Related papers: Atmospheric molecular blobs shape up circumstellar…

The circumstellar envelopes of carbon-rich AGB stars show a chemical complexity that is exemplified by the prototypical object IRC +10216, in which about 60 different molecules have been detected to date. Most of these species are carbon…

We present low spectral resolution molecular interferometric observations at 1.2 mm obtained with the Combined Array for Research in Millimetre-wave Astronomy (CARMA) towards the C-rich AGB star IRC+10216. We have mapped the emission of…

We report the results of an exploratory program to image the extended circumstellar envelopes of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in dust-scattered galactic light. The goal is to characterize the morphology of the envelopes as a probe of…

AGB stars, the precursors of Planetary Nebulae, exhibit high rates of mass loss and eject material in the form of a slow (10-20 km/s), dusty molecular wind. The general belief that the dust component of AGB circumstellar envelopes have…

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…

Understanding the formation of planetary nebulae remains elusive because in the preceding asymtotic giant branch (AGB) phase these stars are heavily enshrouded in an optically thick dusty envelope. To further understand the morphology of…

The circumstellar envelopes (CSEs) of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars harbour a rich variety of molecules and are sites of complex chemistry. Our current understanding of the circumstellar chemical processes of carbon-rich AGB stars is…

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…

Asymptotic giant branch (AGB)stars create a rich inventory of molecules in their envelopes as they lose mass during later stages of their evolution. These molecules cannot survive the conditions in interstellar space, where they are exposed…

AGB stars are the primary source of dust and complex molecules in the interstellar medium. The determination of outflow parameters is often hindered by the unknown geometry of the circumstellar environment, creating a demand for…

During their late pulsating phase, AGB stars expel most of their mass in the form of massive dusty envelopes, an event that largely controls the composition of interstellar matter. The envelopes, however, are distant and opaque to visible…

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…

Dust grains forming in the extended atmospheres of AGB stars are critical for the heavy mass loss of these cool luminous giants, as they provide radiative acceleration for the stellar winds. Characteristic mid-IR spectral features indicate…

AGB stars are major contributors to the chemical enrichment of the ISM through nucleosynthesis and extensive mass loss. Most of our current knowledge of AGB atmospheric and circumstellar chemistry, in particular in a C-rich environment, is…

Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars are typified by strong dust-driven, molecular outflows. For long, it was believed that the molecular setup of the circumstellar envelope of AGB stars is primarily determined by the atmospheric C/O ratio.…

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…

Emission and absorption line observations of molecules in late-type stars are a vital component in our understanding of stellar evolution, dust formation and mass loss in these objects. The molecular composition of the gas in the…

First mid-infrared images of a sample of AGB and post-AGB carbon stars (V Hya, IRC +10216, CIT 6 and Roberts 22) obtained at La Silla Observatory (ESO, Chile) are reported. CIT 6 presents a cometary-like feature clearly seen in the…

This paper reports on computational evidence for the formation of cloud-like dust structures around C-rich AGB stars. This spatio-temporal structure formation process is caused by a radiative/thermal instability of dust forming gases as…