相关论文: Dust-forming molecules in VY Canis Majoris (and Be…

The processes leading to dust formation and the subsequent role it plays in driving mass loss in cool evolved stars is an area of intense study. Here we present high resolution ALMA Science Verification data of the continuum emission around…

Massive stars in their late stages of evolution as Red Supergiants experience mass loss. The resulting winds show various degrees of dynamical and chemical complexity and produce molecules and dust grains. This review summarises our…

Titanium dioxide, TiO$_2$, is a refractory species that could play a crucial role in the dust-condensation sequence around oxygen-rich evolved stars. To date, gas phase TiO$_2$ has been detected only in the complex environment of the red…

HST/STIS spectra of the small clumps and filaments closest to the central star in VY CMa reveal that the very strong K I emission and TiO and VO molecular emission, long thought to form in a dusty circumstellar shell, actually originate in…

Condensation of circumstellar dust begins with formation of molecular clusters close to the stellar photosphere. These clusters are predicted to act as condensation cores at lower temperatures and allow efficient dust formation farther away…

The envelope of the red supergiant VY CMa has long been considered an extreme example of episodic mass loss that is possibly taking place in other cool and massive evolved stars. Recent submm observations of the envelope revealed massive…

We report the first detection of pure rotational transitions of TiO and TiO_2 at (sub-)millimeter wavelengths towards the red supergiant VY CMa. A rotational temperature, T_rot, of about 250 K was derived for TiO_2. Although T_rot was not…

A spectral line survey of the oxygen-rich red supergiant VY Canis Majoris was made between 279 and 355 GHz with the Submillimeter Array. Two hundred twenty three spectral features from 19 molecules (not counting isotopic species of some of…

Supernova observations imply the presence of a dense and asymmetric circumstellar environment around SN Type II progenitors, whereas the mass loss from these progenitors, namely, red supergiants, is still poorly constrained. We aim to…

Cool, evolved stars have copious, enriched winds. The structure of these winds and the way they are accelerated is not well known. We need to improve our understanding by studying the dynamics from the pulsating stellar surface to about 10…

The envelopes of Red Supergiants (RSGs) have a unique chemical environment not seen in other types of stars. They foster an oxygen-rich synthesis but are tempered by sporadic and chaotic mass loss, which distorts the envelope and creates…

We report the first identification of the optical bands of the B-X system of AlO in the red supergiant VY CMa. In addition to TiO, VO, ScO, and YO, which were recognized in the optical spectrum of the star long time ago, AlO is another…

The star VY CMa is a late-type M supergiant with many peculiarities, mostly related to the intense circumstellar environment due to the star's high mass-loss rate. Claims have been made that would suggest this star is considerably more…

Massive stars live short lives, losing large amounts of mass through their stellar wind. Their mass is a key factor determining how and when they explode as supernovae, enriching the interstellar medium with heavy elements and dust. During…

The formation of silicate dust in oxygen-rich envelopes of evolved stars is thought to be initiated by formation of seed particles that can withstand the high temperatures close to the stellar photosphere and act as condensation cores…

We use imaging polarimetry taken with the HST/ACS/HRC to explore the three dimensional structure of the circumstellar dust distribution around the red supergiant VY Canis Majoris. The polarization vectors of the nebulosity surrounding VY…

We investigate the sources and amount of dust in early galaxies. We discuss dust nucleation in stellar atmospheres using published extended atmosphere models, stellar evolution tracks and nucleation conditions and conclude that the (TPAGB)…

We review the observational evidence for dust formation in Wolf-Rayet binary systems and in Type II Supernova ejecta. Existing theoretical models describing the condensation of solids in carbon-rich Wolf-Rayet stars and in Supernovae close…

Aluminum oxide (alumina, Al$_{2}$O$_{3}$) is a promising candidate as a primary dust condensate in the atmospheres of oxygen-rich evolved stars. Therefore, alumina \textit{seed} particles might trigger the onset of stellar dust formation…

We present new observations of the red supergiant VY CMa at 1.25 micron, 1.65 micron, 2.26 micron, 3.08 micron and 4.8 micron. Two complementary observational techniques were utilized: non-redundant aperture masking on the 10-m Keck-I…