Related papers: Interstellar $^{36}$S: a probe of s-process nucleo…
We present observations of the stretching mode of 13CO2 ice along 13 lines of sight in the Galaxy, using the Short Wavelength Spectrometer on board of the Infrared Space Observatory. Remarkable variations are seen in the absorption band…
Around half of the heavy elements in the universe are formed through the slow neutron capture (s-) process, which takes place in thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars with masses $1-6\;M_{\odot}$. The nucleosynthetic imprint…
The S-stars have been suggested to be a brief transitional phase as stars evolve from oxygen-rich M-type stars into carbon stars, through the dredge up of carbon from He-shell burning. As possible transition objects, S-stars might help…
We report observations of the expected main S-bearing species (SO, SO2 and H2S) in the low-mass star forming region L1689N. We obtained large scale (~300''x200'') maps of several transitions from these molecules with the goal to study the…
The s-enhanced and very metal-poor star CS 30322-023 shows a puzzling abundance pattern of the neutron-capture elements, i.e. several neutron-capture elements such as Ba, Pb etc. show enhancement, but other neutron-capture elements such as…
Presolar grains are stardust particles that condensed in the ejecta or in the outflows of dying stars and can today be extracted from meteorites. They recorded the nucleosynthetic fingerprint of their parent stars and thus serve as valuable…
We report the detection of absorption from interstellar C_2 and C_3 toward the moderately reddened star Sk 143, located in the near 'wing' region of the SMC, in optical spectra obtained with the ESO VLT/UVES. These detections of C_2…
Gas-phase sulphur bearing volatiles appear to be severely depleted in protoplanetary disks. The detection of CS and non-detections of SO and SO2 in many disks have shown that the gas in the warm molecular layer, where giant planets accrete…
Aims. Our aim is to confirm the interstellar detection of cyanic acid, HOCN, in the Galactic center clouds. It has previously been tentatively detected only in Sgr B2(OH). Methods. We used a complete line survey of the hot cores Sgr B2(N)…
Standard stellar evolution theory is inconsistent with the observed isotopic carbon ratio, 12C/13C, in evolved stars. This theory is also inconsistent with the 3He/H abundance ratios observed in Galactic HII regions, when combined with…
A detailed radiative transfer analysis of the observed continuum and molecular line emission toward the deeply embedded young stellar object IRAS 16293-2422 is performed. The continuum modelling is used to constrain the temperature and…
The sulphur chemistry in nine regions in the earliest stages of high-mass star formation is studied through single-dish submillimeter spectroscopy. The line profiles indicate that 10-50% of the SO and SO2 emission arises in high-velocity…
Among presolar materials recovered in meteorites, abundant SiC and Al$_{2}$O$_{3}$ grains of AGB origins were found. They showed records of C, N, O, $^{26}$Al and s-element isotopic ratios that proved invaluable in constraining the…
Observations indicate that the total abundance of S-bearing species in dense clouds is orders of magnitude lower than the cosmic sulfur abundance. Addressing this "missing sulfur problem" requires a combination of astronomical observations,…
The s-process in massive stars, producing nuclei up to $A\approx 90$, has a different behaviour at low metallicity if stellar rotation is significant. This enhanced s-process is distinct from the s-process in massive stars around solar…
Sulfur chemistry in the formation process of low-mass stars and planets remains poorly understood. The protoplanetary disks (PPDs) are the birthplace of planets and its distinctive environment provides an intriguing platform for…
S106 is one of the best known bipolar HII regions, thoroughly studied and modelled at infrared, submillimeter and millimeter wavelengths, and it is one of the nearest examples of the late stages of massive star formation in which the newly…
High resolution UVES spectra of 40 main-sequence stars with -3.3 < [Fe/H] < -1.0 are used to derive S, Fe and Zn abundances from lines in the 400 - 950 nm region. For one star we also present novel observations of the SI triplet at 1.046…
Spitzer Space Telescope spectra of the low mass young stellar object (YSO) IRS 46 (L_bol ~ 0.6 L_sun) in Ophiuchus reveal strong vibration-rotation absorption bands of gaseous C2H2, HCN, and CO2. This is the only source out of a sample of…
Type I planetary nebulae (PNe) have high He/H and N/O ratios and are thought to be descendants of stars with initial masses of ~3-8Msun. These characteristics indicate that the progenitor stars experienced proton-capture nucleosynthesis at…