Mass Loss in Evolved Stars

Intense mass loss through cool, low-velocity winds is a defining characteristic of low-to-intermediate mass stars during the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) evolutionary stage. Such winds return up ∼80% of the initial stellar mass to the interstellar medium and play a major role in enriching it with d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inProceedings of the International Astronomical Union Vol. 18; no. S380; pp. 275 - 291
Main Author Matthews, Lynn D.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.12.2022
Subjects
Contributed Paper
Convective flow
Dust
Heavy elements
Interstellar matter
Radiation
Stars & galaxies
Stellar evolution
Stellar mass
Wind
stars: winds
outflows
stars: AGB
masers
stars: mass loss
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Summary:Intense mass loss through cool, low-velocity winds is a defining characteristic of low-to-intermediate mass stars during the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) evolutionary stage. Such winds return up ∼80% of the initial stellar mass to the interstellar medium and play a major role in enriching it with dust and heavy elements. A challenge to understanding the physics underlying AGB mass loss is its dependence on an interplay between complex and highly dynamic processes, including pulsations, convective flows, shocks, magnetic fields, and opacity changes resulting from dust and molecule formation. I highlight some examples of recent advances in our understanding of late-stage stellar mass loss that are emerging from radio and (sub)millimeter observations, with a particular focus on those that resolve the surfaces and extended atmospheres of evolved stars in space, time, and frequency.
ISSN:1743-9213
1743-9221
DOI:10.1017/S1743921323002788