Related papers: A surprisingly large asymmetric ejection from Mira…

Encoded in the time- and wavelength dependent properties of pulsating AGB stars are the underlying fundamental parameters of mass, composition and evolutionary state. However, the standard technique of placing stars on a HR diagram, even…

We present the results of 0.6"-resolution observations of CO J=3-2 line emission in 10 massive star-forming galaxies at z=2.2-2.5 with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). We compare the spatial extent of molecular gas…

The AGB star $\pi^{1}$ Gruis has a known companion (at a separation of ~400 AU) which cannot explain the strong deviations from the spherical symmetry of the CSE. Recently, hydrodynamic simulations of mass transfer in closer binary systems…

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…

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…

Benefiting from the GAIA second and early third releases of photometric and astrometric data we examine the population of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars that appear in the fields of intermediate-age and young open star clusters. We…

We investigate the main physical properties of low-metallicity Asymptotic Giant Branch stars, with the aim of quantifying the uncertainties that presently affect the predicted chemical yields of these stars, associated to mass loss and…

The S-type asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star $\pi^{1}$ Gruis has a known companion at a separation of $\approx$400 AU. The envelope structure, including an equatorial torus and a fast bipolar outflow, is rarely seen in the AGB phase and is…

Background: Most of the stars in the Universe will end their evolution by losing their envelope during the thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB) phase, enriching the interstellar medium of galaxies with heavy elements,…

High resolution observations of the extended atmospheres of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars can now directly confront the theories that describe stellar mass loss. Using Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) high angular…

We present a novel approach to address dust production by low- and intermediate-mass stars. We study the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase, during which the formation of dust takes place, from the perspective of post-AGB and planetary…

A survey of CO(3-2) emission from optically visible oxygen-rich Mira variable stars within 500 pc of the sun was conducted. A molecular envelope was detected surrounding 36 of the 66 stars examined. Some of these stars have lower outflow…

Current knowledge suggests that the dust-driven wind scenario provides a realistic framework for understanding mass loss from C-rich AGB stars. For M-type objects, however, recent detailed models demonstrate that radiation pressure on…

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…

I study some effects of aspherical mass loss during the last stages of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) on the appearance of proto planetary nebulae (PNs) and young PNs. The aspherical mass loss can be small scale inhomogeneities, and/or…

Aims. We present a diagnostic tool to determine the abundance of the crystalline silicate forsterite in AGB stars surrounded by a thick shell of silicate dust. Using six infrared spectra of high mass-loss oxygen rich AGB stars we obtain the…

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…

The winds observed around asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are generally attributed to radiation pressure on dust, which is formed in the extended dynamical atmospheres of these pulsating, strongly convective stars. Current…

Six billion years from now, while evolving on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB), the Sun will metamorphose from a red giant into a beautiful planetary nebula. This spectacular evolution will impact the Solar System planets, but…

The timescales on which astronomical dust grows remain poorly understood, with important consequences for our understanding of processes like circumstellar disk evolution and planet formation.A number of post-asymptotic giant branch stars…