exhibit extended detached shells in the far-infrared, resembling rings or arcs. These structures have long been interpreted as the bow shock formed in the interface between the stellar…

We present the discovery of a huge (19$\arcmin$ $\times$ 16$\arcmin$) dust ring surrounding a bright (V = 10.60) red star. The dust ring has, at D = 700 pc, a diameter of 4 pc, and a central hole of ~1.5 pc across. Part of the shell is also…

[Abridged] AGB stars are significant contributors to the metal enrichment of the interstellar medium. In this paper, we adapted models from advanced RHD simulations as input for radiative transfer software to create synthetic observables. A…

Radiative transfer modelling of AGB circumstellar envelopes is applied to a sample of AGB stars previously observed with the mid-IR imaging camera TIRCAM (Busso et al. 1996: Paper I). We present the results of our simulations, aimed at…

The mechanism of mass loss in late evolutionary stages of low- and intermediate-mass stars is not yet well understood. Therefore, it is crucial to study the dynamics of the region within a few stellar radii, where the wind acceleration is…

(abridged) CIT 3 is an oxygen-rich long-period variable evolving along the AGB and one of the most extreme infrared AGB objects. We present the first bispectrum speckle-interferometry observations of CIT 3 in the J-, H-, and K'-band…

The AKARI and Spitzer satellites provided an unique opportunity to observe a variety of stars, which are considered as departing from the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) and have started their post-AGB evolution recently. Most of these stars…

While the importance of dusty asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars to galactic chemical enrichment is widely recognised, a sophisticated understanding of the dust formation and wind-driving mechanisms has proven elusive due in part to the…