Related papers: AGB Stars: Summary and Warning
AGB variables, particularly the large amplitude Mira type, are a vital step on the distance scale ladder. They will prove particularly important in the era of space telescopes and extremely large ground-based telescopes with adaptive…
This review discusses some of the observational constraints on what we know about the mass loss experienced by stars in the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) phase of evolution. Mass loss affects the maximum mass attained by the core of an AGB…
We present stellar yields calculated from detailed models of low and intermediate-mass asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. We evolve models with a range of mass from 1 to 6Msun, and initial metallicities from solar to 1/200th of the solar…
The study of the evolutionary properties of Asymptotic Giant Branch stars still presents unresolved topics. Progress in the theoretical understanding of their evolution is hampered by the difficulty to empirically explain key physical…
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…
Despite of numerous efforts, the stage from Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) to Planetary Nebulae (PN) is a poorly understood phase of stellar evolution. We have therefore carried out interferometric (VLA) observations of a sample of hot…
We report the first spectroscopic identification of massive Galactic asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars at the beginning of the thermal pulse (TP) phase. These stars are the most Li-rich massive AGBs found to date, super Li-rich AGBs with…
The photospheres of low-mass red giants show CNO isotopic abundances that are not satisfactorily accounted for by canonical stellar models. The same is true for the measurements of these isotopes and of the $^{26}$Al/$^{27}$Al ratio in…
In order to understand the composition of planetary nebulae we first need to study the nucleosynthesis occurring in the progenitor star during the thermally-pulsing Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) phase. I present an overview of single AGB…
The spectro-photometric properties of galaxies in galaxy formation models are obtained by combining the predicted history of star formation and mass accretion with the physics of stellar evolution through stellar population models. In the…
In the course of a systematic exploration of the uncertainties associated to the input micro- and macro-physics in the modeling of the evolution of intermediate mass stars during their Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) phase, we focus on the…
Oxygen and carbon-rich AGB stars - and objects directly polluted by them - are excellent laboratories to investigate the nucleosynthesis and mixing processes occurring during the later phases of the of low- and intermediate-mass star…
Presolar SiC grains formed around Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars during their carbon-rich phase and contain heavy elements in trace amounts showing the signature of the slow neutron capture process (s process). Thanks to recent…
We present a review of the main phases of stellar evolution with particular emphasis on the nucleosynthesis and mixing mechanisms in low- and intermediate-mass stars. In addition to explicit studies of the effects of the first, second and…
We present a review of AGB star evolution, with emphasis on the nucleosynthesis occurring in these stars. In particular, we discuss hot and cool bottom burning, observational constraints, and analysis of meteoritic grains. This paper was…
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…
We present nucleosynthesis predictions for massive (5-7 solar masses) asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars of solar metallicity where we delay the onset of the superwind to pulsation periods of P =700-800 days. We found that delaying the…
Post-AGB stars evolve on a very fast track and hence not many are known. Their spectral properties make them, in principle, ideal objects to test our theories on the late phases of stellar evolution. This has, however, proven much more…
Despite numerous efforts, the transition from Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars to Planetary Nebulae (PN) is a poorly understood phase of stellar evolution. We have therefore carried out interferometric (VLA) radio observations of a…
The present article is written in the wake of a recently published study of the relation between the light curves of Long Period Variables and their evolution along the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB). It introduces a pair of new parameters…