Related papers: Horizontal Branch Stellar Evolution
We predict mass-loss rates for the late evolutionary phases of low-mass stars, with special emphasis on the consequences for the morphology of the Horizontal Branch (HB). We show that the computed rates, as predicted by the most plausible…
Horizontal branch (HB) morphology is a complex multiple-parameter problem. Besides the metallicity, two other leading parameters are the mass loss rate (MLR) and the initial He abundance of the HB progenitors. Using the STAREV stellar…
Horizontal branch (HB) stars play a particularly important role in the "age debate," since they are at the very center of the long-standing "second parameter" problem. In this review, I discuss some recent progress in our understanding of…
The Horizontal Branch (HB) second parameter of Globular Clusters (GCs) is a major open issue in stellar evolution. Large photometric and spectroscopic databases allow a re-examination of this issue. We derive median and extreme (90% of the…
The presence of a substantial number of hot stars in the extremely metal-rich} open cluster NGC6791 has been a mystery. If these hot stars are in their core helium burning phase, they are significantly bluer (hotter) than predicted by…
The properties of the Extreme Horizontal Branch stars are quite well understood, but much uncertainty surrounds the many paths that bring a star to this peculiar configuration. Asteroseismology of pulsating EHB stars has been performed on a…
Strong mass loss on the red giant branch (RGB) can result in the formation of extreme horizontal branch (EHB) stars. The EHB stars spend most of their He core and shell burning phase at high temperatures and produce copious ultraviolet…
Context. Abundance anomalies have been observed in field sdB stars and in nearly all Horizontal Branch (HB) stars of globular clusters with Teff > 11 000K whatever be the cluster metallicity. Aims. The aim is to determine the abundance…
We review the available empirical evidence for the presence of "gaps" and multimodal distributions among horizontal branch (HB) stars, along with some of the theoretical scenarios that have been proposed to explain these features. While…
The evolution of low- and intermediate mass stars at the onset and during core helium burning is reviewed. Particular emphasis is laid on structural differences, which may allow to identify a star's nature and evolutionary phase in spite of…
Low-mass stars play a key role in many different areas of astrophysics. In this article, I provide a brief overview of the evolution of low-mass stars, and discuss some of the uncertainties and problems currently affecting low-mass stellar…
The status of the art for evolutionary models of low mass, population II stars is revisited, stressing the need for the models to be preliminarily tested with suitable observational data. The uncertainties still affecting the theory are…
The connection between mass loss on the red giant branch (RGB) and horizontal branch (HB) morphology in globular clusters (GCs) has long been acknowledged but the mechanisms governing mass loss remains poorly understood from a theoretical…
Extremely hot horizontal branch (HB) stars and their progeny are widely considered to be responsible for the "ultraviolet upturn" (or UVX) phenomenon observed in elliptical galaxies and the bulges of spirals. Yet, the precise evolutionary…
Once fixed the age and metallicity; the colour distribution of horizontal branch stars in a globular cluster depends on few parameters: the helium abundance of the population and the mass lost during the pre-HB stages. These parameters are…
To address the puzzling photometric properties of horizontal branch stars in Galactic GCs, several different groups have undertaken detailed spectroscopic analyses of individual blue HB stars. Hotter BHB stars show strong metal enhancement…
We construct a speculative scenario for rotation-induced extra helium mixing to the envelope of horizontal branch (HB) stars. This scenario differs from previous ones in that the mixing occurs after the star has left the red giant branch…
Theory and observations indicate that the distribution of stars along the horizontal branch of Galactic globular clusters mainly depends on the metal content. However, the existence of globular clusters with similar metal content and…
Blue horizontal-branch (BHB) stars are old, low-mass, metal-poor stars that serve as important tracers of the Galactic halo structure, kinematics, and evolution.Understanding their binary properties provides key insights into their…
We review HB stars in a broad astrophysical context, including both variable and non-variable stars. A reassessment of the Oosterhoff dichotomy is presented, which provides unprecedented detail regarding its origin and systematics. We show…