Related papers: Advances in s-process models

The Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) scenario for the formation of multiple populations has been quantitatively studied in the course of the latest twenty years, examining the aspects both of nucleosynthesis and of the dynamics of formation of…

While the basic properties of AGB stellar evolution are well established, comprehensive observational studies of late phases of intermediate mass stars continue to generate puzzles for current stellar models. Here, I review current…

A long debated issue concerning the nucleosynthesis of neutron-rich elements in Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars is the identification of the neutron source. We report intermediate-mass (4 to 8 solar masses) AGB stars in our Galaxy that…

Barium stars show enhanced abundances of the slow neutron capture (s-process) heavy elements, and for this reason they are suitable objects for the study of s-process elements. The aim of this work is to quantify the contributions of the…

Nucleosynthesis in evolved (RGB and AGB) low-mass stars is reviewed under the light of the reaction rates recommended in the NACRE compilation (Angulo et al. 1999). We use a parametric model of stellar nucleosynthesis to investigate the…

We used a new generation of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stellar models that include dust formation in the stellar winds to find the links between evolutionary models and the observed properties of a homogeneous sample of Large Magellanic…

The He-shell flash convection in AGB stars is the site for the high-temperature component of the s-process in low- and intermediate mass giants, driven by the Ne22 neutron source. [...] The upper convection boundary plays a critical role…

An update on astrophysical models for nucleosynthesis via rapid neutron capture, the r process, is given. A neutrino-induced r process in supernova helium shells may have operated up to metallicities of ~10^-3 times the solar value. Another…

We review the lives, deaths and nucleosynthetic signatures of intermediate mass stars in the range approximately 6.5-12 Msun, which form super-AGB stars near the end of their lives. We examine the critical mass boundaries both between…

Late asymptotic giant branch (AGB) and early post-AGB stars which are progenitors of planetary nebulae lose mass at extremely high rate, in what is termed a superwind. We show that the existence of this superwind during the post-AGB phase…

Observations of planetary nebulae (PNe) by Sterling, Dinerstein and Bowers have revealed abundances in the neutron-capture element Germanium (Ge) from solar to factors of 3 -- 10 above solar. The enhanced Ge is an indication that the…

An analysis of high-resolution near-infrared spectra of a sample of 45 asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars towards the Galactic bulge is presented. The sample consists of two subsamples, a larger one in the inner and intermediate bulge, and…

We show that the inclusion of axion emission during stellar evolution introduces important changes into the evolutionary behaviour of AGB stars. The mass of the resulting C/O white dwarf is much lower than the equivalent obtained from…

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…

Neutron-capture elements, those with Z > 35, are the least well-understood in terms of nucleosynthesis and formation environments. The rapid neutron-capture, or r-process, elements are formed in the environments and/or remnants of massive…

We examine the envelope properties of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars as they evolve on the upper AGB and during the early post-AGB phase. Due to the high mass loss rate, the envelope mass decreases by more than an order of magnitude.…

The chemical evolution of the Galaxy is followed for the elements affected by neutron capture, in particular for those in the atomic number range 56 to 63 (Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm and Eu). Neutrons by the major 13^C source, released in…

A clear definition of the contribution from the slow neutron-capture process (s process) to the solar abundances between Fe and the Sr-Zr region is a crucial challenge for nuclear astrophysics. Robust s-process predictions are necessary to…

Barium stars are extrinsic Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars. They present the s-enhancement characteristic for AGB and post-AGB stars, but are in an earlier evolutionary stage (main sequence dwarfs, subgiants, red giants). They are…

For 32 central stars of PNe we present their parameters interpolated among the new evolutionary sequences. The derived stellar final masses are confined between 0.53 and 0.58 $M_\odot$ in good agreement with the peak in the white dwarf mass…